Finding Fire

Chapter 15

Charles stood over Anna. She tried to jump off the bed but found her hands bound over her head.

He grinned at her. It was the grin she'd seen so many times before. She saw his hand reach for his belt. It was different this time. She was on her back, looking up at him. The only way to not see him was to close her eyes, but they wouldn't close. He wrapped the leather around his hand. He lifted a big arm up and got ready to strike her.

As her dream-self screamed, Anna came awake. But she wasn't free of the dream. Her hands were still bound above her head. She looked around desperately for Charles. Her breathing increased to frantic pants.

She pulled at her bonds. Her legs were free, so she scooted up to where she had more leverage. She flipped on her stomach so she could brace herself on her knees to pull at the material. She was trapped and Charles was going to be here any second.

Her gasps turned to sobs as she uselessly struggled with the rope. Tears streamed down her face as she kept tugging with all her force. One of her tugs sent her falling to the floor. There were no bed posts, so the bonds were attached to the bed frame.

Her hands worked at the knot, but she couldn't see anything. Her sobs got louder as she tried tugging again.

A large shadow cut through the darkness and fell over her. She let out a piercing scream. She bucked and thrashed her head back, trying to keep him away from her.

She heard a voice behind her but couldn't make out the words over her own screams. A big hand gripped her bound hands, and with one tug, her bonds ripped in half.

She scrambled on her hands and knees away from the man. She tried to relax her breathing, but the sobs still spilled out of her. A light came on, and she was momentarily blinded.

Nicolas stood in front of her, his eyes filled with concern. "What's wrong, Annabelle?"

She tried to speak between the heavy breaths. "I-I-I was tied to the bed." She looked around the room, suddenly standing. "Is h-h-h-he still here?"

Nicolas took a step toward her. "Who? Who was here?"

"Charles, damn it! Is he here?" she screamed.

"No one's here but you and I, Annabelle," Nicolas said in a calm voice.

"No, no, no. Someone is here," she insisted. She slowly gained more control over her breathing. "I was tied to the bed."

A guilty expression wafted over Nicolas's face. "That was me."

"Y-y-you did what?" she asked in a confused voice.

"You were right. I needed sleep. That gave me comfort you wouldn't do anything to me in my sleep."

Her fear turned to anger. "So you tied me to the bed! What the hell is wrong with you?"

He took another step toward her, and she took a step back. She backed into the door, jumping at the unexpected chill of the wood.

Nicolas spoke to her in his calm voice. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize—"

Before he could finish his sentence, she opened the door. Sunlight poured into the room, and he stepped back with a shout. Not waiting to see what he would do next, Annabelle ran out into the sunlight.

She couldn't go back to him. Not ever. He'd tied her to a bed. He'd felt powerless and tied her down. He was no better than Charles. Worse, because Nicolas wasn't even human.

She'd considered sleeping with him! She'd kissed the monster, and she was probably nothing to him. Just some lesser creature he could tie up at his own convenience, like a dog.