Under the vampire Lord's protection-Chapter 153: A scratch!

It was true then; her father had sent them after all...

The zimmerlarks’ chant somehow drew further, deeper into the backdrop behind every caravane of thoughts that coursed her mind.

She’d be travelling to a cushy place, he said.

However, Arabella knew there’d be nothing cushy in the future Reubon and the prince had in the making for her.

"Drink," the blond man knelt before her, pulling the gag off her mouth before pushing a water pouch to her lips.

The young woman had barely had the time to react that water flooded her dry throat. She gulped it down with care in an attempt to avoid choking.

The realization that thirst had almost consumed her, prompted her head to stalk the pouch when he took it away, desperate for more.

After plugging the leather bottle, the man did not immediately stand back up and instead remained crouched, studying her face, her mouth more intently, bringing attention to it.

The entire stretch that suffered the constraints of the gag throbbed as though her heart beat not in her chest but around her lips.

Both of his hands reached forward all of the sudden, wrenching a flinch out of her, though his goal lay right on the knot sealing the gag around her neck which he’d started fiddling with.

"It is too tight. It needs to be loosened," he mumbled near her ear.

Upon pulling back, the man noted the sharp breath Arabella had taken as well as her parted lips. Null doubt believing she’d been about to speak, he quickly added, "Don’t utter a thing. I want nothing more than to send you back home safely, but like my partner said, if you as much as squeak, I can no longer guarantee your survival," he shook his head while maintaining eye contact throughout his entire statement, "Do you understand?" articulating the question as slowly as possible, "And don’t move a lot, you’ll cut yourself,"

In response, Arabella bit on her lip and nodded as tears flowed out freely.

With that, the man pushed himself up before finally turning around to join his partners where they sat in a circle.

In total, there were seven of them, dressed very similarly to the handy men that had accompanied them from the beginning, but the faces of those sitting in front of her right there rang no bells. None of them traveled with the party up until the attack had occurred.

They enjoyed the fresh air, cracking jokes at various people’s expense, including herself, considering her fate.

Although they said nothing of importance to her, they still spoke, and they weren’t trying to be quiet or careful either. The cackled as obnoxiously as one’s vocal cords would allow.

So, why did they order her not to make a peep? Was her voice truly that irritating?

Her entire body twitched when the sudden urge to grip her pendant for comfort struck. Alas, there was no moving for her, but that was when a wave of dread washed over her, causing her eyes to dart down in an attempt to spot the so cherished emerald necklace that usually adorned her neck.

After the crushing terror came a fleeting bit of relief upon realizing it still rested on her chest. At least that served as consolation.

She knew it wouldn’t last but...

The pendant! That was it! That was the answer! Or so Arabella believed.

It was nothing but a speculation, and that was enough for that time being.

Going back to a little more than a week before that day, the witch Morgana had bewitched her pendant to protect her from any sort of magic which begged the question, were her kidnappers using a form of magic to conceal their presence? If yes, then did it mean they were aware that she was protected.

However, a little poking sufficed to riddle that theory full of holes as they’d have simply ripped the pendant from her had they known about it.

Unless... They were only informed about the actions of Morgana but not of the details.

That led to yet another soul crushing realization since that would have meant someone from the Eleazar manor worked hand in hand with her father, sneaking secrets in and out at will.

The very first name that came to mind was Edna, but that wasn’t fair as Arabella hadn’t been in contact with many souls there other than Ada, Edgar and Katherine with her sisters.

There was also the niggling suspicion that Lord Dragomir was somehow in on it.

Tossing that subject around matter caused her nothing but agony as there was no way of confirming or denying those suggestions right then and there.

Her kidnappers, on the other hand, were right in front of her. Judging by the fact they used yuniper to paralyze everyone else, it was safe to conclude they were no creatures of the night. The sight of them embracing sunlight seconded that thought.

If a spell was what they used for stealth, then it would surely not have worked on her, explaining why they wanted her to keep quiet at all costs.

Screaming or, in her case, moaning wouldn’t do for nothing guaranteed anyone would come to her rescue before they slit her throat.

Not to mention, the only member of the party she’d accompanied capable of traveling fast enough and under the sun would have been Silas.

The more Arabella debated those thoughts, the more her hopes shrank into nothingness. It had started to sink in little by little that... Her freedom may never be returned to her.

It was good while it had lasted, wasn’t it?

"Agh! Goddammit, Edward! Watch out with that thing!" one of the men recoiled, holding his hands to his chest.

"Come now! Don’t cry! It is just a scratch," another laughed in response.

Arabella’s view was obstructed, leaving her no way of telling with exactitude what had happened between them, but in that moment, her mind cared very little for that as one word had captured all of her attention.

"A scratch" freēnovelkiss.com

That was indeed all she needed to silently call for help. The scent of her blood.

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