Chapter 26

CHAPTER26

It was late in the evening when Jane arrived at her estate. There were only a few servants there still, taking care of the house, but they were all asleep at this time of the night, and Jane did not wish to disturb any of them. She found her chamber easily and closed the door behind her. The entire house was so silent that she could hear the frantic beating of her own heart.

She took off her clothes and put on her night robe. She felt cold. She didn’t know if that was because of the house or something from deep inside of her, a coldness of the heart that arose from the fact that Leo, the man she loved most and trusted, betrayed her. Everything he had told her was a lie.

The thought almost made her cry again. Almost. She promised herself that she had cried out all of her tears in the carriage. Those were more than enough, more than he had deserved. She tried to calm herself down. It was fortunate that her father negotiated this place for her during their marital negotiations. Now, she had somewhere to run off to away from Leo.

The thought of not being with him still felt so foreign, like something she would never want to go through. But it was obvious that he didn’t love her. Every single kiss and tender touch was merely a ruse. He was trying to obtain a goal. Immediately, she got fired up. She was saddened, but more than that, she was angry that she had fallen for such a player.

Suddenly, she heard the doorknob move. She turned to face the door.

It has to be Leo, she thought to herself.

He must have followed her. He was unable to fall asleep, and he wanted to come after her to clarify things. With her heart in her throat, she reminded herself that she would not, under any circumstances, fall under his spell again. He lied to her. That was what she needed to remember even through all of his convictions that it might have been otherwise. She had to remain firm. She had to—

“Seth?” she exclaimed, recognizing that the man who opened the door wasn’t who she was expecting. It was not her husband. It was his best friend.

Seth was standing in front of her, covered in the veil of darkness, entering her home like a thief in the night.

“I hope I didn’t frighten you,” she heard him say instead of an explanation. But she wouldn’t have it.

“What on earth are you doing here?” she asked, her voice demanding.

“Well… I noticed that Leo didn’t go after you,” Seth started explaining, taking slow steps towards her, diminishing the distance between them. Jane immediately became aware of how scantily clad she was, and she quickly gripped at the belt of her robe, making sure that it was tightly wrapped around her waist. “I wanted to come and see if you were all right.”

She swallowed heavily, listening to the sound of his voice. Not only that, but she watched him approach her, feeling almost like prey in the night. She did not like the feeling. She did not like it one bit.

“I…” She took a step back. “I don’t think that is appropriate.”

“Does it matter what is appropriate and what isn’t?” he replied with a question.

She raised an eyebrow. “It most certainly does. You came to the home of your best friend’s wife in the middle of the night. I cannot see a single appropriate thing about that.”

“I thought we were past all that, Jane,” Seth said in what he was certain was his most seductive voice. She shivered at the sound. She shivered even more when he completely cut off all the distance between them, now standing right in front of her, so close he could touch her if he wanted to.

For the first time since she had known him, Jane felt afraid of him. She tried to take a step back, but her bed was behind her. She didn’t risk falling on her back. Instead, she remained standing, watching him closely, not taking her eyes off of him for a single second.

“You should go, Seth,” she advised him.

“Your words say one thing,” he whispered, lifting his hand to her face. It took all of her conscious effort not to flinch. He caressed her cheek gently, lovingly even. “But your eyes tell me the exact opposite.”

She could not imagine her eyes telling him anything other than the fact that she was terrified of him, and she wanted him gone from her chamber, from her home. Only, she doubted that repeating her request would yield a different result.

He leaned closer to her as if to kiss her, and she pulled away just in time. She thought this would infuriate him, but instead, he seemed amused. He grinned in the barely illuminated room, but there was enough light for her to see his teeth.

“Come on,” he urged softly, but the sound of his voice made her skin crawl. “I’ve seen the way you were looking at me. Only an ignorant fool would not recognize the signs.”

She could not believe what she was hearing. This man thought that she had been flirting with him this entire time! The thought was preposterous, so utterly ridiculous that it did not even occur to her to slap him across the face for making such an insinuation.

“I do not know what you think has been going on,” she told him firmly because she knew that he relished her fear, her discomfort. She needed to show him that she wasn’t afraid. At least, she needed to pretend that she was not, and she needed to make a damn good show of it, too. “But I can assure you that I have eyes only for my husband.” Then, she remembered what happened. “I had eyes only for him.”

Seth smiled this time, but it was a wicked smile, one she never wanted to see again. “Do you think he cares about you at all?”

“How is that any of your concern?” she spat back angrily.

“Because I do,” he continued, ignoring her comment. “I care about you a lot, Jane. You could not possibly imagine how much. Why else would I be here, other than to make sure that you are all right, that you are taken care of?”

“I am fine,” she bit back through clenched teeth. “Now that you have assured yourself of that, you may leave.”

“I am not leaving,” he growled at her, stepping closer, putting his leg between hers, locking her in position. His hands were resting on her shoulders. She was his captive. She knew that she would not be able to push him away. He was far too strong. The grip he had on her assured her of that. She would need to take him by surprise if she wanted to escape this man who obviously had some wicked intentions on his mind.

“What would Leo think of this?” she asked him, hoping that being reminded of his best friend might bring him back to his senses. But there was little hope of that.

“Leo is home,” Seth murmured against her cheeks. She could feel his lips on her skin. It made her nauseous, but she dared not push him away still. “He doesn’t care about you. He doesn’t care what happens to you. Otherwise, he would be here, don’t you think?”

Although she tried not to agree with him, deep down, a treacherous little voice assured her this was the truth. She refused to explain anything to Leo, and he allowed her to leave just like that as if he did not care one bit about her. Perhaps Seth was right. It was all a lie. Why did she hope now that Leo still cared about her?

“But I am here,” Seth reminded her, bringing his lips to hers, and it was then that she pushed him away, surprising him with her reaction.

He stumbled backwards, his eyes wide with shock. Then, he smiled again, and his eyes took on a veil of malice.

“I knew you were a feisty one,” he said menacingly. “I like it when they fight back.”

His words assured her that she was alone. No one would come to her rescue. She needed to defend herself from this monster who had pretended all this time, just like Leo. She could not trust anyone but herself.

Frantically, she looked about for anything that might help her defend herself. Seth had chosen to show his true colors, now, and they were burning darker than the night itself, threatening to swallow her whole. He was standing in front of the door now, so escape through it was impossible. The window was on the second floor, right behind her. She might risk jumping out, and if fortune favored her, she might fall down into the bushes or the grass with just minor injuries. However, she doubted that she would have enough time to open the window and jump out. He would be on her before she had the chance to act on her plan.

She had no idea how this would end, but she knew one thing. She would not give herself to Seth. She would rather die than besmirch her name, her body, and her soul in such a manner. No matter what the cost would be to her, she would not allow that to happen. She would fight him until her very last breath.

He started to advance towards her slowly. He wetted his lips with the tip of his tongue, like a predator eyeing its prey, knowing that it would soon become his dinner. Jane saw no way out other than to claw him, push him, bite him, and hit him with all the strength she had.

With each step he took towards her, she stepped back, but she was once again by the bed with the window to her right now. Only a single glass separatied her from freedom. She might just jump out, breaking the glass with her body. She was ready to do even that… if need be.

She turned to him. His eyes were burning madly. His teeth were barred. She felt as if there was not a shred of civilization left inside of him. He was all wilderness, all raw desire. She could not imagine that this had been hiding underneath that façade all along, and she never noticed it before.

“I won’t let you touch me,” she warned him although she knew that it wouldn’t do much.

Just as she thought, he smirked. He was more and more amused with her defiance. “I won’t ask again,” he intimidated her.

Once again, he was facing her, his poisonous breath spilling over her lips which she kept firmly shut to such an extent that her mouth turned into one single slit on her face. She lifted her hand in an effort to push him away, but he grabbed her forcefully by the wrists, bringing them to his chest.

“What are you gong to do now, little lady?” he asked, every word like a dagger to her mind.

She tried to free herself from his grip, but it was impossible. He outweighed her. He was far stronger than she was. All her efforts at freeing herself were futile. Seconds felt like hours, seeping through her fingers, nearing the moment when Seth would get what he wanted.