Six
Raina
My limbs were heavy, leaden with fatigue, as I dragged my feet across the shifting sands. Each grain scraped against my worn boots like a thousand tiny teeth gnawing at the soles.
We'd made it through the mountain pass. According to Vance, we were making good time. I'd need to do something about that, if only my body and my magic could cooperate.
The desert was unforgiving. Yet I trudged on, one wearisome step at a time.
It was absurd, really, how a frost nymph accustomed to the chill of winter found herself wilting under the scorching sun. But here I was, Raina Brandenburg, one-time wannabe socialite and sole heir of Snowfall Manor.
As I stumbled forward, I couldn't help but let my gaze flicker over to the horizon, searching, always searching for an escape. My captors, who were marching a good fifty yards ahead, were confident in their control over me.
They didn't know me. Not truly. They saw only a petite frame and mistook it for weakness.
But I was a fighter. I had to be.
My eyes darted from rock formations to the distant cacti and desert trees, seeking any advantage, any place I could find a weapon or disappear into.
Come on, I willed, sweat trickling down my temple.
Then, a sliver of opportunity glinted in the corner of my eye. There was a slight dip in the landscape, shadowed and easily missed.
To the west were what looked to be narrow fissures, crisscrossing into the distance. They could be deep enough to hide in, even if they gave chase.
If I were far enough away, Vance wouldn't be able to use his powers on me. And if I were at the bottom of those cracks, I might find water.
My heart pounded with a surge of adrenaline, and despite the aches that screamed through every fiber of my being, I felt a smile tug at my lips.
It was grim, yes, but it was there, a small, defiant curl of amusement at the irony of it all.
"Thank you," I whispered to the desert gods, to the chance that beckoned.
There was no love lost between me and this harsh terrain, but if it granted me an escape, I would embrace it like a scorned lover taking back a faithless beau.
With stubbornness hardening in my chest, I prepared to seize the moment. With how these assholes interacted I didn't have to wait long.
The distraction was brief. A squabble, a loud curse as tempers flared among my captors, was all I needed.
With a burst of energy incited by desperation and the raw instinct to survive, I bolted. My legs pumped furiously, feet slipping on loose sand as I pushed myself across the terrain.
The desert became a blur, the heat a mere whisper against the speed of my escape. I inhaled deeply on a steady count as I'd been taught, fueling myself with as much oxygen as I could.
I rounded a set of large boulders that hid me from their sight. A copse of trees was just a little further. Then there were a precious few steps to my destination.
"Raina!" My name ripped through the air, a guttural snarl that could only belong to Llew.
"Split up and find her!" Tabor ordered.
Panic flowed into my blood, but I didn't dare look back. Not when freedom was a tangible thing, just within reach, calling out to me with every labored breath.
I was close enough to the break in the landscape to have to make a decision. Jumping blindly into a hole in the ground wasn't smart, but I didn't see an alternative. I needed to get down in there and weave through the nature-made maze to get Llew off my tail.
The sound of his footsteps were close. So close. I bent to jump over the edge; it cost me a precious second.
Llew was on me, his heavy hand clamping down on my shoulder with the force of a falling boulder. I stumbled, the ground rushing up to meet me, but years of training kicked in. My body moved on its own, twisting, turning, fighting for purchase.
"Gotcha," he grunted, his voice laden with satisfaction and something darker.
"Fuck you," I spat out, catching sight of his smug expression as I spun around.
The chain connecting my wrists hindered my options. I clasped my hands together and swung upward. The blow landed on his temple, the shock of it reverberating up my arms.
For a moment, Llew's bulging blue eyes widened in surprise, the red of his hair seeming to flare in the sunlight like a warning.
"I told you, I like it when they fight," he smiled evilly, recovering quicker than I'd hoped.
But there was a slight wobble in his stance, a hint of pain behind those eyes. Good.
"That's because no one in their right mind would want you," I shot back.
"You'll regret running," Llew growled, advancing again with renewed fury.
His hand cupped the bulge growing in the front of his trousers. "Now come here and take your punishment."
"Never!" I vowed, breathless and defiant, full of disgust.
And with that, I pivoted on my heel, ready to throw my body into the crevice behind me, to do whatever it took to get away. Only to be jerked back by my hair.
A bloom of pain exploded across my face. I stumbled, the desert sand shifting treacherously underfoot, and another blow sent me sprawling to the ground.
It cost me to get my bearings. The sky, a merciless expanse of blue, seemed to mock me with its endlessness.
"Didn't like that much, did you?" Llew taunted, his shadow looming over me.
I tried to push myself up, but he was on me in an instant, his weight a crushing force. Every punch was a hammer strike, every gasp for air, a battle.
My eyes blurred with tears as I fought him as best I could. My body screamed, as my strength waned. I found my arms pinned above my head and the pervert settled between my legs.
"Let's see how much more you can take," Llew hissed, rolling his hips into mine.
I froze and he took it as a sign of submission. The cretin reached down with one hand, going for the top button on my pants.
"Llew!" Tabor yelled, sharp and commanding.
My attacker paused, his eyes darting toward the newcomer. "Leave us. I'll be done in a minute."
"No wonder you have to force females." I managed a hoarse laugh, earning a smack across my face.
"The rules, Llew." Tabor's tone held the chill of authority. "We need her in one piece for the auction. Look what you've done!"
"Dad's mad," I laughed again, sure I was losing my sanity.
"Quiet, bitch," Llew hissed, though he rose to his feet, obeying Tabor's command.
"Get her up," Tabor ordered, disgust lacing his words. "She's valuable merchandise. Don't damage the goods again or I'll kill you myself."
Poor Llew just got a spanking. The humor was bitter in my throat, mingling with my desire to cry.
As Llew dragged me to my feet, Tabor got in my face. "Run again, and I won't stop him."
"You're taking me to be auctioned off to some other male who will do the same thing to me. It's not much of an incentive."
Tabor nodded to Vance's approaching form. "Then let this be an incentive. I'll have Vance control you the entire time and force your body to enjoy it. Maybe even have you tell Llew how much you like his cock in your ass."
I held my tongue. Now was not the time to push. But when it was, I'd kill them all.
This time when Vance produced the healing vial, I didn't question it. I wasn't functional in this state.
As soon as the magic began working, we were off again. Dust clung to my wounds like a shroud, the coarse particles an irritating reminder of my downfall. The pain and fatigue had lessened but were far from gone.
By the time we made camp, I was desperate to close my eyes. Unfortunately, sleeping made me vulnerable, but I was thankful to rest my legs.
I lay there just under a small overhang of rock, with my back to the boulder, where Tabor had instructed me to sleep. Vance was a few feet in front of me, already snoring. The other two were sitting at the fire.
"I already told you no," Tabor said, his voice a blade of ice cutting through the sweltering heat. "She's not just another runaway. She's got a certain ... allure. Beautiful and trained in high society? That'll drive the price up."
"Damn the price," Llew grumbled, a thundercloud ready to burst. "She's trouble—has been from the start. I say we break her spirit. Make her compliant. Plus, the Brandenburgs already found a buyer who should be at the auction house, ready to outbid everyone else. Her condition won't matter."
"Control yourself," Tabor snapped, his patience fraying. "We're not barbarians. We have a reputation to uphold, especially in Dusthaven."
I could barely suppress the snort that bubbled up at that. Reputation? As if honor had any place among thieves and slavers.
The pain wrapped around me, a relentless serpent squeezing tighter. And with it came the cold reality of what I was enduring.
How could my parents have done this?
I knew I was wasting headspace on them. There was no acceptable answer to the question, nothing that would soothe my anguish.
I wanted to shout, to rage against them, but even in my thoughts, I found no solace. Their deception stung and I was a fool for being surprised by it.
Tabor moved to his bedroll, right up against me so I was sandwiched between him and the rock. Vance was on the other side of Tabor, then Llew.
I'd have to cross over all three to get away. And with how they'd secured my ankles to my wrists before putting me in this spot, I wouldn't be able to quietly steal a blade and slice their throats in their sleep.
"Get up, nymph," Tabor ordered, nudging my side with his boot.
My head jerked and the back of it hit the stone behind me. Ouch.
Blinking, I realized I'd been in a deep slumber. Of course I had. My body was expending all its energy trying to heal and fill my well-store while the iron cuffs slowly drained my reserves.
"I removed the extra chains. Now get to your feet."
Summoning what little strength remained, I pushed myself onto shaky legs, my vision swimming. The desert sun bore down, an unforgiving judge to my struggle.
Tabor handed over a canteen lid's worth of water. Like that would keep me from dying.
"Careful," I managed to rasp as the liquid dampened my dry throat. "Wouldn't want to ruin your investment."
Their laughter followed me as I stumbled forward. My stomach growled loudly.
"Here," Vance offered, handing me a piece of jerky.
"How much longer?" I asked in between bites.
"By nightfall."
My appetite vanished, though I continued chewing. I was nearly out of time.
I thought of Lorne for the hundredth time since he escaped. If he'd been strong enough to shadow away, he surely landed someplace safe. Someplace others would know where he'd been.
I couldn't count on it, but I was praying like hell for the big blonde, that he was safe and had told someone.
Aeryn would send help. I imagined she would tell Liam. Imagined his jaw tightening.
My mind wouldn't let me pretend it would have been from concern for me, but for the attack on Lorne. Me being taken was just adding insult to injury.
Vance's stare was heavy on the side of my face. "Whatever you're thinking," he said, "I suggest you let it go."
I ignored him, too invested in beating back the dread pushing down on me. What was I going to do?