Movement at the door to my closet tears my focus away from the intruder. My brain currently wears a sign that says “Gone Fishin’”.

It looks very steam-punk, and if I’d seen him on the street and not in my room being all creepy and shit, I would ask him where he got it. I almost want to ask him where he got it from. The eye holes are round but covered with some sort of mesh so you can’t see directly into the person’s eye, same with the nose holes and mouth. It’s been sewn together and covers his whole head. The mask he wears is black and looks to be leather too. He stands by my bed, motionless, wearing a tight black tee, black cargo pants, and black army boots.

Staring into the masked face of the tall, muscled, olive-skinned intruder, I try hard to think about what I should do, but all my brain is giving out is white noise. Pressure builds in my ears, my palms sweat, and I lock my knees to stop them from shaking. I open the door to my room, with my hand still on the knob. I hear her go into her room and shut the door. Do what Dad says, okay?” I nod into her shoulder. She whispers, “It’s probably nothing, Lily. We bolt up the stairs, and when we reach our rooms, I pull her into a hard hug. I drag Terah down the hall, running in my socks and slipping every few steps. Dad focuses on something passed Terah and I, in the distance and whispers, “Run!” I nod vigorously and from the corner of my eye, I see Terah do the same. “I said do ye understand me?” Dad booms and it jolts me. I don’t want ye to come out until ye hear from me. Looking between me and Terah, he says firmly, “Girls, go to ye rooms. When my father picks up his phone to look at the display, he visibly pales. If that’s what ye-” Dads cell phone vibrates on the dining table. Standing abruptly, I announce, “Well, if that’s all, I’d like to be excused. College was her only freedom and with that gone…she’s going to become like me. Terah’s hand grips mine so tightly that I know there’s nothing more she wants to do than screech at the top of her lungs and throw shit around the room. We’ll work from home doing what we can till they say we can go back.”ĭipping my chin, I nod to the floor. Terah, I’ve deferred the rest of the college semester and ye’ll stay home with Delilah and me. A recipe for disaster, to be sure.ĭad breaks me out of my thoughts with, “I’m sorry, girls. And the problem is that she’s just as smitten…with both of them. Tall and slender, yet muscular, black hair and grey eyes that almost look silver. Both are hardworking men at twenty-six years old. Turns out Kian’s sons are exactly like their dad was.

Willing Captive by Belle Aurora