The Devil's Mask

chapter 6

  I ran towards the light of the barn holding the bag close to me. The back yard was only lit by the moonlight threw our big oak trees.  I saw tourches held by what i presumed was men in the sides and front yard.

  I moved along the darker spots so i had to make a u shape along the yard.

I was so worried that i was being followed that i didnt see anyone infront of me.
It wasnt till i basically hit a wall that relized there wasnt suppose to be a wall there.

I looked up and saw the handsome man from the bakery. The one with the blueish grey eyes.

He had reached out and stopped me from falling.

    We stared at each other for a moment. Me in mortified that ive been caught and him in anger and confusion.

  "Its you." He breathed.
His voice was deep, but silky smooth at the same time.

  I wanted him to say something else. I totally forgot i was suppose to be running for my life away from him and the group of men he was with.

   I opened my mouth to ask a question but he stopped me by pulling me into his arms protectively.

"Shit." He said under his breath. "Just my fucking luck." He continued as he pulled me into the barn and closed the doors. He stood still for a moment me in his arms. I had rested my head against his chest and i was holding onto him for support.

  I was caught, i didnt know what to do. Wether to beg for my life or accept my fate.
As i was making that decision he already made his. I didnt notice he was fighting with himself over what to do with me.
He pushed me away from himself harshly. I tripped over my cloak and fell straight to the floor.
  
  I looked up at him and he looked down at me.

   "I cant believe 'you' are 'his' daughter." He practically scolded me.

   I opened my mouth again but he rushed back to the back stall where i kept Pepper. Pepper reared up on his back legs when the man came in his stall.

Thank god the horse wasnt as vocal as the others or we would have caught the attention of the others.

   The man grabbed Pepper by the reigns that was still on him from this morning and pulled him down on all fours.

    "Can you ride without a saddle?" He asked pulling my horse out of the stall.

   I looked at him confused.
"What?" I demanded.

He turned looked at me in shock. Like a lightning bolt just came out of my mouth.
  
   "Can you right the damn horse without a saddle? Because if not you will be caught. We dont want to weight the poor animal down too much." He was talking threw his teeth. Like he was so angry.

    I nodded and got up holding my bag to my side.

     "I can." Was all i said. I noticed how tense he got the more i talked.

    "Well then, come over here." He demanded. I started too but then i relized my box was hidden in here.
I turned quickly and went over to basically the wall of hay. My arms reaching in the back searching for it.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?" He almost yelled at me.

    He raced over and pulled me back. Good thing when he did i brought out my box full of little trinkets i held dear. I opened it to reveal a necklace in the center of the small box. There was other things in there but the necklace was important.
It was my mothers the only thing i held dear.  The only thing that was important then my own life. It was a opal stone jewel that was the size of a coin with gold all around it with a gold long chain.

He watched me almost in shock at what i was getting. But then he smirked and rolled his eyes as i put it around my neck it fell just above my breast.

"Women and their pretty things." He said looking at the necklace.

I glared at him wich he smirked at me.

He then pulled me over to pepper and picked me up easily and sat me on the horse.  I looked at him confused. And he looked up at me. There was something about the way he looked at me that scared me, but it was comforting at the same time.

"Which way are you heading?" He asked softly.

   "Why would i tell you?" I frowned.

"So maybe i have a chance of leading the others away?" He basically growled at me, his eyes turning black.

He wasnt human.

   I gasped. Wich made him turn away so i couldnt see his face.

   After a breif moment i answered him hoping it was my best chance.

  "To the north.." was all i said. He looked up at me. His expression held worry, and another expression that i only recognize  because it was the way my father wojld look at my mother before they had to be apart from one another. But why would he look at me like that? He didnt know me.

  "Stay off the roads." He advised going to open the doors to the barn.

  I put my heel against Peppers side asking him to walk forward.

   I made Pepper stop when we were infront of the man who was saving my life.
I reached down to give him my small box of treasures wich he accepted.

It was a few letters that i saved from my mother and father, a drawing of me my brother drew the year before he went missing, a few other things of jewelry and my mothers silver hair comb. He could sell the jewelry and comb for a good piece of money, if he wanted. It was the least i could do for his trouble.

His fingers grazed mine sending a shock threw me. I looked into his eyes amazed with the feelings going threw me.

"Why are you helping me?" I asked in a hushed voice.

   He looked up at me. He looked like he was struggling with himself. He was panting and seeming to have to fight threw something going inside of him.

He looked over my face one last time before answering.
 
   "I don't know." He slapped peppers side hard making Pepper start running out of the barn. I almost fell off it was so sudden but i held on and looked over my shoulder.

  The male was watching her ride off into the night.