Page 10 of Little Doll

“Whatever do you mean, my pet?” I asked. “I’ve missed you. I’ve come to see you.”

Her knuckles grew white grasping her cane, and her whole body trembled with barely veiled rage. “Oh well, isn’t that nice? Here is Fane. Disappear for a year, leave me to the wolf, allow him to almost kill me!”

My hand shot up and encircled her slender throat. She gasped and went ridged. I leaned my face so close to her she would feel my breath hot on her skin. “Youlet him almost kill you, Izetta,” I snarled. “You always return to him. Never forget that. You did this to yourself.”

Tears gathered in her eyes and spilled over down her cheeks. Her breath rasped as I gradually cut off her air supply. But she kept her spinestraight and her golden-brown eyes trained on me. It wasn’t until her lips parted as though she struggled to breathe that I released her.

“Anyway,” I continued, stepping back and resuming my cordial tone. “I’m here now. I’ll take you away.”

She closed her eyes for a second and gave a deep, shuddering breath. She looked almost childlike in that second when her inner imagination took her somewhere else. She dragged her pretty eyes back open and reached up to caress my cheek. “Will you take me away? Forever this time? I’m ready. I’m ready to go and never return.” Her voice was small and defeated.

I gave Izetta a broad smile, showing her all of my teeth. “Yes darling. I can save you.”

Chapter 6

Fane

The following evening,I borrowed a carriage from The Gilded to go and fetch Izetta from our arranged spot. She would take an innocent evening constitutional about the graveyard that was near her home, but not close enough that Charlie could see her from there. I’d arrive in the carriage, and she'd join me. The plan went accordingly.

After the driver and I had helped Izetta inside, I got in and we were on our way as twilight began to gather and fog rolled in.

I produced our masks from my pocket.

My skull face mask, and the self-same mask I’d loaned Nova two nights before. Izetta stared down at the mask in her hand as though it were an ugly spider. She looked back up at me.

“What is this?” she demanded.

“It’s a mask. We’re going to play a game tonight. I want you to wear it.”

She grimaced, sending a network of fine lines out from her eyes. “But, Fane, it’s atrocious.”

My eyes narrowed ever so slightly. “Put it on, Izetta,” I said in a low growl. I tied mine on and stared at her through the stony skull face.

She shuddered and looked away, but she tied it on with hands that trembled.

She was more timid than she used to be. Less up for anything than she’d once been. It annoyed me.

The carriage rattled to a stop in front of The Gilded and Izetta gasped over dramatically. “The Gilded Serpent?” she cried. “Fane, surely you aren’t taking me here.” Her eyes darted around and held her cane tight in her fist. It appeared she sought an escape. Which made me chuckle because her miserable bastard of a husband had made it so hard for her to get away, hadn’t he?

“Darling Izetta,” I said. “Let’s not pretend you’re above this place. We’re going toplaytonight.”

Memories of times I’d had before with Izetta intoxicated my mind’s eye. She looked at me once again and her cheeks flamed as she read the desire on my face. She dropped her eyes to her lap. “Well, that would be alright I suppose,” she said in almost a whisper. The meek and frightened mouse returning.

I smiled and ran my tongue over my teeth, my mouth suddenly going dry. “That’s a good girl,” I purred.

The driver and I helped my little crippled pet down, and as soon as her feet touched the ground, the carriage rolled away.

There was a room outside the attic Den. The room held racks of clothing and costumes, and closed cupboards that contained things Izetta would’ve never even heard of before. There were sofas and seats. It was a waiting room of sorts. Or a dressing room for those who were into that.

By the time we reached the room, Izetta was limping even worse as the four flights of stairs we’d had to climb to the attic had hurt her. But she was trying to be strong, and her chin jutted forward as she leaned on her wooden cane. When we reached the costume room, Izetta stood proudly in its center.

I noticed that the handle of her cane was a crystal skull with ruby eyes.

I crossed to Izetta and began to unbutton her long black coat to see if she’d worn what I told her to. In the end, it would make no differencesince my intention was to take her into the Den naked.

After the buttons were undone, I ripped the coat back off her shoulders and found that she had done just as I’d asked. A long black lace gown that hugged her curves and flowed down into a ruffle of red roses along the bottom and woven into the skirt. It was a dress that I had once given her, and one that her prick husband had never seen.

I traced a single finger along Izetta’s collarbone, and she hissed in a quick breath and her eyes fluttered closed.

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