Prologue
She didn’t know how she had gotten there. One moment she was reading her old childhood books, and the next she was strapped down in chains to a post. She didn’t know what was going to happen. There were policemen screaming her name. “Lilia! Lilia! Get down now! “
There was a gunshot, and the man beside her went down. She was being held captive, but she didn’t know why.
She was in Alandeir, the place where she was born. Her parents were assassinated in this town. Her brother was assassinated in this town. Everyone was. Except her.
Chapter 1
She had woken up this morning to her foster mom screaming. She sprung up from her bed to find her gone. It was as if she vanished out of thin air. She ran out of her small, red cottage, and jumped in her old fashioned jeep. She started driving around when she saw a deer running in the snow. It was running right at her. She swerved, trying to get away before she hit it. Instead of hitting the deer, she hit a tree. Hard. Then everything went black.
When she awoke, she had a terrible headache. It felt like daggers going into her skull. And she was starving. She was in a small cot, in the middle of an old bedroom. How did I get here? Were even am I? She sat up, and her ribs protested in agony, as she realized that she’d probably broken a few in the crash. She looked around, and she noticed the place looked familiar. Like it was from her past. Then she knew it was. It was her childhood home before everything had gone straight to hell.
She got up from her cot and went right to her old bookshelf. Everything was in the same, organized rows as it was from 10 years ago. The books were organized from her favorite books to her least favorite. In the first row sat her favorite book. Twilight. Her mother had given this book to her when she was just 9. It was the last book that she ever got from her mother, or anyone else within 3 cities.
Footsteps sounded from the hall, and she jumped. She ran back to her cot and crawled under the covers just as a man came in.
Breathing heavily, she lifted her head to look at him. He was tall, maybe six foot three, looked to be a few years older than her, probably 23 or 24, and had neat, dark brown hair, and light green eyes. He was quite handsome. “You’re awake,” he said with a cunning smile. “ now what shall I do with you?” he started walking to her cot, and her heart skipped a few beats. A few seconds later he was standing right over her. He reached down and touched her long, amber hair. “ Such beauty for a girl,” she didn’t know how to respond. “What’s your name?” he asked while stroking her pale cheeks.
“Lilia Harrison.”
“How old are you Lilia Harrison?”
“I’m 19, sir.”
“You don’t have to call me sir,” he said in a tauntingly sweet voice. “You can call me Darian.” She nodded her head and looked down.
“Get up. Now.” his voice changed dramatically as he pointed at the door. “You must complete all your tasks that I throw at you if you wish to live. There is a list waiting for you on the table. So get out of your nightwear, and make sure to wear a coat. It’s going to be a cold day,” he tossed her an old, worn out coat and left her room.
She hadn’t realized she was holding her breath until she released it. She took a few calming deep breaths before crawling out of her cot and stripping off her sweaty nightclothes. There was a pair of clothes waiting for her on her old rocking chair in the corner. It was a pair of grey sweatpants and a plain white shirt. She climbed into her new clean clothes and walked into the hallway. There was a small, beat up wooden round table with a sheet of paper lying on top. Lilia picked up the piece of paper and read. She gaped in surprise. On the list it said that she had to cut down a willow tree, break the branches off, and then chop the trunk. She didn’t even know where to begin. She went into a little room that looked to be a living room. On the small couch sat Darian reading a book. “What book is that?” She asked as Darian looked up
“ The Depths Below. “ he replied while putting it down on a glass shelf. “What do you want?”
“Must I do this list? I’d much rather help around the house. I could clean and cook to take things off your shoulders.” Wow. His shoulders were so broad and muscled. No. I won’t feel for him. She felt heat rising to her cheeks as Darian got up and stood right in front of her.
“Is chopping wood a little too hard for you, princess? Because I would prefer to not have to use one of my daggers on you if it is.” Lilia tried to step away, but Darian grabbed her by the elbow. “You must complete all your tasks that I throw at you if you wish to live.” He repeated in Lilia’s ear, and she cringed at his closeness. “There are axes in the closet. Go get them and get chopping.“ Lilia left in resistance to get an axe. Gods they were heavy. The base was a hardwood, and the head was a gleaming curve and point. It seemed to be made of pure tungsten. She went to the front of the house and opened the door. Outside was covered in shining white snow, and was blindingly bright. Squinting, she stepped down and the snow crunched beneath her feet. Lilia sighed a heavy breath and it clouded in front of her. Damn, it’s cold, she thought. She had a full body shiver. Dragging the axe, she stocked into the woods. Lilia looked around for a willow tree but found nothing. Darian tricked me. How could she be so ignorant? She had been out hours looking for the damned tree for absolutely nothing. She trudged back to her old house and slammed the door shut as she walked in. “Why the hell did you tell me there was a willow tree when you knew very well that there wasn’t? She barked at Darian. “ I’ve looked all over the gods-damned forest looking for that willow tree. Do you really think it was funny to make me go out in the freezing cold and walk around the woods to find nothing? “
“First of all princess, you don’t talk to me like that. Remember I’m the one who saved you from freezing to death in your car? So you should be thankful to me. Not be an ass. You better be grateful tomorrow, or you’re going to be in lots of pain for the rest of the month. Got it?”
“Fine,” she sneered back at him. “Is there anything else you need me to complete?”
“ go clean the dishes, and wash the bathroom. Both jobs aren’t the cleanest, so don’t squeal and cry if you break a nail.” she blushed and then went into the kitchen. In the kitchen there was a small sink piled high with dishes, and an open cabinet with barely anything in it. There were the same floral curtains covering the small window peering out into a shriveled up garden. She loved that garden very much, before she ran as fast as she could to get away from the horror.
CHAPTER 2
Darian didn’t know why he brought her back to his new house. He hadn’t known that this was, in fact, her childhood home. He’d found her stuck in a wrecked car 5 miles from here in the snow. She was almost a goner until he checked her pulse and it was still there. He quickly and carefully dragged her out of the car and lied her down in the back seat. He drove as fast as he could without going too much over the speed limit. Once he got back to his house he checked her to see if she had any major injuries and if he had to take the to the hospital. She had a few cracked ribs, and a huge gash down her hair line, so he cleaned it out and got a better look. The wound was already clotted so he knew that she was going to be fine. He debated whether or not to take off her clothes and clean her off. No. he thought to that idea. He carried her – a dead weight in his arms – to a child’s bedroom in the back of the house. He had decided the day he got the house not to disturb that room. It seemed… special almost. Like it was an important part of the home. He placed her down on the old cot and watched her, making sure she stayed alive. The next thing he knew is it was the next morning
“Crap,” he barked as he sprung up to check if she was still breathing. To his relief, she was, and her head already looked so much better. He took a few breaths and then went into the kitchen to make himself breakfast.
