Prologue
-Trigger Warning-
This book contains sexual themes, sexual assault, physical abuse, violence, verbal abuse, and death. Please be advised to consider this before reading.
The forest was dark, eerie, and cold.
The only sound was my panting as I ran through the darkness. Branches of trees slapped at my face, and the cool air wrapped around me, invading my personal space. I was completely sane, but at this moment, all I wanted was to scream profanity at those fucking trees for not keeping their branches in check. I needed a level head, so now wasn't the best time to go insane.
Twigs breaking behind me grabbed my attention, and I spun around only to see a shadow a few feet away. I forced myself to run faster, hoping he would give up, but who was I kidding? I knew too much. He had to get rid of me.
"Harper?" He called, his voice echoing against the hollow trees. It was like nails on a chalkboard. My ears hated the sound of his voice after what he did. I'd rather stab myself repeatedly than listen to him.
"You are only making this harder for yourself. Just come out, and we can talk."
Fucking liar. I knew he was going to kill me. Did he really think I was that stupid?
My anger got the best of me, and I shouted, "Fuck off and leave me alone!" I slipped behind a tree, placing my back against it while taking deep breaths my lungs begged for.
"Is that a way to treat the hand that saved you from slavery? I took you away from that place. Put you in a mansion and gave you everything you could ever dream of. Why are you being so stubborn?" He asked.
"Because none of those things matter; they are just things, and you are the spawn of Satan." I retorted.
He sounded far off, and I thought if I could get out of the forest, I could find help.
I wasn't even sure why I was giving him the pleasure of my conversation. That was only feeding his soul, which was a massive black portal into the dark pit of hell.
A crack and swoosh sound echoed nearby. The sound caught me off guard, and I almost lost my balance. This forced my head to the right, where I saw a huge tree tumbling to the forest floor with a loud thud. The ground shook beneath me, and I darted in the opposite direction, hoping for an escape from the commotion, but I ran right into a silhouette.
I froze, afraid to face the person before me, but I finally did. My eyes shifted up, meeting his, and before I could run or scream, he snatched me by the throat and slammed me against the tree.
"Tsk, tsk..." He waved his index finger in my face, and with a swift swipe of his hand, darkness enveloped me.
