Page 8 of Bound in Sacrifice

After leaving Philippe’s, I walked around the city looking for Father. I ducked my head into every single bar that I could find, with no luck. After five hours of nothing, I finally gave up and decided to go home. My blisters have blisters and the muscles in my legs feel like jelly. I haven’t had any updates from Gavin. Either they’re not looking or they haven’t found him. I don’t know which would be better at this point. I pull into my driveway, hoping Father might have come back and will be there when I get inside. I am alarmed to see an unfamiliar black Cadillac Escalade in my driveway when I pull in. The front door to our house is wide open and, stupidly, I run as fast as I can into the house thinking maybe something awful has happened to Father.

When I get inside, I witness two large men standing in my thoroughly ransacked living room. They incite terror in me with their sizable muscles and angry expressions. They don’t see me right away and if I had any amount of sense in me, I would back away, run from the house, and go straight to the police station. I blame my behavior and lack of initiative on stress and fatigue from spending five hours wandering the city.

“What are you doing in my house?” I shout at them like a fool.

Rosabelle! Get the fuck out of the house. Run away, you idiot!

The thugs turn at the sound of my shaky voice. My eyes go as wide as saucers and I tremble with more fear than I ever remember feeling before. It’s then I notice the emblem on their tight black t-shirts...La Tour.

Father.Oh my God, what have you done now?Or, are they after me because of my altercation with that monster the other night?

“Mademoiselle de Villeneuve?” the one on the left asks me.

“Y--yes?” I can barely get the word out and even when I do, I don’t even hear myself speak.

They prowl toward me and I turn to run. Before I can go anywhere, one of them hooks their arm around my neck. I faintly hear them tell me that they don’t mean me any harm, but how can that be? They have me in a chokehold and I can see the darkness closing in on my vision.

The last thing I think before everything goes completely black is, I wonder if they’ve killed my father and if they’re about to kill me. Then, to make myself feel even worse than I already do, I tell myself I don’t care if I die, just as long as I get to see my mother again.

* * *

“I toldyou if I caught you inside of my club again that I would show you exactly how far an angel can fall.”

The man’s voice shocks me awake. I open my eyes only to find that I am tied to a cross like the one I saw when I was atLa Tourthe other night. My ankles and wrists are bound to the posts, stretching my body out like a letter “X”.

“Yet here you are again, little lamb.”

The monster from the club steps into the light so I can see him clearly.

He stands in front of me holding something that looks like the streamers which hung from the handlebars on my bike when I was a little girl. I am completely naked and laid out like a piece of meat for him. I’m ready for him. I want him.

I wait for the shock to come.

For the fear to tear me apart.

For the shame to hit me.

Why am I so calm? No, calm isn’t the right word.

Content. I’m content lying here, beinghis.

His?

I’m anxiously awaiting his touch, awaiting the sensation of the leather tails across my skin.

None of this makes sense.

“My little lamb. My Rosabelle.”

My name sounds lovely coming off of his lips...

“Rosabelle!”

When consciousness returns to me, I hear someone screaming my name.

“Rosabelle! Please no! She doesn’t have anything to do with this!”

Father.

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