KAIRA.
The house was finally quiet.
I waited until the grand clock in the hall struck midnight.
I slipped out of my bed, my bare feet silently tiptoeing on the cold floors.
The hallway was dim, lit only by soft golden wall lights that made the mansion look elegant instead of what it truly was—a cage.
I followed the route I had memorized all day, turned left, followed down the main staircase, avoided the east corridor—camera blind spots were too short.
I tiptoed to the kitchen, my heartbeat was so loud it felt like it could alert the guards itself.
I reached into my hair and pulled out a sturdy bobby pin.
My uncle had taught me how to use one when I was twelve, laughing as he said every girl should know how to get out of a locked room.
I walked fast, trying to ignore the way sweat slid down my back.
The lock gave way, I stood quickly, grabbing the nearest kitchen knife from the counter, I hiked up my dress and used a strip of fabric I’d torn from the bedsheets to tie it firmly to my thigh.
I eased the door open, the cool night air hitting my face like a blessing.
Freedom.
I ran, my heart hammering against my ribs.
The gate was right there, the wrought-iron bars that stood between me and the rest of my life.
I was twenty feet away.
In Ten.
Eight.
Six.
Four— A hand clamped onto my shoulder.
I was yanked backward so hard my teeth rattled.
Suddenly, lights exploded around me, blinding me.
I blinked through the glare to see four guards surrounding me in a tight circle.
“End of the road, Miss Voss,” one growled.
I ripped the knife from my thigh and held it in front of me, breathing hard, my eyes flicking between the guards, calculating my next move.
“Stay away from me!” I hissed with a trembling voice that was determined to escape this hell hole.
They circled closer, slowly.
My pulse thundered, I lunged first, throwing myself forward with a kick aimed at the nearest guard’s knee, he staggered back, but a second guard swung at my ribs.
I quickly dodged, twisting and ducking, throwing a punch that connected with his jaw, sending him stumbling.
I swung the knife wildly, feeling the blade sink into something soft.
A man screamed, clutching his throat as he slumped to the ground.
I froze for half a second.
I had just murdered someone.
Ceasing the chance, a guard lunged at me from behind, I spun, stabbing my knife into his arm, he screamed, dropping his weapon.
In his moment of weakness, I struck the knife on his thigh.
He cursed and grabbed my ankle as I tried to leap over him.
I kicked his hand off, but flipped onto the ground, rolling.
The knife fell a distance away.
The three bleeding guards pinned me down, their weight crushing me into the dirt.
“Enough!” a guard yelled to my face.
They tied my wrists and dragged me across the estate like an animal.
I kept fighting until exhaustion made fighting useless.
They took me to a building secluded from the main house.
The moment the door opened, fear hit me.
The room looked like death had rented property.
Cold concrete walls, no windows, the air inside was stagnant, thick with the smell of old iron and rot.
Chains hung from the ceiling.
A table of rusted instruments sat in the corner.
They hauled me up, snapping heavy iron cuffs around my wrists and hooking them to a hanging bar.
My toes barely touched the floor.
I forced my face to remain blank, I would not let them see fear.
The door creaked open.
Halston walked in.
He sat in a high-backed chair opposite me, crossing his legs elegantly like he was in a theater and I was his muse.
“Whip her,” he said, his voice devoid of emotion.
“Until I say otherwise.”
The first strike took my breath away.
It felt like a line of liquid fire being drawn across my back.
The second strike drew blood.
The third made the world tilt.
He sat there, eyes fixed on mine, watching every flinch, every gasp.
He was looking for the moment I would beg.
He was waiting for me to break.
“Stop,” he finally murmured.
The room went still, the only sound being heard was the heavy drip-drop of my blood hitting the stone floor.
Halston stood up and walked toward me.
I was drenched in sweat, my hair matted to my forehead and cheeks.
He reached out, gently, and stroked a stray lock of hair away from my face.
“I was wondering how long it would take.” He said, “I knew you would try,” he whispered, lifting my chin to meet his gaze.
“I thought you were smart enough to see the futility in it.”
My vision was swimming, my body was screaming in agony, but as I looked into those beautiful, demonic eyes, a sound bubbled up from my throat.
I laughed.
It started as a wheeze and grew into a full cackle that echoed off the stone walls.
The guards shifted uncomfortably, looking at each other and looking at me.
Even Halston paused.
“Disappointed?” I spat, blood staining my teeth.
He took a while before he answered.
“Not at all.”
I stared at him.
“I’d rather die trying than live here a second longer.”
Halston didn’t look angry, he just smiled.
“Then die trying, Kaira.”
He turned his back on me and walked to his chair.
“Continue.”
The whipping started again, the world began to dissolve, the room spun, my body began to feel distant.
The last thing I remember was Halston’s voice.
“Untie her.
Take her back to her room.”