Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 6

hear Sergei laughing, for once I am thankful he is such a dunce because Nico hears him now too. He looks at me and whispers, "I will be back, I will find a way to set you free, I promise."
    Then he is gone the way he came and my heart bleeds for the loss because I know to the depths of my soul, he will not be able to return.
    CHAPTER 5
    Nicolai
    Knowing Sergei is on his way in, I rapidly leave the barn. I am grateful that Thomas warned me he was near. If Sergei catches me again, I fear the next time he will do more to me or to Thomas. I begin to run because I am to meet up with my father and do not want to be late. I am not really watching where I am going and I run right into Sergei who seemed to appear out of thin air. He shoves me to the ground then plants his heavy boot on my chest, the toe near my throat cutting off my air supply. I lift my arms to his boots, but he is too strong for me to shove them off.
    "Just where do you think you're running to, sissy? Surely not to see your homosexual lover, Thomas?" He spits on the ground after he says that like it was poison in his mouth.
    He puts his hand under his chin like he is thinking, while placing more pressure on my chest with his boot.
    "No, wait, I forgot." He pauses then continues, "Something terrible has happened to Thomas."
    I shake my head, wanting to tell him I don't know what he's talking about, but he has cut off my vocal cords with the toe of his boot.
    "Oh come now, don't act surprised, you know he is in his lion form because you just went to pay him a visit, even though Queen Elena and your father told you not to. Isn't that right?"
    Again he pushes on his foot and I begin to see black spots dancing in my vision. My hands try once more to shove his boot off my chest, yet meet with even less success as I am growing weaker from lack of oxygen.
    "What to do? What to do?" he says as if he has all the time in the world and I pray for death to come quickly.
    But it is not to be, as he reaches down and grabs me up by my sore neck, dragging me after him. I have no idea what he has planned for me but I once again pray for it to be quick.
    I struggle against his hold, looking about for a way to break free, but the man is a massive wall of stone and it seems to excite him the more I struggle. It is odd to me that no one from our camp is around. Normally someone would be milling around in the back, tending to the animals or livestock– or just talking. But it is eerily quiet tonight. Then I can no longer think as blackness descends.
    I do not know how many hours I have been out, as I wake up in my own bed. The candles on the tables tell me it is still nighttime. I look around but no one is here. I am so grateful. Then I see her– the queen's daughter and my best friend, Anca. She is carrying a bowl and towel with her. Watching her walk across my small bedroom floor, my face begins to burn. Licking my lips, I taste the bitter flavor of copper and I realize I am bleeding. I try to sit up, to no avail because it feels like someone or something is sitting on my chest. My throat burns as I swallow; my head feels like it is stuffed with cotton. Bits and pieces of what happened niggle at my brain yet I am too tired to try to remember. Every inch of my body feels like it is on fire.
    "Do not try to move Nico, you are badly injured. How you survived the attack was a miracle!" Anca says as she sits next to me and wipes my brow with the cool, wet towel. I do not understand what she means, though when I try to speak, only a garbled sound comes out. I must be more hurt than I realized.
    "Do you remember what happened to you? Wait, do not try to answer that."
    She begins to wipe off my lip so I grab her hand to stop her. My voice might be temporarily gone but I have to find out what was going on, so using my hands I act out writing and hope she can understand me. My heart nearly stops when I see my hands.
    They are so bruised I cannot see the white of my skin. Deep gouges are also cut into my arms like that of animal attack. Oh my gods! I have been attacked haven't I?
    Her eyes begin to fill with tears telling me all I needed to know. Sergei had to have attacked me in his lion form. But why? I posed no threat to him. Except that is not exactly true. I do pose a major threat to him. He wants to be Alpha and I stand in the way of that happening. He wants Anca all for himself, even though she abhors him. Was this why he attacked me? I needed answers and Anca could give them to