SWNOVELS Chapter 12
Chapter 12 Blake had my ankles and wrists tied and a blindfold wrapped tightly over my eyes. I wasn’t even allowed to walk. He draped me over his shoulder. It was a bumpy ride. I didn’t know where we were going, but I guessed it was back to Blake’s house. Other than the odd grunt or snarl, everyone was quiet. I was helpless in my position. In the first few hours, I’d tried to get them to talk to me but nob*dy would. Another one of Blake’s orders, I presumed. Blake came to a dead stop suddenly. The others stopped too. I could hear their footsteps come to a halt. “Leave us,” I heard Blake’s voice ordered. Footsteps retreated on the ground. The vibrations first sank into my bones and then grew smaller until I couldn’t feel them anymore. Blake’s fingers wrapped tightly around my arm and pulled me to my feet. I stumbled a little, unable to keep my own footing. which forced me to lean against Blake more. “May I have your order, Your Majesty?” I asked snidely. “Bringing you to your new room.” “My new room?” I asked, shuffling my feet along the ground so I wouldn’t trip over anything. “Living in my home is a privilege. Once you take the chance to run away, you don’t get all the luxuries you had before,” his voice hissed in my ear. Blake’s hand moved to the back of my head and the blindfold loosened, falling to the ground. He had stopped in front of a basement bulkhead. I blinked several times, adjusting to the morning sunlight. “What is this?” “Your new room,” Blake repeated. He opened the bulkhead and headed down a set of rickety, wooden stairs. His hand on my arm tugged me along. I had to take the steps one at a time with how closely my ankles were tied. I was surprised that Blake let me take them so slowly and didn’t just pick me up or drag me down. The basement was damp and musty. Literally a hole in the ground with a d*rty floor. There was one window, and it was only a half window that had been partially covered over with dirt. Very little light streamed in and there were no lamps or overhead lights. “You’re going to live down here now. Charles will bring you your meals and continue to work with you on learning proper etiquette. There is an old piano down here. It might not be tuned, but Charles has a good ear,” he told me, motioning to the dusty piano in the corner. It was an upright piano, not like the grand piano in the music room in the house. I saw some bookshelves lining the walls with cracked spines. “There is an impressive library here to keep you busy. You’ll learn a lot about propriety from this selection,” Blake informed me. “Once you have learned the proper etiquette, you may leave.” I looked around and realized that there weren’t any stairs to the main house. Other than the bookshelf and piano, there was a cot with a pillow and blankets in one corner, a little wooden table and one chair, and an exposed toilet and sink. There was no privacy down here. “The only way in and out is the bulkhead. I have a key and Charles has a key. Get comfortable and learn well, wifey” Blake nimbly eluded my punch at the moment he cut the bindings on my wrists and ankles. “It’s going to be up to you how fast you want to leave here.” Knowing I would never win a fight against him, I rubbed my wrists and looked around again. Was he serious? Was learning his ridiculous curriculum the only way to get myself out of here? Blake didn’t wait for me to say anything else. He left and closed the bulkhead door. As it slammed closed. I screamed at the top of my lungs, dropping to the ground and pounding my fists into the dirt. “You’re holding your fork wrong again,” Charles said, tapping my hand with a long stick. He’d brought a second chair down and he sat across from me at every meal, watching me eat. “Finding a true princess will be a shortcut.” I shrugged. My eyes had adjusted to the minimal light that filtered in through the one window, but most of the time, I was still living in darkness. Charles brought me two meals a day and continued to instruct me in etiquette. The rest of the time, I read books. Blake had been right when he told me that the books would teach me a lot. They were all volumes on ballroom dancing, how to interact with Lycans and those of higher status, and anything anyone would want to know about etiquette and propriety. I would have given almost anything for a real story to read. “I’m holding the fork the same as I always hold it,” I grumbled. “And it continues to be wrong…” Charles sighed and added, “…intentionally. Lady Nora, it wasn’t my place to comment, but it seemed to me that you are not doing yourself any favor on purpose. Everything would be so much easier if you choose to listen to Master Blake.” I sighed and set my fork down. I used the napkin to wipe my mouth, as was proper before speaking after eating, and stared right at Charles.
“Well done,” he praised, and gave me an 1–knew–you–could–do–it look. “Why are you doing this?” I asked. “Why is Blake doing this?” “Miss Nora, you might not think so, but Master Blake is not a bad man. Nor is he your enemy,” Charles said. “My friend would never lock me in a basement,” I countered. “All you have to do is obey him and then you won’t have to live like this. Obey him as your husband and honor him,” Charles said, nodding. I shook my head and leaned back in the chair. I slouched slightly, rebelling against the “proper” posture of sitting perfectly straight with my spine stiff. Charles‘ brow was furrowed. “There is no way you can know this, but Master Blake is different since you arrived. He does treat you much differently than anyone else that has crossed him.” I scoffed and threw my head back. “I can’t see him that way and I won’t until he gives me a reason to. My opinion is based on how he treats me, nothing else!” “You’ll spend a long time down here unless you start to see him differently,” Charles said, holding his arms out to encompass the basement.. “Blake could lock me up for all time. I’m not going to be his perfect doll!” I snapped. The bulkhead ripped open, hinges groaning and the wood creaking. Blake’s casual voice echoed through the entrance. “Really? I happened to have a lot of patience, and I don’t mind you taking your time.” I’d had enough!! After five days in the basement, I’d exhausted all of my good temper. Who did think he really was! I stood up, wincing from the wound on my side that still hadn’t healed and kept my eyes fiercely locked on Blake’s. “Get the hell out of here!” I raised my voice, “I don’t want to see you!” Blake stared at me for a few seconds and pinched the bridge of his nose. He let out a long breath, and then spoke again. “There will be times when I will give you an order and you will have to obey without knowing the ‘why. You have yet to do that even once. If you can’t make it through one day of following orders without asking annoying questions and rebelling against authority, you won’t survive in my world.” I opened my mouth to respond, but I didn’t have the strength to argue with him. I was exhausted from my earlier practice with Charles and my wound was acting out now. It was throbbing in pain At this moment, I just need to put up with this arrogant man for a little longer in order to get my wolf back. A loud crash travels down the staircase and into the basement, making everyone snap their heads toward the top of the stairs where we see a subordinate rushing down, his breathing jagged. “Sir, our shelter has been found and we’re under attack!” Distant shouts and loud bangs sounded down the staircase, and it’s as if I went into autopilot wanting to help the situation. I took a step forward to ask what was going on, but my wound sent a sharp pain across my b*dy and I doubled over, trying to catch my breath. “What’s wrong.” Blake asked with a frown, turning away from his subordinate. “How did you injure yourself?” I sucked in a sharp breath, feeling frustrated that I can’t do much other than sit here and play house with Charles. There is a look of concern on Blake’s face, but it’s gone just as quickly as it came. “It doesn’t matter,” I grumbled. “Let me help you with whoever is attacking us. I can be of assistance.” Blake stared at me for a moment longer, his eyes searching my face. “This is exactly why you should never leave my side.” He then turned to Charles and I took the chance to suck in another sharp breath as the throbbing at my side continued. “Look after her, Charles,” Blake said gruffly and then turned his attention back to me. “As I said, I won’t let anyone hurt you, Nora. I will protect you.”