Marienne's life was completely undone when her village went up in flames. Badly burned and her eyesight lost, she awakes in a strange place, with no knowledge of how she arrived there. Her savior was the enigmatic and alluring Victor, the Lord of Az...
Author's Note: I'd like to give a brief content warning for this chapter. This is by far the "darkest" chapter I've written for this story so far, so I figured it was due time to warn more sensitive readers, incase it's been awhile since you looked at the content warning at the beginning of the book. But there will be mention of blood and violence, so if either of these things bother you, I recommend proceeding with caution. For those of you that stayed through till the end, make sure to leave your thoughts and comments below!
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It had rained shortly before I set out toward the town. The landscape was freshly washed and glistening in the setting sun, the sky painted in vibrant hues of orange and vermillion, with bruised purple highlights along the bottoms of lingering clouds. I relaxed in my seat, breathing more easily now that I was alone in the countryside.
My mount was frisky and eager, so our pace was brisk. Still, I would not find myself arriving within civilization until the sun was well set. This was my intention, of course. I did not fancy having to linger around, waiting for the dark velvet of night to cloak my ambitions.
Naturally, we hadn't passed a soul the entire way in, but as the town grew near, candlelight still shone out of several windows, most of them in public houses and taverns. I shifted in my saddle impatiently, and headed towards a public stable. I had been here before. Its location was very convenient, sitting here on the outskirts of town. The owner and I had long since worked out an arrangement for my horse to be returned within the next two days any time I stabled her here. After tossing a few coins the way of the stableboy to ensure she was groomed and fed correctly, I made my way out onto the streets, my body nearly humming in anticipation.
I propped myself on a wall, in a dark and foreboding back alley. I had no need to venture into the tavern to know eventually some poor fool would find himself back here. There was only the need to wait, even if I couldn't do so patiently.
My thoughts yet again wandered back to Marienne. I sighed, desperately wishing I could escape her, while simultaneously reveling in the memory of her. She presented an enigma to me. I wasn't sure where her feelings truly lied, and I knew that I was the root cause of her indecisiveness. Oh, how her heart fluttered any time I touched her! I smiled at the very thought of being close enough to hear her heartbeat once again.
