Shadow’s Sinner

Chapter Ten

I smile into the warm cloth covering my body.

Though the ground is cold, I don’t care, not with the warmth on top of me and the smell of sandalwood and citrus.

I cling to the cloth, burying my nose in the oddly familiar scent.

I let out a sigh, feeling safe and content.

I can’t remember the last time I felt comfortable enough to just lie here without sleeping and feel at home.

“I was beginning to worry that I may have caused more damage than I meant to." The shadow man's voice pulls me out of the brief comfort.

My heart plummets to my stomach, and my eyes snap open, immediately falling on the man sitting in front of me outside of the cage.

His face is hidden in the depths of his hood.

I swallow hard, fear licking up my spine as I stare at him through the wooden bars.

My eyes drift around the area, a few torches lighting the wooded scenery.

I swallow the lump in my throat, blinking away the tears forming in my eyes.

Why am I such a crybaby?

My muscles ache as I sit up, easing myself back against the cage.

I pull the cloth over my body trying to hide myself away from the shadow man’s gaze.

I can feel his eyes drilling a hole into my skull, and I can’t understand why.

“Where am I?”

I blurt out.

“In a cage.”

His voice carries through the wind.

I roll my eyes and bite my tongue, even though I know better than to roll my eyes.

Dad always said it wasn’t ladylike, and the next time he saw me do it I was going to be in big trouble.

It was enough of a warning that I never did it again until now.

“Why am I in a cage?”

I ask, wrapping my arms around my knees.

“I put you in there.”

I close my eyes to stop myself from rolling them or shooting daggers at him.

I hate that he’s being cryptic and not telling me the truth.

I know I have no right to demand he tell me, but my head feels as if it’s going to explode any minute now.

I’m scared, and the anxiety sinking in my gut makes bile rise in my throat.

“Why won’t you look at me?”

the shadow man asks.

I frown, my eyes flickering over to him.

He sits in front of the cage, his hands resting on his knees, looking at ease.

For some reason that irritates me, I don’t want him to look fine with me sitting here, cold and feeling things.

“I’m not sure,”

I answer.

Sinner.

My cheeks heat, and I can only imagine how red my face is.

My eyes flicker down, but with the way he’s sitting, I can’t see anything.

All I can think about is what he did to me.

“Why did you knock me out?”

I ask, unable to look away.

“I won’t answer your questions if you can’t look at me.”

Against my better judgment, my eyes trail up his body until I meet his eyes.

Something flashes across his face, but just like last time, as soon as it appears, it’s gone.

His hazel eyes stare into mine as if he’s looking for my soul.

I want to tell him I might not have one, but I keep my mouth shut.

Most of his face is still hidden in the depths of his robe and the darkness but something about him feels all too familiar.

That is until a smile spreads across his face, and he says, “There it is.

The respect your master deserves.”

My lips press together, annoyed at his words.

After everything he did, he has no right to talk about respect.

“Excuse me?”

The words fly out of my mouth.

A tingle of fear wiggles along my spine, but I hold it back.

I might be a naive girl, but I’m not going to let him just walk all over me.

The shadow man blinks at me, his head tilting as he studies me.

I hold his gaze, trying to portray that I’m not moments from emptying everything in my stomach and curling into a ball while I cry.

“Who hit you?” he asks.

My hand automatically reaches up to my face, pressing my finger against the bruise Travis gave me.

“No one,”

I mutter, my eyes breaking away from him.

I shouldn’t be embarrassed, but I am.

While I liked to think Travis was my boyfriend, that even if we barely saw each other because of my parents, he understood me.

That is until he smacked me.

“Don’t lie to me.

It’s a sin,”

he growls.

I swallow and nod my head.

Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.

“It’s not important.”

I shrug, pulling my knees further into my chest.

“That’s a lie, again.”

“It’s not a lie.”

I frown over at him.

“It’s not important.

It doesn’t matter.”

Growing up I never mattered to my parents.

It was all about Lilianna.

They both made it clear that I was an unwanted child, and while I know I have my faults, they beat me for any reason they could come up with.

“Tell me who hit you,”

he demands.

I shake my head.

Even if I did tell him it was Travis, nothing good would come of it.

“Don’t think about lying to me,” he warns.

I press my lips together, debating on still lying to him.

But one glance at him and I know he holds no argument.

“It was a guy.”

Shadow man’s eyes darken, his hands flex into fists, and his knuckles crack from the force.

If I didn’t know better, I would think he was upset that someone hit me.

“Why did he hit you?”

he finally questions.

“I’m not sure. I…we…”

I shrug, trailing off.

I don’t know why Travis hit me; it feels like another life at this point.

“What were you doing before he hit you, Lakelyn?” he asks.

My eyes snap to his at the mention of my name.

How does he know it? And why does it feel like this isn’t the first time he’s said it? But I don’t get a chance to say anything before he starts to stand.

I can’t look away from him, the fear of being left alone grabbing me by the throat.

“Can you tell me your name?”

I blurt out, trying to think of anything to say to get him to stay.

The shadow man glances back at me.

I can see the words on the tip of his tongue, but he sighs and shakes his head.

I plead with him to not leave me, but he doesn't care and continues to walk away leaving me here alone.

Clinging the cloth to my nose, I breathe in its scent.

My eyes slam close, the smell of citrus and sandalwood bringing me some calmness.

But I know somewhere in the back of my head, I’m about to die.