STOLEN BY THE HEARTLESS LYCAN

Chapter 7: Lights Out.

Cora’s pov.

The moment he was out the door, I pushed off the desk and padded towards the window to make sure he was truly gone.

My intention was to make sure that he was gone, but I was not blind to his strong physique and his powerful walk. He was surrounded by men in black suits, just like him, briefing him on something that just couldn’t wait until he got to his office… or wherever it was that mob bosses did the paperwork for money laundry.

Intimidating captor or not, he really was something to look at and eventually he slipped out of my view and into one of the sleek, black cars parked in the driveway and zoomed off in a few minutes.

I let out a small breath of relief then walked back to the centre of the massive room. It looked like a home office of some sort and I wondered how insignificant he thought of me to leave me here alone with important information about his pack and his businesses.

But stealing information was the least of my worries.

It was just me now, alone in his large mansion, well, not completely alone. My ears could pick up on the sound of maids darting about outside.

But I was practically alone here.

This is going to be easier than I thought.

My first thought was geared towards looking for a good exit, but I halted midstep. My legs were mostly healed, but after standing just now for a few minutes I could still feel stings of pain move from my knees and up my thighs, my stomach growled in hunger, my skin was clammy with sweat and streaked with dirt, not to mention the fact that I smell like horse s**t.

It’s a miracle Creed was even able to stand near me for that long.

Walking back into the room I had slept in, look towards the spot where he claimed the bathroom was and quickly walked over to there, indeed, it was a bathroom. A rather fancy one at that, I let out a low whistle and entered the warm room.

Just the sight of the multiple shower heads had relaxation sinking into me.

Even though I was desperate to get out of here, I was not totally stupid, leaving in this state will result in me getting caught faster. Besides, I had no idea where the exits were, where the guards were stationed, how the maids relate to him and where I’d even go when I did escape, it wasn’t like I made any friends in the time I spent enslaved by my father.

If you can count papa’s frequent visitors as friends then I might have made quite a few.

I took off my filthy clothes and let the warm water run into the bathtub. It didn’t take me too long to find the soaps, shampoos, lotions and essential oils stored here.

“How many types of shampoo does one man need?” I muttered to myself, then I remembered how full and shiny his hair was and how soft his hair had felt between my fingers yesterday. Following that was an image of him hunched over the tub and washing his hair with multiple types of scented shampoos.

I chuckle and chuck random things into the warm bath water.

I had never had a bath before, showers were a luxury enough for me, restricted to only when I had to perform that night.

I could get used to this.

I should be more hesitant to let my guard down here, but if I became any more wound up than this I’ll end up exploding. What’s a little bit of relaxation anyway?

Finally, I dipped into the bathtub with a long sigh of relief. The warm water loosend every tight cord of muscle and seems to soothe the aches from my older wounds. I let out another sigh and assessed the bottles of soap and shampoo again, maybe I’ll steal a few when I leave.

If I leave.

I banish the thought.

My stay with Creed was a temporary thing of course, an avenue to gather strength, ensure my safety and at the time he was the lesser of two evils, the other evil being the many enemies papa had made over the years. Though now that I was no longer thinking with fearful irrationality, I was starting to wonder if he really is the better choice here.

I’ve heard many stories about him, whispered between Papa and his men when they think I’m not listening, he’s brutal, heartless, cold and more bloody than any man ever should have.

He killed his own brother.

And many other lovers after that.

The worst part is that he was completely unrepentant.

I’m sure that’s why he was cast out of the famous Beauregard estate and banished to these parts that hardly ever had enough daylight hours. The Outskirts couldn’t even be considered part of Shadow Cove. It was a gray area and often involved in territory disputes by the werewolves of Shadow Cove and some hunters affiliated with the mafia.

Though it has been quiet for a while since Creed assumed his role as don.

Creed…

I remembered the way his hand easily wrapped around my neck this morning, but rather than letting it play out the way it happened, I imagined him squeezing tightly and even tighter as the minutes pass, I imagined myself choking and wheezing and scratching at his arm until I was eventually gone.

I brushed my hand over my neck, a little close to where my brand was as well.

How long until he loses whatever patience he has left and makes this a regular occurrence. How long until I become yet another punching bag for a powerful man?

Yeah, no. I’m definitely not staying here and certainly not with him.

I might have pleaded with him yesterday, but I knew for certain that my pleas weren’t what moved him. Whatever made him decide to take me went a lot deeper than my pleas, I’d like to say it was my body, after all, cold-hearted killer or not, he was still a man and men have a one track mind when it comes to women like me.

I plopped shampoo into my hand and attacked my filthy hair.

I can work that to my advantage though, a touch here, a glance there and I’d have him lowering his guard enough for me to hightail it out of here. It’d take a while, but I can do it, I’m yet to find a man I can’t move.

I spent another hour or two there, playing with the bottles and mixing the most random things together. Eventually, at the risk of my skin being wrinkled, I climbed out of the bathtub and returned to my room where a short, pale woman was placing a tray of food on the bedside table.

She jumped when she saw me, but I just scrutinised her thoughtfully.

A maid’s uniform and a demure demeanour. She’s definitely one of the help.

“Hello,” I greeted cheerily. I ignored how tense she looked and reached into the closet for clothes.

I stilled for a second, momentarily taken aback by the amount of clothes arranged according to colour, fabric and style in the giant closet.

My heart did another clench. How did he get so much done with so little time.

It was almost like… he had prepared for me in advance… almost like he had been expecting me before last night.

Snapping out of my ridiculous thoughts, I shook my head.

Geez, I’m getting ahead of myself. These were probably generic clothings of a generic size of women he liked. Or… I froze from running my hand down cashmere smoother than anything I have ever touched.

What if these were for a regular visitor.

Something hot and bitter reared its ugly head in the pit of my stomach and I swallowed it back down.

They were nice clothes, I thought hotly. I’ll add them to the list of things I’m going to steal before I leave. Whoever she is, I’m sure she won’t miss a few clothes.

I settled for a pink sweater and loose jeans.

“Good afternoon miss,” the maid said formally, calling my attention back to her. I lifted a brow at how serious she sounded.

“You don’t have to be so formal,” I tacked on my best convincing smile and a cheery expression, “my name’s Coralie, you can call me Cora for short,” I extended a hand towards her, still wrapped up in the fluffy white robe.

She eyed my hand skeptically, refusing to take it.

I retracted it slowly, my smile faltering,“Alright then, you’re not a fan of handshakes. At least tell me your name and what you’re doing here.”

“I was assigned to you miss,” I pursed my lips. “… Coralie. I was told to bring up your meals and assist you if you need anything.”

I hummed and moved away from the maid. Probably Creed’s way of keeping an eye on me so I don’t run away. I took in her diminutive physique and her guarded stance, no matter, I’ll lose her easily when the time comes.

“That’s nice, thank you for the food,” I was about to send her away, when I remembered my plan. “You know what? Do I have to eat in here?”

She looks confused by my question.

“I’m not asking to go outside,” I assure her. No, if I want to go outside, I’ll figure that out myself. “It’s just… I’m a bit tired of just being cooped up in here,” I added a tired sigh and leaned against the wall with downcast eyes. “Can I come downstairs instead? Please?”

She looked torn, but I was sure she was more eager to get away from me so she just nodded stiffly. “Take your time to get ready, I’ll take your lunch downstairs.”

She turned and left the room, I grinned widely. Perfect.

***

It took me a few minutes to slip into my clothes and run a brush through my hair.

Lilac blue hair was unique, even for sirens. My mother had aquamarine green hair she always camouflaged as black, but she encouraged me to embrace my hair colour. She’d spend hours brushing my hair and telling me how pretty I looked.

My hand faltered as I stared at myself in the mirror. Pain so raw punched me in my stomach anytime I remembered the faintest memory about her.

I wasn’t even sure where she was, if she was alive or dead. She was the one thing I wanted to find in this world... more than my own freedom.

And I can’t find her cooped up here as this man’s captive.

Reminded of why I needed to escape, I rose from my vanity and eagerly walked downstairs all the while scooping out the premises.

It was a large house, with minimalist decor and high windows. I paused to check if any of them were locked of course and as expected most of them were, the few that weren’t would mean jumping to my own death. After eating and attempting conversation with the maid assigned to me - of course, it was unsuccessful- I walked around to check for a back door, my search was unsuccessful and I got lost multiple times.

It was dark before I knew it, my search for an exit futile. I was still lost and my knees were starting to ache once again, I paused to rub them, then I straightened.

“If he lives alone why does he need so much space?” I murmured after turning down another corridor and meeting yet another dead end.

At this rate, I might have to consider walking out the front door when I’m ready to leave while hoping of course that no one deigns it necessary to stop me.

But that… would just be stupid.

They were no maids in this part of the house, a blessing and a curse because while I was glad he had only a few of them for such a large house, I would have loved to be pointed in the right direction.

I huffed, both from exhaustion and frustration. All the food I ate a few minutes ago was gone now and the ache in my stomach had started up again. I didn’t let that deter me though, so once again I started to walk down another long hallway with the intent of finding out where exactly the damned exit was.

However, my footsteps slowed and then stopped when the lights suddenly went out.

I remained still, hoping that it’ll come back on and that it’s just a little fluke. But still, nothing.

That’s when the panic started. Goosebumps broke out on my skin as cold air raised the hairs on my body. I turned around, completely blind and trembling with fear.

I could feel hands clamping around my arms, voices in my ears whispered suggestive words and taunted me in my attempt to stumble away.

My heart started racing. Cold sweat dripped down my cheeks.

I can’t see.

I can’t breathe.

I can’t breathe.

I kept my hands on the walls and tried to find my way out, but the hands were still holding on to me, the voices were still whispering and papa was still yelling at me.

Where am I going? There are people here to see me.

Flashlights burn into my eyes as I race past my captors.

I bite back a scream of fright when I brushed against someone on my way out. I didn’t care to know who that was, all I need to know is how to get out of here. I whispered a prayer to whoever was listening to turn the lights back on, but still nothing comes and I start to see things now.

Faces, the weathered faces of the men I’ve serviced, they were grinning at me in the dark, they were happy to see me afraid, they reached for me.

I gasped and dodged their hands.

I can’t breathe.

I can’t breathe.

I barely even knew where I was going. All I knew was that I had to get out and I had to get out now. Before the darkness swallows me whole, before the hands grab me and pull me back in.

I was still stumbling, still fighting back tears but then I saw it.

Light.

Even with the pain burning in my knees I ran, towards the light and out of the house.