Chapter Twenty-One

Elise

I have been hiding, holed up in some brush for hours now. I am freezing and weak, but I won’t let him find me. I hear footsteps occasionally, but I hold my breath and don’t move a muscle. I am violently shivering now and when I feel snow falling; I know I am fucked. I’m going to die of hypothermia out here. I don’t know what time it is, so I don’t know how close dawn is with these clouds. I doubt he will give me my freedom, anyway. It is starting to feel like this is my destiny. This is how I die. Naked, cold, and alone.

I slowly get myself up and start walking deeper into the woods. I’d rather die, and no one ever find my body than for Lucian to know I suffered until the very end. I don’t want him to see my broken body and wish I had been stronger; survived a little longer. I don’t want him to grieve the loss, knowing I quit fighting.

I don’t know how much fight I have left in me. I am so tired; I just want to lie down. My breathing is shallow, and it’s almost like I’m starting to overheat. I’m getting hypothermia, and fast. The temperature is rapidly dropping as the snow falls. I feel like pushing on; I refuse to give up. I will collapse before I stop fighting.

Fear suddenly shoots through me when I hear movement behind me. Before I can scream, a hand covers my mouth. I start thrashing and fighting, but I am picked up and carried. I fight with everything I have in me to get away, but he is so much stronger. This cannot be how my life goes. This is not my destiny. This is not where my life should be. I belong at home with my husband, my people. They’re my only family. I should be with them. Not Jake, not whatever evil inhabits his body.

A hand comes off my mouth and I start screaming, “Stop! Stop it. Let go of me. Please, stop it. Please. Let go.”

“She’s shaking. Wrap her up,” a familiar voice says.

“I can’t keep her still,” a man says.

“Well, fucking make her,” they shout. “She’s going to give us away screaming like that.”

“She’s scared, Bradley,” he says.

Hearing that name suddenly focuses my brain. I abruptly stop screaming and thrashing, finally hearing a voice that is like fucking heaven.

“Luci?” I say through sudden sobs.

“Yeah, baby. I’ve got you,” he says, wrapping a blanket around me. I curl up in his lap when I see that we are in the safety of his SUV. Blankets are being piled on me as Lucian holds me close.

“Take off your shirt. Skin to skin will help,” I hear Carol say. I am moved back some by someone so he can pull his jacket and shirt off. When he wraps me in a hug, I melt into him. Blankets are piled back on us. I am still shaking, but I finally feel safe.

“I knew you’d come,” I cry. “I kept faith in my destiny. I prayed that you’d save me.”

“You’re safe now, my love. He won’t ever hurt you again. No one will ever hurt you again,” he says, holding me tightly.

We are driving and I am still running on adrenaline, so I stay awake for the duration of the drive. No one says a word, and I focus on the beating of Lucian’s heart and match my breathing with his.

When the SUV stops, someone opens the doors next to us. “I’ve got her,” Bradley says softly.

“I’ll…”

“Lucian… I’ve got her. You just carried her nearly a mile while she fought you,” he says. “I’ll take her upstairs. Laura, Carol, and Erika are also coming up. You can dote on her when I get her laid down.”

“Okay,” Lucian sighs. “Elise, baby. Bradley is going to carry you upstairs. Is that okay?”

“Yeah,” I whisper. “I trust him.”

“Come here, sweet girl,” Bradley says as he scoops me up. Lucian jumps up and adjusts the blankets that I am wrapped in before gently kissing my temple. Bradley carries me inside and I turn into him. He is so fucking warm, just like Lucian was. It is soothing in a way I cannot describe.

“You’re warm,” I mutter.

“You’re like a little popsicle,” he jokes.

“I am a very sore popsicle.”

“How much pain are you in? For real?” he asks as he carries me through the house.

“Almost more than I can handle,” I admit. “I wanted to give up… I was about to give up.”

“You didn’t though,” he says. “You fought hard, and now you’re home. Don’t ever forget how fucking strong you are, Elise.”

“I won’t…”

“I’m going to lay you on your belly so they can look at your back, okay? They have a heated blanket on the bed, and we will keep you as covered up as we can.”

“Thank you, Bradley,” I say.

“You are welcome, sweet girl. We are all right here. No one is leaving you alone,” he says as he gently lays me on the bed. I groan as I relax into the mattress.

“Oh, honey,” Carol says softly when she uncovers my back.

“That son of a bitch,” Lucian growls.

“Lucian, I love you,” Carol says. “Sit with your wife and shut up. Please. You need to relax too. Getting worked up won’t help either of you, and the last thing we need is for you to give yourself higher blood pressure than you already have.”

“I’m…” he starts to say.

“Can you come lay with me?” I ask softly.

“Yeah, baby,” he says. Lucian comes over and lies beside me so that I can turn my face to see him. He starts gently stroking my hair and I relax more.

“What did he brand me with?” I ask.

“His initials,” Lucian says. “He apparently hacked some shit and made it look like he was someone else, but his name is legally Jake Fritz.”

“He’s my brother,” I say.

“Half, but yes,” he confirms. “He is a year younger than I am, so he is ten years older than you.”

“He has a lot of followers,” I say.

“This can wait, baby,” he says.

“I want to explain,” I say.

“Okay,” he says. “How many?”

“About forty. That’s just who he had in there. I never saw anyone’s face, but they were all men,” I tell him. As long as I keep talking, I don’t have to focus on them cleaning my back. My feet are also bruised from running on the gravel road, I’m sure.

“He has… forty?” Lucian asks.

“Yeah. About halfway from the office to that place, he forced me to give him head. He parked and went harder until he finished. When I got into that main building in the center, he had all of them strip me. The first thing he used was that machine. It was a lot bigger than anything you’ve used. It hurt a lot. He did that for a while, but then I ended up passing out. When I woke up, he whipped me. He said just twenty-five, but he didn’t stop until fifty. I think that’s because I wasn’t giving a reaction. Once he got done doing that, he raped me. He was so violent. He used that clip thing and forced me to come. The second time he made me have an orgasm, that’s when he branded me. He came at the same time. When he got done, he let the others do whatever they wanted. As far as I can remember, it was three at a time. I was unconscious for a lot of it, I think. My memory is pretty choppy. I just remember that they all had black hooded cloaks and white masks. None of them spoke, and they just kept fucking me over and over and over. The next thing I knew, I was waking up alone in the room. There was a bucket of soapy water, a washcloth, and a towel. I was covered in… everything. I… this is embarrassing… Apparently, I had gone to the bathroom on myself, plus everything they all left behind. I was happy to comply and clean myself. I wrapped myself up in the towel and sat in the corner of the room. Jake and the others came in and he basically said that I would run, and he would hunt me. If he caught me, I was his forever. If I lasted until dawn or got off the property, I was free. I knew I wouldn’t make it off the property, so I hid for hours. When it started snowing, I…”

“What?” he asks.

“I didn’t want you all to find my body. I thought I was going to die, so my plan was to get as deep into the woods as I could before collapsing. I didn’t want anyone to find me like this. I figured it would be easier to grieve me if I disappeared than if you found me and saw what he did… I feel so fucking stupid. You knew something was off, but I kept ignoring you. He was my friend and I trusted him. He saved me from being raped… Why would he do that? He cared for me when I was helpless… He could have hurt me, but he took care of me instead. He made me feel safe… I kept getting bad vibes, but I blamed it on going so long without trusting anyone, so I forced myself to be okay with him.”

“Baby, it’s not your fault. He manipulated all of us. He was a part of this community for years, and none of us suspected a thing until he latched onto you,” he says.

“Is he… Is he dead?” I ask.

“No,” he says. “Our focus was to save you. Once you heal, we will deal with him and the others. We need to get the detective either on our side or to send him searching elsewhere so we can handle them.”

“Are you going to kill them?” I ask.

“Every last one of them,” he confirms. “Women and children won’t be harmed, because they were forced into that life, but anyone who put their hands on you… They’re dead.”

“I want to see you kill Jake,” I say. “I want to watch him die. For me… for my mom… for everyone he hurt.”

“If you are healed enough,” he says. “Carol?”

“The cuts aren’t too deep. They will heal on their own. The brand will take a while, but it’s not as severe as I anticipated. The bruises will look terrible, but she should start feeling better in about a week or so. She is going to be very swollen for a while.”

“What about… the rape?” he asks.

“I’ll need to do an exam for that,” she says. “May I do an exam, Elise?”

“Will it hurt?” I ask.

“Not terribly. If I see you have any tearing, I’ll numb you before I handle anything,” she explains.

“Okay,” I say. “But uh… like forty men came in me… I feel like I should probably be tested.”

“I’ll do some swabs and blood work, but I’ll go ahead and give you a shot of antibiotics and a prescription, just in case. I’d also like to give you emergency contraceptive.”

“Thank you,” I say. “I think I’ll need help rolling, though.”

“Lucian and Bradley can help. I have everything clean and bandaged, so it’s just the bruises and welts they will have to be careful of,” she says. I try to sit up some so they can help me roll to my back. Lucian immediately covers me up and everyone, but Carol and Erika, move to the head of the bed.

“Okay, Elise,” Erika says. “I need for you to put your feet together like a butterfly sitting position and let your legs fall apart. We will keep you as covered as we can.”

“Okay,” I whisper. Lucian helps my legs drop before propping up on his elbow. I turn my face into his chest and he resumes stroking my hair. The second someone touches me, I tense up and start crying.

“Shhh. I’ve got you. I’m right here,” Lucian says softly.

“I don’t like this,” I cry.

“Just say the word and they will stop, okay? Everything is on your terms right now,” he says.

“Don’t stop,” I say. “It needs to be done. I just hate this. I hate feeling like this.”

“I know, my love,” he says. “I’ve got you. I promise I won’t let anything happen to you.”

He gently kisses my temple and I try my best to not move so they can do what is needed. I stay where I am as they draw blood and give me a shot in my butt, but I can finally breathe again when it’s just Lucian touching me.

“Okay,” Carol says to me. “No tearing or any significant trauma. They, luckily, seemed to have used lube or something to keep you from getting too hurt. You will be very sore for a while all around. Your body has gone through a lot, so I want you to rest as much as you can. Let Lucian help you as much as possible. At least for a few days. I don’t want you alone, even for a second. Your body temperature has come up, but you were pretty hypothermic. It’s stressful on the body. Erika and I will check on you regularly. We will also show Lucian how to change the bandages.”

“Do you mean like the bathroom too?” I ask.

“Yes ma’am. Even then,” she says. “You are very weak, and it’s only going to get worse before it gets better. You’re running on fumes. You will crash. When you do, it’s going to get bad. Don’t stress your body out any more than it has been and let him help you. Put him to use and make him do everything.”

“Look at it as a chance to make him be your little slave for a while,” Bradley laughs.

“Well, when you put it that way,” I say, making Lucian smile.

“We will leave you alone for now, but I’ll be back in a few hours to check on you,” Carol says. “Lucian. I am leaving what you need here. Check her vitals regularly and if anything changes, call me immediately, okay?”

“Okay,” he says. “Is she safe to take her medicine?”

“That will honestly be the best thing for her,” Carol says.

“We will be in the guest room in the next room,” Bradley says. “Whatever you need, let us know and we will grab it. Just focus on her.”

“Here in the next few hours, she needs to eat something,” Carol says. “But right now, she needs to drink some water and rest.”

“Okay. Thank you, guys. Make sure the gates stay locked. No one in or out unless it’s necessary.”

“Derrick is handling all of that,” Bradley says. “I will pop in and out to keep an eye on things. I will update everyone in the morning.”

“Okay,” Lucian says. When everyone leaves and it’s just Lucian and me, he helps me sit up. “Let’s get you to the bathroom so you can take your medicine and sleep.”

“I’m so weak,” I complain.

“I can help you to not have to move and still be able to pee, but something tells me you don’t want that,” he says.

“Yeah… I’ll go to the bathroom,” I say.

It’s a slow and painful process, but eventually we manage to get me to the toilet to sit. He sits on the edge of the tub to keep his hand on my arm in case I fall. It burns like a motherfucker to pee, but I’m sure the antibiotics will help that. Lucian isn’t fazed in the slightest to help me clean up before getting me back to bed. After I take my medicine, he helps me dress in his T-shirt and underwear before we lay down. I choose to lay on my belly because it’s the most comfortable.

“I love you so much, Lucian,” I mumble. “Thank you for saving me.”

“I love you too, Elise. More than I will ever be able to explain,” he says. “And you’re welcome. They will pay for what they have done. I’ll make sure of it.”

“Good,” I say. He lays his hand on my lower back and snuggles up to me. Once my medicine starts to kick in, I drift away.