The Captive by Amanda Ashley

Author:Amanda Ashley
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Ellora's Cave Publishing
Published: 2014-09-28T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Sixteen

Ashlynne hardly slept that night. All she could think about was the whereabouts of the controller. Had Falkon found it? She started at every sound, expecting him to come bursting through the door and…what? Ravish her? Tie her up? Make her pay for the pain and humiliation she had caused him?

She pulled the covers up to her chin and stared into the darkness. The bed was narrow, the mattress hard and unfamiliar. And it was quiet, so quiet. The thought had no sooner crossed her mind than she heard a horrible shriek from somewhere outside. What kind of animal made such a sound? Or had it been an animal? They hadn’t seen any signs of human habitation. She shivered, remembering the cannibals they had encountered in the jungle on Tierde.

Tierde. The only home she had ever known. The seasons would be changing now. The Season of Mists had always been her favorite time of year. She had always loved the heavy rains that watered the ground, the oddly eerie greenish light of the twin moons as Riasna and Brell rose in tandem. She had been five or six the first time her mother had told her the story of the twin moons. Tears slid down her cheeks as she thought of her parents. Had they suffered much? Did they know she was safe? She would never see them again. She wished now that she had told her mother and father more often that she loved them. She thought of Magny, her best friend, her only friend, and the days and nights they had spent together, laughing and sharing secrets, planning for the future…

Her tears came faster, and she dashed them away. She would not cry! But she couldn’t seem to stop. A sob rose in her throat as she wept for all she had lost: her loved ones, the security of a home, the sense of belonging, her piano, the beautiful chestnut mare her father had given her. Gone, all gone, destroyed in a moment’s madness, and her childhood with it.

She took a deep breath. She had never wanted to marry Niklaus; now, he represented safety and shelter. Without him, she would truly be alone. She wondered if Commander Casman had informed Niklaus of Falkon’s escape. She wondered if Niklaus was concerned about her, or even cared. They had never met face to face; all their communications had been by mail, formal, polite. He had expressed his willingness to have her for his bride, but no real enthusiasm. No doubt he viewed their upcoming marriage as a duty to be fulfilled, just as she had. Perhaps he would consider himself well rid of her.

She froze as she heard a knock at the door. There was no need to ask who it was. “What do you want?”

“Are you all right in there?”

“Yes.” She sniffed. “I’m fine.”

Silence stretched between them. She tensed when she heard him try the door, wondering if he would break it down.

She was still wondering when she fell asleep.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.