Fear the Wicked (Illusions Series Book 2)(21)

While Eve struggled against the cuff, I turned fully to eye the new friends Richard had brought me. The young woman was frightened to the point of silence, the man held by Richard's other hand not paying me much attention because he was too focused on the woman.

Jutting my chin to a far corner, I said, "Lock the man up, but leave the girl unrestrained. We wouldn't want to be rude to our guest."

I winked at her, and the older man roared out his complaint. Aware that the girl posed no threat, Richard focused his attention on the man, easily overpowering him to drag him and chain him in a corner of the room that gave him full view of every inch of my hidden space in the woods.

From behind me, Eve continued to struggle, the cuff rattling softly as she attempted to free herself. I wasn't sure what she saw in the room as she'd never found the time to answer my question, but whatever it was must have been terrifying. A high pitched keening sound crawled up her throat, only torn apart by the hissing of air over her lips and the rattle of the cuff.

Ignoring her, I stepped toward the young woman eyeing me with fear and trepidation. Prey caught in a trap, she was motionless, an instinctual behavior most victims employed as if the lack of movement would hide them from a predator's eye. "How old are you?" I asked, my voice gentle and soft.

She trembled just slightly but still managed to tilt her chin up in an effort to appear unafraid. What bravery there was to be found in the young. Perhaps it was a natural facet of her personality, or something learned. The older gentleman, whatever his relation was to her, wasn't afraid either - at least as far as I could tell with the way he kept bellowing despite Richard's methods of quieting him.

"S-seventeen," she stuttered, her eyes widening only a fraction as I drew closer.

"Seventeen," I repeated, my lips pulling into a smile that would soothe rather than threaten. My eyes darted to her shirt pocket before meeting her gaze once again. "I see you're in school."

"Y-yes." The poor thing was fighting her tears, still attempting to be brave in the face of danger.

"How is that going for you? Do you like your school?"

Nodding, she swallowed before saying, "I love it. I have a scholarship to attend college because of it."

My brows lifted. "Really? That's quite the accomplishment. I recently met another girl like you. Such a bright thing, she'd earned a full ride." I paused, holding back soft laughter at the thought of Annabelle. "What is your name?"

The man screamed again behind me, his voice cut short by some brute method of Richard's. It must have frightened the girl to see it because the tears welling in her eyes finally fell.

Her hair was a sheet of chocolate silk flowing down her back, her eyes almost as clear blue as mine. With a pale complexion that emphasized the light dusting of freckles over her nose, the girl was as sweet as honey, her features unmarked by the passage of time or a life lived with worry.

"My name," she struggled to answer, "is Colleen. Colleen Quinn."

My smile widened. "Hello, Colleen. Do you believe in God?"

Eyes widening more, she cried harder, her shoulders shaking with each small sob. "Yes," she squeaked out, the answer not sounding as sure as it should have been. People always reacted to questions about God differently and I couldn't tell if this girl was scared her lack of true faith would be apparent to the man struggling with Richard, or if she was scared about why I'd asked the question.

Playing along, I led her down a path from which there wasn't an easy return. "Good. Then you'll be happy to discover that God has a plan for you, child, a very important one. You were born for a specific reason and today, you'll find out what that is. But first, I need to take my wife outside to send her on her way. Can you be patient for me, Colleen, and wait for me to return like the respectful young woman I'm sure you are?"

Nodding again, she chanced a peek at the commotion between Richard and the man. Taking the opportunity to lean in and hover my mouth a hair's breadth from her ear, I whispered, "Who is the man that was brought with you?"

She jumped, stepping back quickly when she noticed how close I'd come to her. More sobs broke through her response, but I'd heard enough to know the man was her father.

I couldn't help the soft laughter then. Even better than a husband protecting his wife is that of a father protecting his daughter. It was exactly what I needed. Richard would be rewarded well.

"Stay here, Colleen. I'd hate for Richard to have to force the issue, wouldn't you?"

Another nod of her head, words completely lost to her now that the thin veil of bravery she'd once worn was shredded by the harsh truth of her reality.

"I'm glad we can agree."

Leaving the young woman to cower near a wall, I returned to Eve. Flipping up the fur blanket covering the platform I grabbed a long chain, a steel collar and a simple lock. Eve was now fully engrossed in her delusions, her body trembling with a need so thorough that she was practically purring in response to my simple touch. Ripe and ready, she called to me. I had to be strong not to take what was so easily offered. Nothing could tempt me more than the woman I'd created from dust, the angel stripped of everything but her love of me.

If I had anything in this life to be proud of, it was her. And I'd never let her go, never let her escape the destiny I'd chosen for her. Through everything I had planned, my Eve would survive.