The ride through the city was tense, to put it lightly. Bear had her trapped between his arms, and wasn’t shy where he put his hands. She jabbed her elbow back at him, only making him chuckle.
It made her skin crawl.
“Where are you taking me?” Dani snapped. If she knew that her family would be alright, she’d get away! Or at least try to. She wasn’t sure how she’d manage it, but she could at least try! But if she escaped and they hurt her family.... She shuddered, unwilling to complete that thought.
“It’s a surprise.” Bear chuckled again, his hand moving up to grab a breast and squeeze. She elbowed him again, her face turning red. Was this a taste of what they were going to do to her? The thought was like ice cold water, her stomach roiling. She didn’t want this asshole touching her! Or any other asshole for that matter.
Wulfram she would be alright with, if she were honest with herself. Prince or not he was a fine-looking man, and she didn’t think he would force himself on her like some beast.
“I don’t like surprises.” She growled and glanced around the area they had entered. They had moved up towards the palace, where the richer nobles had their houses. So it wasn’t a thief that was paying Bear. Unless it was a very very good thief. They’d have to be to go over Alodia’s head like that. She was one of the leaders of the thieves guild, Bear should be listening to her!
“Then you’re really going to hate this.” He shifted in the saddle, releasing her just long enough to pull a cloth bag over her head. A thrill of terror ran through her, and she reached up to yank it off, only to find his hand around her neck again. He squeezed just enough to cut off her breath, leaning closer to whisper in her ear. “None of that now, we don’t want to draw attention, now do we? Cooperate and I promise your family won’t get hurt.”
Dani tried to calm her breathing down, clenching her fists so hard the nails dug into her palms. She would not scream, she would not cry, she would not put her family in danger. But she couldn’t keep her heart from racing, couldn’t keep from trembling.
Behind her, Bear chuckled. She hated the sound of it. It was cruel and harsh. All she wanted to do was stab the man in the gut, but if she did that, what would happen to her family? Maybe he was bluffing, maybe they’d be just fine. But she didn’t want to risk it.
They rode in silence, winding through streets until Dani could no longer keep track of how many turns they had made or which way they had gone. It was cooler though. She couldn’t feel the sun on her skin. They had to be close to the cliff. It had been a clear day when she had started for Mrs. Haversaun’s this morning.
Dani jumped at the sound of metal gates closing behind them, her tension growing. She reached for the hood again, but Bear grabbed her wrists in his crushing grip. “Mmm... not yet M’lady. Don’t want ta ruin the surprise. The boss set up something special, just for you.”
“I don’t like surprises!” Dani tried to yank her wrists away, but her struggles only made Bear laugh. He lifted her up off the horse, dropping her to the ground before dismounting himself.
“Don’t worry.” He said as more hands snatched her up, holding her by the arms as they marched her up a set of stairs. “This’ll be fun. For us.”
It seemed like an eternity before they removed the bag, letting her see the plain round room they had reached. There was only one door, and a broad-shouldered man blocked it, sword drawn. There were three others in the room beside her: Bear, the man by the door, and a man she thought she recognized from the palace. She scrambled to her feet, balling her hands into fists as she looked around. No windows, one door, and a simple candelabra for light.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
The noble man stared at her coldly from across his table, a feast of cheese, meat and fruit set out on it. “Lady Daniella.” He said as if the words tasted foul in his mouth. “Thank you for accepting my invitation.”
“I didn’t have much of a choice.” Dani said through gritted teeth. She glanced towards the door, but didn’t dare try to rush the man with the sword. “What do you want?”
“I simply wish to help you learn your place.” The man said, his voice a slow drawl, like he was trying to talk to a particularly stupid child. “After all, it’s important to know our place in life, don’t you agree?”
Dani stared at the man, taking an involuntary step back. “I know my place. The king an’ queen were pretty clear about it.”
“Ah yes, our lovely king and queen. So kind and soft hearted. It must be flattering for you to be called in front of them, and for them to give you a title!” His sneer looked sinister in the dim flickering light of the room. “But you are no lady. You, dear girl, are nothing but a filthy, diseased, street rat.” His voice rose as he spoke, until it roared through the room, flecks of food flying from his mouth. Then it lowered dangerously as he leaned over the table, staring at her with cold amber eyes. “You are going to do whatever I tell you in this little project the king and queen assigned you. If I say to tear that filthy Rats Nest to the ground, you’ll do it. If I tell you to pretend certain tunnels don’t exist, they don’t exist, and if I tell you to come to me, you’ll crawl on your hands and knees!”
Shit, the man was deranged! She stared at him, her fingers twitching towards the scissors that hung on her chatelaine. That was enough for Bear though, he grabbed her arms, pulling them back behind her, painfully wrenching them up. “Tut, tut, tut, I wouldn’t try it M’lady.”
“She is no lady!” The noble man stepped around the table, approaching her with a terrifying calm. “She has not earned that title. Isn’t that right, street rat?”
Dani clenched her jaw, glaring at the nobleman in defiance.
The nobleman smiled, his face twisting into a mockery of pleasure. She didn’t even see his fist driving up into her gut. Dani grunted, doubling over as the breath was knocked out of her. The nobleman grabbed her hair, yanking her head up so she could look at him. “I am going to enjoy breaking you, street rat.” He said, voice full of awful promise. There was the soft hiss of metal on metal as he drew his own blade. “Let’s see how much it will take to make you scream.”
To her credit, it took a lot more to make her scream than she thought it would. By the time she did, she was covered in blood, and her clothes were in tatters. The nobleman avoided cutting her face, she didn’t really care why. It took all her effort to stand on her own, and even then she wasn’t sure if it was really her own power, or Bear holding her up.
The nobleman knotted his hand in her hair again, lifting her head up as he hissed. “What are you?”
She knew the answer he wanted. Knew the answer that would set her free from this torture. But one small, defiant part of her wouldn’t let her say it. Instead she spit blood in his face, and the torture started all over again.
It felt like it lasted forever, until she couldn’t stand, hanging limp and nearly unconscious in Bear’s grip. Reshi was going to be pissed. He was right, she was going to get herself killed. But if she kept her family safe doing it, it was worth it, wasn’t it?
“What. Are. You?!” The nobleman roared, his blade against her throat now.
This was it. If she answered one way, this would stop. If she answered the other way, it would continue. And really it was just three little words.
It wasn’t like she had never lied before.
She glared at him, breathing heavily. “S-street. Rat.”
The nobleman smiled and traced the flat of his blade against her cheek. “There now, was that so hard?” He crooned. Dani flinched back, only making the nobleman smile wider. “Good. Keep this lesson in mind, or next time it won’t just be you learning it.”
He stepped back, pulling out a handkerchief and wiping off his blade. “Take her away, throw her in the gutter somewhere, where she belongs.”
“Yes Sir.” Bear picked up Dani, throwing her over his shoulder. It hurt, but the only reaction she could muster was a faint whimper. She saw her blood drip down along her limp arms onto the floor, but little else before she lost consciousness.