One
Heavy footsteps charged up the grand stairs. Wood splintered as three men kicked the door in. Liam was pulled from bed, tossed to the ground as if he were nothing more than refuse. Whimpering sounds had him scampering to his feet only to be halted by a blow of solid knuckles cracking against his cheekbone. Blood oozed from his flesh. The scent of iron flooded his nose. Shock dulled the sting at first but quickly morphed into a piercing pain, sending stars shooting off behind his eyes. Two sets of hands lifted him from under the armpits and shuffled him out of the bedroom and down the hallway, his feet dragging behind him.
In the study, the men stepped away from him. Liam’s eyes darted around the room, spotting two burly men through his cloudy vision. His beloved was near the door. Her hands were bound behind her, and a rag covered her mouth. Each of the two men held her by an arm. Unable to fully focus, another blow to his ribs rocked him to his core. He hunched over and clutched his middle before falling to the floor. Gasping for air, he was rocked by a fiery pain hitting his temple. More blood seeped from his head, pooling onto the wooden planks beneath him, staining the rich chestnut floors. The room spun as cries echoed in his ringing ears.
Liam rolled to his side. His vision blurred when he cracked his eyelids open. The dim light sent stabbing pains through his head. Weight pressed him into the floor while his hands were bound with rope behind him. His love being restrained across the room sent his heart into an agonized panic.
Only moments ago, he had been staring into her brilliant honey eyes. The golden flecks danced in the warm glow of the candlelight. His hands had been tangled in her wavy, mahogany hair. Now, tears streamed down her cheeks in constant waves. Her luscious, rosy lips trapped behind a cloth. He wanted nothing more than to go to her, crash his mouth onto hers, and swallow her pain away.
Another set of footsteps echoed from the hall. The sight of pointed toe, black boots came into view. The man donned an ornate walking stick and coat. His back faced Liam as he removed his top hat and spoke. “What is this I see?” his voice, deep and menacing. Liam had heard the voice many times. Only he didn’t know who the man was, couldn’t ever place his name.
The man touched his fiancé’s hand, lifting it into his, and glared at the exquisite gold ring he had placed on her finger only moments before.
Liam coughed and willed his head to rise, to look into the eyes of the man holding his bride to be captive. “Don’t touch her!” Liam rasped.
“Does this mean you said, yes?” the man asked her. His hand grasped her chin, forcing her to look at him.
Her confirming nod wobbled, but her eyes held a definite and firm stare.
“You know I could have given you more? All of this could have been ours. We could have lived together.”
A muffled shout ripped through her, followed by a scream of agony when the man’s walking stick landed on the side of her head.
“No!” Liam bellowed.
“Take her away!” the man shouted before removing the engagement ring from her finger, placing it in his breast pocket.
Liam bolted to his feet as the two men dragged her out of the study and down the stairs. Her screams were muffled by the gag. But his movement was halted as a set of firm hands held his shoulders in place. The man with the familiar voice turned toward him. His eyes were dark and full of hatred. The sneer on his mouth was not that of a man, but that of something…evil.
Liam’s heart raced, and his mind struggled to find a solution as the room went dark.
No sounds.
No light.
Only total darkness filled his senses.
Liam frantically opened his eyes and found himself in his bedroom, sweaty and panting from the nightmare he had to endure for the hundredth time. The late afternoon light cast shadows from the trees outside on his walls, where they danced to the rhythm of the wind. His body felt lifeless, as it always did after he woke from the dream. As if the life-force had been drained from him.
That recurring nightmare plagued him for all of his adult life. He suffered the tormenting dream time and time again. Lately, the dreams came more frequently, and he couldn’t put his finger on the reason. However, there was more information in this episode. The woman he loved in the dream was his fiancé. A piece of knowledge that squeezed his heart. He hadn’t been able to rescue her. The nightmare always ended the same way, in total darkness before he could reach her.
Sitting up on the edge of the bed, Liam stood and walked to the bathroom. Cupping his hands under the running faucet, he splashed his face in an attempt to wash the images from his mind. He watched the water cascade over his pale skin and stubbled jaw while staring at himself in the mirror. His eyes were red and swollen from tears.
Something was different this time. The pull felt stronger, keeping him in the undercurrent of the dream far longer than he had ever been in it before, making it difficult to wake. The woman felt more real. The pain in her eyes hit him with a force that could only be shared between two lovers, not a fantasy. “It’s only a dream.”
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