Page 62 of Glass Wings
The sore feeling of hands squeezing her arms began to pulse into her, slower and deeper with every step. She could feel the blood pooling under her skin, instantly forming bruises.
What the hell is happening?
She still couldn’t open her eyes. They were crusted shut. She began pulling her arms from the grasp of whatever held them so she could free herself, but there was too much resistance. She couldn’t budge.
There were two people holding her. Whoever had her legs was clumsy anddropped them.
Hadley groaned from the thudding of her heel into the floor and then regretted it. Maybe it would have been better to let whoever held her think she was still asleep.
“Your princess is awake.”
Hadley’s skin crawled when she heard Saul’s voice just a leg length from her. Suddenly, her body was scooped up into someone’s arms, cradling her as if she were just a baby so she bore no weight at all.
“You have no idea who this is,” she recognized Amis’s voice and realized she was in his arms. “Drop her or injure her in any way, and Sheng will take your life.”
Hadley could now pull her hands up to her face. She brushed the crust over her eyes away and was able to open her lids slowly. She was inside the mansion, and by the red carpet beneath her, she assumed she was in the upstairs hallway. Footsteps followed them as Amis turned into the large entertainment room.
The room was much different from the masquerade. She gulped at what was waiting for her there.
Wake up, wake up, wake up.
This could only be a dream. Hadley hoped and prayed that she was still asleep, that nothing in front of her was real.
The room was now empty, black curtains closed over the windows with hundreds of lit candles perched on shelves providing lighting that was both romantic and demonic. There was a circle of hooded figures. Hadley guessed they were all the same fifteen or so people from the barbeque. All of their heads were down, faces not visible, but one figure shifted with a bouncy energy that reminded her of her newest and most suspicious friend, Jenny.
Hadley made a mental note not to trust anyone who was overly nice or generous again as smack dab in the middle of the circle stood Sheng, nude and masked with the same half-curved fitted piece of plastic he wore during the masquerade.
Sheng turned to look at Hadley, still cradled in Amis’s arms. She began to cling to the muscles that held her, to this stranger whose job it was to provide security.
Please, let these arms never let me go.
She pleaded to whatever god may have been listening. The circle members turned to face her as well, even those who had their backs towards the door frame now had their shoulders acknowledging her arrival.
“I want to go home,” Hadley whimpered, her voice directed towards Amis. There was no reaction, no movement. “I want to go home,” she cleared her throat and spoke louder this time. “Sheng, it’s time I leave. You said I could leave anytime.”
She no longer cared about the money, about writing, or even the satisfying, uncomfortable tension she had with Sheng. All her senses told her to run, and this time, she did not plan on ignoring them.
Hadley began to kick her legs and push out her arms, trying as best as she could to break Amis’ grip as everyone stared in silence. He seemed to struggle against her at first, likely from not being prepared, but regained his composure and held onto her tighter, deepening the bruises on her arms and thighs.
Hadley saw Saul, his blonde hair sticking out from under the cloak hood pulled over his head. His face was expressionless, empty. What she could expect to see on the face of a murderer . . . a rapist.
“What is this?” Hadley yelled before kicking into a high-pitched scream as panic took over her. “Somebody tell me.”
Amis began to move, walking Hadley into the circle as bodies parted to let him pass. He placed her on her feet right in front of Sheng, his body grazing hers. The hooded figures followed and grabbed her hands, holding her to the spot while more hands ran over her body, undressing her until she was as nude as Sheng. As the jeans were finally pulled down over her feet, Hadley let go of her last show of bravery and let tears freely flow down her cheeks.
“Is this how I die?” she asked out loud, the words somewhat inaudible between held-back sobbing. Sheng smiled at that and adjusted his posture, displaying his body for her.
“No, you are not dying today, Hailey. You are gaining a new life. One that you were born to have.” Sheng raised his hand to pinch her chin affectionately.
“Amis, please confirm now,” Sheng ordered. The sweet expression on his face confused the hell out of Hadley. It scared her even more.
Amis nodded behind Hadley and took a curved dagger out of his robe, positioning his body in front of hers and carving out the smallest line of flesh on the outside of her forearm. Hadley cried out, the dagger drawing out a wave of fresh red blood, which ran down her elbow.
Sheng’s eyes suddenly reflected intensity, showing a craving that Hadley assumed he was hiding at first when her clothes were torn off of her.
To her surprise, Amis had put his face so close to Hadley’s wound that she wondered if he was going to rub her blood on his cheeks.
“Well?” Sheng asked, his one visible eyebrow raised.
