Page 13 of Wraith

Chapter Twelve

The man is cunning.Giving me the knife is obviously a trick. There’s no way will he just allow me to get free and kill him. I won’t take his bait. Why he hasn’t killed me already I’ll never know, but I’m going to use it as ammunition later. There has to be a reason. I know his background and his kills do not discriminate. He kills anyone in his path—man, woman…orchild.

Keeping a vacant stare, I don’t allow myself the pain that tries to make itself known on my body. From my palms to the aching headache that still lingers from the blows I received to my nose and forehead, to my empty stomach and parched throat, it is only my body telling me I still draw breath. I’m still here and the mission is still in play. “I’m sure, since you are here to kill me and all, that you know who I am. Can I assume that?” he asks me, looming above me now. He is obviously trying a different tactic of questioning so instead of starting off into space, I decide to make eye contact. “There. Is. Something,” he says, his gaze locking onto me. “Well then, I will just come out and say this. I have been in this cabin for seven months now. No human contact, no…” He makes a motion with his hand. His fist making a slow punching action. “If you know what I mean?” He smirks. “And you are oneverygood-looking girl.” His eyebrows raise suggestively and like before, when I awoke to his body pressed up against mine, my coreheats.

“No.” I let the word slip out. Giving him what hewants.

“Shedoesspeak.” His words have a playfulness to them that I didn’t anticipate. It’s almost as if he finds this whole situation…funny. Obviously he is enjoying himself, but there is something else, too. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to go all rapey on you. Earlier was an exception, I was…dreaming.” He shrugs. “Besides, you really aren’t my type.” I let out a snort at his words and immediately regret it when he flashes a sharp smile my way. “Better get to work on getting free. There is another storm due in the next couple days. If you aren’t down the mountain by then you may have to stay the rest of the week,” he tells me before reaching for the door and stepping outside. I know what he is doing and that it will only take him a few short minutes before he is backinside.

Quickly, I give a pull on both of my wrists to gauge the tightness of the restraints, the texture. Nylon. It won’t be very easy to get out of the rope and getting the knife to my hand will take a lot of maneuvering and I highly doubt he will just sit in his chair as I do so. But it is the only way. I need to get the knife to myhand.

“There may come a point where you are captured. Your captor will most likely keep you restrained somehow.” I hear Master’s voice in the dark room, my arms extended up above my head. “What will you do, Sobaka? How will you get away?” His voice comes closer until I start to feel the heat of his body at my back. Panic runs through me and I lurch forward, my body flailing, trying to get away, but it doesn’t happen. His hands snake around my middle, pulling me close to him. His naked chest connecting to my naked back. “Calm, Sobaka. Find your center,” he purrs into my ear, bringing me to the here and now. “You will face this—head on. They are cowards and will use your body how they see fit. You will find yourself here with someone who isn’t me. What. Do. You. Do?” His hands roam my bare skin, callouses scratching and leaving gooseflesh in their wake. A foot kicks mine out to the side, spreading my legs open for him before a hand leaves and the jingle of his belt rings in my ear. No. No. No. No.No.

My head snaps backward connecting hard with something—his head or maybe nose— but I don’t care. With all the power I can summon, I pull myself up with my arms and start rubbing the blindfold on my bound hands until it falls from my face. Letting my arms relax once again, I bring myself back to the floor, my feet barely touching the cement. I try to look behind me but I can’t see much, only Master’s booted feet as he lays on the floor. I knocked him out. I know I don’t have much time, so I access the rope. He didn’t go easy on me, the knot he used to hold me in place is near impossible to undo. Pulling myself up again, I get to work. My arms burn from the strain, my flesh is on fire from the rope cutting into my skin, but I don’t let it seep in. Pain is nothing tome.

I have to let myself drop back down two times before I start to make progress. By that time, Master is already waking up. “Very good, Sobaka, but you are still tied.” His face comes into view, blood dribbling from his now crooked nose. His pants are undone and now falling from his hips, exposing himself only slightly. He pays no attention to his state of undress, only to mine as he comes forward and hooks one of my legs around his waist. “You let your assailant wake again, and now he is even more mad. Even more determined to control you.” My other leg goes around him, his pants dropping far enough to be fully visible. “Shall I take what is mine?” he asks bringing a hand between us. My fingers are looser in my binds and if I get just one more chance I will be free of my restraints, so I take this opportunity of him being face to face. With my legs hooked around him I pull with force, and use his body to rise myself high enough to give my hands just enough relief in pressure to slip through the knots I untied with my teeth. My fingers slip free just in time for him to notice what I have done before I swing myself around his body and force him to the ground. He hits hard on his chest, the air leaving his lungs in a whoosh before I flip him over to face me. “Excellent, Sobaka. Now that you have me here. What will you do withme?”

The door swings open letting in a cold gust of air accompanied by snow before being flung shut. “You haven’t made much progress. I’m a little disappointed. I was expecting to come in and be met with a knife to the chest,” he tells me sounding almost genuinely disappointed. Almost like he wants to die. “I know what you are thinking, and you can just forget about it. It’s the challenge, little girl. You are a challenge. I know you are some kick ass ninja, I just want to see how kickass.”

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