Total pages in book: 39
Estimated words: 35349 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 177(@200wpm)___ 141(@250wpm)___ 118(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 35349 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 177(@200wpm)___ 141(@250wpm)___ 118(@300wpm)
It seemed surreal that I voluntarily went back into the place I was being held captive, but here I was, sitting in the living room and staring at the fire as it roared before me.
The sounds of the forest didn’t fade but changed as darkness settled in, filling the interior of the cabin with quiet nocturnal noises that mixed with the crackle and pop of the flames licking over the logs. I’d taken a bath already, Lars giving me privacy as I soaked in the warm water. My body wash still lingered on my skin, reminding me of where I was when I bought it just days ago.
When I was free.
I knew that every minute spent in this place was another minute I’d crawl deeper into his trap and under his control. And with every second, I was unsure of where I stood in my life and in this world.
Although Lars had said little of anything since we stepped out of the cabin just this morning, his presence was very commanding, and I’d felt him watching me at every second.
I swallowed the lump in my throat and tightly pulled the cardigan around me that I’d put on after my bath. The fire was crackling wildly, casting flickering shadows across the worn stone hearth and wooden walls. Lars came into my peripheral vision, holding two mugs and handing me one of them. I said nothing as I took the offered cup and focused on him as he took a seat across from me in the other tattered and worn armchair.
His gaze was forever fixed on me, dark and always unreadable.
“It’s just tea,” he said, his voice soft but holding that same weight it always did when he saw me eyeing the light amber-colored liquid. He took a sip from his cup, then set it on the small table beside him, steam rising from it in white tendrils.
I hesitated for a moment before taking a sip from my mug. My hands curled around the warm porcelain as if I had no control over them, my fingers trembling.
We sat in silence, my eyes on the fire, yet I felt his focus was on me. I stared into the flames, my mind racing with questions I’d been too afraid to ask before tonight. Now, though, the fear and the faux freedom he’d given me today wasn’t enough to keep me quiet.
“Why did you take me?” I asked softly, something I had questioned once before, my voice barely above a whisper but feeling so thick, like oil on my tongue. And although I spoke quietly, it felt like a scream in the small interior.
When Lars didn’t respond right away, I glanced at him. He leaned back in his chair, his eyes still on me, his expression impossible to read. He always wore this stoic mask, one that made me feel like I was staring into the face of a psychopath.
“Because I wanted you,” he said simply, the same response he’d given me that first day, as if that explained everything. His voice was calm, almost gentle, but there was darkness in the undertone.
He’s a predator waiting to pounce.
I frowned, confusion knotting my brow. The answer was so simple, but it was the most complicated thing I’d ever heard. “But…” I shook my head. “I don’t understand why. Why me? I’m nobody special.” I felt tears well in my eyes but held them back.
Lars tilted his head slightly, as if considering my words.
“What do you want with me?” The question spilled out before I could stop it, my desperation for answers overpowering my need to be tactful. I had to know what the endgame was, what my future was going to be like.
“You ask a lot of questions, Dolly.” He picked up his cup and took another sip. “But you already know the answer to some. Isn’t that right?”
His tone was maddeningly calm, and I wanted to scream at him, to punch and hit and fight him until I was too tired to think about it anymore.
“Plus, that’s a fucking lie,” he added, and I was taken back by his statement, not sure what he meant, and he must’ve seen that in my expression. “Thinking you’re not special.” He set the cup back down and leaned forward, resting his forearms on his thighs as his dark and piercing eyes held me hostage. “I’ve never met or seen anyone or anything more special than you, little darling.”
I audibly gasped at his words. I felt they were the God’s honest truth. I shook my head. “None of this makes sense. You can't… you can’t just take someone because you want them.” I licked my lips and set the mug down, my anxiety so high that I couldn't even think about consuming anything right now. “That’s not how the world works.”