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He grinned, then walked away, tugging on the leash for me to follow. It was a miracle he allowed me to stand and trudge after him, bodyguards hot on my tail. I thought of Maman and her being alone in our worn out trailer, and it made my gut churn. I thought of where we were heading as he brought me deeper into their mansion, up the wide, shiny stairs to a carpeted corridor that had numerous doors, until he finally stopped and opened one that led to his room. The place took up three times our trailer and was clean as a whistle. I couldn't help but stare at the large, king size bed that covered a good part of the wall, on each side bedside tables and closets filled with books and other curiosities. Built miniature cars and maps, shiny ashtrays that looked to be real gold for my untrained eye, were scattered over several shelves.
Behind us, a few women flooded the room, rearranging things as they swiftly, and silently, went through the place. I bawled my eyes out until I caught sight of the basket that was neatly placed between the bed and the large en-suite bathroom. It stood on the carpet and was filled with plush pillows.
“Welcome to my bedroom,” Edouard said, then walked up to his bed. He sat down on it, spread his legs and tugged on the leash. “Sit.”
“What? Absolutely not!” I pulled on the rope, gritted my teeth at the ache I felt around the tender skin of my neck, then pulled again. “Fuck you. Fuck all of you. I didn’t come over to end up here. I didn’t come here to be disgraced by you.” I turned over my shoulder and my blood ran cold. Two broad-shouldered bodyguards were waiting for any signal now to come up and make me do as he wanted. Edouard had me cornered and that knowledge made me feel both defeated and rebellious at the same time. I was just some poor fucker with nothing to lose. I looked back at Edouard, who was grinning, waiting for me to throw more word vomit over him. It wouldn’t make a difference. My misfortune suddenly hit me hard. “You can’t mean this,” I pleaded at his toothy grin. Why the hell was he so attractive? Why him? “We go to the same school. We live in the same town. Our parents…Maman—” God, I couldn’t leave her alone in our trailer. She wouldn’t survive.
“I know,” he said, as if had heard my thoughts, and petted his thigh. “Come and sit here and I’ll let you go home tonight.”
“You will?”
He nodded. “If you promise to be back here tomorrow morning by seven.”
I nodded, and my knees gave way then, the insecurity of this situation making them go all wobbly. Landing between his spread legs, his hand guided me forward until I touched his inner thigh. My skin was clammy, and my cheeks felt inflamed. Shame, anger, it all felt too much. Clenching my jaw, I forced myself to look up at him.
“What do you want from me?”
Leaning back casually, Edouard grabbed a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and lit one. I seethed at the ease with which he shoved away my concerns.
“I already told you that I don’t have the money, but I can work double shifts and I can get you the money. I promise you.”
He ignored me. Inhaling deeply, he let out a puff of smoke, and that smouldering gaze turned back to me. It was unsettling. “I don’t think I’ve ever truly looked at you,” he suddenly said, effectively shutting me up immediately. He smiled then, and my heart rattled violently in my ribcage at the beauty of his face. At that moment, he didn’t look like the cocky, bad boy kid he was in school. He looked…gentle? I inwardly reprimanded myself and let my gaze zoom in on the glimmering stone in his mouth. When he caught me watching, his gaze turned smug, and his eyes danced as if he was waiting for me to find the courage to ask him.
I did. “You really think you can get away with this, don’t you?” I asked.
He shrugged, looking amused. “Why not? I can do whatever the hell I like.”
“I could go to the police when I go home. Tell them what happened.”
“Tell them to come over for a few drinks, they know the place.” He grinned, took in another drag of his cigarette with his gaze down at me. The leash felt too tight, skin too hot, my stomach too full with flutters. ”The entire force knows our family very well, Romain. So, if not them, or your mother, who will come for you? I thought so.” His finger dipped under the golden collar around my throat. “Look at you. I’ve always wanted someone for myself, and here you are, literally dropped by my feet. You look so beautiful like this, my pet.” His tips were warm on my fluttering vein, and my brain…how it hated my body right now.
Edouard tugged on the golden band and my face went horizontal before my cheek ended on his thigh. He felt warm through the material of his jeans, and strong. He felt of everything I never had back home in our cold, unsafe home. My heart thumped at our physical connection. Wiggling my ass, I let myself relax, the feeling strangely comfortable. Edouard hesitated, then slowly put his hand on my head, his fingers running through my dark hair. It had been such a long time since someone touched me. It was…soothing, despite the fact that he had me trapped between his thighs. Or maybe it was because of that fact.
It was… the first time I realized that we didn’t have to be enemies.
“Welcome to your altered future.”
The words of the old man with his golden cane echo through my mind as I shove Edouard hard in his ribs. He backs away with a gasp of surprise and hurt, ‘cause I may have accidentally touched the gash I inflicted, and perhaps part of me feels guilty, but I immediately use it to my own advantage. Too many vulnerable years on the streets have taught me how to survive. Taking off, I don’t hesitate, but make my way straight for the other tree where strange hands are still gesturing to me wildly. The shrubs are treacherously high, and the lack of light and knowing where the hell I am, make the short journey a challenge.
I never go into the forest that surrounds Monterrey Castle. We make use of the sport fields that are built between the lush gardens and the woods, but I have never once considered going into the actual forest. Now I know why. It’s vast, dark, and terrifying. And I don’t even know what’s really lurking out there in the shadows, since Edouard won’t talk to me.
The moment I reach the other trunk, hands pull me away and curl me out of sight. Panting, I look around me. “Hi.”
Another guy grins at me. From this close, I can rule him out as a participant. “You’re not—you’re not—” I stammer. Is he even on my side? A nerve ticks in my jaw, a reflection of so much adrenaline.
“A participant?” The stranger smiles, shaking his head. “Not anymore.” Instead of wearing his school uniform and that silk mask that covers most of my upper face, he’s wearing a black cloak with the hood down and a simple, black mask with silver details. He gives me a soft smile that looks almost apologetic, sweeping his golden blonde, angular fringe from his face and onto the messy strands on top of his head. He looks genuine, somehow. And that, in a place like this, at a time like this, with Edouard being out here, is so absurd it could make me laugh. It doesn’t. Because he is devastating, on multiple levels, the boy who has turned into a man, and whom I have always secretly called my love.
“I wanted to meet you.” The stranger says. “We all did.”
Blinking my eyes, I zoom in on him. “Who are you?”
“We came to check upon you. To see if you are alright. Come.” The stranger shoves me forward, deeper behind the shrubs, until we are invisible from the path. We? “O-kay?” I ask instead, inwardly slapping myself.
His smile widens, but it’s filled with worry as he nods, jutting his chin toward the tree where I stood against less than a minute ago. The spot is now empty, Edouard no longer there, and my insides crawl with awareness. Where is he? “You guys looked pretty intense.”
“Yeah, we—uhm—” I swallow, gripping the knife tighter in my palm when I hear the rustling sound of parting leaves from the obscure shadows. “We have a history.” When I catch sight of the arrival of another guy, I turn back to the black and silver stranger. “Sorry, what did you say your name was again?”
“Thurel,” he says. “I hadn’t introduced myself yet. And that is Robin.” I watch as the other guy comes closer. He’s wearing an identical outfit, safe for the details on his black mask. Robin doesn’t speak, but nods his head in greeting, the copper details in his outfit unmistakable. Somewhere in the back of my mind, those details ring a bell.
