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"Now, Edward!" He heard Leah urge him.
That was all the motivation he needed. The ropes dug into his flesh, leaning marks and painful, red lines that might erupt in blood at any moment, but he knew that this was their only moment to escape. He tugged at the ropes harder and harder, until they finally loosened around his wrists enough for him to be able to slide one hand out and then the other. He quickly untied the ropes around his feet and rushed over to Leah to help her.
"Oh, Edward, my love... are you all right?" she asked with such tenderness and love in her voice that it almost broke him. Here she was, asking about him, while it was he who was supposed to keep her safe and protected. He had one thing to do, and he failed in doing it.
"I am, but areyou?" He cupped her cheeks with his hands once she was standing on her feet as well, liberated from the tightness of the ropes that were keeping her confined.
"I think so," she managed to muster, looking paler than ever. "We must stop that man," she pleaded with both her eyes and her words.
"Of course, we will," he assured her, bringing their foreheads close together. "But first, we must make sure to get out of this alive. This man is trying to kill us, Leah and we have to be careful."
He grabbed her by the hand, and together, they headed toward the door. However, the moment they did so, they heard the sound of oncoming footsteps.
"Quickly, go back!" he whispered, pushing her back into the room. He frantically looked around. There was nowhere to run or hide. The room had no windows, so they could not escape that way. They had to stay here and fight. "You go and stand there in the middle of the room," he urged.
"Where will you be?" she asked, petrified.
"Right here, my love," he reassured her. "I have failed you once. I don't plan on making that mistake ever again. Do you trust me?"
She stared at him straight in the face. There was only one answer to his question. An unmistakable yes.
"With my life," she told him.
"Then, please do as I say," he urged. "The clock is ticking. We don't have much time. He will be here any moment."
She rushed over to where he pointed and stood there. "Is this good?" she asked, hugging herself in an effort to calm her raging nerves.
He hated leaving her like that, all alone, but he knew that his plan would only work if they separated for a few moments. The Marquess needed to be distracted long enough for Edward to attack him.
"Perfect," he nodded. "Stay there and don't move. He will come at you, but I will get him before he does."
She nodded nervously. He rushed into the darkness behind the door. Every moment counted. He knew that they had only one chance to do this. If they failed, then... he dreaded to even think what might happen. He tried to banish the thought from his mind.
This will work,he kept repeating inside his mind over and over again. It had to work. The alternative was not an option.
The sound of the footsteps was getting louder and louder. There was shouting as well. Edward immediately recognized the Marquess' voice.That scoundrel,he growled to himself. He wanted to exact revenge for everyone that horrible man had ever hurt. But he had to make sure that Leah was safe first. That was the most important thing. Then, if there was still time and a chance for it, he would avenge himself, his parents, Leah's mother and everyone else this man had ever harmed.
The Marquess finally came rushing in. He probably remembered that he had forgotten to lock the door upon his departure. He stood in the doorway and stared at Leah.
"How did you break loose?" he snarled at her angrily. There was so much malice in his voice that it made Edward's blood turn cold. He knew that this man was capable of any sort of villainy a man could come up with. And he needed to be stopped. His reign of terror needed to be brought to an end.
He wanted to jump at him right now, but the Marquess was too far away. He had to lunge at Leah in order for Edward to have the perfect momentum and jump on him. Everything had to be done in the right moment, otherwise it might be all in vain. Even now, Edward wasn't certain how many men were upstairs, waiting for them. But he would think about them after he dealt with the Marquess.
Finally, the Marquess made his move. Furiously, he lunged at Leah, in an effort to grab her and tie her to the chair again, but before he could even touch her, Edward was on his back.
"What the–" the Marquess started, but he wasn't allowed to finish.
The two men started to roll on the ground. The Marquess somehow managed to take control, and now he was on top of Edward, with his hands around Edward's neck. Seconds felt like entire hours, as Edward was beginning to suffocate. He tried reaching for the Marquess' head, his neck, his arms, but it was all in vain. The man had become a beast. There was such evil in his eyes, glowing almost red. For a moment, Edward thought he was looking at a demon, and not a man.
Stars began to appear before his eyes, and he knew that if he didn't push the man off of him, he would suffocate. He released the Marquess' hands, and curled his own fingers into a fist, punching the man's sides. The grip around his neck loosened, but not enough for Edward to be able to free himself.
"Aargh!" the Marquess suddenly screamed with pain.
Edward could see that Leah had approached the man from behind and stuck her fingers into the man's eyes, which made him immediately release Edward's neck. Edward coughed violently, but he knew that this was his chance. He couldn't waste it.
He lunged at the Marquess, throwing him to the ground. He began to punch him over and over again, hitting him with his knuckles. Blood splattered everywhere. The man started to gurgle heavily, coughing, turning his head to the side, but Edward was unable to stop himself. It was as if the spirit of everyone this man had ever killed had taken over his hands and they were leading them right into the face of this man. They wanted to keep hitting him over and over again, until there was nothing left.
Only when he felt someone's hand on his shoulder did he stop.
