(Blood and Bone, #2) Sin and Swoon(29)

The mist swirls, attempting to blind me, but I don’t dare back down. I push through, sucking in air so heavy I can barely get it in all the way. Something in my back stings. It’s the thick mountain air and the elevation in my lungs. I’m not used to exerting myself up here.

Branches stab into my bare feet, but I don’t feel them the way I should. My whole body ignores the pain. My mind reels as my fingers reach for the branches to pull me farther along.

My panicked breath and heaving chest are like percussion instruments in my ears, where blood is racing through at a rapid rate. The crunching of the sticks and branches seems to scream of my trail. Even the rocks and dirt try to betray me by announcing where I’m running.

Light filters in through the green canopy as I slide over logs and branches to get deeper into the silent woods.

Then I hear it—the worst sound ever.

“Ashley! I know you think you can get away, but it’s a hundred miles in every direction! Princess, we can talk about this!”

I duck, hiding behind a log and some ferns. I know my dark hair and filthy skin have to be shielding me, camouflaging me from his eyes, but the shaking in my aching body and groggy mind seems to make the woods move in an unnatural way. The trees vibrate with me, and the leaves crinkle and crunch even though nothing is moving, nothing but my beating heart.

“Ash, my sweet princess, I’m not mad, I swear! Just come out and let me tend to your wounds! Come on, Princess, come back!”

His voice grates on my skin, his accent driving me crazy. It doesn’t matter if he whispers or shouts, the sound is the same. It nauseates me and haunts my mind with memories—all groggy. But his whispering breath on my rocking body is as clear there in my mind as it is in the woods. Him inside me, pushing harder, spreading me open to him as he violates even my soul.

I hold my breath as he enters the woods. “You’re bleeding! Let me make it better! The animals will track you!”

I cringe, thinking about him, but I don’t move. I don’t dare run for it. I wait. He can’t see me, and I might have run in any direction for all he knows.

His breath and heavy steps fill the forest with echoing noise. It’s then I see the clouds rolling in behind us, over the mountain peaks. I realize the air is colder than I thought it was. It’s winter, I think.

I hold my breath, straining my lungs and making the pounding in my head worsen, but it isn’t worth it to let him find me. I force the image of him pinning me down, whispering his love for me with every thrust. It stops the pain, and it pushes it away with intense amounts of fear.

“Ash!” His voice sounds farther away, but I don’t lift my head to look. I wait, because there is no way to be sure. My ears are still thick from the thin air and elevation.

A hot shiver breaks out, making me breathe again. The feeling of a fever and possibly a sickness of sorts starts to surface. I hope I’m not sick, but being in a dank cellar for months can’t be good for anyone.

I don’t know how long I’ve been here. I don’t know how long I will last here in the woods, in the cold, bleeding from my feet and hands. I do know I will die here freezing, surrounded by trees, before I will let him find me. I will lie back and stare at the stars for Jane and me. Together we will see the stars one last time.

His footsteps crunch, leading away from me, but his words are still there. “When I find you, you’ll be punished for every day you hide! Make no mistake, Princess, I’ll find you!”

The word Princess makes me want to vomit.

I sit, wondering if he’s messing with me, waiting for me to make the mistake of standing. But I’m not that dumb. Not to mention, my legs are not that strong. They’ve sort of failed me, in either paralyzing fear or crippling weakness. When I needed them they worked, but now they’re heavy like they’re soaked or caked in mud.

My brain whispers something about adrenaline and lactic acid, but I don’t care for the nurse’s knowledge I have locked away from the three months of courses I’ve taken.

I care about getting off this hill and finding help.

When I don’t hear him again I start to breathe normally. I don’t move until I hear the Jeep. He skids away, driving like a maniac. The maniac I didn’t know he was.

Then the adrenaline hits again.

I force myself to stand, pushing my feet to run from the forest, toward the barn. The road will allow an easier escape than the woods.

I turn from the woods, making my feet and legs move as I make my way to the road. The drive up here to the cabin revealed several cabins along the way. If I can get to one before he finds me, I might make it. I nearly go back for them, the other girls. But in my racked brain I know one of them gave him the key. They don’t want to leave. They don’t want to be free. They fear his wrath more than they desire freedom.