Him and I (Declan Harp)

Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Anna

The ship is once again my new home for the period of time I'm on it. And trust me when I say, I hate every minute of it.

It feels like I'm getting sick every ten minutes and it doesn't matter how many times I eat, I feel like I haven't consumed anything half the time. I know that most of it is in my mind, but it still doesn't help.

Yet, here I was, a plate full of food in front of me with the scum of the earth sitting across from it. I did my best to eat what I could, but my fear that something still might be poisoned stuck to my mind.

"I apologize for the state of the biscuits," Benton said, referring to the stale biscuit I was munching on.

Yeah, tell me about it.

Sitting the half eaten biscuit down, I glared at Benton. "I will not sit here and pretend you're not the man I know, Benton. You brought me down here for a reason. Just say it."

It was true, usually Benton stayed away from me, letting me be. Now, he asked me to dinner and even took my chains off of me. It was a relief, but I still wasn't willing to sit here and act like I wasn't being held against my will.

Now that Grace was gone, I felt more alone then normal. Chaulk was left behind and I can only imagine what Declan might be doing to get information out of her. I know Grace wouldn't let anything bad happen to her, but even she could agree that Chaulk wasn't always trustworthy at times.

Benton's voice brought me back to my glare towards him. "I can't help but wonder... When Declan came to save you and realized it was Miss. Emberly, he yelled "Where are they?" Now, he and I both knew that I wouldn't just be down there. So why he'd even ask where I was is quiet... odd. Don't you think?"

Shit.

My eyes immediately looked down, fear setting in my hand which caused them to shake slightly.

"Unless, he was looking for more than just you and Miss. Emberly."

He was discovering the truth, he was finding all of my secrets out. And he was enjoying it. He was enjoying watching me shift uncomfortable and move my eyes away from him only to return towards him in a warning look.

Benton wasn't ready to cross this line, trust me. I might not be at my full strength and there might not be a whole lot here for me to use as a weapon, but I'd still do everything I could to kiss this monster before he touched my unborn child.

Getting the hint, he smirked and adjusted his fork that sat on his half eaten plate. "Don't worry my dear. I won't touch your baby. No. I have bigger plans for it."

Something came over me, a new found strength that I thought was lost on land with Declan. My actions were quick while my mind seemed to switch off. Before I knew it, I was across the table, my hands clamped around his throat tightly.

My actions caused Benton to tumble backwards, bringing me forward onto him. But my grip didn't let go, instead grew harder as I breathed heavily through clenched teeth. This was it, my chance to kill him and get off this bloody ship. To save my unborn child and myself. To get back home, to my husband.

But my dreams were quickly yanked away like I was from Benton. Two guards had their grip on my arms and pulled and yanked my struggling body off of him. I seemed to growl and hiss as I fought against them. But as quickly as this new strength was found, it vanished with the wind.

Now, I was just standing there, held by two guards, as I breathed heavily through the fallen pieces of my hair. My eyes bore holes in his head as Benton stood up and straightened himself.

"Mrs. Harp, you may hate me, which is understandable. But if you ever try that again, I'll string you up this ship and watch you dangle."

"Not before I rip you apart and pin you to the sail of this ship," I hiss at him, my voice holding more venom when a scorpion.

With those words as my last towards Benton for now, I was yanked out of his quarter and back up to the ship deck. The two guards brought me back over to the pole I had found comfort in leaning against before, and chained me to it. They grabbed a spare blanket and threw it aimlessly towards me, seeming to think the thin piece of cloth draped loosely over my legs would keep me warm.

I sat there in silence, my heart still racing and my mind still fuzzy. The cold air seemed to have dropped since I was inside, making my teeth chatter.

Luckily, and also sadly, the ship ride was short. I found myself being unchained and a proper blanket wrapped around my shaking body as I exited the ship. Of course, Benton led the way towards a carriage, my heart skipping a beat at the sight.

Carriage? This meant we were staying here for a while. Long enough, hopefully, for Declan to find me, find us.

The second we arrived at a large castle, my eyes pushed together in confusion and I looked at Benton. "Where are we?"

"My home," Benton said with a proud smile.

I rolled my eyes at the man before me as the carriage came to a stop at the front gate where two guards stood. One guard opened the door, letting Benton out first with me to follow. My hand shot to the blanket, pulling it closer to me as the cool air sat around me.

"Welcome back, sir," The guard addressed Benton.

Benton nodded towards the guard with one of his trickster smiles. "Thank you. It's good to be here at last. This is Mrs. Anna Harp. She'll be staying with us as our guest indefinitely."

"Ah, I will show Mrs. Harp to her room," The guard said.

His words made me shoot daggers at him with my glare, causing the guard to slightly take a step back. Clearly, he saw that leading me wasn't going to be an option, so he instead kept his distance and hopped I'd follow him throughout the castle.

Much to the guard's luck, I declined the tour offer and instead followed him up some large stairs and onto the second floor. It was much darker, but like the first floor, it felt like fire was lit around the building, making it warm.

A large wooden door sat in front of me, not long after. With the guard's key he unlocked the door and pushed it open. My feet carried me inside slowly, afraid that if I moved to quickly I'd miss something. Like a guard charging for me or a trap.

The first thing my eyes caught was the furniture. Its antic looks made the place feel expensive.

Then, my eyes spotted a figure in a chair, it's back turned to me so all I could see was his mostly bald head. My eyes moved together in confusion, my attention away from the guard that was closing the door behind me.

"Who is it?" The figure asked, making me recognize it as a man's voice.

My boots moved across the wood flooring as I approached the chair. I turned, hoping to get a good view of the man. When I did, my mouth parted in shock, seeming to share in the man's reaction as well.

"Anna?" The man's words slipped out so simple.

"Dad?" I asked, as if trying to make sure it was him.

When I was sure I wasn't being tricked with some type of poison and I blinked a few times, I realized that the man sitting before me was real. The man I haven't seen in years.

The man I may hate just as much as Benton.

Sorry this is such a short chapter but there wasn't a lot here for Anna. Next chapter in Anna's POV will be deep and will reveal the relationship between her father and her and why she hates him so much.

Let me know what you think in the comments!