She tried to undo the knots, but gave up. I felt disappointed, but Mom’s too good. Still, I like it that the girl tried.
From our conversations, I figured out she was an orphan who got stuck with an aunt and uncle after her parents and grandfather passed away. They must be pretty poor to leave her barefoot and in the same stained white dress all the time. When I leave this place, I’ll take her with me and ask Dad to foster her. I’ll make sure to protect and take care of her. That’s the least I owe her. She’ll look really pretty in new dresses and shoes. And she’ll be happy to have something other than Wonder Bread andwater. I don’t know if her aunt and uncle are sending her to school, but she can start. My family always pays its debts.
“You don’t have to eat if you aren’t hungry,” Mom says suddenly, breaking my train of thought. Her smile says,Aren’t I reasonable and considerate?“But I’ll leave you those cookies, just in case you change your mind. I made them with love, so you should—”
Her phone rings. She checks the screen, eyebrows pinching slightly.Is it Dad, demanding to get me back?Bryce and Josh ran while we were still in Los Angeles. They should’ve been able to make their way back. All they have to do is say that our father is a lawyer at Huxley & Webber, and people will know exactly where to take them. It’s one of the largest and most prestigious law firms in the country.
“I have to go.” She softens her abrupt tone with a smile. “Be good, sweetie. I’ll be back soon.” She puts her hands on her knees, bends down and looks tenderly into my eyes. “You know what? Why don’t we grab some burgers later? You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”
Suddenly, she goes behind me and grabs my hand, yanking it back at an unnatural angle. Pain shoots through my shoulder. I cry out, tears springing to my eyes, and feel something icy circling my wrist. She grabs my other hand, pulling it back. Something cold and hard wraps around my other wrist with a metallic click—then she lets go and the throbbing subsides. I wiggle my hands, then realizeshe’s handcuffed me. I glare at her with all the hate in my heart.
Her eyes flick in my direction. She doesn’t seem bothered by my blatant loathing. She takes the cup of water on the table and grabs my jaw tightly, exerting pressure until my mouth opens. She pours the water into my mouth. Desperate, I shake my head and try to spit it out. Half the liquid gushes down my chin. Tsking, she pinches my nose. Out of reflex, I swallow twice—it’seither that or suffocate. I hate her for doing this to me, and hate my body for giving in so easily.
When there’s no water left in the cup, she throws it on the floor and places a quick kiss on my head. I spit at her, hitting her cheek. Her expression turns blank, and she swipes her fingers over the wet spot.
“I’m doing this for you, Ares—for our family. You’ll thank me when we’re back together again.” It’s scary how sincere she sounds. The rusty hinges on the door creak as she opens it and walks out, slamming it shut.
I glare at the slab of wood, then at the giant, snarling iron wolf above. Its jaw is wide open, the teeth sharp. Inside its mouth is a capital H, for the Huxleys—my family. If Mom wants to show her fealty to the family, she’s doing it wrong. Grandmother hates it when the family coat of arms isn’t faithfully replicated.
But even if Mom replicated everything faithfully and promised to live by the family motto—pietas et unitas—Grandmother would never welcome her back. Hell, Dad won’t let her through the gates to the house.
The slant of the sunlight says it’s late afternoon. Mom stayed longer than usual.Did Queen give up and leave?She might have. Mom never lingered for so long. Bet she wants to know why I’m able to resist the various treats and drinks she leaves out. As far as she knows, I’ve gone five days without food or water. I should be dying for her poisoned crap.
The shadows slowly get longer. My head feels fuzzy.Queen isn’t coming. Why not? Was she peeking inside and saw what happened?
Dad says a man’s worth is determined by the confidence he inspires in others and how well he protects what’s important. My total helplessness probably doesn’t inspire any confidence. Weak, pathetic and useless. That’s what I am.
Darkness starts to creep inside the cabin. I squeeze my eyes shut. The sounds of the forest animals seem particularly loud today, and my skin crawls with chills, then something hot and uncomfortable skitters over my spine until my body spasms. My head hurts, like a sliver of rusty metal is sliding between my eyebrows. I realize I don’t even care about the bread and water Queen carries. I just want to see her—to feel like I’m not alone. Just to glimpse a sliver of goodness and sanity. All my thoughts grow hazy, then scatter like broken marbles until my head goes blank and darkness envelops me.
* * *
A sharp slap. Another. They send ripples through my mind, pulling me out of the drug-induced haze.
“Wake up! We gotta go!”
I try to focus through the haze. Another slap, this time harder than the ones before.
“Come on!”
“Queen?” I cough. The air is acrid with dust and smoke. A pale orange light casts shadows on her small face.
“You have to get up!”
I start to tell her I’m tied up until she shows me a small fruit knife.
“I cut you free.” She sounds inordinately proud, then clears her throat. “Not your arms, though.”
I’m stunned. I start to stand, then stumble and collapse on my knees. My legs are stiff from being bound for so long. Nerves prickle like millions of needles. I hiss with pain.
She grabs me. This close, she smells like lemon and bread. “We have togo.There’s afire.”
Must be the source of the light in the cabin.She tugs at my arm again. I fight the effects of whatever Mom forced down earlier. Queen did her part, and now it’s my turn.
The smoke is thicker. The air feels like sandpaper against my throat and lungs, making me cough again—violently. I swallow, but my mouth might as well be full of cotton. It’s hard to balance with my hands tied behind my back.
Her skinny arms wrap around mine, and she drags me toward the door. I go with her, as the fog from the drug lingers, trying to overpower me again.
The door is banging open and closed from the wind generated by the fire. The metal wolf over it comes loose, swinging crazily on one nail, and then drops. Queen pushes me to my left. The wolf’s jaw falls on her shoulder, then the head rolls down my arm, tearing the skin. Searing pain yanks me out of the haze.
