Huffing a laugh at the audacity of whoever was stupid enough to think they could steal from Rumple, I leaned back in the bin once more. Even as my disinterest started to wane, the shouts grew closer as someone stampeded through the factory.
Whoever they were, they weren’t being very subtle about their intentions. Even I knew better than to wake up the whole house, let alone break in through what I could only assume from their trajectory was the front door.
There was a hushed calm for a moment, then murmuring that grew louder until I knew they were on the main factory floor. Once again, I pressed my face to the bin, eyes searching for the source of the sound.
A tall figure cloaked in darkness forced a smaller person — a woman by their figure — forward with their intimidating presence.
Anita came into view of the bin, her face pinched, sweat beading on her brow as her eyes darted behind her at the dark figure and then forward once again. The figure, still covered by some kind of cloak, had no distinguishing features besides their tall stature and wide shoulders. Anita stopped in front of the bin and pointed a finger, her voice shaking.
“She’s in there.”
Brows furrowing, I didn’t have much time to wonder why this stranger would want to know where I was before he forced the door to the bin open. The stranger then flung the metal door carelessly across the room.
My hand came up to block the sudden light that hit my face before a hand reached out and grabbed it, unceremoniously pulling me out of my prison.
I gasped and tugged at his hold. “Excuse me.” I tried again. “Let go. You’re going to get me in trouble.”
The stranger huffed but didn’t answer or let me go. He only kept a brisk pace back through the factory floor and halls while the others watched in confusion and terror. Mila rushed to the front of the group, worry in her face.
“You can’t take her,” Mila announced, stepping into the stranger’s pathway though fear turned her face white. “Mara is the property of Rumpelstiltskin, and there will be consequences if you—”
Mila let out a screech at the stranger shoved her aside. No one else came rushing forward to my or her defense. All of them were too worn down and hopeless to fight back against an unknown threat.
“You didn’t have to do that,” I complained, my eyes flicking back to my kidnapper before turning back to the factory door hanging off its hinges. “She wasn’t a threat to you. Rumple really will be furious if you take me. Plus there’s...” I trailed off, swallowing a thick lump in my throat as we got closer to the exit.
The magic contract that kept us from running away didn’t activate unless we had no intention of returning, but no one had ever been kidnapped from the factory. No one else would be foolish enough to try.
My heart thudded louder in my chest the closer we came to the door, my feet pushing into the ground. I pulled at my arm andeven dug my nails into the stranger’s hand, but nothing I did kept me from passing that threshold and leaving the factory.
My breath held as I waited for the inevitable to happen. The pain that would cripple me. The magical yank of my leash to rip me back to where I belonged.
But nothing happened.
Had Rumple lied? Did the bond not recognize my kidnapping as me trying to escape?
The moment I released my breath and stopped fighting against the stranger, a ball of queasiness filled the pit of my stomach, and the sudden urge to return to the factory filled me.
I knew it. The bond was about intentions. Before I had no intentions of leaving, but as soon as I let myself come to terms with leaving, that was when the magical collar kicked in. Right now, it might only be a minor inconvenience, but I didn’t want to risk finding out what other nasties were coming my way if I let it go on for much longer.
“Hello?” I slapped at the arm pulling me along. “This is kidnapping. And stealing. I’m the property of Rumpelstiltskin by contract. You’re going to get —”
The stranger stopped so suddenly that I smacked into his back. I fell backwards, only not hitting the ground by the hold they had on my wrist. Turning toward me, the stranger’s eyes gleamed red from beneath their hood.
Fear and fascination twisted in my stomach. Who was this person and why did they want me? Licking my lips, I tried once more.
“I don’t know who you are, but if you take me back, I promise no one will tell Rumple. It can just all be a misunderstanding.”
The stranger stared down at me for a long moment before a deep, cultured voice growled, “No.”
The hand that held me yanked me forward, and a sharp thud to the back of my neck sent me into a sea of darkness.
Chapter 4
The first thing I noticed when I came to was a tight knot in my stomach, a yanking at my belly button urging me to get moving. A slow inhale brought the sweet scent in the air into my lungs, not the usual sharp sting of soaps and dyes. Barely a murmur of activity reached my ears, unlike the bustle of the other workers getting ready for the day.
Lastly, the stiff cot that had a spring loose which would dig into my back every night had somehow been fixed and replaced with some kind of cloud, making my body sink into its soft and welcoming arms.
A quiet curse followed by the sound of a pan dropping jerked me upright.
