Esmeralda
Struck with fear, I took to my heels, missing my step in the dark room and falling to the ground. But that didn’t stop me from standing on my feet almost immediately and seeking refuge.
I panted hard, placing my hand on my chest to steady my breathing, but it failed.
Was she referring to me?
Of course, who else was with her?
But It was difficult to tell who she was talking to as her face was pinned to the floor. Not in my direction.
I wasn’t sure if she saw me because the chair she sat on backed me.
Only one question rang in my mind.
Who was she referring to?
“You, little…” She began talking again, but stopped, hissing loud in irritation.
Woah! So she could talk!
“What do… you… want?” She stammered, struggling to catch her breath.
I was here to save you, silly!
Unable to do anything as fear clouded my mind, I took a few steps backwards till my back touched the cold wall. I didn’t want her to see me.
Despite her face tilting away from me, I could feel her intense stare burning my skin.
I hope she doesn’t scream and alert people this time.
I wasn’t ready for Alpha Kade’s punishment. I didn’t want him to hate me for disobeying him, especially now that he was nice to me.
“Can’t you talk?” She barked, letting out growls.
Another gasp rolled off my lips as I ducked behind a broken wardrobe.
Despite the cold atmosphere, my body was covered in sweat.
Words hung in my throat, but I couldn’t let them out. I was too afraid to speak.
“Come closer!” She ordered, gritting her teeth loudly. The anger in her voice was so glaring, I could my body quiver like a leaf.
Was she mad at me?
Oh, God, what do I do now?
I was about to take the next step when I heard the squeaking of a mouse.
Fear gripped my heart once more at the sound, and like a pack of cards, I crashed on a broken glass table.
“Aww,” I muffled a cry, massaging my injured arm that got caught with the broken glass.
I could feel the droplets of warm liquid against my fingers.
“Fuck!” I cursed after staining my fingers with blood.
That stupid rat.
The sight of rodents scares me.
I winced in pain as I took the particles of the broken glasses from my injured arm before wiping them with the hem of my dress.
Luckily, it wasn’t a deep cut.
The murmurings of Amelia jerked me back to reality and I strained my ears to listen to her conversation keenly.
Who was she talking to? Surely, she couldn’t be talking to herself.
There was no one with her, yet she was giggling.
This girl was weird!
“Don’t be scared,” Her cracked voice boomed across the room, “What do you want?”
Freezing on the spot at the sight of the rats, my breath hitched when the rat squeaked again and ran to where the plates laid.
“You want some food, don’t you? You little rascal,” Her dry laughter filled the air, “I should have known. You are never satisfied,”
Did she just laugh?
And was she having a conversation with… a rat?
Strange.
“Fine, you can have it. Not that I need it for anything. They are just wasting their time,” Her face twisted in a sneer, looking in the direction of the three rodents that scurried happily to the plate, filling their stomachs with the delicious meals.
Now it made sense. She never ate.
“You even brought your friends. Hungry little rascals,” She chuckled dryly, coughing afterwards.
My heart clenched in pain at her words.
Poor Amelia. She was so lonely, the rats were her only company.
She didn’t even sense my presence.
She was going through hell.
She looked like she was about to crumble any moment from now.
Her devastating presence made me swear that no matter what it took, I would help her.
Muttering enough courage, I tiptoed to the chair she sat in, trying hard not to startle her. But I lost all sense of composure when a rat ran past my leg.
“Who is there?” She demanded, still seated rooted to a spot, “Who’s there?”
Giving myself away as I came out of my hiding spot, a welcoming smile played on my lips.
“Amelia, darling,” I called softly, amid tears.
I couldn’t believe my eyes…
Sitting in front of me was Amelia, almost reduced to a bag of bones!
She looked like she had a few seconds before she gave up the ghost.
She was so skinny, I could count the number of bones protruding in her body.
“Who are you, please, leave me alone,” She burst into tears, wailing in her seat.
She didn’t bother to make a move.
“What do you want from me?” She raised her voice all of a sudden, pinning me with a hateful glare and struggling to liberate herself from the shackles.
But it didn’t take long before her tears turned into deafening screams.
Fuck!
Exactly what I tried to avoid.
“Stop screaming, please,” I pleaded, trying my best to pacify her while racking my head thinking of ways to stop the noise.
It was almost deafening.
I slowly felt the presence of a banging headache.
“Amelia, please,” I begged, clasping my hands together in frustration. Fear filled me to the brim as I knelt before her, glancing at the door occasionally Incase of anyone’s presence.
But she wasn’t buying it.
Her screaming grew loud, so loud that I was afraid that she would develop a migraine and collapse.
How did someone as weak as this get the energy to scream her lungs out without breaking down?
“Please,” I pleaded desperately, but she turned deaf ears to my pleas.
A smile curved on my face when an idea popped into my head.
I buried my hands in my pocket again, pulling out the dandelion and stretching it to her. But instead of accepting it, she threw it off me, screaming louder.
As if screaming wasn’t enough, she kept hitting her head against the edge of the chair and jerking the chair in different directions.
I was done, I knew it.
With her noise, I would definitely get caught.
Maybe I should leave before someone gets me.
Or maybe not…
“Lucy, please,”
What?
Why was she calling me Lucy?
I wasn’t Lucy.
“Leave me alone, Lucy,” She screamed amid tears, covering her ears with her palm.
“It’s not Lucy. I’m Esmeralda and I want to help you,” I said assuredly, but she turned deaf ears, almost pulling down the walls of the building with her noise.
Left with no option, I walked up to the wall where the key to the padlock of her chains was hung and freed her.
What was I thinking?
“Leave her alone. She is dangerous…”Jade’s warnings resounded in my ears again, restricting me from going further.
Fuck it.
I was going to help her. I don’t care about the cost.
With shaky hands, I made my way to the chains, unlocked the chains, and released her.
Her legs dashed away from me, sobbing and begging for her life like I was a monster.
“Lucy, stop it, it hurts,” She sobbed hard, covering her ears with her palm.
“I won’t hurt you, please, trust me,”
Her dull baggy eyes found mine, pinning their gaze on mine for a while before removing them.
There was something about those eyes.
For a split second, they softened.
She was fighting it hard to let me in, but I knew better than to force her.
I would earn her trust. I didn’t care what it took or how long it took.
“Trust me, Amy, please,” I whispered, taking steps closer to her, gradually enclosing the distance between us.
Without a second thought, I took her cold hands in mine, caressing them softly before engulfing her in a warm embrace.
I didn’t care if she looked unkempt. I didn’t care if she looked like a mess
I drew her closer to me and wrapped her in a bear hug.
“I’ll save you, Amelia,” I stated, giving her a light peck on her forehead.
I didn’t mind if it tasted salty like she hadn’t had her bath in days.
“But Lucy… she is out there. She wants to get me,”
“Lucy is not here. She is somewhere far away from you. Somewhat where she can’t hurt you,” I assured, releasing her from my turn grip.
“Trust me, Amelia,” I said, giving her a cute puppy face. But her face was as hard as a rock.
Her gaze remained on mine, but her mind was in a state of conflict.
I knew she was contemplating whether to trust me or not.
“Let’s start by leaving this place to my room,” I broke, earning her a glare.
“Trust me, no one is going to take you away from my sight. Not even for a second,”
“You’ll protect me?” She asked in a wavy voice. I could tell that she was close to tears.
“I swear with my life, Amelia,” I said, crossing my heart.
“Let’s get you out of here. Please, you have to trust me,” I repeated, stretching out my hand to her.
It didn’t take her long before she reached for my hand, grabbing it and holding it as if her life depended on it.
“It’s fine, no one is here,” I assured, gently pulling her out of the room.
Walking out of the room, I quietly shut the door to avoid being caught.
We hadn’t gone past a short distance before the heavy scent of sandalwood, citrus and honey hung in the air.
“Amelia?” A familiar voice thundered, causing us to freeze on the spot.
I could feel the undiluted anger, shock and confusion that coursed through him.
The feelings were so strong, they vibrated the room.
I lifted my head to meet Alpha Kade’s intimidating presence that circled us like a hawk keeping a close eye on its food.
“What did you do to her?”