Countered: A Dark Suspenseful Gothic Romance (The Rule of Lawes Series Book 2) by Felicity Brandon

Countered: A Dark Suspenseful Gothic Romance (The Rule of Lawes Series Book 2) by Felicity Brandon

Author:Felicity Brandon [Brandon, Felicity]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
Published: 2020-02-22T00:00:00+00:00


Seventeen

April

Hours passed, time bleeding into a meaningless existence. The intensity of the high Lawes’ flogger had achieved was so great, April had slipped into an exhausted slumber soon after. It was sometime later that day when the darkness greeted them again, April found herself awake in the cage. She reached out in the gloom, her fingers tracing the lines of metal that held her hostage that night and every night. She swallowed and sighed, the sound audible as it slipped between the bars.

“Are you awake?”

April turned her head. The voice had been faint, for good reason, yet she was sure it came from across the room, the cage opposite perhaps—Hannah’s cage.

“Yes.”

Her reply was louder than intended, and she cringed at the sound.

She suspected the others had crashed out in their cages by now, and she had no wish to wake them or the sleeping giant who resided just out of earshot.

“Who’s there?” This time April ensured her tone was softer. “Hannah?”

“Yes, it’s me.” A pause. “Are you okay? What they put you through earlier. It was… awful.”

April’s eyes fluttered shut at Hannah’s assessment. It had been awful—terrible, actually. Even in the darkness, she could still trace the lines the harnesses had made on her skin.

“I’m fine.” She was fine. She had to be fine. “Thanks, though.”

It was unusual for any of them to overtly show concern for another. Of course, deep down, April knew they were worried. They all wanted to survive, yet the others were too intimidated to speak after lights out, and there was precious other opportunity to converse.

“I just wanted to say, I’m sorry.” Hannah sounded hesitant, and April’s brows furrowed at her words.

“Sorry for what?”

“It’s just, I misjudged you, is all. When I first came here, I thought you were a bit of a bitch, but I know different now. You’re tough , April. Stoic.”

April laughed, in spite of herself, the sound echoing around the inside of the cage. She could never bring herself to think of the thing as her cage. It wasn’t her cage.

April would never belong in a cage.

“Thanks,” she said dryly. “I think.”

Hannah chuckled softly. “I mean it. I know we’re all scared and tired, but I appreciate the way you try to resist them. And the way you tried to get away.” There was genuine reverence in her voice.

“What else can I do?” April whispered the question across the gloom, separating them. “I won’t give up. I won’t let them win.”

She heard Hannah inhale. “Neither will I.”

A veil of silence fell over them, Hannah’s words reverberating in April’s head.

“I’m glad.” It had been too long since anyone else among the group had shown any grit. The others were good at compliance, and April understood why, but their reasoning made the situation no less frustrating to tolerate. “Sometimes, I need a friend in this struggle. Sometimes, it’s hard to counter them all alone.”

She gulped at her own honesty, wondering if any of the others were listening and would take offense at the admission.



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