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  He pulled away, frowning and smoothing her forehead with his hand. “Did I hurt you?”

  “No. No, Brishan, of course not. I’m just…it’s just that…” She wanted the ground to open and swallow her whole, until she could make up something to say. Anything but the truth of the gatekeeper’s drooling lips flashing before her eyes as Brishan’s tongue had touched hers.

  “My sweet fairy,” he murmured under his breath. “I know you haven’t done this before, please don’t be embarrassed, it’s all new for you.”

  Relief at Brishan’s misinterpretation rushed through her and she sat up, tentatively touching his shoulder. “It was just…a shock.” Not a complete lie, at least.

  “Claudia, I didn’t know a girl like you existed. The first moment I saw you, running down to the lake, with that look of wonder on your angel face.” He sat up, a slight frown tugging at his eyebrows as if he was trying to find the right words. “I thought all my dreams had come true. I waited that day, as patiently as I could, dying to, well…” He laughed softly. “I couldn’t help it. I had to drag you away from the others, just for a moment, to see if you were real.”

  Claudia smiled, all thoughts of the gatekeeper disappearing beneath his green gaze. She thought back to the moment they’d met. “And I was thinking you must be far too old to believe in fairies.”

  “Ah, see, I’ve proven you wrong. You are a fairy. My fairy. And I challenge anyone to prove otherwise!” With that he pulled her to her feet, catching her in a tight hug. She pressed her face into his chest and felt her whole body soften and relax into his embrace.

  Night had fallen. She could see the outline of the chateau in the distance, beckoning with cold tendrils, wrapping firmly around her neck, even within the warmth of Brishan’s arms.

  Chapter Five

  Shattered Silence

  The cool water lapping at her skin didn’t quench the fire inside her body. Brishan’s now familiar hands caressed her legs, her stomach, her back as he lifted her towards the centre of the lake.

  It had become their favourite place, the magical body of water at the bottom of the valley. Here, they were left in peace, away from the knowing glances of the older gypsies. The first time Claudia had swum in the lake, three weeks ago now, she’d thought nothing on earth could equal such pleasure; apart from Brishan’s hands and soft mouth playing on her neck.

  Today, Sunday, they’d eaten an afternoon snack of freshly baked bread and cheese she’d brought from Margaret’s kitchen, before running to immerse themselves in the silvery depths. It was so cold it took their breath away, despite the heat of the summer sun.

  Claudia wore her only swimsuit, another ridiculous present from her mother, while Brishan swam shirtless in his black shorts. She never tired of gazing at the muscles rippling through his stomach. His biceps clenched when he carried her in the water, and she loved to feel his back as his powerful legs kicked to keep them afloat.

  “You need to learn how to swim, it’s dangerous not to know.”

  “Okay, teach me.” She smiled. She liked the challenge.

  “Mm, I can think of more enjoyable things to teach you right now.”

  “Such as?” Claudia caught her breath as his fingers trailed down her spine.

  “Such as, what it feels like to be naked in the water.” Brishan raised his eyebrows and a slow smile spread across his face.

  “Is that what you used to do with your other girlfriend?” Claudia joked, but felt a curious, gnawing resentment in the pit of her stomach at she thought of the hazel-eyed girl.

  “Does that still bother you?” His smile was gone in an instant.

  “No.” Yes.

  “Has Misha been bothering you?”

  “No, I barely see her. In fact, I think she hides whenever I’m at camp.”

  “Oh, I know she does. I was actually hoping she could get to know you, as I do. Well, not quite as I know you.” His lips curled in another smile before he looked closely at her, eyes suddenly full of concern. “Claudia, we’ve spoken of this. Misha and I…we’ve known each other since we were in nappies and we…we experimented, that’s all.”

  She lowered her eyes and began to play with the straps of her swimsuit, picking hard at the stitching. “I guess.”

  “Misha and I are friends; she is not my fairy queen.” Again, he smiled. “Now, back to our lesson for today.”

  Claudia giggled despite herself. “What if someone sees us?”

  “No one will come down here, they know it’s our time.”

  “Okay, but only if you promise not to look.” I can experiment, just like the hazel-eyed Misha.

  Brishan laughed. “What’s the fun if I can’t look?”

  Claudia frowned.

  “Okay, I promise.” Brishan pushed her towards the shallow side of the lake so she could touch the bottom. Claudia bent so her entire body was in the water and quickly removed her swimsuit, laughing through her nerves.

  Brishan grinned and struggled out of his shorts, throwing them on top of hers on the grassy bank. “How do you feel?” The smile was gone from his face.

  She suppressed a shiver. “Cold.”

  “Walk out further, so you can stand up straight.”

  She waded in, amazed at the power of the water caressing her limbs without the distraction of clothes in between. Claudia was very close to Brishan now. His eyes narrowed and his jaw clenched as he stared at her bared shoulders. Ever so slowly, his hand surfaced to stroke her collarbone with a feathery touch, from one end to the other.

  Claudia closed her eyes and sighed. A mellow breeze lifted her hair and strands tickled her cheeks. She swayed back and forth on legs that wanted to float and her arms spread over the surface of the lake, fingers skimming the surface.

  His palms now covered her chest, moving to mould themselves around her shoulders and down the back of her arms. Fingertips grazed the sides of her stomach and made circular pathways from the small of her back to her neck.

  A whole hand came to rest on her breast.

  Claudia screamed, the sound cutting through the valley and shattering the silence. Fear and images of the gatekeeper exploded through her mind in lightening quick flashes. Her nipple, hard and stiff, protested the feeling of a hand resting there, and she cringed in anticipation of pain.

  “Claudia? What is it sweetheart?” Brishan’s broken voice betrayed his panic. She covered her face with both hands and tried to sink into the silence of the lake. He caught her, picking her up as if she were a baby, and carried her to shore. There, he placed her down in the sun on the grass and covered her quickly with her clothes, whispering soothing words in her ear and gently smoothing wet hair from her face.

  “Claudia!” Dane’s voice echoed among the trees as he crashed through them, standing above her in seconds.

  Claudia felt a deep cold in her bones and could only stare up at him, scared and confused. Dane bent down and gently began to dress her, looking into her eyes the whole time with kindness. She stretched a trembling hand toward his cheek and he held it there with his own, strong and solid and safe.

  Come now, little one, we must get you warm again,” Dane said, before lifting her and cradling her body into his chest.

  The sun streamed down with heat as Dane lowered her on a blanket. Oriana appeared and began to fuss over her, drying her hair and rubbing her arms. Brishan disappeared and returned with a mug of steaming tea. He held it up to her lips and she took small sips, feeling its hot spiciness soothe her throat and warm her insides.

  “What on earth happened?” Claudia heard Dane whisper to Brishan. She watched as Brishan’s cheeks coloured deep red and she ached to reassure him, but her vocal cords seemed dry and inactive.

  “I…we were swimming naked and I…”

  “It’s okay, Brishan, just tell us, so we know how to help her,” Oriana said, looking from Dane to Brishan with a deep frown.

  “I touched her…here.” Brishan pointed to his own chest. “And she screamed, as if in pain.�
� Brishan’s voice was so filled with distress that Claudia wanted to hold him; tell him it wasn’t his fault. Yet she couldn’t…wanted only the safety of Dane’s presence.

  “Claudia, precious, are you hurt?” Dane asked, rubbing her arms with quick, warming strokes.

  Claudia shook her head. How to explain the torture of the gatekeeper? Brishan would never hurt her, inherently she knew. But those parts of her, the private parts of her, had only been touched by the gatekeeper. She wanted to die with shame and tears began to stream, unchecked, down her cheeks.

  “I think we should ask Lenny to take her home, Dane, I’ll speak with her tomorrow, when she’s had a chance to calm down.” Oriana’s soothing voice broke through the turmoil in Claudia’s head and she glanced at the older woman, hoping Oriana could see how grateful she was. She needed to go home to her bed, to think, to breathe and recover

  Huddled under the covers that night, dry and warm, Claudia hugged Spotty and tried to stop the flow of tears. She didn’t get a chance to wipe her eyes before the familiar sound of keys clattered through the halls. She sat up, trying to press her back into the wall as if she might disappear inside it. Why isn’t he at the security post? She’d thought she was safe from the gatekeeper, now that the gypsies were back.

  She’d thought wrong.

  The gatekeeper pushed open her bedroom door. He stalked her; she’d seen Spotty hunt mice the same way…slowly, deliberately, quietly. She started to cry as he sat on the bed. The mattress dipped under his weight and her body rolled into him as he tugged the sheet down. Sobs ripped through her chest, tearing at her throat.

  For the first time during one of the gatekeeper’s visits, she sensed Snow-White and Rose-Red; she heard their fluttering and the musical chime of their unintelligible voices ringing loudly. She let her mind scream out, telling them to hurry — find Dane, find Brishan, bring help. Anything to save her from the hell she was about to endure.

  The sheet was gone, discarded on the floor. She felt cool air on her breasts as they were bared open to the nightmarish figure towering over her. He pushed his mouth onto hers, attacking her face and blocking her airways. Fat hands probed at her underwear, roughly tugging until it tore completely, leaving her naked and vulnerable to his wild, violent gaze.

  She closed her legs against the onslaught, but her thigh muscles were no match for his strong hands, pulling her legs apart, ripping his own trousers off and pointing his ugly, swollen ‘thing’ towards her. She wished she didn’t know the things Oriana had told her, for now she knew what was coming. Strangely, she wondered why he hadn’t gone this far before.

  Oh my God.

  He’d been waiting, waiting for her youth to blossom into womanhood. Womanhood that was now being torn apart.

  Claudia knew what he’d do if she screamed — he’d kill her beloved pet, or possibly…me. Yet a long, howling yell escaped her mouth as the hard member poked and prodded, trying to force its way in. A hand clamped down on her face, smelling of grease, forcing her mouth to close and her teeth to shudder. She bit down on her tongue, tasting the metallic sting of blood as she fought to breathe through her nose.

  Fierce pain burned in her groin as he pushed harder, tearing her skin as her opening gave way.

  The door to her bedroom swung open with violent force.

  Dane stormed in, eyes wild with fury, screaming her name, hurling himself at the gatekeeper and dragging him away from Claudia. She gasped to catch her breath as the gypsy threw the obese man to the ground and wound his strong hands around the fat neck.

  The gatekeeper’s eyes bulged as he struggled to breathe. Dane squeezed harder, wringing the life out of the man beneath him. Claudia dragged herself from the bed, nightgown hanging in tatters around her ankles, trying to reach out to Dane, anxious to save him from his own anger.

  No, let Dane kill him.

  For one moment, Dane turned, reaching out to touch her face. “Are you all right, Claudia?” His voice was unrecognisably harsh, but quiet and low.

  Claudia just stared at him.

  The sharp click of a switch sounded abnormally loud in her head and light flooded the room.

  “Stop right there, you! The police have been called. If you move, I will shoot.”

  Claudia’s knees buckled as she heard the voice of her teacher. Mr Campbell stood at the door, shotgun aimed at Dane’s head. The gypsy slowly lifted his hands from the gatekeeper’s neck and a raw, rattling gasp for air escaped the monster’s throat.

  Margaret stood behind the teacher, her hands grasping her heaving chest. Running footsteps down the hall signalled the arrival of Lenny and they all stood at the door, the three lonely adults of the house, staring at the scene in her bedroom. Claudia grabbed the remnants of her nightgown to her body and stood, feeling her body rise, tall and straight.

  An overwhelming sense of calm rushed through her aching limbs and she faced the stunned audience, courage coursing through her blood.

  “Lower your gun.” Her voice sounded low and guttural as she stared at her teacher. Mr Campbell’s mouth opened with a ready retort that didn’t come.

  “The monster on the ground is the person the police will take away. Dane…Dane just…saved me.” She looked towards the gypsy and he ran to her, gathering her in his arms. He led her gently to the bed and cradled her head on his chest, smoothing her hair and rocking her body as she sobbed. Claudia gave in to the tears, watching as they spread onto the gypsy’s red shirt.

  “Remove your hands from her this minute.” Mr Campbell moved towards the bed, his arm straight and stiff with the gun still firmly clenched in his hand.

  Lenny gripped Mr Campbell’s elbow, pushing him away from the bed. “Give me the weapon, you stupid old fool, or point it at that bastard on the floor.” His lips quivered as he spoke and his eyes flicked to Claudia. “Come on, lass, let’s get you out of here.”

  “How dare you, man! The gatekeeper can hardly be blamed for doing his job, and as for this…thief…” his eyes came to rest on Dane “…he must be held accountable for his trespassing. Yes, yes, Margaret, get the girl out of here, but you”—Mr Campbell’s eyes fixed on Lenny—“explain yourself this instant.”

  “Good Lord have mercy on us all.” Margaret, moving from the doorway as if startled from a dream, shuffled to the bed. “Miss Claudia…oh you poor child…you poor, poor child.” Margaret caught Claudia’s cheeks in her hands, tugging her from Dane’s embrace, muttering and sobbing, her head moving from side to side.

  “Someone…explain…this…instant.” Mr Campbell’s monotone voice sliced through Margaret’s hysterics.

  “Don’t you see? Don’t you see what’s been happening all this time, under our very noses? I knew something was off about him, always creeping around the halls, leering at me when he thought I wasn’t looking…oh good God…I’m so sorry…I can’t believe…” Margaret gripped Claudia’s hands, holding tight as she slumped to the ground.

  Claudia watched as Lenny bent down to pat the housekeeper’s shoulder. She realised that Dane had been wrapping her in a soft, warm sheet while Margaret spoke. He steered her towards the bathroom, his voice low and commanding, speaking to the housekeeper he’d never met.

  “Margaret, Claudia will need a doctor. From what I hear about you, I know you’ll be able to organise this for me. Yes?” The gypsy’s hypnotic voice calmed Margaret’s hysteria and she stood up, sniffling and nodding her head. “Lenny, please, would you be so kind as to go downstairs and wait for the police?” Dane turned to fix a steady gaze on Mr Campbell. “You must be Claudia’s tutor?”

  Mr Campbell nodded, his head jerking in two swift movements.

  “The gun isn’t necessary, but thank you for wanting to protect Claudia. I know you mean well.” Dane’s voice faltered only when he looked back at the gatekeeper. “The man is unconscious and will remain so until the police arrive.”

  “How do you know? Who are you? Do you honestly mean to tell me…” Mr Campbell’s eyes widened as he scanned the ga
tekeeper’s motionless form.

  “I understand your confusion. Claudia has been visiting us, during our stay on the land. We mean her no harm, and right now I’m only concerned about her, so please, put the gun away, we’ve seen enough violence.” Dane held his hand out towards the teacher, palm up, as if taming a wild horse.

  Mr Campbell looked from Dane, to Lenny, to Margaret. The housekeeper nodded, confirming the truth of Dane’s words. All colour left the tutor’s face. “All of you leave this room. Now. I will guard him until the police arrive.”

  Margaret quickly gathered clothes for Claudia and ushered her into the bathroom. Claudia was numb. Numb and thoughtless as she was dressed. She could barely feel Dane’s arms as he carried her out again, down the hall to the servant’s quarters, into Margaret’s room. Soon, someone else arrived, a man speaking with a thick, sharp Czech accent. He pushed a needle into her forearm. What did he say? Something about pain? There was no pain, when there should have been.

  Bang.

  A sound, so explosive, she felt her teeth shudder. Dane’s hand suddenly left her forehead and in its place was icy cold air. Footsteps echoed up the hall, running, someone was yelling. Then the hand was back. Dane’s hand, hot on her forehead, stroking her growing panic into silence.

  Morning dawned and, for a moment, her thoughts lingered on Brishan, swimming in the lake…drops of water sliding down his naked chest.

  What would it be like, to wake up with him in my bed? My bed…

  Her stomach clenched and she sat up, gasping for air. Her surroundings were unfamiliar, dark and quiet and the walls were closing in, making it hard to breathe.

  “Claudia, you’re safe; safe with us. Shh…” Oriana’s soft voice entered her mind and she turned to find the gypsy lying beside her, in the strange bed.

  Dane walked over from the other side of the wagon, to sit beside her, a placating hand reaching for her own. “Relax, precious one. We will not leave your side. I promise.”

  She breathed deeply and allowed herself to be led back onto the soft pillows, closing her eyes against memories and drifting towards the soothing spell of familiar voices.