Chapter 5 She's a Traitor
ADRIANA
Elijah. His name sounded nice. It fit him.
He cleared his throat, pulling me from my thoughts. I looked up and he pointed to my leg.
“It is bruised badly. I think you dislocated the ankle. Why were those wolves after you anyway? What’s going on?”
I opened my mouth but a thought crossed through my mind. I was about to leak my secrets to a total stranger who was probably working with Lisa. Right now, I didn’t trust anyone.
“It’s none of your business.” I rolled down my pants leg and attempted to walk away, now conscious of my situation but it didn’t help matters as the pain was still there, causing me to fall back onto the floor.
Before I could attempt to move again, I felt a hand across my waist and under my legs.
“Let me help you.” Without waiting for a response, he picked me up and secured me tightly in his arms.
He was so big, I immediately felt protected. Like I was being carried by a big strong teddy bear.
If it were another situation, I wouldn’t have minded it but right now, I didn’t even know who the man was. And after what happened with Lisa, I wasn’t sure what to think.
I knew she wouldn’t just give up. That’s now how she is. She would want to torture me some more.
“White Crescent, huh?” My head snapped to him so quickly in shock. “What? I can smell it on you. Let’s get you home. The woods are too dangerous for a little girl like you.”
Home? No!
I was running from home and this person, whoever the hell he was, was taking me back. I won’t let that happen.
“No! No! Let me go! Hello?” My cries fell on deaf ears. He just kept walking back in the direction I had run away from just hours earlier.
No matter how much I kicked and thrashed, he just wouldn’t let me go.
“Let me go now!”
He laughed. He seemed to be enjoying this.
God, why did I always have to end up in situations like this?
I heard footsteps but didn’t think much of it because he was here and whoever he was, he was dangerous.
He paused for a moment, took a deep breath and tightened his hold on me and cleared his throat.
“You don’t need to be scared of going back. Don’t worry, they’re coming to get you. Isn’t that fun?”
I could hear the smile in his words and I wanted to punch him. Except, it wouldn’t do damage and I didn’t want to piss him off seeing how large he was. But, how could he smile at a time like this?!
My life is on the line!
Shit, I didn’t like the feeling I was getting at the pit of my stomach. Something bad was going to happen and I could feel it.
The dropped me on the floor as more footsteps approached us. Had Lisa gone back to bring more men to fight him?
As we stood waiting for whoever was approaching us, I took a quick glance at him.
I had never seen anyone so relaxed when things are obviously going to shit. He had a stoic face and looked straight ahead like he could scatter whatever it was, with his mind alone.
My ankle was throbbing badly though it was the least of my worries..
“That’s them!” I looked up to see Lisa pointing right at the both of us.
No, she hadn’t gone to bring more men. She brought my father, Landon, and more guards. This bloody bitch actually had some balls.
The look on her face made my stomach drop to the pit of my stomach.
“Get behind me, it’s fine.” Elijah pushed me behind him but he didn’t need to protect me, this was my family. Or so I thought.
“What are you talking about, Lisa?”
She went to stand beside my father and held his hand.
“Dad, this is the rogue she’s been seeking out secrets to and having an affair with. I told you we couldn’t trust her.”
My mouth hung open in shock, listening to the lies spew from her mouth without hesitation.
My father won’t believe her nor would Landon. They knew me too well to believe such a stupid lie.
“Dad, don’t believe that nonsense. You know better, right? You know I’d never do anything like that? This is not what you think it is. I can explain-”
“Oh shut up, traitor. Dad, I overheard her saying that she wanted to hand you over to them on a platter. You should punish her. She planned to kill you.”
It was beginning to sound like a debate, a debate for whom my father should believe. The way my father was looking at me in silence and the way his eyes darted back to Lisa any time she spoke. I couldn’t decipher what he was thinking.
“Dad, you have to believe what I’m telling you. She was the one who tried to kill me. She captured me in the woods and put a knife against my throat. She wore a mask and stood with some rogues! You have to believe me.” He didn’t move an inch but his eyes were focused on me.
I was so desperate, desperate for any witnesses to come forth and say something. From the way my dad was looking, he would most definitely take Lisa’s side and as soon as that happened, I was done for.
“Listen, my name is Elijah and I am-”
“Please, please, not now. You’re the center of this mess and even I don’t know who you are. Just be quiet, I’ll handle this.”
He was a witness but he wasn’t a good witness, he was the sole cause of this. If he hadn’t come, Lisa would have killed me and dumped my body somewhere and my father would never know of my death. He would think I had actually run away.
And maybe that wouldn’t have been so bad. At least, I would be with mum again and I won’t have to deal with Lisa.
I stepped forward a bit.
“Dad, I-”
Landon came to me, looked me dead in the eye and slapped me across the face. It almost knocked me off balance but it was the confusion I felt that mostly dazed me.
Landon slapped me?
“You filthy whore, you’ve been cheating on me the entire time?“
I opened my mouth to explain but words didn't come out. If anybody would have taken Lisa's side, I would never have thought it would be Landon because I thought he knew me better.
As I stared at him with tear filled eyes, I could see the rage in him as he stared down at me. I wasn't crying because Landon slapped me but because he didn't believe me.
“You have committed a taboo and you will be punished for it.”
“Wait, Landon." I tried to hold on to his shirt but he pushed me away. “Landon, you need to listen to me.”
It was no use, he had turned his back on me. If I didn't do something fast, I was going to be killed.
“Elijah” I dragged him to a corner ”You need to tell them what happened. Leave no details out please,if you don't say something, my father would have me killed.”
He looked back at my father, then at me and then nodded.