Chapter 8: Reencounter

MORANA

*Damn. No. No. No.* The thought of being alone with the tattooed male was enough to send me into a panic.

"I was running from Viltarin!" I blurted out, making him stop at the door.

He was motionless for a few seconds before turning back to face me.

"If you're lying..."

"I'm not, please believe me."

He approached, stopping beside me.

"Speak," he commanded.

"It was as I said, I ran, didn't stop all night or morning, and just happened upon this place by chance."

"So the story about the arranged marriage is real? And you are Viltarin's wife?" He asked skeptically.

"Believe me, no one wishes more than I that it were all a lie."

"Why would your parents force you to marry him?"

"That's a long story. But I swear I'm telling the truth. I just didn't mention Viltarin earlier because I was afraid you'd take me back."

"Is that why you didn't go home? Are you afraid your parents would make you go back?"

"My parents are dead, and I can't go home. I'm sure that will be the first place he'll look for me."

"So, you have nowhere to go?"

"I just want to get as far away as possible. That's why you have to let me go."

Suddenly, someone knocked at the door, interrupting us.

"Come in," Lyall said.

Kallias entered, keeping the door open.

"The conversation is very interesting, but I'd like to remind you that someone will be arriving soon," he said.

Lyall nodded. Someone was coming? Who were they expecting?

"Who is coming?" I asked, unable to contain my curiosity.

"It's none of your business," Lyall retorted.

"What are we going to do with her? Maybe it's better to hide her," Kallias suggested.

"That's not his business, we have no deal yet. We'll just keep her out of sight," Lyall said.

Kallias nodded and left the room.

"You're staying here. If you try to run, you know what happens," Lyall warned, turning his attention back to me.

"You need to let me go. Every minute I spend here only gives him more time."

"You should be more worried about what we will do with you if you're lying."

"Why don't you believe me?"

"We'll continue this later," he said, heading towards the exit.

He still didn't believe me. That meant they weren't going to let me go. But I can't stay; I need to find a way to escape.

I should never have come near this damned place; by now I should have been far away from here and from Viltarin.

I stared at the door, trying to hear any noise that would indicate they were on the other side, but it seemed impossible to hear anything.

Had their guest already arrived? If so, that would keep them occupied for some time and might give me a chance to escape the house. But first, I needed to get rid of these damned ropes.

It wouldn't be hard; I just needed to use a little force and try not to make too much noise. Adjusting my arm on the rest, I pushed the wood until I heard a small crack.

I focused on the door to make sure no one was coming and kept my hearing concentrated on it while I untied my other arm, then leaned over to free my ankles.

Getting rid of the ropes was easy, but I knew there was an obvious reason for that. They were males and were so arrogant that they were convinced that even if I managed to free myself, I would be unable to escape without them noticing or being able to stop me.

Maybe they were right and trying to flee wasn't really a good idea. I knew my only chance would be to escape without being noticed because even if I managed to flee the house, with them on alert, I would never manage to escape a pursuit in the forest, after all, they were four.

It seems I was left with only one option. Approaching the door, I pressed my ear against it, trying to hear anything.

I could hear a murmur of voices, but the sound was so low, that it was impossible to understand what they were saying or to know if they were in the room or another part of the house.

However, they seemed distant, so there probably wasn't anyone guarding my door. This gave me a chance to try to open it slightly to see something.

Holding the knob, I turned it, trying to open, just to confirm that it was locked. Damn. I turned it a few more times just to be sure.

Letting out a sigh of frustration, I tried to think of how to open it. It couldn't involve making noise.

Suddenly, the sound of voices grew louder, and I pressed my ear against the door again to try to listen.

Then abruptly the door was opened, and I felt the wood give way, throwing me off balance and launching me forward, causing my body and face to crash into something solid, which prevented my fall.

Large hands grabbed my arms, stabilizing me, and when I lifted my face, I was surprised to see the face of the male in front of me.

*Volk?*