His to Keep by Lydia Goodfellow

Chapter Eighteen

Dark clouds roll in. Thunder rumbles in the sky, the sun gone in an instant. It should be enough. Enough to tell me what I’m doing isn’t right and that I should turn back. Pretend I never got this far and pray Father Aaron never finds out I ran. But my legs don’t stop moving, my feet pounding into the dirt of the untamed road that often haunts my dreams. Racing down the lane Father Aaron drove up all those months ago.

It’s much longer than I remember, and I think back to that day. How blind I was while sitting in Father Aaron’s car, going along with all his lies. That terrible, cunning smirk stretched over his lips I hadn’t realized held a deviant meaning. I don’t look back. I don’t stop running. Even though I can’t breathe, and my stomach churns from the terror of being caught.

Another crack of thunder. Rain pelts against my skin, soothing my scalded thighs but not my fears. I’m so scared. So afraid to look back and see if I’m being chased. Only, it seems that’s the least of my worries when I spot something ahead that wasn’t there before.

“No,” I gasp. “No, no, no!”

Something’s blocking my way. A tall gate I know wasn’t there before. Once I’m near it, I grab the bars and shake them. It’s locked, the bars wrapped in a thick chain and secured with a lock. It carries on, disappearing into the line of trees on either side of the road. A metal fence with rings of barbed wire along the top like you’d see in prison. My vision blurs, and panic builds. No. It can’t be. This can’t be right.

“Avaaa!” someone roars in the distance. Father Aaron. He knows I’ve escaped. It doesn’t seem like any time has passed. Did Penny tell him?

My heart explodes, and my legs nearly buckle in terror. I’ve never felt so scared in all my life, knowing I will die if I don’t find a way out of here. I veer left into the trees, my fear multiplying when the fence doesn’t end. It just continues on and on and on. Tree branches and bushes scratch and pull as I push through the foliage. Still, the fence doesn’t end. It carries on in the other direction, boxing me in.

Stopping, I swallow down a lump of sickening realization that I’m trapped. Even if I were to try and follow it, I know there’s no way I’m getting out. Father Aaron must’ve had a fence built around his entire property. To keep people out. To keep us in.

Tears fall down my face, and I choke on them. All this time, I fantasized about freedom. Breaking the bedroom window and jumping out of it. Sneaking out of the house when I had the perfect chance and running like hell. It seems now escaping the house is the easy part. I had no idea there’d be another obstacle preventing me from getting away.

Crying with defeat, I collapse next to the fence, staring through the gaps to the other side. I was going to get help. Going to go straight to the police and tell them everything. Now I can’t, and I’m probably going to be killed for running.

My heart plummets.

Callum. He must know by now that I ran. Did he know about the fence? Did Penny even know?

I sit for a while, the fight drained from every part of my body. Nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide. This is what defeat feels like, and I’m drowning in it. I don’t know how long passes before a twig snaps behind me. I barely feel Father Aaron’s hands on my shoulders as he crouches in front of me.

“Little angel.” I can’t bring myself to look at him properly. “You thought you could run from me?” My shoulders shake as he lifts me off the ground and carries me back to the house. John stands by the door with a retched smirk on his face, and I can hear his taunt from here. You’re never getting out.

Father Aaron doesn’t take me back to the bedroom. Instead, he takes me inside the room I hate. I’m too numb to care. The door slams behind me, a light comes on, and the desk with leather cuffs waits for me. I hope he’ll make my death quick.

Dropping me into the seat, my entire body shakes as he straps my wrists to the table for the first time. The leather’s tight as I instinctively pull against them. He stands in front of me, staring down at me. While I avoid his eyes, it’s hard not to sense his fury. “You ran.”

“I...” I didn’t mean to? I’m sorry?

But lying is a sin. I shouldn’t lie.

“It’s such a shame that you’ve betrayed me like this.” I blink with panic as he reaches inside his pocket and pulls out his knife. He observes it. As if contemplating the best way to use it on me. I cringe back, sobbing harder as he puts his icy stare on me. “You truly must not care about your grandmother.”

The blood drains from me. “Please don’t hurt her—”

“You’re in no position to make demands!” I jump as he slams his hand down on my arm, screaming when he leans over me and presses the blade into my skin. “Perhaps I should have been hard on you from the beginning.”

“Stop!” He presses harder, cutting into me. It hurts so bad, and I tug against him, only to find it makes the pain worse. “Stop, please! Penny let me out! She made me run!”

He stops enough for me to see the jagged cross symbol on the inside of my arm. It’s bloody and red. Angry, like him. “What did you say?”

He grabs my chin, forcing me to look at him as I sob. “Penny opened the door and told me to run.”

“You dare lie.”

“I’m not, I-I swear.” Inhaling gulps of air through my mouth, my whimpers fill the silence as he searches my face for even a hint of a lie. She opened the door. She told me to go.

It’s then I see movement from the corner of my eye, John stepping out of the shadows as if he’s been there all this time watching. It wouldn’t surprise me.

“Take her back to the room,” Father Aaron barks at him, though his eyes remain on me. “Lying lips are an abomination to your Lord. If you’re lying, I will do more than cut you, Ava. I promise you.”

* * *

“You’re foolish for running,”John says as we reach Callum’s bedroom. “You’ve only made this worse for yourself. You saw the fence. He had it built for you so you can go outside. A gift you’ve now ruined. He’s never letting you out now.”

Laughing, he kicks the door open and pushes me inside. Once the door’s closed, I peer around the room, spotting Callum by the window. He stares out of it, hands in his pockets, knowing I’m here but not turning around.

“Callum?” His shoulders tense, and he eventually turns to face me. His right cheek is grazed and red. It must have been what Father Aaron did to him while I was running away.

The way he’s staring at me makes my body stiffen. His eyes are cold, teeth ground behind his lips. My heart begins racing. He looks so angry, and I think it’s at me.

“What’s wrong?” The question sounds stupid, considering everything is. While I ran, he was being beaten. While I ran, he was locked back up in this room. “Callum—”

“Don’t.” He pulls his hands out of his pockets and walks over to his desk. He doesn’t sit. Doesn’t know what to do.

“Don’t?” I’m confused. “Why are you mad?”

“I’m not.” He’s lying.

“You are.” I step forward.“Tell me.”

He moves back. “Leave it.”

“I won’t leave it. You’re looking at me as if you hate me. Why? Is it because I drank Father Aaron’s blood? I know it disgusted you, but you know I didn’t have a choice. Or is it because I ran?” His eyes darken, and I get my answer. “That’s it, isn’t it?” I go to touch him, but he grabs my arms, forcing a gasp out of my mouth.

“You left.”

“I was going to get help.”

“Do you think this is all he’s going to do to you?” He grabs my cut arm and shakes his head. “You can’t escape. Did I not tell you that?”

“You…you knew,” I whisper knowingly, tears trickling down my face. “You knew there was a fence.”

“I knew.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“The truth hurts, and you were so hopeful.” His words sting. I don’t notice that he’s backed me up against the wall until my back hits it. “The fence is only the beginning. Once he has new security installed, you’ll be free to roam the house and outside, but you won’t be able to escape.”

“There has to be a way.”

He breathes a laugh, but he’s not amused by it. “No. Because I’ll make sure that there isn’t. Don’t you get it yet?”

“I don’t understand.”

He glares at me, eyes on my face and fingers tightening on my arms. “I’m meant to break you, Ava. It’s why you’re here with me. That I make you fall in line, make you submit, when all I want...is to—”

He suddenly kisses me. Pressing me up against the wall, my eyes widen that his lips are on mine. As he grabs the sides of my face, I put my hand on his chest and squeeze the material of his shirt, to push him away or pull him closer. I can’t be sure. I can’t move or breathe. Is this happening?

“No—”

He tries to pull away from me, but I tug him back and put my lips back on his, needing him. Needing this. His fist slams against the wall at the side of my head, kissing me harder. I gasp when he bends down and lifts me. Wrapping my arms around his neck and legs around his waist, our bodies are close, and I immediately heat from his touch. How he’s kissing me, gripping my backside.

But then he drops me, and I fall to the floor. Breathing heavily, he stumbles back, knocking over the chair. I let out a deep breath, unable to believe that just happened. That he kissed me.

“We can’t.” His eyes are wide as he takes another step back from me. “I didn’t mean—” He keeps moving further and further away, sounding firm when he says, “That can never happen again.”

“Wait—” By the time I get up, he’s gone. Already in the bathroom and shutting me out.