He took the knife with him when he left to get food, applying the gag to her mouth once more. The moment he was gone, she strained against the bindings even though she knew it was entirely pointless. She hoped someone would hear the screeching metal on stone, but if they did, they didn't come to investigate.
He returned not long after he had left, and he smiled at her as though she were the best thing he had seen all day. She on the other hand looked up at him with a spark of hope that it was going to be someone else that had come to find her, but it wasn't.
"I brought dinner," he said cheerfully.
She had the oddest thought as she stared up at him. It was like he was a child playing house. She was the mother, he was the father, and they were a happily married couple. The question was, did she play along, or did she try to break free? What would happen if she refused to give in to his fantasy? She suspected that she would end up like the others in that box; just a neatly tied lock of hair in a box in the bottom of a crazy man's wardrobe.
He sat down beside her and removed the gag, smiling brightly as his mask came off, and he set it down beside him. Picking up a lump of meat, he offered it to her.
Did she refuse it? Did she try to bite him? His smile faded slightly at her hesitation, and she was very aware of the knife that had been tucked into the back of his pants.
"Eat it," he said in a flat voice, his happy persona fading. Leaning forward, she bit into the meat and he let go of it, allowing her to chew and swallow it. It was human meat, and she couldn't help but wonder if the human was one of the locks of hair in the wardrobe.
His smile returned, and he popped some of the meat into his mouth, chewing it happily and swallowing before a second went into his mouth, and then a second was offered to her. Opening her mouth, he placed it slowly and deliberately on her tongue like it was some great treat, and his fingers lingered there. She didn't want to do it, but it was clear what he wanted even as his eyes widened, as though the thought was entirely new to him.
Her lips closed around his fingers and she licked the cool blood from his fingertips, his breath sucking in as she did so, the man shivering in delight at the sensation.
It went on like that for several minutes, his fascination with her licking his fingers clean growing perverted as he held his fingers out and she had to lean forward, licking the drip of blood that was rolling down his index finger.
Thankfully the bowl was empty, and he lifted it to his mouth, drinking the little pool of blood that had formed in the bottom of it.
Even if the whole event had creeped her out, it had given her a small burst of energy. It was older meat, not fresh as she was used to, but even old meat provided her with a shred of energy. By that stage, she was fairly sure she was going to need it before he was done with his game.
"I'm tired," he complained. She nodded silently, agreeing with him if it meant she might be able to continue her escape attempt. "Come to bed."
It wasn't a request, and she bit hard on her lower lip as he helped her to her feet, reaching down to release whatever it was that had bound her to the bedframe at her arms. Something rattled, and she turned as he moved the shackle up that had her ankle trapped. With only her ankle tied to the bed, it allowed her around five feet of movement. But that was going to be impossible with him there. She knew she was trapped, but she still hoped she would find an escape as he guided her up to the bed and crawled onto it, patting the spot beside him.
She stood frozen, her eyes dragging down his bare chest and arm stretched out for her to rest her head on. This was bad, this was really bad. What if he wanted to touch her again? What was she going to do then?
He watched her, a silent question in his eyes that was half demand and half challenge to see what she would do. Was she going to play happy family with him, or was she going to suffer for her refusal?
"Get on the bed, Etani," he growled.
Making her choice, she moved hesitantly, climbing onto the bed beside him. His body relaxed, and he sighed, pulling her close to him before wrapping his arm around her to rest his hand against her chest.
Remaining still, she stared up at the ceiling as she tried to figure out what to do. Her arms were still bound behind her back, and with that chain around her ankle, she had better chances of escape, but still she wasn't hopeful.
Turning, he rolled onto his side and nuzzled his face into her hair, his arm wrapping tight around her waist and pulling her close to him, mumbling something under his breath before he fell asleep.
***
It was another hour or two before she managed to fall asleep, tense and wary of him in case he was only feigning sleep, but he seemed to have actually fallen asleep. It was hours later when she woke, his lips tracing along her jaw, that had her eyes snapping open. Or perhaps it was his fingers dragging up the inside of her thigh that had woken her up so suddenly.
His eyelids were heavy, still half asleep, but at least one part of him was very alert and she lay frozen, her mind racing as she tried to figure out what to say.
"No!" she gasped, as he cupped her between her legs and scrambled away from him.
He came fully awake and looked down at her, huddled at the foot of his bed with her legs tight against her chest.
"Come back here," he growled, irritated and looking rumpled.
"No," she said.
The simple word seemed to have an explosive effect on him, and she could almost see the rage flowing off him in waves as he sat up and reached for her, his fingers curling in her hair and he dragged her up the bed to his side.
"What did you say?" he growled, the sound of his voice suddenly raspy in his anger as he grabbed her ankle and forced her leg down, away from her chest.
Writhing against him, she screamed when his hand came out of nowhere, colliding with the side of her face and he took advantage of the daze he left her in, rolling her onto her back and crawling on top of her, his knee digging into her thigh painfully until the only way to stop the pain was to part her legs for him.
"Neah…" she gasped, planting her foot against the bed and trying to roll him off her, but he refused to move off her. "Neah wait! Wait! Not yet!" The thought had popped into her mind, and she grasped at it desperately. Anything to get him to stop what he was doing.
"Not yet?" he asked, panting softly against her cheek as he stopped in his attempt to keep her pinned under him.
"Not yet… you can't… not until after," she was grasping at straws, anything at all to get him off her.
"After what?" he demanded, confused, and a little intrigued by her telling him not to stop, but to wait.
"We have to be married first," she said, his face going blank for a second before he frowned.
"Why?"
"Because I'll be shamed if we make love without being married... if you want me to be with you… we have to be married first. If you want me to be happy, you would do this for me."
Why not go full out? She was desperate.
"What about last night?" he asked, a wicked grin on his face.
Yes, what about last night?
"That was sex, carnal and empty. You don't want to just have a silent lover forever. If you want to love me, physically and emotionally, we have to be married."
He looked down at her, unsure, and she knew he doubted it, but she also knew he had gone through a lot of effort to get her, so was he going to risk it?
There was a moment of terrible tension as he weighed his options, either forcing her into obedience, or waiting a few days until he could have her and they would be married, the exact situation he had been playing out in his mind while keeping her there.
"And you will marry me?" he asked doubtfully.
"Yes," she she breathed.
"And we will make love if I do?"
"Yes…" she whimpered, her stomach clenching in fear at that.
He stared down at her for a long moment, considering, contemplating her face and what he knew before he growled in anger and rolled off her.
Letting out a quivering breath, she closed her eyes and did her best to remain still, even if she wanted to beat his face in with her shackles and strangle him to death.
"Fine… I'll find someone," he said moodily, frustrated that he had to wait to touch her again.
"Soon," she said, doing her best to come off as eager.
"I'll go today. We can be together as soon as I get back," he said.
She had to escape before then.
Nodding with a feigned happiness, she rolled herself into his side and he froze, wary of her but then accepting her eagerness, his arms tight around her.
***
He left a few hours later, binding her at the foot of the bed, but at least this time she was on the bed and not on the floor. The gag was back in her mouth, and the mask pulled down over her face to hide her identity. Bending down, he pressed his mask to hers in a weird semblance of a kiss before he left, humming to himself, and she was alone again. Relief flooded through her as she realised she had dodged having to touch him again, at least for a few hours.
Twisting, she tried to see the chains that held her, but the mask made that impossible and so she felt down along the links, feeling for any weak spots she could exploit. But there appeared to be nothing by touch. She was sure there would be, but she couldn't see anything. Twisting around on her backside, she squirmed until the chain was under her and she laid back. Planting her feet against the footboard, she pushed upwards with all her strength. The chain pulled tight, and her shoulders screamed. Her wrists were on fire, but the chain refused to give, the cuffs too tight for her to slip her hands out of. She could try ripping off her hands and foot, but she would have to risk the blood loss and her inability to run if he came back early.
Changing tactics, she rolled back into a sitting position and grabbed the chain, smashing it down on the metal frame of the footboard to make as much noise as was possible. If she couldn't break the chains, perhaps she could get someone else to hear her and come to investigate.
No one seemed to hear her, and she had to wonder at that. Was it so normal to hear the sound in that room that the Hunters ignored it?
She thought of the wooden box and knew the answer was very likely a 'yes' to that thought.
He wasn't gone very long, and she sat leaning against the wall, periodically making a noise just in case anyone was walking past. She didn't hear him arrive, only the soft breath against the back of her neck making her jump.
His fingers curled around her wrists and she whimpered, still and trying not to show fear as he leant close and inhaled the scent of her hair.
"I brought you a gift," he said gently, kissing the side of her neck and stepping around her to remove the mask that blocked her vision.
Looking up at him, she did her best to hide her fear as he lifted his hand and she looked down to find a ring sitting on his palm.
It was smeared in blood, and by the smell of it, it was human. He had likely ripped the woman's finger off to get the ring from her body, and she made a soft sound of fear that she turned into one of excitement.
His face lit up as she turned, holding her hand out to him and he slid it onto her finger, the cold metal feeling like a weight that was dragging her to the bottom of the ocean.
He cupped her face and kissed her forehead as she leant into him, playing the happy newly engaged young woman he wanted her to be.
"I'll find us a priest and then we can be together," he murmured softly.
She nodded in feigned eagerness, but her stomach aching with tension while he seemed to be perfectly happy.
"I love you," he said, and she looked up at him, pushing herself up onto her knees so she could press her gagged lips against his in the semblance of a kiss.
He groaned softly, clutching her to him, and he pressed back against her, but she couldn't get the contact with him that would allow her to destroy him.
He stayed there for some time, simply holding and kissing her before he sighed and got back off the bed, his impatience driving him to go find the priest.
"I'll be back soon, my love," he promised as he slid the mask back down over her face.
She nodded, trying to see him through the mask, but then he moved away and vanished, leaving her alone once more.