A Girl Named Calamity by Danielle Lori

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

WHITE

It had taken a few hours to get out of Sahara’s forest. The stream that flowed through it was too murky to be appealing for Gallant or me, so I stopped at the nearest water source outside.

I felt untouchable with the crystal around my neck as if no one could catch me unawares again. And then panicked when it began to glow. I had no idea how to handle this situation. I stood frozen like a statue in the sparse woods while I listened, but only heard the breeze blowing the leaves around.

Then my ears picked up muffled horse whinnies and voices in the distance. I was reluctant to move, but after standing in the same spot for minutes with only a fast heartbeat and ultra-sensitive hearing, I had to do something.

I walked towards the muffled sounds, careful not to make much noise. I crept up to the side of a cliff, and the crystal glowed the brightest yet. A cold sweat covered my skin.

White was all I could see.

The white of the Untouchables.

Many tents decorated the valley while hundreds of men in white took up the area. I didn’t have too much time to take it all in because a white-clad arm grabbed me around the waist.

Adrenaline flowed through my veins, and I squirmed and fought the best I could with the man holding me a foot off the ground. I threw my head back and connected with something hard. The arm loosened, and I threw my fist back and hit the man right in the groin.

I was dropped to the ground, but before I could get up to run, there was a moment of pain, and then everything went black.

* * *

I woke to the taste of metal and the feeling that my head had been run over by a herd of Red Forest creatures. When what happened came to me in a rush, I sat up and looked around. I was sitting on a red rug in front of a trunk. The white cloth walls that surrounded me flowed with the breeze, and it registered that I was in a tent. There was a large bed in the corner and a wooden desk on the other side with two chairs sitting in front of it.

This wasn’t good at all. No, this was very bad. I was in a tent belonging to the Untouchables and my heartbeat quickened with fear of my imminent rape and death.

I held my aching head as I jumped to my feet and opened the trunk. My eyes lit up when I saw the assortment of weapons. I heard deep voices and tucked a knife into the back of my pants. I was standing uncertainly on the red rug in the middle of the tent when a few men entered. Two of them were decked out in the full Untouchable ensemble while the third one wore a white sleeveless shirt. He carried himself with authority and I instantly knew he was the one in charge.

He looked me up and down, and it made me feel as though I were some kind of war spoil. That made me bristle, and I perused him the same way. Instead of ending up more obedient from being with Weston, I ended up braver than I should have ever been. I had to remind myself that just because Weston didn’t physically abuse me, that didn’t mean this man wouldn’t.

His dark eyes gleamed with some amusement, but I ignored the nervousness his gaze made me feel as I looked him up and down from his short black hair to his handsome square-jawed face to his muscular build.

“Leave,” he told the men while still looking at me. The other two Untouchables left the tent. The man took a step toward me, and I took one back. His eyes sparkled as he said, “What is a woman doing traveling alone? I’ve heard there are bad men around these parts.”

I should have played the sweet lost girl, should have laid it on real thick. I knew I probably smelled wearing all the dirty clothes, but I also knew I was an attractive woman even under all the cloth.

Which was probably what had gotten me into most of these messes on the way here. I honestly resented it a little. I didn’t want it if it was going to land me in a coffin. At this point, I was already in one; the dirt had yet to be piled on top.

Maybe I could have come up with a plan if I had the desire to show my sweet side to an Untouchable. But I would rather pile the dirt on myself than that. And to be honest, these thoughts didn’t come to me until later. The biggest reason was, that sometimes I didn’t think before I spoke. Okay, always. My body tensed with irritation from being in a different man’s clutches that any rational thoughts flew out the tent flap.

“None of your business,” I said coolly. “I imagine you are going to rape me? Let’s get this over with, shall we?” And I will stab you before you can blink, I thought.

His laughter filled the tent. “Why do you think I’m going to rape you?”

Was he jesting? I let a half laugh go.

“Because I’ve almost been raped by . . .” I counted in my head. “Eleven of your men.”

He took a step towards me. I took one back. His sleeveless shirt left too much of his tanned skin bare, and I inwardly cringed. He watched me with interest. “Not my men. We don’t rape women.”

I scowled at his blatant lie. “I can assure you, I wasn’t seeing things. I can still feel the bruise on the back of my head.”

“Those weren’t my men. Some are raiders and have no affiliation with mine. I’m curious, though, how did you manage to get away?”

I crossed my arms. “Again, none of your business.”

He laughed deeply. “You sure are refreshing.”

My stomach twisted with fear, and I was really starting to panic as he took another step towards me.

“This is a great chat, but I need to be going,” I said while I gave him a wide berth and walked towards the tent flap. He noticed my sideways glance at his bare arms and then his lips lifted in a dark smile before he walked toward me. My heartbeat kicked into overdrive, and I ran towards the flap, but he was quicker and stepped in front of it with a glint in his eye.

I cautiously took a few steps back while he followed. “Don’t touch me,” I warned. He only laughed once more and continued to walk toward me with purpose. I grabbed the knife out of my pants, but he didn’t even glance at it.

He smiled. “You left the chest open.”

Good move, Calamity.

“I swear, I will stab you if you come any closer,” I growled.

He didn’t stop, and I had no choice but to hurl it at him. It was one of my best throws, and yet he managed to somehow dodge it. I didn’t even get a chance to think about what to do next before he had his bare rough hand wrapped around my wrist.

I stared at it with wide eyes, waiting for the pain.

Waiting for death.

Seconds had never passed as slowly as they did during that moment. The pounding of my own heart ticked as if it were my own internal clock as I waited.

I had imagined my death many times, and yet dying by an Untouchable’s hand never made the list. And it was probably the most feasible.

After a minute passed and I was still alive, I looked up a foot into amused dark eyes. He was the same height as Weston, and it did a great job of making me feel like a child. And uncomfortably aware of how vulnerable I was.

I swallowed. “Are you not an Untouchable?”

He frowned. “Do you know anything about us?”

What I did know was that he had known that I thought I would die, and yet he’d persisted in his disgusting demonstration. Why did men think to use me for their amusement?

I ripped my wrist out of his grasp. “I know you are rapists and murderers!”

His eyes hardened. “Insult me again and I will show you a rapist.” He said it in that way only one with authority could manage, and I grew uncomfortable under his hard gaze. He shook his head, and his lips lifted into a small smile. “I don’t think a woman has ever spoken to me like that before. Where did you come from?”

“Do I have to say it again?” I asked, none of your business being said with my eyes. “Can I go now?”

“I can’t let you go.”

“Why?”

Please tell me I didn’t go from one man’s grasp to another’s.

“Because women are not allowed to travel in this province alone.”

“What kind of disgusting rule is that?”

“Tell me who your man is and we will find him. You cannot leave without one.”

My thoughts immediately went to Weston, and I pushed them away with a disgusted shove. “I don’t have a man. Nor do I need one.”

He raised a brow. “Father, then?”

“No.”

“Well then, it looks like you belong to me.” His smile was wicked, and I wanted to smack it off his face. But self-preservation was awakened by the almost death scare earlier. Thank Alyria.

“I don’t care about your stupid laws. I’m not from here, so they do not apply to me.”

“You’re wrong. What kind of man would I be if I let you travel alone?”

“What kind of man would you be if you kept me here?” I retorted.

“You will hardly be a prisoner.”

“No, I’m sure I’ll be fed well before I’m tossed around between your men.”

He smiled mysteriously. “The only sex you’ll have is of the willing variety.” He moved to sit down behind his desk. I imagined he thought I would willingly have sex with him.

“Sorry to break it to you, but you aren’t my type,” I lied.

The look he gave me told me he knew I was lying. I imagined he wasn’t used to hearing that. Or no, for that matter.

“Only time will tell,” he said coolly while watching me.

“Well, I’m leaving, so we won’t be getting to know each other.”

He leaned back and rested his feet on his desk. “Go ahead, then.” He nodded his head toward the tent flap. His demeanor was completely relaxed, but there was something in his eyes I didn’t trust. Something dark. He was playing with me, and I didn’t like it. I hated it. Hate and self-preservation never had much in common. Try nothing.

“Is my freedom a joke to you? You sit behind your desk like a prince and think you can control other people’s lives? Well, you know what? Go to hell.”

The man looked at me with amusement and interest. “You better hope I offer you protection with that mouth of yours.”

“I don’t want your protection!” Had he not heard anything I said?

“Then I’ll have some servants in here to clean you up. You look like you’ve been rolling in mud.”

Why would he offer me a bath?

My brow wrinkled. “Why?”

“Because if you don’t have my protection, then we strip you naked in the middle of camp and sell you to the highest bidder.”

I faltered, swallowing hard. “That’s disgusting.” Thoughts of how to get out of this situation ran through my mind but were interrupted by an Untouchable entering the tent.

“Your Highness, may I have a word?” the Untouchable asked.

‘His Highness’ watched me with amusement while everything sunk in: he really was a prince. I told a prince to go to hell. That was surely the final nail in the coffin. Fortune telling—check.

The prince exited the tent, and I grabbed the knife on the floor and stuck it back in my pants.

I sat down in one of the chairs across from his desk after I’d perused the map that was laid out. My stomach was rolling with uneasiness while I tried to come up with some kind of plan.

When the prince came back in, I had many questions on my tongue. Questions that would hopefully distract him from what I had said earlier.

“Why didn’t your touch kill me?”

“You insult me. I am royalty. Only the working class cannot control their ability.”

I mulled it around a little bit and wondered why Weston had never mentioned that. I assumed it was because he liked to use as few words as possible.

I sighed. “What does being under your protection entail?”

“You will be protected until I can find a protector for you.”

“A protector?”

“A husband, I believe they call it in the north. Your fair hair and skin give you away.”

One last futile effort. “I don’t want to be married, and I don’t want to be under your protection.”

He shouted in a language I didn’t understand, and a few servants came in carrying towels and soap. When I realized what he was ordering, I jumped to my feet. “I’m not being sold!”

He narrowed his eyes. “Then I suggest you accept my protection right now.”

I thought about it for a panicky second. At least he could control his ability; what if I ended up with someone who couldn’t? That was all I needed to think over.

“Okay,” I grumbled.

I hated all men.

“Good choice,” he said before he made the servants leave.

“I swear if you try to rape me, I will stab you in the heart,” I warned.

He smiled. “It wouldn’t be rape.”

I could escape before he tried to hand me over to some man.

In the meantime, what better place to hide than in an army of Untouchables?