AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"Are you sure?" he asked. "I will not be lenient next time if anything like this happens again."
"I'm sure," I answered. He led me to the car, locking my handcuff to a hook on my seat before closing the door.
The car ride was silent on the way back. I wondered how far I had made it and how long it would take to get back to the house. My thoughts turned to Anna. How was she faring? Surely he hadn't killed his wife for helping me…right? She could have made up an excuse that I had broken the chair leg. Maybe he would have believed that?
My thoughts were cut off when the house came into view. It had only taken about an hour to get back. So much effort wasted. We pulled into the driveway and the Reverend finally spoke.
"I had been wanting to wait for you to come to this conclusion naturally. But your actions have left me no choice but to move forward," he said.
"What are talking about?" I asked, thoroughly confused. Despite my confusion, dread rose in my throat in anticipation of whatever he was going to say next.
"When we go inside you are going back to the basement. There will be no more special treatment."
I shuddered thinking of the cold, stark basement that I had woken up in only a few nights ago.
"You will wait there until I have everything prepared," he continued.
"Prepared for what?" I asked hesitantly. He grunted in answer and got out of the car. After retrieving me he led me down the narrow basement steps. Everything was as it had been left, even the pool of vomit that I had lain in before I had been retrieved. He led me to the mattress, and moved my cuff to connect around my ankle before connecting it to a chain that was connected to the ground. It looked like it would give me about enough room to walk to the bucket in the corner to use the restroom.
I settled on the mattress and stared at the floor, feeling unsettled that the Reverend was so close to me while I was on a bed. He crouched down in front of me and tilted up my chin so I was looking at him.
"Just in case your pretty little head gets any more ideas. You have a tracker inserted right here," he said, brushing his finger against my left shoulder. I took a deep breath. That must have been why my shoulder hurt when I had first woken up after being captured. My healing abilities must have erased the mark before I could see it. No wonder the beeping was so easy to hear. It was right by my ear.
The Reverend stood up and began to walk away. Unable to help myself I cried out, "Reverend, please don't leave me down here." He turned to look at me.
"Eva, I've said this before…call me Kylan," he answered, before turning and briskly walking back up the stairs. He flipped a switch and the basement was plunged into darkness. My punishment had begun.
Chapter 28
I had been sitting on the dirty mattress, my ankle chained to the floor, for a few hours. I hadn't heard anything from upstairs, and I wondered what was going on. My stomach growled, I longingly thought of the apple that was in Anna's backpack. My shoulders twitched for the millionth time since I had been taken, and I reached behind my back to massage them, trying to provide myself some relief. No matter what I did, the feeling didn't go away.
The basement light clicked on and I jumped, the chain clattering with my movement. Footsteps sounded down the stairs. The Reverend came into view. He kneeled in front of me.
"Have you had an attitude change yet, my darling?" he asked me. I stared at him, not saying anything. He seemed nonplussed by my silence.
"Everything has been arranged. Tonight, we will finally be joined as one," he announced. I gaped at him.
"Joined as one?" I asked, stupidly not understanding his intent.
"You are to become my wife. Proverbs 18:22 Eva, 'He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord,'" the Reverend stated with delight.
"I'm pretty sure that verse doesn't apply to your plans seeing as how you already have a wife," I answered saucily, wondering where Anna was.
Fear rose up in my chest. He had no issue with disposing of the Andersons because of actions he hadn't even seen them do. What would happen to Anna, who had actively gone against his orders. Was she still alive? Tears slid down my cheeks unhindered thinking of the courage that Anna had displayed in blatantly risking her life to help me. I noticed a spot of blood on the Reverend's pants. I hoped foolishly that the spot was from something other than Anna.
"I'm going to give you a little more time to get used to this idea while I prepare our room," he said patiently, ignoring everything I had just said. "I'll be back in a few hours to collect you for our new life."
With that, he stood up, brushed his knees off, and walked back up the stairs. The basement was once again plunged into darkness.
What was I going to do? Would I be considered married under the law even if I didn't say yes, if it was all coerced? I started frantically pulling at the chain. I wanted to call out for help but I knew it would be a wasted effort. I didn't want Anna to help me even if she was able to hear me for fear that something would happen to her…if something hadn't happened already.
No matter how hard I pulled, the chain didn't budge. Obviously if I was some kind of supernatural, I wasn't one that had supernatural strength.
I finally gave up on trying to break the chain. I drew my knees up to my chest and laid my head down on them despondently. I wondered what day it was. Was it my birthday yet?
I wondered if Damon, Mason, and Beckham were searching for me. It would probably be better for them if I disappeared forever. That way they wouldn't have to deal with me being in love with all of them, and they could each choose to have someone who loved just them.
I shook my head, angry at myself for such depressing thoughts. All three had been alive for thousands of years. They were old enough to make their own decisions. I hadn't forced them to fall for me. They had made that choice.
