60

T hunder crashed above the Manor, loud enough to rattle the window panes. The wind blew violently through the grasses and the wildflowers, upending anything in its path. Lightning cracked in a large fork above and it illuminated the countryside, and darkness started to seep through the foundation of the Manor. It crawled along the baseboards and settled into the cracks of the floorboards.

Too much.

Too far.

She was asleep, nestled contently between the two men. Peaceful, protected. Like she hadn’t been protected the whole time she had been there before. Like the men had filled every desire she had, like she had forgotten who had allowed them here from the start.

Far past anger, the black rage oozed from the ceiling, down the walls, and coated the floor, permeating the room and extinguishing the fire, now a low-glowing collection of embers in the fireplace, dropping the temperature rapidly. Ice skated across the large windows, creating a thick frigid barrier that continued out onto the sill. The hateful mists extended to the bedposts and settled over her like a blanket.

Her body began to tremble from the cold, breath visible in small clouds of white in the night. Her eyes opened, dark as pitch, as she slept. She levitated, slipping from the mess of blankets and limbs, piloted by an unseen hand until her feet touched the frozen floor. Her body was bare, her soft skin reflecting what little moonlight peaked through the cracks of the ice covered windows. Dark auburn hair long and curling down her back and over her breasts, ethereal.

Mine.

She walked effortlessly through the door that opened for her, and closed silently behind her. The corridor seemed to tighten around her possessively, walls reaching and breathing her in, jealous of the carpet beneath her feet that reveled at the touch of her. She was directed through the corridors, silently, and was brought to her destination with ease.

The bathing room was freezing but she did not wake at the bite of the cold tiles on her feet. She was not aware of the temperature, though the light hairs on her skin bristled and raised, skin pebbling to the point of pain as she was submerged into the water. No lasting harm would come to her, but a lesson must be learnt.