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As if disturbing a grizzly bear from hibernation, Freyr emerged from his room with a furrowed brow and clenched jaw. “This better be important,” he said as he walked down the stairs. The sight of the fur on me, as well as the borrowed boots, revealed the story of what would soon be the reason for my demise before Steen even needed to say the words.
“I caught her trying to flee,” Steen informed him as he pushed me fully into the house.
Freyr didn’t need to yell or bellow out his fury. His eyes revealed it all. “Take her to my room. Now! It’s high time we teach this runaway a lesson to assure she never does something like this again.”
“I’m sorry,” I blurted. “I truly am. There will be no need to teach me anything. You are right. I shouldn’t have tried to escape again. I don’t know what got into me.”
“Take her to my room,” Freyr repeated as he ran the palm of his hand over his face, rubbing away any last bit of sleep from his features. “There’s rope under my bed. Tie her up.”
As Steen took hold of my arm to do as his brother asked, I tried to pull away. “You don’t need to do that.”
“Come on,” Steen said as he pulled me toward Freyr’s lair. “You did this to yourself.”
When we crossed the threshold of the room, I spun on my heels to look at him. “Please, Steen. I know I shouldn’t have tried to escape. But it’s not like I really did. You caught me before I even had a chance.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“I understand you are angry, and I understand that Freyr feels he needs to punish me for my act. But please, you don’t need to tie me. I’ll remain in this room and do as both of you ask. I swear it. Just don’t tie me up.” The thought of being confined like an animal scared me more than what impending doom was to come from Freyr’s hand.
Steen took a moment to contemplate my words, and then took hold of the fur on my shoulders, at the same time signaling for me to remove my boots, which I did quickly. “Fine,” he said. “But if you try running again, you will have more than just my brother to answer to. I don’t like having my kindness taken advantage of. You may not think I’m a smart man but—”
“I would never believe you not to be smart,” I interrupted. “Not at all.”
Steen walked toward the door with the fur and the boots in his hand. “Just don’t push me.” He looked over his shoulder. “Things would be so much easier for you, Snow, if you would just stop trying to run. We are huntsmen. We will always hunt you down.”
CHAPTER 7
Freyr took two large steps into the room and stood before me. He looked exactly like Steen except he appeared cold…angrier. Dark hair, dark eyes, and dark mood. Freyr didn’t have to say a single word to make me understand that he was not a man to be messed with. Power, mystery, and dominance pulsated from his body with the same rhythm as my heartbeat. His firm jaw that clenched while he examined me from head to toe pulled my attention away from his hypnotizing glare. Twin brother with Steen, yet this man before me looked completely different in so many ways.
“Why aren’t you tied?” he asked.
“I…uh…Steen said if I was good, I didn’t have to be tied. I swear I won’t try to escape again.”
He remained silent, stony, and cold.
Swallowing back the large lump in the back of my throat, I said, “I need to relieve myself.” Maybe it was my body’s way of trying to buy time, but I desperately needed to go.
He silently nodded, spun on his heels and walked out the door. Once past the threshold, he looked over his shoulder at where I still stood frozen. “Follow me.” His deep voice was firm, direct and sounded so opposite of the way Steen spoke.
I willed my body to follow the man, even though warning bells were going off that this man was not to be trusted. But again, my bladder didn’t give me much of a choice.
He led me outside, to the gathering of large shrubs. I followed him into the area and then turned, expecting him to exit and leave me alone. When he remained in place, I asked, “Can you leave?”
“No,” was his simple reply. His eyes scanned the area as if he were on guard and my life was in possible danger.
The idea of relieving myself in front of this man infuriated me. “I don’t need you to watch over me. I told you that I wouldn’t try to escape again.”
“Go.”
“No,” I declared. “I’m not going to go in front of you.”
