The ache in between her legs was what woke Mary up the next day, her body was thoroughly sore, she groaned in discomfort as she struggled to sit, Jared had been really rough with her, looking around her, all she saw was the dead leaves and the several pieces of wood around, Jared must have been cutting up wood before she woke up but he was nowhere in sight
Mary sighed, she would be dead before the end of the day if she waited for Jared to continue his plans for her, she had to get to her father right away and tell him everything.
Ignoring her pain, Mary stumbled up, checking what was left of her dress, seeing it was torn beyond wearing abilities, she cast it aside and searched around for something she could wear
Her large sea-blue eyes soon landed on Jared's shirt, she picked it up, with trembling fingers, closing her eyes shut, she put it on hurriedly. Standing on trembling toes, Mary ran out of the wooden tent, the windy atmosphere made her blood chill c
The ride to the Stone mansion was quiet and long, Jared did not say a single word to Mary throughout the ride and neither did he stop to give her any rest. She was as worn out as the horse by the time they got to Western Creek. She had anticipated him passing the inside of the town so she could scream for help but the commander had outsmarted her or he simply had his own route which he usually pass.Mary yelped as yet another tree branch scratched her face, Jared offered no apologies and neither did he slow down. The path they took was as lonely as it seems, it was clearly an abandoned route and not treaded often, she had no doubt her husband was the only person who seems to use the route.She groaned as yet another twig was caught in her hair, which she had managed to bundle atop her head. This time Jared slowed down and removed the stick, Mary shivered at the contact, but the hand on her hair was gone as soon as it touched it.Mary had seen the Sto
Seating and staring gloomily into the mirror Jared had put in the room for her, Mary sighed the thirtieth time. She was bored and tired of boredom yet she dared not set her foot downstairs. Not after the drama that had welcomed her arrivalJared had left as soon as he had set her in the room and he had remained civil throughout his conduct which she knew was temporary. The only think she dreaded now, was her father’s arrival, she wondered how she could avoid the bloodshed that was bound to be spilled.A knock on her door, shook her system, she sat up immediately hands fidgeting with each other, she wondered who had come to see her, she knew it definitely wasn’t her mother in law the woman could not bear the very sight of her, which left Evangeline and Mike the two people she had no desire to seeThe knock was repeated, chest heaving, her heart panting wildly, she asked timidly“Who is there?”“Polly ma’am&rdq
The retinue of carriages following Nicholas Sanders was befitting that of a king, musicians and entertainers followed the carriages as they trudged slowly towards the Stone Mansion. The carriages were heavily decorated and designed, with several lilac flowers courtesy of Mrs. Sanders. Mrs. Sanders smiled warmly at her husband“I miss her so much, I can’t wait to set my eyes on her” Mrs. Sanders said with much relish. She grasped her husbands’ hand tenderly“Yea, she will be the most beautiful wife. I hope that Mike is doing right by her or else I shall cut off his head” Nicholas threatened, as the picture of Evangeline in the sack surfaced to him, he shook, he could never bear to see Mary in such circumstances, which was why he planned on watching his son-in-law like a hawkHis wife turned a wary brow at him, throwing his hands aside ”You will do no such thing. He has given us his promise that he will take good care
As soon as her father’s carriage was out of sight, Mary could feel a heavyweight lifted off her, gathering the bothersome gown, Polly had been wise enough to make her wear before she left the room. Her mother would have been scandalized to see her dressed in Jared’s overwashed shirt.Her husband might not think much of her, but she would make him, she realized after the wedding that whatever feelings she had for Commander Mike was merely an infatuation, she did not feel sad in any way that she was not married to him. Her only disappointment was in Jared, she needed to know why they had disguised Jared as Michael? Jared from the look of him was not one to fear unless he was considering someone Like he did her just now with her father. Realization clicked to Mary at the thought. She was certain Jared married her for a reason.Living in the Stone mansion was not going to be an easy one, being married to a man like Jared Stone was not going to be stress-free. S
Mary stood near the kitchen door, peering in through a small crack on the door, she could hear movements going on and on in the kitchen. And the delicious smell of chicken pie waffling into her nostrils, making her stomach quiver. She had expended all her energy on arguing with Jared, she was so famished. Polly was in there as well, mixing flour, while Catherine was steering some sauce in a pot on the fire. She wanted to go in but she knew herself so well, she had never held a kitchen ladle or knife in her life, she knew next to nothing.Catherine was angry with her as it is, it was unlikely the woman would welcome her into her kitchen and she might get angry, should Mary mess anything up.Jared was just Jared, it would take heaven and earth exchanging their forms to make him help her. She would have to win over her mother-in-law by herself then.A small cough at her back made Mary jump, she turned instantly ready to defend herself when she saw who i
The silence of the yard brought solemn boredom to Mary as she sat in the kitchen on a low plaid stool, the cookbook spread before her, she had rummaged through the pages of the book back and forth yet she had not found any simple meal to cook, they were all complex and several steps to follow, and several ingredients to mix and ground.Sighing deeply, she skimmed her glossy fingers over the book carefully, staring at the pictures on the book, she looked at the ingredients Evangeline had given her, She would use the ingredients to look for the meal to cook and one that had little steps as possible, she was sure she wouldn’t fail.She had never cooked a single meal in her life and her mother had strictly forbidden her from entering the kitchen, not that her mother entered it herself anyway except to give the Cook instructions on what to cook, her mother very much stayed clear of the kitchen.But she was scared, Her Mother-in-law had left with Polly to the ma
The looming dark clouds gathering above western Creek sky could be said to represent the icy soldier about to penetrate deep into its exterior. Standing idly at the front of the Military gate, Jared watched quietly as soldiers went in and out of the station, he had not bothered to disguise himself, Mike would keep out of the way until the mission was done.He walked in gallantly, receiving greetings here and there from the recruits as he walked in. He got no curious look as he walked in, except greetings and salutes from the soldiers.Arriving at Michael’s desk, he flung the door open, and went in, fully aware of someone stalking him, Allan walked in stealthily, the boy had grown a few inches since he last saw him, his shoulders square and tense, his face wide with trepidationJared lips in a thin line, the boy had no reason to be tense at seeing Michael unless he was at seeing Jared, testing him, Jared acted casual “What is it you want? That c
Laying in wait was beginning to seem like a habit for Jared, it had been his daily routine since he had left his father in law’s shop two weeks ago. He had managed to keep a low profile at work, not getting into any head-on fight with any of the commanders, he had put on the complete Mike persona.He had noticed that several goods were being brought in through an abandoned part west of the Stone home; The Western Creek jungle had been a second home to him, so he knew all the abandoned and unused paths so well.Taking on the persona of a predator, Jared laid in wait quietly, atop the big Mongolia tree, keeping still as possible, he was dressed in leaf green clothes, which made him natural to his environment.Soon, he began hearing the hollering and shouts of several men passing through the jungle, watched quietly as the carriages passed through, several bodyguards who were all masked manned them and all of them had several other weapons in their hands.
seven years Later The quiet atmosphere of the Stone Mansion in former years had gradually transformed to the bubbliest and lively household, Catherine noted as they all worked in the fields. They had all doubted Jared’s capability to be a farmer but he had proven himself over the years. He now supplied half of the town’s wheat feed. He was a meticulous farmer as he was a meticulous killer. No one bothered to steal his animals since the whole town and travellers all knew who Jared Stone was. Catherine stood up from the stool she had been sitting on, her back aching. Fieldwork was really not for her bones “Grandmother is tired” Jonas one of Evangeline’s twins cackled, pointing his small hands at his grandmother. His brother George soon joined in “Grandma won’t get a share of today’s earnings” She smiled, the scoundrels. They took after her son's behaviours, they were mischievous and utterly worrisome. No one had told them the dark days, it was by mere luck that the twins had surviv
Leaving his marriage for the women to organize might not be the smartest thing he had ever done. They made sure he performed every wedding ceremony in the history of Western Creek, prolonging the real wedding date. Jared was irritated to no end, the wedding did not irk him but what did irk him was his mother making Mary go back to her parent’s house. He was not allowed to see her till the formal wedding day.Which was driving him crazy, he had wanted to keep her close to him at all times but that was blocked by the women.Finally free from all hassle of their engagement, he escaped to the barn and began grooming the horses. His brother had mocked him saying farming does not look good on an ex-killer, but he would prove them wrong with the amount of wheat he would harvest from the fields. He had begun cultivating the land spread in front of the house. It was a large land since the Stone mansion was on the outskirts of the town. It was easy and trouble-free, he was
For the happy couple who held each other’s hands, they knew they had gotten their freedom handed out to them on a golden platter due to their reluctance to let each other go. For Princess Catriona she still could not believe she had lost the chance to be with the one man she desired, she gave Mary a disgusted look. She had never liked the daughter of Nicholas Sanders, She always behaved like some princess she wasn’t. The two acted like Princesses in their rights so they could not co-exist in the same place.Princess Catriona smiled slyly at the thought. There was no way Jared Stone can be able to give Mary the Princess life she sought or had been living. Maybe the king would accept her proposal. She knows her brother, he could never say no at the thought of bedding a beautiful woman especially one as alluring as Mary Sanders.She beamed wryly, she moved closer to the King and whispered,” You can use your authority to tear them apart, their marriage is
If anyone told Mike Stone, a journey could be so grievous and exhausting, he would not have believed. But Mary’s excitement at seeing her husband was really having a negative effect on him at the moment. She was just too hyperactive. The bumpy road did nothing to help his suffering, he only hoped he could deliver her to the palace before his control snapped.He groaned for the hundredth time as Mary questioned him for the hundredth time” Do you really think Jared would be happy to see me? I do not want him to be so cold to me. he rescued me from Ortom then he just disappeared, who does that? He could have stayed with me if he truly loved me. Do you think he cares? He is so hard to read and understand” she whined her beautiful face showing signs of glumnessJared Stone of course Mike thought in irritation. He would make his brother pay for this torture he was putting himself through to save his love. Jared had been so eager to go save
“I cannot and will not defend the actions of the late King, he was my father and I know him all too well. I was still a young prince then, Commander. What power did I have in court? I knew my father was a cruel man but there was no way I could stop him or challenge him. He was the king and powerful. At that time all I could think of was that when I because King, I would change everything and make everything right for the people. But where has that gotten me, new atrocities that he did come up every day even when it has been years ago. I should have opposed his actions a lot sooner than this, maybe the Kingdom would be more peaceful” He paused looking at Jared, “It took the King killing someone I love the most in the world for me to begin to fight his decisions. He had her poisoned, My mother…” He said sorrowfully“You still think I am involved in your father’s death. No, I am not, I heard from his Chief adviser at the time. The
The King’s palace was highly organized and had a vast number of soldiers protecting it in and out. The King’s Army was all around the palace. The palace was the special station of the King’s Army which further helped tighten the security of the King. All members of the King’s army were all present at the palace, they were specially trained and rigorously at that. When he had been assigned, he had to keep it away from his family. He never told his brother the truth, but he guessed Mike found out on his own. But Mike never said anything about it.The magnificent and mighty walls lining the King’s Palace had always given Jared a sense of pride and great confidence of being lucky to be a soldier of the King’s army, now he only felt trapped. Saluting other senior officers as they sat in the King’s Hall of attendance after a special meeting he had congratulated them on a job well done in clearing the town of miscreants… He had left w
Everyone sat about the Sanders Mansion with gloom written all over their faces after they had buried Nicholas Sanders in his home. Nicholas Sanders might not be well-liked by the townspeople but his last heroic act had come to the notice of the people and they all turned up in large amounts to mourn him. The burial had been a private one and quick one. The people around had only been invited to eat and take gifts home.Mrs Sanders was the most hit by her the loss of her husband, she had railed and wailed when she saw his lifeless body in the Stone Mansion. It had taken Mary and Catherine Stone to calm her down and explain the whole situation to her. She had gone mute ever since and had withdrawn from everyone so they all took turns to watch her every move. Mary sat with her mother in her room, consoling her. She loved her father a lot, She had been proud, being Mary Sanders but she guessed her mother missed him more, the way she was currently missing her husband a
Jared glared murderously at Ortom’s naked body displayed before him He wanted to tear his limbs apart. Mary ran to her husband, hurriedly putting what was left of her cloth back on. She held on to her husband, standing behind him. No words were said but Mary knew her saviour had come. She would be delusional for the minute and believe Jared Stone actually came to save her.Ortom sinister laugh brought the couple’s attention back to him, he stood up, flashing his bloodied wrist for them to see.Jared turned Mary to face him, her back to Ortom“You have to go now,” He said tenderly patting her hair, his anger growing as he surveyed the number of bruises on her skin, her wrists were bright red and the dried blood on them were beginning to peel off, she must have been badly injured“No, I will not leave you. You can’t make me do that. You need help with him. I can help you distract him. He is an evil man, he does not deserv
Jared knew he would never be able to forgive himself, if Mary got hurt from his recklessness, he should have killed Ortom when he first entered Western Creek.He always protected everyone else, he protected his brother, Evangeline he protected Western Creek, but never had he protected what was truly his, Mary was his and he had let her down.He had been unable to protect her father. And now she was in the hands of Ortom, who Jared knew, the monster won’t keep his hands to himself as Mary was within his reach.Ortom’s whereabouts was not a mystery to him as it was to Michael, He had once roamed the jungle so he knew all the places where hidden buildings lay. There was just one such upright building in Western Creek and it was a military fortress and easily accessible to Ortom and his goons. All other such fortresses in Western Creek were all in ruins.He had come across the building before on his many wandering. He had been greeted