Taken Bride (The Secret Bride 3)

My voice bounces off the trees and seems to echo back at me.

Complete silence after that.

I don’t even hear a chirp of a bird.

“Christopher! Christopher!” I hear Ember’s voice calling from up near our shelter.

I know she’s got to be terrified, so without wasting another second taunting men who may or not be within earshot, I run back toward her.

When I see her, she appears frantic as she trudges through the snow toward me.

“They’re gone,” I say as I approach and take her into my arms.

She glances around me at the forest. “I swear I saw them too.” She’s winded from her run. “But why? It makes no sense that they’d stay out there. They could freeze to death.”

“I don’t know,” I reply as I lead her back to the warmth of the chapel. “But we need to get out of here as soon as we can. They’re planning something. I’m not going to just sit here and allow them to hunt us like prey.”

“Did you see anything?” Violet asks as we enter.

I shake my head. “They ran off.”

“How do you know it wasn’t an animal? We’re surrounded by them here.”

“I just know,” I answer.

“I agree with Christopher,” Ember says. “I still feel like I saw someone as well. My gut tells me it isn’t an animal out there.”

“You both don’t know this mountain,” Holly says. “We do.”

“And we know what is and what isn’t out there,” Violet adds.

They both look at each other, which sends alarm bells off inside me. It’s the second time they’ve given a knowing look to each other.

“What the fuck aren’t you telling us?” I ask firmly. “I can tell there’s something.”

Holly snaps her head toward Christopher as if prepared for an attack. “Excuse me?”

“I’ve seen you both looking at each other,” I say.

“I’ve felt like you may be keeping something from me as well,” Ember confesses. “You were quick to tell me what I saw was also an animal.”

“We just know Scarecrow wouldn’t stay out there. He doesn’t like to be uncomfortable. He wouldn’t allow us to be sitting by the fire while he’s out in the cold,” Violet cuts in.

She has a point, and it truly doesn’t make sense how Richard and Scarecrow could have survived last night in the snow. But maybe there is a hunting shack they know of and are hiding there. Regardless of their reasons, their thinking, or their sick plans, I know what I saw, I know what I feel, and I know there was a man watching. Not an animal, but a man.

And though I’m not going to push the issue anymore for right now, I also feel that Holly and Violet know something and are keeping it secret.

Holly hasn’t stopped glaring at me, and Violet is biting her nails so hard there may be nothing left when she’s done. I’m not going to apologize for my actions or my beliefs, and if I have to stand here watching them all day to get some answers, then I will. Eventually I’ll be able to read them and figure out what’s going on.

Ember must be picking up on the tension in the room, because she suggests, “It’s getting dark. Why don’t we settle in for the night, eat some potato soup I made, and go to sleep early.”

“You never got the firewood,” Violet says with a scowl. “I’ll go get it.”

I consider stopping her to go get it myself, but Holly adds, “I’ll help. We can chop some wood while we’re out there.”

Frankly, right now, I need them out of the chapel. I need a minute to breathe. I need a minute with Ember. And I need a minute to just process the madness that is presented before me.

15

Ember

“They’re just scared,” I try to defend. “Holly and Violet live a life that no one can understand.”

“I know,” he says. “I don’t understand. Just as I didn’t truly understand all you were struggling with. I won’t make the mistake of thinking I do again.”

“But they are keeping something from us,” I concede.

“They are,” he agrees. “But I’m not going to push anymore. I’m just going to watch and keep my eyes open.”

“They wouldn’t hurt us,” I say, truly believing the words.

“I believe that. I don’t think it’s in their nature to hurt anyone. But I also think they will do whatever Scarecrow tells them. They will also do whatever they can to survive. If lying to you and me about a bigger plan is what it takes for survival, I don’t think they’ll have a choice.”

“I’m so sorry,” I murmur as I place my hand gently on Christopher’s shoulder. “You’re here because of me, and I’m sorry.”

“We both have things to be sorry for,” he says, releasing the breath he seemed to be holding. “But I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else without you. This is temporary, and we will get out of here. Regardless of whether Richard and Scarecrow are out there or not, we’re leaving tomorrow if the snow lets up. We’ll let the authorities deal with them.”