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Enjoy!
Chapter 10.
Previously
"Don't close your eyes", I then heard him say. I had only closed them for a second, why was he already asking me that?
"Roxeanne!"
I almost though I heard something like desperation in his voice. Of course that could not be true.
After I felt him place me on solid ground, my mind played against me. I saw only blurs of colours before my eyes. I was deaf, and soon to be blind. It was over…
I had never thought I'd ever would feel scared again. But I did now.
Carefully placing Roxeanne on the sand before me, I turned her on her side to make her spill the water she had been swallowing.
"My dove, open your eyes", I pleaded. But she remained unconscious. I sighed and watched around me, not seeing Roger or Brian anywhere near me. I wondered how long it would take for them to find me here, down near the lake.
I gently but firmly placed my hand against Roxeanne's stomach, making her finally spill the water.
"Good girl, good girl", I mumbled after placing her on her backside once more. I knew it was a bad sign she was still unconscious, but to my relief, she was still breathing.
I placed her head upon my knees, and reached for my phone from my pocket. Luckily the phone survived the water.
I called the only person I knew who would be here sooner than the other two fools.
"Bane?"
"Barsad my brother, I need you."
I couldn't recall a time I had ever felt more tired than I felt right now. I doubted I could open my eyes, but I tried. I turned my head the slightest bit, moaning in discomfort when I felt how sore my neck was feeling.
"She's awake!", I heard Anna's relieved voice say. I heard footsteps, but couldn't recognize them.
"Can you open your eyes?", Anna asked me, her voice small.
I tried again, opening my eyes the tiniest bit, but closing them instantly when I saw how bright the room was.
"Shut the curtains", I heard Bane's heavy voice say. I then kept my eyes closed, not sure how to feel about Bane being here.
Would he be mad? Of course he was mad. We tried to escape! En then the whole fall from the rocks… Maybe it was better if I kept my eyes closed forever.
"I'll leave you, but can I come back later?", Anna asked. I knew she was asking Bane for confirmation.
"You can, after she has rested some more", his deep voice answered. I heard light footsteps leave the room. And then a door that was being closed. I wondered if he would even keep me alive.
"Can you open your eyes, my dove?", I heard his ask from very close. I knew I was in a bed, although I did not know where we were. I wondered why he sounded so gentle, so caring.
Even though I was really terrified of his anger, I really wanted to open my eyes. Just to see if they were still working.
I slowly opened my eyes, just the tiniest bit and was met with Bane's staring gaze. Instead of backing away I opened my eyes completely, turning my head to look around the room. I was in his room again, so he brought us home.
"Don't move your head to much, you've seriously injured your neck", his voice told me.
I watched him again, my eyes shyly meeting his. I was still waiting for him to yell at me, but he remained silent.
"How are you feeling now?", He asked me then. He sat down on the bed next to me, one hand resting on my arm.
"I'm- just tired. I think", I said, quickly averting my eyes.
I felt the tension in the air rise, but I had no clue how to ease it.
"Rest some more", he then said. He stood and walked for the door, almost leaving me alone with all my thoughts and doubts.
"Are you not going to say anything? Aren't you mad? Or going to punish me?", I then asked him, my voice so soft I was surprised he heard me at all.
Bane stopped in his tracks and turned, facing me from the doorstep.
"We will discuss it when you have healed more."
He then left me. Just like that.
I had really expected him to punish me, he always warned me about not obeying and the consequences. But as I learnt over the next few days, he was more upset then angry with me.
After the second day in bed, I finally felt good enough to get up and actually dress and shower myself. Bane had slept in bed with me, but only getting in when I was asleep, and he always was up and about before I woke.
I started thinking, hoping, he maybe had grown tired of me. What if he was about to dispose of me?
While washing myself I felt myself becoming scared. What if he was planning on killing me?
Shaking that thought from my mind I finished my shower and got ready to finally meet everyone downstairs. I let my hair down, free curls hanging loosely around my shoulders. I had used a little make up, trying to make me look less tired.
I dressed into a dark jeans and red shirt with long sleeves. Putting my uggs on I wondered if I had the guts to go downstairs. I wasn't even sure if I was allowed to yet.
I sighed deeply and tried the five second rule I used whenever I felt insecure or scared.
'Count to five and then just go', I told myself. I stood and took another deep breath.
I walked towards the door, hesitating to actually opening in.
'One.'
There was no one in the hallway, but I heard talking downstairs.
'Two.'
I gripped the banister and stopped just before my foot touched the stairs.
'You can do this. Three.'
I slowly walked the stairs, hearing the voices became louder. I could clearly hear Roger and Brian. But where was Bane?
'Four.'
My foot touched the floor of the hallway, and I suddenly felt sick.
"He Rox! Are you feeling well?", I then heard Anna's relieved voice say.
I had seen her a couple of times over the last few days. She had felt guilty, not only for the situation I was in now. But also for escaping with me. She believed that we had made it even harder for ourselves here, even when Brian had been really easy on her.
'Five.'
"Good enough", I said with a small smile. I was feeling so tense I was truly afraid of getting sick, right then and there.
Anna's eyes then roamed over towards the living room.
"Roger is in there too", she said then. I wondered why it made any difference for me.
"He's been really using our escape to make us look bad, especially you", she then softly said. I understood what she meant.
Of course Roger was enjoying and using this fact, he hated me.
But then I also heard a voice totally unknown to me. I raised my eyebrows at Anna, but then I watched Roger walk into the hall. His eyes grew wider when he saw me, a grin forming around his lips.
"Well well, look who's finally feeling good enough to grace us with her presence", his ever annoying voice said.
I said nothing, but just stared behind him. Was Bane inside there too?
The feeling that he would get rid of me was growing stronger and stronger. I hoped I would not be alone with him. The fact he had not spoken a single word to me in the last two days made me feel even sicker. He had truly grown tired of me?
"Don't keep us waiting now", Roger sneered, grabbing my by the arm and not to gently pushing me into the living room.
Even before I could free myself from his harsh grip, I saw someone I didn't know sitting on the large sofa. But even more important was the immense man sitting across from him. Bane.
His back was facing me, the broad shoulders reminding me of all the things we had shared, wanted or not. And now he was acting like I wasn't even here.
The stranger looked a lot like Bane. Not physically, but his clothes matched Bane's. He seemed just as lethal as Bane, a beard covering a lot of his face, his dark eyes watching me with interest. He wasn't unattractive.
"Good morning", the stranger greeted me. At that Bane turned, and watched me. His eyes captured mine, freezing me for the moment.
"Morning", I softly spoke, not sure how to translate the tension I was sensing in the room.
"Roxeanne, meet the man who helped saving you, just in time", Bane's deep voice said to me, catching me totally off guard by speaking to me.
"I'm Barsad, good to see you are feeling better", Barsad spoke. He had a strange accent, one I could not place.
"Thank you, for – saving me", I forced myself to speak. Even though I felt like it was not my fault, I knew I better behaved myself. For now.
"You can release her now Roger, I doubt she will escape a second time", Bane then said to Roger, who's hand was still painfully gripping my upper arm.
I made a mental note to ask Bane why he was tolerating Roger to even touch me at all.
Roger released me, but not without pushing me forward. I glared at him, but was relieved he had let go of me.
I watched over towards the other end of the room, where Brian was sitting by the window, a laptop on his lap.
"You can join Brian over there, I have some things to discus with Barsad", Bane said, sensing my distress on what to do with myself.
I slowly walked over towards Brian, instantly feeling a lot better because he was being nice to me. He asked me how I felt and seemed like the only one who didn't held any grudge against me.
I made myself comfortable in the other chair near the window, watching the rain fall down. I tried to make small talk with Brian, just to keep my mind off of things. But I couldn't help to watch at Bane every once in a while, because every time I did, he locked eyes with me. I could feel his staring eyes, even when I didn't watch him.
It made me nervous to think about how things would go from now on. Would he keep acting like he was now? Or would he act like he did before everything. Before my escape attempt.
Anna joined us after a few minutes. Laughing with Brian who seemed to be truly interested in her. I wondered when that had happened. The last time I checked, Anna feared him immensely.
I pulled my knees up in the chair and made myself comfortable, closing my eyes. Maybe they would all be gone when I opened my eyes.
A very large, warm hand on my cheek woke me instantly. I opened my eyes and straightened myself in the chair.
"Seems like you have not rested enough, my dove", Bane said, his hand on my cheek caressing me gently.
When I finally shook my slumber from my mind, Bane's gesture confused me to no end. Why was he being nice to me?
"Come, Roger has brought us food", Bane said, extending his hand for me to take. I hesitated for only a moment before I took his hand and let him lead me into the kitchen.
Bane held a chair out for me, taking place right next to me. I had no clue how to act, but with Anna sitting on the other side of me I figured I should just let it come over me.
The food Roger had arranged seemed to be a Indonesian Rice tale of some sorts. It looked good, but I wasn't hungry at all.
The staring eyes of Bane made me try to eat a little bit, but I was glad for the distraction that Barsad brought. The conversation about guns and cars lifted Bane's attention from me.
"And what about the plans for tomorrow?", Roger asked Bane. I wondered what that was about.
"I leave Barsad in charge here, for the entire time I'm away", Bane answered, not even bothering to look at Roger.
I watched from my plate towards Anna and then towards Bane. Was he leaving? Anne was as confused as I was, I could tell it by the look on her face.
"And what about the plans?", Roger then said, clearly not liking what Bane was saying.
"I'm not repeating myself Roger, Barsad is in charge, he will lead you. And that's the end of it", Bane warned. I had a feeling Bane didn't liked the fact Roger had started about this subject in front of Anna and I.
"You should eat more", Bane then softly said to me, while the others engaged in further conversation.
"I – I can't", I said, trying to look everywhere but his eyes.
"After dinner I want to meet you upstairs, we have things that need to be spoken about", he said to me. The heavy feeling in my stomach now felt like a rock had just made its way into my body.
I nodded. Bane nodded too, leaving the subject alone for the time being.
The end of dinner came way to soon, to my liking. Bane motioned for me to follow him upstairs, I slowly did.
He held the door of our bedroom open for me to walk inside first. He slowly closed it and waited until I sat down on the bed.
Not knowing what to do with all my nerves I bit my lip, my hands fidgeting with the blankets of the bed.
Bane watched my hands for a few seconds, before he spoke.
"You expect a punishment, is it not?", he asked me. I shivered at the sound of his voice. It wasn't his most angry, deep sound. But it sounded intense, so full of feeling.
I nodded, locking eyes with him for a few seconds before I watched my hands again.
He nodded too, pacing the room before he finally said something.
"As you heard Roger say, I'm leaving for an indefinite time. I do not know when I will return, yet", he said stopping his pacing from his place by the window.
I froze. He was really leaving? For an indefinite time?
Suddenly I felt really empty inside. What would he do with me then? Leave me for Roger or something?
His eyes watched me with a look I had not seen before. He seemed almost worried, too caring.
"And me?" My throat felt dry, the words just barely audible enough for him to hear.
"You are coming with me, of course."
My heart stopped. It literally felt like it did. What did he just say?
"Wha- what?", I stuttered.
Bane slowly walked towards me, towering over my form on the bed. I unconsciously bowed a little backwards.
"You don't seriously think I would leave you here. After everything I have been through to have you to myself, do you?", he asked me. I didn't liked the intense look he gave me.
"You and I belong together, it would be good if you got that through your head", he added, watching me closely.
I stared him in his eyes, not sure if I was allowed to ask more. His mood seemed dark, but light enough to answer some questions.
"Where are you taking me?", I asked. I only then realised I would have to leave Anna behind, for a time limit I didn't even knew.
"We are going to a cabin in the woods, a place you and I will be alone. Long enough for you to get used to me, without any distractions", he spoke turning and walking back towards the window to take a glance outside.
I felt sicker by the minute. So he wás punishing me!
"And Anna-"
"You need me, your life partner, not Anna. And until you understand that, we will live on our own."
I swallowed. I didn't liked the idea of living alone with Bane, no one else to talk to…
"But I'll be alone when you need to leave for anything!" I said a little louder than planned, standing from my seat on the bed.
Bane turned and locked eyes with me, suddenly his eyes seemed softer.
"I won't leave you, it won't be necessary with Barsad as my right hand."
"So it will be indefinitely until-"
"Until I deem it has been long enough", Bane interrupted me.
I felt I was about to burst into tears, but I needed to keep myself together. I didn't wanted to give him the satisfaction.
But I knew I could not keep this up for much longer.
"You are imprisoning me", I softly said, feeling the first tear make its way down my cheek. Bane's gaze softened even more when he noticed I was crying, and walked towards me.
"I'm not, but you will understand that in time", he said, wiping my tears away and then pulling me in his embrace.
I didn't liked to be held by him, not now. His strong and warm body kept me close, steady as I cried.
"You once said you trusted me", he said, while he was gently stroking my back.
I swallowed.
"Not anymore", I softly cried, not sure if I should have said that.
I felt him take a deep breath.
"Then we will work on that, together."
Dundundun. Bane's not reaaallly punishing her. But he does want her to himself. Completely! Will she grown on him? Or will she continue to be stubborn and fight him? Do tell me your ideas and funny or serious situations you have thought about!
Thanks for reading, my loves!