Wedding

"Grandma, you can't just let me go!!!!"

Aurora yelled despite being dragged to a carryall 

"Grandma!!! I'm your granddaughter..... grandma!!!"

The words were muffled and unintelligible by the bag being shoved in front of her face. Aurora's hands flailed as she fought for balance against what would be her death... but she could not escape... Aurora was trapped. There was only one thing she could do... yell. 

"Grandma please!!"

It took all her strength to scream into the bag, her lungs felt like they were burning. She did it again and again until there was nothing left inside.... no air. 

***** 

Earlier before the incident...

Aurora rose her head up high, counseling herself on her way to the stream that lay hidden in the forest behind her family's house. The sounds of the wind rustling through the trees and water flowing over rocks, so close. It almost reached out and enveloped her. It was her last day in this town, but the wind was doing a great job calming her down. It brought peace to her soul. Even if it is only for a while

Aurora smiled wistfully and looked back towards the road. "Maybe... I should try to convince Grandma to stay." She whispered to herself softly before looking around the path that led further into the woods. She sighed and walked down the trail

"I wonder where she would take me this time." Aurora mused, still lost in thought. Her mind wandered until she found herself at a small pond surrounded by flowers of every kind. 

A waterfall cascaded down from the mountainside, falling into the small pool below with a loud splash. The water reflected light beautifully as it trickled down its way. It was peaceful...... beautiful... Aurora stopped to look at the view for a second longer before continuing. Her thoughts drifted once more, drifting further and farther into memories.... all that had happened just because she stepped out for three hours 

She sat on a wooden bench next to the river, watching the little fishes swim around and jump in the water in search of food. As she watched them, her smile slowly grew into a big grin. She chuckled at their antics and turned away from them to face the stream. As always.... the scenery around her reminded her so much of her grandmother...... except today

Today, she could see past the surface of the lake... beyond the trees, and into another world.

She looked up staring at the filaments above her and suddenly saw a man staring at her

"Ahh"

She screamed falling from her chair...

Aurora spun around quickly only to find him standing right there. He was tall, and muscular, with brown hair tied in a ponytail behind his head, and wore dark clothes. His arms were folded across his broad chest. There was an intense stare in his eyes. One that seemed to burn holes through her soul. Aurora gulped slightly. She tried to speak but her voice failed her. She couldn't even move. She was frozen in place. Frozen in fear. Frozen in shock. Frozen in disbelief. Frozen in everything. She was frozen in place. Frozen in time. Frozen in space. Frozen in time. Frozen in space. Frozen in space. Frozen in space.

"I'm sorry, did I startle you?"

 He asked quietly, taking steps closer. Aurora tried to speak but nothing came out of her mouth. She just continued to stare up at him, looking at him up and down, She blinked several times to try and snap out of it but when she opened her eyes again.... nothing had changed the man continued on his way towards her to help her up. 

Aurora stared at his hand, mesmerized at how strong it looked against hers, how rough it was, how calloused, how warm... How gentle it was too. His grip never faltered, and his hold never weakened. He helped her to her feet and stood close enough to brush against her. But not close enough for it to feel inappropriate. And Aurora was surprised to find she welcomed the heat he emitted, the warmth that emanated off of him. It warmed her cold body. Aurora swallowed dryly. They stood staring at each other, silently, she gently let go of her arm

"I'm sorry, I was just taking a walk and I...I...

He paused staring at her, he was mesmerized by her beauty. Her hair. Her eyes. Her lips. Her skin. Everything about her. "My name is Keith." He extended his hand again for her to take. She looked at his arm hesitantly. Slowly, she slipped her fingers under his hand. The soft skin on his hand made a slight shiver run throughout her body. He noticed and his grip tightened around her fingertips. She yelped a little before relaxing. She didn’t resist or pull away. Instead, she smiled and nodded. They stayed like that, their fingers intertwined for some reason it made her heart beat faster. It wasn’t unpleasant. She liked it. 

"Your name?"

He asked softly after a minute, breaking the comfortable silence

"Oh, uhm, hi... Aurora..." She replied shyly 

Keith smiled. Aurora blushed and bit her lip. She cleared her throat nervously. What was she doing?! This wasn't normal!

 "Um... I've never seen you before in this town, where do you live" 

Keith asked looking around for at least a house around there

Immediately Aurora let go of her hand...

"Uhhh nearby"

Keith nodded and pointed a finger at the forest

"Well.. my house is just beyond those trees". 

She stared at him bluntly trying to catch another glimpse of him every second.. then she realized, she has to be home immediately... 

  If her grandmother catches her, she'll be mad at her!

Aurora took off running back in the direction she came from leaving her pot behind.

 Keith raised an eyebrow and followed her.

They ran through the trees... and when Aurora came to a complete stop, she realized that he was nowhere around...

She turned around and saw his figure, again, it made her startle, losing her balance and landing on the ground. Keith knelt next to her. She stared at him, wide-eyed and mouth agape.. he smirked and pulled her into his arms again

"Sorry, that was very rude of me to do that."

He released his grip making her fall again and stared at him with her doe eyes

"Please, I'll prefer it if you don't follow me"

 Aurora whispered as she tried to stand up on wobbly legs. Keith placed his hands on either side of her waist, steadying her 

"Where are you going anyway?" He asked with a tilt of his head

"Back home."

Aurora replied firmly releasing his grip again 

"Can I follow you, I wanna know where you live?"

He said gently, brushing stray pieces of hair off her face. Aurora's cheeks grew pink. 

"No!!.... I mean my grandparents don't like strangers into the house especially....boys"

Aurora said sadly, her gaze shifting away from his eyes.

"But you can come back tomorrow!" Keith suggested. He grinned at her.

Aurora shook her head

"Um... okay I guess"

she said tried to look for possible means to get away from him, he was sweet, a little too sweet for a guy 

Again she realized, she has to go now, her grandmother must be waiting for her 

"Oh, Jesus! I've gotta go, bye!!!!"

She waved hastily at him and sprinted away

As she turned around, she caught him staring at her retreating figure. She smiled brightly, she felt giddy with happiness.

Keith chuckled lightly watching her disappear among the bushes, his chest feeling heavy again.. he wanted to chase after her so badly. He wanted to see her one more time

"Oh my goodness, she was so gorgeous" 

he muttered 

He lifted his hand and brushed through his hair. A smirk tugged at his lips. Suddenly his eyes widened as a sudden realization hit him. Why am I so attracted to her?

The moment they felt each other.... it felt.... right.

He shook his head and smiled to himself. 

"She didn't take her pot to fetch her water"

He said aloud

He looked around, searching for any sign of her. 

"She probably won't notice it is gone...."

He said as he stood up walking around

When he finally spotted it, lying near the pond, he picked it up and began to walk back home. 

*******

Aurora stopped outside her house, catching her breath. As she stood there, she couldn't help but think about all of that happened before.. the guy she just met...

"Keith"

She whispered to herself. She remembered the way his deep voice sounded like it belonged in a music box, like the perfect melody that would play when someone is listening to it. Like a lullaby... Aurora sighed contently, enjoying the sound of his voice... a smile appeared on her lips. Then suddenly... she heard some noise from her backyard... She heard the voice of her grandparents

* * * * * * *

Presently...

Everywhere seems blurred at first but eventually, it felt real and clear quickly.

Aurora woke up to her fear of an unknown place where she had no idea what was happening. She sat upright with her chest heaving as the adrenaline coursing through her like a river. Her heart was thundering in her ears and her breaths came out in heavy gasps. She couldn't remember ever having woken up in such a state before.

Then she realized she was on a bed.. again realized that she was in a room 

"Where am I?" she gasped staring at the room, it was huge..huge enough to fit a hundred people in it ...or five thousand maybe... It seemed too grand for any human being's life.. or even the life of one person... Aurora shook herself from her thoughts "What happened?"She looked down at herself, her long white dress was stained by blood which had dried and become stiff, the blood from her struggles earlier.

Aurora looked around the room searching for a door 

"It's about time you woke up"

A deep voice startled her from behind causing her to jump away and to her shock, she saw Ryan leaning against the wall shirtless as if he had been waiting there patiently for hours. She looked away as his eyes raked over her body.

"You slept longer than usual"

he grinned

Aurora swallowed and tried to look calm, this was no time to be frightened of him  

.

she thought 

Ryan walked closer slowly "How are you feeling now?"He asked, his smile turning predatory and she found herself flushing under his dark stare

"What?" her voice came out as almost a squeak. Ryan continued to grin as if he knew what he was doing to her.

"Where am I?"

She glared at him, angry with how calm he seemed when the situation was far from 'good'. Ryan took another step towards her, his smirk widening, "what do you think? you are in your dearest house"

he said matter of factly. Aurora felt like he was teasing her, trying to make her mad. But then she realized he meant every word 

. Aurora blinked rapidly, trying to keep the tears from forming in her eyes and not giving away the fact that she was scared... That she needed help..that her life depended on it. She forced back the panic rising inside her and stood, trying to sound confident 

"Dearest my foot"

She walked out of bed and walked towards the door, determined to leave this strange and unfamiliar home. When she reached the doorway she turned and looked at Ryan who was leaning against the edge of the bed smiling at her...  

The moment their eyes met, Ryan's expression changed, his smirk vanishing into an emotionless mask

...and for some reason, it scared her even more, she could have sworn a hint of sadness, of longing crossed his face

. Aurora took a steadying breath to calm herself, this was the man who had just kidnapped her, she didn't know why but he was making her feel bad. And that made her afraid.

"Sweetheart"

He called bringing out a cigarette from his pocket and lighting it quickly and taking a couple of puffs Before he tossed the cigarette on the ground and crushed it with his boot

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, get back here and behave properly"

 he commanded 

 His voice was deadly serious and cold like he wasn't joking

Aurora froze. He was terrifying her, yet he was so kind. His eyes were glinting with amusement. It wasn't mocking her, she could sense no ill intention in his actions The only thing she could feel was fear

"I don't fucking care"

She said and opened the door.. before she could step further, a group of men grabbed her and brought her back to the room they had left her in earlier. Aurora struggled violently trying to get free. The men laughed as they held her tightly and she bit her lip trying to fight the fear that threatened to overwhelm her

Ryan sighed as the two guards released Aurora roughly from their hold and left the room

"I don't think you understand, you are mine now"

Ryan said, buffing another cigarette in his mouth 

Ryan put his hand up "Don't move!"

Aurora stared at Ryan with wide eyes as he stepped towards her again His lips curled into a wicked smile as he approached her Then he stopped abruptly, as if realizing what he was doing.

He turned around throwing his cigarette before turning towards her, before he could make any more steps, he saw Aurora running towards her with a huge rod-like object in her hands.

She swung it at his head in a desperate attempt to hurt him. As soon as she did it however Ryan caught it easily in his right hand "How nice of you to save me the trouble"

he drawled

Aurora stared at Ryan horrified that she might have injured him.

Before she could make another step, he grabbed her neck and shoved her to the wall with his arm His other hand held her shoulders tight keeping her from moving

"Don't touch me! You will regret that" she spat

Ryan smiled at her mockingly "And who knows how long that would take?"

Ryan tightened his grip on her throat, forcing Aurora to gasp for air. Aurora's eyes started to roll back into her head

He let go of her, knowing she was too weak to fight him off

Her vision went blurry before everything went clear again

"I don't think you've noticed this but that bracelet you are wearing keeps you from weakening me"

He said and then she realized she was wearing a bracelet 

Ryan picked up her wrist and pressed a button on it. Suddenly Aurora felt weak all over... like someone was pushing a weight over her chest that she couldn't lift. It was unbearable and she fell to her knees struggling for breath. eventually, it stopped...

"That means, I can take control of you"

he said and grabbed Aurora and tosses her on the bed making her terrified scream "Stay still!!!"

She did, but she couldn't move, her body was still weak from the shock earlier

"Good"

Ryan got closer and began touching her skin gently

Aurora screamed and struggled as much as she could but Ryan's strength was overpowering

"You know," Ryan whispered near her ear

His breath tickled her ear making her shiver "You are a sweet little thing, aren't you?" 

His breath ghosted the shell of her ear sending chills down her spine

"But I'm not going to let myself succumb to that side of you for now~"

Ryan removed his hand from Aurora's throat and moved to straddle her legs, he pulled them apart and leaned forward placing a small kiss on each of her thighs

Aurora whimpered and tried to push him away but he held her firmly in place

"Please stop"

She cried desperately 

Ryan ignored her plea and kissed her thigh again, tearing part of her dress, revealing her belly, kissing down her stomach 

"Stop... please stop"

Aurora pleaded once more, tears streaming down her face

Ryan finally looked at her, his face devoid of warmth

"I'll give you some space for a while, but I'll continue later after our wedding of course"

He said and immediately left the room before waiting for her reaction 

Aurora was confused, she wanted to cry, wanted to ask him where she was but all that would come out was a soft sob. Everything was blurred in her eyes

What was happening to her? Why was it happening?!

She lay there trembling, feeling numbness creep up on her.

"Wedding?"

she muttered, her palm on her face 

TO BE CONTINUED