Don’t.
Ignoring the whisper in my ears, I dropped to my knees, my hands bunching the tunic, my eyes falling on his wound. I didn’t understand that feeling in my chest. I was supposed to hate him. Why did I feel like I’d done something wrong, like I deserved punishment for hurting him?
“Master,” I whispered, reality blinding me, stealing my decision to run. I hurt him. I hurt my Master. “What have I done.” I grabbed the sides of my head, fisting my hair in tight grips, shaking my head from side to side.
I had no one!
Where would I go?
Master was my family. He took care of me.
“What have I done?” I whispered over and over, my eyes stuck on his bleeding leg. “I’m so sorry, Master.” I drew closer, the pattern of his blood touched my knees, staining the tunic.
“It’s okay, kitten.” He lifted a hand. “Help me.” I raised my eyes to his face. He smiled, nodding. “It’s okay. You didn’t do anything wrong. We’ll make this all better.” He coughed then, his whole body trembling. More blood poured from his wound.
My heart stuttered. He was dying. Master was dying.
Who would save me?
I had no one!
Slowly, I reached out, and as I did, my gaze fell on the pink ribbon wrapped around that wrist, the edges tinged with blood. My blood. The blood Master drew with his knife. Punishing me. Burning me. Hurting me.
I felt that same breeze from earlier, blow over me.
Your prince will come for you, Cinder!
I glanced around. “Mama?” Did I imagine it?
Master coughed again, bringing my eyes back to his face. “Kitten,” he grunted, his voice filling with anger.
Go, Cinder!
I heard it again and listened. Slowly, I sucked in deep breaths, backed away, and stood. My aching body swayed as I did. Not giving in to the need to sleep, I grabbed the remote from the drawer and stabbed at the buttons. Unsure how it worked, I glanced up each time I did, to see if anything moved, if anything changed.
“Please,” I prayed when nothing happened. Moving down the passage, I pressed them again. One button at a time.
“I’m going to fucking tear your heart out of your chest, kitten!” I heard Master scream as the front door pulled away from its seam.
Not waiting for it to open fully, I slipped out. A gust of freezing wind blew across the darkness. Wrapping my arms around myself, I stopped on the stairs. Undecided, I shivered and rubbed my arms to warm up. I glanced around and then looked up to the gates Luke mentioned. Teeth chattering, I ran down the three stairs and let the dark cold swallow me as I hurried up the driveaway—the ground bit into my bare feet. I didn’t care, knowing freedom wasn’t far away. I stumbled a few times, falling to my knees.
“Please,” I begged my body as it gave into tiredness and pushed up. “We’re out,” I whispered, breathing hard, my feet slapping painfully against the dark road. I thought of Master’s last words, which gave me renewed energy.
Reaching the black gates, I stabbed the buttons on the remote, and as they rolled open, I flew past it, dropping the remote on my way out. I didn’t stop. I didn’t look back. I just ran. I saw the roofs of the other houses, but I didn’t know how to get to them. So I just kept running, not sure where I was going. Anywhere was better than here. I let the road guide my feet and went with it when it curved into a forest, not stopping.
Not sure how long I’d been running, my toe hit something, and I stumbled forward, catching myself before I fell. Chest heaving, my lungs desperate for oxygen and wanting to puke, I stopped, bent over, and grabbed my knees, panting. I looked around. If it weren’t for the bright moonlight, I would’ve feared the darkness. As my breathing calmed, noises rose from the forest and had me jumping in different directions, trying to find the sounds and from where they came.
Then I heard it. Pounding feet smacking the ground behind me.
Someone’s following me.
“No.” I shook my head, panic and adrenaline pounding through my veins. “I can’t go back.” I ducked behind a tree and dropped to the ground, pressing my sore back against the tree. Pain seared my skin. I bit down on my lip to keep from groaning out loud. Just as I started to panic, the running footsteps stopped before I heard voices near me. There were two of them. Unable to hear what they were saying, I slapped a hand over my mouth, hoping they wouldn’t hear me breathe.
“That way,” a man said.
Straightening, I peeked around the tree when I heard them move away. I couldn’t see anyone. Ignoring the burn in my back and legs, I ran, blindly following the moonlight. Agony nipping my body, I stumbled again. This time, I couldn’t catch myself. I toppled forward, landing on my hands and knees. Pain shot through my tormented body. Dizziness claimed my vision.
“Please.” I breathed deeply, begging my body to move—the need to vomit pressed against my throat. I swallowed quickly to push it down, then shook my head to clear my unsteady movement.
