The Camp (Chateau 2)

She listened to the TV with her eyes down on her food. She was always starving at the end of the day since she didn’t get breakfast and had to work for hours straight.

I stared at the TV, but I really paid it no attention. There were only a few channels in English, so there was very little entertainment for her to enjoy.

When she was done eating, she turned off the TV and got up to place the empty tray on the table. She looked down at me, studying the consternation on my face. “What’s going to happen?”

I kept my eyes on the dark screen and didn’t answer her.

She leaned against the wall and crossed her arms over her chest, her eyes still on me.

“Fender will arrive tomorrow. And we will have words.”

She rubbed one of her arms gently, taking a deep breath at my answer. “What do you think he’ll do?”

I shook my head. “He’ll be angry.”

“Will he hurt you?”

Probably.

“Will he kill you?”

“We’ll see.”

“I don’t want to be in this cabin when he arrives. I want to be there with you so I have your back.”

It was one of the things I loved about her and despised about Melanie. Raven was fearless. “I don’t think that will work. You’re not exactly his favorite person.”

“I’m not trying to be,” she whispered. “But I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”

Sometimes I wondered if I had fallen in love with a soldier instead of a gorgeous woman. “You can’t help me. I don’t need you to help me.”

“But last time—”

“Last time, I accepted my punishment. This time, I do not. This time, I will stand by what I believe. I will look him in the eye and tell him he’s wrong.”

She kept her eyes on me. “I know he loves you. I’ve seen the two of you together. I know you are a weakness for him…”

I nodded. “I warned him I would resist him, so he shouldn’t be surprised. That’ll either help me…or hurt me.”

When it was time for him to arrive at the gate, I left the cabin.

Raven was dressed as if she intended to come with me. She moved to the door like she planned to stand her ground and watch my back when I could only watch my front.

I opened the door and turned around and looked at her. “You can’t help me with this.”

Her eyes were both impassioned and furious, frustrated that she wasn’t getting her way when it was so important to her that she did. “Where you go, I go… Remember?”

“I know. But not this time.” I didn’t want her there anyway. She couldn’t help me, and I would be more worried about protecting her than protecting myself.

“Please…”

I shook my head. “He’ll probably want to talk to me in private. There’s no place for you. I’ll be alright.”

She started to breathe hard, overwhelmed by the frustration that sank her to the bottom of the ocean.

I left the cabin and locked the door behind me so she wouldn’t follow me. Then I walked across the dark grounds and headed to the gate where his horse would approach any moment. Whenever I passed the other guards, they gave me a look of contempt, but they didn’t dare oppose me. They were cowards, only showing their dislike but not actually doing anything about it.

I waited at the gate with the other guards.

It was dark and quiet. A long silence filled the space with only the distant sound of the forest. There were no clouds in the sky, so the stars were bright. It was unfortunate that such terrible things happened in such a beautiful place.

The sound of hooves became audible as the horses approached the perimeter. And then a member of his entourage yelled for us to unlock our side of the gate.

I removed the bolt that slid across the door and pulled the doors inward.

The formation of horses entered the camp, Fender in the lead. His eyes swept over his surroundings as he entered, but he took specific measures not to look at me.

He knew.

He climbed out of the saddle and handed the reins over to one of the guards. His bag was taken from the saddle to be carried to his cabin in the rear.

I approached him.

He looked me square in the eye, his eyebrows furrowed in subtle hostility. His brown eyes were cold and vicious, and the squaring of his shoulders and the tightness of his arms showed all the rage he was suppressing.

I didn’t apologize. I didn’t make excuses. I stood by what I did, and I would do it again and again. If he really wanted me to stop, he would have to kill me.

He spoke, his masculine voice deep and low. “If you want to have children someday, don’t fuck with me.” He turned away and walked to the cabin without asking for a report on the daily progress of our work. He’d just issued a violent threat against his own brother without skipping a beat.