A Thief for a Bride

Thief for a Bride (chapter ten - The Theft)

I'm baaaack! :) Sorry it's been so dang long since I posted last :( Posts will come regularly from now on! Enjoy! :D

Genevieve ran through a field of tall grass with Crispin hot on her heels. She was sure she would feel his hand on her back any second now and he would shout 'you're it'. But soon his steps became softer and softer until everything grew quiet. Genevieve looked around and saw she was completely alone; Crispin had fallen behind. She suddenly heard someone call her name but it sounded so far away.

Genevieve awoke but didn't open her eyes when she heard two men talking. One was definitely Desmond and the other sounded like the man she had seen in the hallway. They were speaking in hushed tones by the fireplace in Desmond's room while she lay on the bed under the covers.

"What did you say to her, Stephan?" Desmond asked for the second time that day.

"I only told her that she reminded me of her father," Stephan replied innocently. "Which she does, I must say. She looks exactly like her mother as well. Why won't you let me tell her?"

"You saw what happened today," Desmond snapped. "Telling her too much at one time may only make her worse. It's just better if she doesn't know the truth until everything is done."

"And then what?" Stephan asked. "Will you just keep hiding the truth from her just to keep her safe? If Claude ever finds out-"

"Why is everyone so worried about Claude finding out?!" Desmond demanded. "He won't find out, everything will go as planned and no one is going to get hurt."

"Except you."

"That's a chance you and I were willing to take."

Genevieve turned to see it was her father who was calling her name. She started running for the house when she stopped short at the sight of strangers with her father. She didn't know all of her father's friends but from the look of things they weren't friends at all. Suddenly one of the men pulled out a knife and stabbed her father in the back.

"Daddy!" Genevieve screamed.

Genevieve jumped awake and found she was in her own room again. She heard a tapping on the window and turned to see Paul. Even with his mask on she could still tell it was him by the eagle on his mask. She got out of bed and threw a robe on before opening the window.

"You, my dear, are late," he said as he took off his mask. "Did you over sleep?"

"Something like that," Genevieve muttered. "Give me five minutes." Paul nodded and told her to meet him outside the gate. Genevieve closed the window and tiptoed to the door. She found it was locked and assumed that meant Desmond was in bed. She kept playing the night's events and her dream over and over in her head but couldn't decide what to believe. She knew the older man knew her somehow but she couldn't remember what that word 'nipote' meant, only that she had heard it before.

She shook her head and focused on the task at hand. She thought about the Raven as she dressed for the night and felt anxiety welling in her at the thought of his reaction to her being late. She made her way out to the gate just as easily as she had the night before and saw Paul waiting on the other side. She climbed over and landed right next to him, but the man didn't flinch in the slightest. They walked in silence for a few minutes.

"Is he angry?" Genevieve asked and she knew Paul understood who she meant.

"A little disappointed, I think," Paul said honestly, "but, no, I wouldn't say Raven is one to get angry about something like this." He probably had no idea that Genevieve would rather have someone yell at her than tell her they were disappointed. Whatever the Raven thought she would take it. It was her fault she was late, whether she wanted to blame it on the celebration or not. She suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder and gasped before sidestepping into Paul. The Raven stood behind her but, as always, she couldn't read his expression.