My ribs ached, my head throbbing. I stared into the darkness, trying to make out shapes. Any shape.
How had I even gotten into this mess? George had been a spy that had been lying in wait, a wolf in sheep's clothing.
There was nothing special about Florence or me. We came from a single house family— no long lost relatives that I knew of. I hadn’t known either of my grandparents, but it had never mattered. My parents, despite being absorbed by their passions, had been good to us. They had raised us right, and had given us every opportunity to succeed. A regular upper middle class family, with no skeletons in the closet.
Normal.
Except all of that had been a lie. The last 48 hours had been a jarring revelation of life’s cruel caprice, from being blindsided by someone I had trusted to being locked aboard the blimp, a seemingly endless captivity in that small dark room. It seemed I didn’t know anyone in my life at all except for Florence.
But even then, did I know her? The last few months, we’d drifted apart. I’d spent my days and nights being absorbed by my scholarly and social proclivities, and barely talked to her unless I had a reason to.
I’d been a terrible sister. What if she’d been secretly trapped by George?
My eyes burned, but still no tears came. I drew in a ragged breath through clenched teeth, trying to steady my heartbeat.
This was a nightmare and yet I still wasn’t dead. I’d managed to escape the bastards that had taken me, only to run straight into a creature unlike anything I had ever seen before.
Literally. If I would have looked where I was going, maybe I wouldn’t have smacked into a wall made of moth monster.
My mind grappled to understand the creatures that I had seen. The shadows that had taken me from my home, the creature that had bound me in the blimp.
I swallowed hard, trying to think back to being captured, but couldn’t remember a damn thing. Everything was a blur. My thoughts were only crystal clear from when I had been taken to running into him.
Stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
Freedom had been so close. I had tasted it for a brief moment, a light at the end of the tunnel. It had been a dream I had almost woken up from, only to be dragged back down into the darkness.
I was determined to live.
Determined to survive this.
What if Florence was here and I didn’t know it? Was she okay?
Had she even survived?
My stomach flipped, my breaths growing uneven again. It was the only sound that I could hear in this place, aside from the soft clicking noise.
I ran my hands down my body, feeling the fabric of my nightgown that was damp with sweat clinging to me. The same nightgown I’d been wearing the night I was taken.
I wanted out of it. Desperately. I wished that I could rip it off and burn it. I never wanted to see the hole-ridden garment again.
All my life, I had believed I would become a lady of science. I would balance between the world of great minds and great fashion. I believed I would be a prized member of society, and would bring my name to the lips of every household in the world.
That was the dream, and yet it had slipped through my fingers. Every month that went by had been another where I’d found myself becoming more and more lost— and then we’d gone to my parents house.
I reached out, moving my hand up only for it to hit a wall. Horror washed over me as I realised that I was in a box. I kicked my legs out despite the burning pain, gritting my teeth.
I felt the world closing around me. No one would find me here. I would be left here to rot.
“Hello?” I whispered.
My throat was dry and it hurt to speak. I moved my hand up slowly, touching the sides of my neck. I could feel the scabs from where claws had dug in, dried blood flaking from my skin.
“Hello?” I said louder. I cleared my throat, making a noise. My voice broke between sounds, the pain still prominent. “Hello?”
I heard movement. I sucked in a breath, reaching up to touch the box. I hit it, trying to make a noise.
“Help!” I cried as loudly as I could. “Please!”
“You have a pretty voice, little dove. Even when it's broken.”
I couldn’t help my sigh of relief, even as butterflies erupted in my stomach.
Was this the voice of my captor?
The sound of gears clicking and turning echoed around me, a rusted latch being yanked open. The lid to the box suddenly lifted and I squeaked as light flooded my vision.
I blinked until I could see, my eyes adjusting. A face was hovering over mine, long silver hair falling forward.
He was a monster. But unlike the others, he was beautiful. His skin was soft grey, his three eyes black. His jaw looked as though it had been sculpted, and his fangs were bright white.
He raised a brow, giving me an almost gentle smile.
I wanted to fall into his arms and sob. I wanted to hold onto him, to tell him everything that had gone wrong for me.
This time, tears did fill my eyes. He made a crooning noise, tsking.
“No, no, no, little dove,” he crooned. He had a soft Irish accent, one that made me want to swoon against him. His voice was like velvet, relaxing me further and further.
He leaned down, and to my shock, the tip of his tongue flicked out— lapping up a tear. I let out a gasp, and while I should have been horrified, I felt a stab of heat run through me.
He licked up another tear. His tongue had a rough texture to it, and was longer than a human’s. His breath was warm against my face, the silence between us a beast all on its own.
I was holding my breath even though it hurt to do so. I was frozen in place, my ears burning.
He let out a low hum. “You are too gentle for this world, little dove,” he sighed, almost mournfully.
Another tear slipped free, but this time he brushed it away with a finger. His hand was cold, but there was still a warmth to him that I found myself craving.
Even though he had just licked me.
Another throb of longing assailed me, but I ignored it.
You can’t possibly be feeling anything. He is your captor.
The voice of reason fell silent as he spoke, his melodic tone luring me in.
“You mustn’t cry anymore. You simply must answer some questions, and then our time together will be over. Okay?”
I nodded, sniffling.
He reached into the box, his hands sliding around me. He slowly lifted me and I whimpered as pain spidered through my entire body. I looped my arms around his neck, gripping his soft shirt. It reminded me of what a pirate might wear, with an open neck and long sleeves with a frill— but then there was the black leather corset that hugged his torso.
Even monsters looked divine in corsets.
I shook the thought away, my head spinning.
“Are you an angel?” I croaked.
He chuckled as he carried me to a bed. He laid me down in the centre, sitting on the edge of the mattress next to me. He stared down at me, and I felt a flicker of pain in my ribs.
I winced, wishing that it would stop. I reached down, cupping them for a moment until it finally stopped.
“No, little dove. Far, far from it. I’m afraid I might have to hurt you too, unless you can answer some questions.”
I sucked in a sharp breath at his grim admission, fear making itself known once again. “Please don’t,” I said. “I’ll tell you everything I know.”
“Good,” he crooned. He reached up, running his fingers through my hair gently. “Tell me everything. What’s your name?”