"Hello."
"Um, hi," she started, stumbling over her words in surprise at the female voice. "I was given a card—"
"Name."
"My name? Leah."
"Do you have a pen, Leah?"
She reached over to the passenger seat and began tearing through her purse. "Yes."
"GPS won't bring you here. Take exit 75 off Highway 83. Go east about fifteen miles. If you hit the dead end, you've gone too far. Take the second gate. The code is 'Sanctuary.'" Knock on the door to your left."
A click sounded in her ear. She glanced at the empty screen on her phone then at the road ahead of her. She pulled away from the curb, repeatedly glancing at her screen, waiting to see it light up in the darkness. Her husband was a heavy sleeper, and even if he woke, he wouldn't care if he found himself in an empty bed. He would only care when he found the kitchen table empty, devoid of his daily breakfast and fresh coffee.
The diamond on her ring finger glinted as she merged onto the highway. It had been ten years, but she could still remember the weight of her white dress and the feel of its movement as he twirled her on the dance floor. She had been nineteen and certain the world would stop turning in awe of their love. The smile that had covered her face made her cheeks ache, but it was impossible to suppress. When she looked to him, she wondered if his felt the same.
Off they had run, into an awaiting limousine, then on her first flight. She held his hand as she stared out the window. She used to be terrified. The world was too large and she was too small. But her fear would disappear in his presence.
The sand had been hot, pressing between her toes as they ran hand in hand into the never ending water. Their mouths parted for only seconds at a time as the calm ocean surrounded them beneath a Hawaiian sky. Then came the Hawaiian rain, bringing them running from the beach back to their bed. Sand still stuck to their skin, falling to the sheets as his hands ran over her body.
"You're so beautiful," he had said as he rolled over, pulling her on top of him.
"I love you," she had murmured into his mouth as her tongue found his.
"Show me."
She pulled away from his taste, trailing her tongue down his chest. His hands followed her breasts, each caressing the handful her body had to offer until she moved out of his reach. Her tongue circled his tip, her eyes watching his as she covered him with her mouth.
"Do you like the taste of my cock, Wife?"
She closed her lips tighter in a wordless admission. His dark eyes held hers, his tongue tracing over his lips. She pulled back, allowing him to slip out of her mouth, then moved lower. The skin of his sac tasted like the salt of the ocean when she sucked it into her mouth. His torso shifted, his body shivering as she dragged her lips over the thin flesh. She nuzzled her face into him, inhaling his scent.
He sucked in a breath when her mouth moved back to his length, her tongue winding around it before her mouth closed over it. The tease was over. She sped up, sliding over him until he hit her throat. She no longer gagged at the sensation, an accomplishment she hoped made him proud.
She sat up, running her fingertips over him. He was hers. Not in sin as he had been before, but rightfully and righteously hers. "I love you, Husband," she whispered as she took him inside herself.
"I love you, too, Wife."
Exit 75 blurred in front of her tear soaked eyes. The road looped around, forcing her east. Grey clouds covered the starless sky, drifting over a waning moon, threatening the storm to come. She turned on her high beams, lighting the endless road ahead of her as it wound and curved through hills scattered with trees. The diamond glinted again, yelling at her as she drove farther into the darkness. She pulled it from her finger, shoving it in the glovebox and slamming the door closed.
"Do you like how my cock feels inside you?" It was the question he always asked, and the one she always answered with the same lie.
"Yes," she had moaned as she ground down on him, but her mind was running, racing back to where it always went. She wanted to take him with her. He was her husband, and she was his wife, and it was time for him to learn her darkest truth. She raised up onto her knees, her eyes never leaving his as his body slipped out of her own. She shifted, aligning him with the part of herself he had yet to claim.
His body tensed beneath hers as his tip began pressing into the unfamiliar entrance. "What are you doing?"
"I was thinking maybe we could try something... different."
"Are you serious?"
Her chest burned as she tried to find the words she'd never been able to speak.
He jerked up, his hands slamming into her chest as he shoved her from his body. "Do I look like a heathen, a sodomite or a fag?"
She crashed to the floor, shaking as she scrambled to her feet. "No—"
"You think I'm going to allow you to drag me to hell with you?"
She swerved onto the side of the road, shoving her gearshift into park as the tears soaked her skin. She had refused to release them for too long, the numbness she had lived inside far too comforting. Now the world was too blurred in front of her and too dark behind her. She buried her head in her hands, unsure which way to go, unsure if it mattered. The devil was waiting for her either way.
Headlights assaulted her in the darkness, the accusatory white beams washing over her from behind. The black limousine slowed as it passed, stopping several feet in front of her. Her hand flew to her door, her finger shoving down on the lock when the limo began to back up. She stared into the red taillights, frantically wiping the tears from her face.
The side door opened, a man in a dark coat stepping out onto the road. "Are you okay?" he yelled as he approached her car.
She squinted, trying to see him more clearly, the red lights shifting like shadows over his body.
He leaned towards her window, blue eyes and a white smile welcoming her in as he peered down at her. "Are you lost?"
Her hands clasped together in her lap, refusing to roll down the window. "No. I'm fine. Thank you."
"Are you sure?"
She nodded, trying to force her lips into a convincing curve.
"Where are you headed?"
"A friend's house."
"Down this road?"
She tore away from his stare, looking down at her hands. "Yes."
His smile widened as he took a step back from her car. "And you're sure you don't need any help?"
"I'm sure, thank you."
He turned, the red lights illuminating the outline of his body before he disappeared into the back of the limo.
She watched until the red faded away into nothing, leaving her in a quiet darkness. Her eyes moved to the rearview mirror, unsurprised when they saw the wreck reflecting back towards her. Her fingers combed through tangled blonde hair before fanning at red splotched skin.
Wind ripped through the air, assaulting her car, whispering and hissing its warning. She pulled back onto the road, searching for any sign of a gate. Black pavement, barbed wire fences and overgrown grass was all that surrounded her. Drops hit against her windshield, scattering over the glass as she stepped on the gas pedal.
Stacked brick pillars came into view, slowing her down. Her hands tightened around the steering-wheel as she rolled past the iron gate. Another set of pillars came into view, a matching iron gate hanging between them. She stepped on the brake, staring at the entryway to the unknown. The wrought iron gave no hints of what was hidden down the road behind it.
Her heart throbbed in her head as she rolled down her window. She reached towards the keypad, pressing the single button in the center. A beep sounded, then nothing. She stared at the grey box, searching for a hint. She pressed the button again, the same beep sounding before leaving her in silence. The woman had told her there was a code, but she couldn't find anywhere on the box to enter it. She unbuckled her seatbelt, leaning out her window as she pressed the button a third time. "Sanctuary!" she yelled into the air, the word like a prayer on her lips.
The gate creaked, its movement as heavy as her heart as it rolled open. Trees and brush lit up as she drove forward, lining the dirt path. Branches and leaves covered the sky, creating a tunnel of greens and browns. They shifted in the cold wind, dancing as they surrounded her.
There was no light at the end beckoning her to it. The tunnel ended abruptly, shocking her when the castle came into view. Massive walls of grey stone rose towards the heavens, the pinnacles of the towers pointing to the night sky.
Several cars appeared out of place, too modern to blend into the landscape. She parked next to them, her hands shaking as she grabbed her purse and duffle bag. Wind tore through her hair as she made her way to the left door, the smooth wood unmarked. She shivered as she raised her arm, holding her breath as she lightly knocked.
The door swung open, a naked woman peering out towards her. "Leah?"
Her heart froze, her eyes staring at the collar around the woman's neck, tracing the circle engraved in the metal.
"Are you Leah?" the woman prompted again.
"Yes." She exhaled, reminding herself to breathe. "That's me."
The woman stepped to the side, gesturing for her to follow.
She glanced around the small room, wondering if she would be told her clothes needed to be added to those already stacked on the shelves. The woman remained silent, continuing out into a long hallway.
She followed closely, watching the woman's dark hair shift over her back as she walked. Her eyes moved lower, noticing the red stripes covering the pale skin below the woman's waist and over her thighs. A glint among the red caught the light, the heat rushing to her face when she recognized the jeweled base of a butt plug attempting to hide between the woman's cheeks. The woman's hips shifted with each step, the shimmer hypnotic.
The woman turned into a small room. "Wait here," she said, pointing to the center of the floor.
She hesitated before sinking to her knees, setting her purse and duffle bag on the ground beside her. The woman turned, disappearing back out the door behind her.
