Golden [Bedtime stories 1] by Joyee Flynn Page A

could my life have ended up like this? Instead of them being happy I inadvertently helped Bash… I was the bad guy?
I knelt on the floor and opened up one of my bags, pulling out a framed picture of my mother. Staring at it for several moments, I started to get angry. “How could you do this to me? Nothing would have changed if you hadn’t told father I wasn’t his. Or if you had told us both years ago, he could have gotten over it. I could have found my real father even! You should have just drowned me as a baby.”
That’s when I realized the time had come to run. I finally was at the point where possible death and living on the run was better than facing Boris’s wrath again. I quickly dressed and packed as much of my jewelry-lined clothes into a bag, forsaking all my other possessions.
Then I opened the window and checked to make sure no one was around. I heard them at the back of the house and dropped my bag down. Realizing I’d break a limb in the fall, I quickly pulled the sheets off the bed and tied them together. I pushed the bed to the window and used the weight to secure the sheets. Then I climbed down the side of the house, careful of the windows in case someone was looking out of them.
Once I was on the ground safely I picked up my bag and ran. I couldn’t stay there and live like this. Yes, I was falling in love with Boone and had feelings for Boris. But nothing was going to change. I was still their slave and I couldn’t live a life like that, waiting for Boris to blow up at me over something else yet again.
I ran for as long as I could, wishing I had some provisions. I was thirsty and hungry already, not even having a chance to eat breakfast before this all happened. Then I walked for what seemed like hours. I swore I was heading in the same direction Bash had taken me to the village but everything looked the same. I was lost.
Watch, I’d end up walking right back to the house I was running from after all this effort. I collapsed to the ground, long since needing a break. Several minutes later I heard the stomping of horses running and ducked behind a tree.
“This is your fault,” Boone bellowed as they came closer to where I was.
“I know it is. Stop reminding me and keep your eyes open for him,” Boris shouted right back. “His scent went this way and he’s got to be close. Golden!”
Right, because I was going to announce where I was. But they were closing in on me and would find me. I got to my feet and ran, hiding behind trees as I went in the hopes that maybe I would be hidden from them.
“There! Golden, stop!” Boone yelled as I heard his horse head towards my direction. I’d never be able to outrun a horse but I wasn’t ready to give up yet either. I kept running as fast as I could, ignoring the horses and men barreling down on me. My foot got caught in some underbrush and I went down hard and heard a sickening snap of my shoulder.
“Shit,” Boris growled as he jumped down from his horse. I bit my lip to keep in the cry of pain as I tried my best to scurry away from him. Yeah, I knew trying was futile at this point but sometimes instinct just kicked in. He was pissed before and now that I’d run he was going to be livid. “Why did you run from us?”
I just stared at him like he’d grown a second and third head. Was he really that dense?
“Don’t touch me,” I screamed as he crouched down by me. “You said you’d never hurt me! You promised.”
“I did,” he replied with a nod. “Why do you think that has changed?”
“There’s a hole in the wall of my room that shows how little control you have over your anger,” I answered firmly, clutching my limp arm to my body. “And once again you’re saying I’m going to the whorehouse. I thought last night meant something to you.”
“It did,” he sighed and lifted me into his arms, my fighting barely affecting him. “Stop, okay. Just stop. You dislocated your shoulder and you’re only hurting yourself.”
“Where’s