62. Ember
CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO
EMBER
T he small chapel is a far cry from any of the fancy churches I’ve seen people get married in on television.
It’s dark and run-down, and so small it feels crowded just with me, Lucas, and Cain standing between the pews.
“Get the officiant. I want to get this over with so we can get to the fun stuff.” He winks down at me, and I try my hardest not to dry heave at the insinuation.
Hard pass.
I watch as Cain disappears through a door, and I drag in a breath to steady my shaking hands. This might be the only chance I get.
I turn my back on Lucas and look around the space.
The green carpet beneath our feet is straight from the eighties, and it’s so stained I’m glad I shoved my feet in these hideous heels that don’t quite fit.
The alternative would definitely require a shot to avoid some disease that’s woven through the fabric.
An arm closes around my waist as I’m reaching into the top of my dress, and I pause as I’m tugged back against Lucas.
“Soon you’ll be all mine, Ember,” he murmurs, grinding his hips into mine, and for the first time, I’m grateful for all the layers of this ugly dress protecting me from his nasty penis.
“Yours, and all the men you whore me out to.” I supply dryly, slipping the blade between my fingers and carefully extracting it without drawing his attention to that hand.
He growls. “Watch your mouth, Ember.”
“Sorry,” I rush to say, inserting a small amount of fear into my tone. “I’m just making sure I have a clear understanding of how things are going to be.”
He tugs me harder into him, and his free hand glides up the front of my body before settling around my throat.
“Maybe if you’re a really good whore, I won’t need to share you with anyone else.
I bet your cunt is fucking paradise, seeing as it made the Hunter fall head over heels for you.
A man like that doesn’t fall in love with someone who doesn’t have a pussy made of gold. ”
His vile words roll over my skin, and I force down the bile that tries to escape.
Do not throw up. It’ll put a real wrench in my plan, and I hate vomiting even at the best of times.
“I’ll be the perfect wife,” I whisper. “I’ll do anything you ask of me.”
He chuckles, his breath whispering across my cheek and sending a fresh wave of nausea through me. “Careful what you promise, Ember. You have no idea how dark my tastes are.”
I bite down on my bottom lip to stop myself from snapping back at him and carefully reposition the blade between my fingers.
It’s now or never.
I lift my hand slowly, as if I’m going to place it over the one he has wrapped around my throat, but instead I slice across the tendon connecting his thumb to his wrist.
One of the lessons Travis taught me was how to escape an attacker’s hold, and it’s stuck with me all these years. I’m just glad I found the blade.
Blood squirts at my face, and I clamp my mouth shut as I shove my hips back, grip his bleeding wrist, and use my body to flip his to the ground in front of me.
The move is a little rusty, but I’ve caught him off guard, and he’s barely had a moment to scream in pain, let alone fight back.
“You stupid bitch!” he yells, and I’m faced with a decision.
Kill Lucas and risk Cain coming back when he hears all the commotion.
Or run.
It only takes me a second to make the decision to get the fuck out of here.
I can work on killing them both later, but right now, I need to escape. I need to get out of this dress. I need to eat and drink some water. I need to grieve.
Revenge can wait a few days.
I gather the bottom of the dress and start toward the back of the chapel. I need to get the hell out of here before Cain comes out because he’s far larger than any man I’ve taken down, and I don’t love my chances with how weak I am right now.
The heels and dress slow me down, but when I’m just a few feet from the doors, I realize I’m going to make it.
If I can get onto the street, I can find someone to help me.
I know I can.
People suck, but surely seeing a bride on her wedding day covered in blood will be enough to get someone to at least call the police.
Or at least, that’s what I tell myself as I drop the bottom of my dress to reach the door.
But before I can make it, a body slams into my back, taking me to the filthy carpet so hard my forehead slams against it.
Stars burst into my vision, and it’s long seconds before I can blink them away and realize Lucas is straddling my hips with a hand against the back of my head, pressing my face into the ground.
“You little fucking whore.” He seethes. “I was going to give you the world. I was going to give you a life, children, every fucking thing you could ever hope for.”
“You were going to whore me out to your friends and use me to pump out babies. That’s no life for anyone,” I snap back. I’m done being placid. I’m done not fighting back.
“I didn’t think you’d have a problem spreading your legs, considering how easily you did it for Orion,” he growls, using his free hand to shove up the back of the god-awful dress.
Dread rolls over me in heavy waves as panic begins to take over, hitting an all-time high when he gets the dress over my ass and finds the barely there lingerie that was given to me to wear.
“I knew your ass would look incredible in these.” He slaps a hand down on the bare cheek, and I cry out. This is nothing like the spankings Orion gave me, and I can’t stop the onslaught of tears that fall against my cheeks.
I’ve had a lot of my biggest fears play out, but this might be the biggest.
Everything I’ve done, everything Travis did, was all to stop me from being assaulted. And yet here I am, covered in my almost husband’s blood, about to be raped in the middle of a filthy chapel.
I buck my hips, trying my best to dislodge him even as my neck protests at the force of his hand against the back of my head.
“Keep still,” Lucas snaps through gritted teeth as he reaches for his belt. “This will hurt less if you stop fighting it.”
I cry out, my fight-or-flight instincts kicking in as I thrash against his hold with everything I have. Heavy sobs tear from my chest, but it doesn’t stop me from fighting with every single ounce of energy I have.
“Get the fuck off me,” I howl. “You disgusting piece of shit.”
“Shut your whore mouth.” His bloody hand covers my mouth, and I clench my mouth shut, fighting the urge to bite him. I have no idea what diseases his blood could have, and I don’t think the risk is worth the reward in this instance.
He tears the flimsy panties from my body, the snap of the fabric barely registering over the blood rushing through my ears.
He leans down, his entire body pressing mine into the carpet and rendering me completely useless. “I’m going to ruin you, Ember.”
I press my eyes closed and try to find the happy place I’ve heard women can find when their body is being taken against their will, but no matter how hard I try, I’m stuck in this chapel with a man I hate about to do unspeakable things to me.
A rough cry chokes out of me as the fight begins to leave my body, but a moment later, his weight is gone.
It takes a few seconds for my mind to catch up with my body, but I don’t believe the sight in front of me.
Maybe I found that happy place after all.