Their Pretty Little Stepmom

Chapter four

"I asked a question," Jeff repeated, his voice dropping into a low, menacing purr that echoed off the high ceiling of the mezzanine.

Sarah’s heart was drumming a frantic rhythm against her ribs. The sight of Jeff’s predatory behavior with the staff member was still burned into her retina, but the fear for herself was rapidly overtaking her shock. She felt small, exposed in her thin silk slip, while the cold air of the manor seemed to bite at her bare shoulders.

"Please," she whispered, her voice trembling. "Let me go, Jeff. I won't say anything to your father. I promise."

Jeff’s grip on her arm tightened. He didn't look like a son; he looked like a wolf who had cornered a rabbit in the middle of the night. He leaned in close, his breath smelling of the same amber liquid from earlier. "Were you going to say something to my father?"

He trailed his free hand up her arm, his fingers cold against her heated skin. "You? What would you have said? That his son is messing with a male staff member or what? What would you have said?"

Suddenly, the heavy click of a door echoed from the hallway below.

The sound of heels cut through the tension. It was a woman in a fur coat. She stopped at the foot of the stairs, looking up. Her eyes caught Jeff’s, then flickered to Sarah’s trembling form.

"Jeff," she called out, "What are you doing with a little girl?"

Jeff let go of Sarah’s arm as if he’d been burned. He smoothed his shirt, "Just welcoming the guest, Elara. She seemed… lost."

Elara? Sarah registered the name in her skull, giving her a second look. She's the woman who's Bardulf's current ex?

"Is your father around? I can't find him."Elara asked, not bothering to look at Sarah except that it was out of condescension.

"Well, he travelled to Tokyo for a business trip."

"Oh," Elara said before turning to look at her more closely, "You must be the new bride? Bardulf's new plaything."

Sarah wished the ground would open and swallow her.

"She's quite young." Elara continued turning to Jeff who paid less attention to her now, "Where did he get this one from?"

"Well, she's my father's bride." A voice caught in the foyer, before they found the owner of the voice, it was the youngest one whom she hadn't seen all day after they met. Riven. He wasn't looking at anyone in particular, "What are you doing in our house at this time of night?"

"Well, I was hoping to see your dad," Elara said.

"He's not here, so can you leave? You're making my father's wife very uncomfortable." Riven continued and Sarah wanted to think if she's actually being saved at this point or burned further.

Elara swallowing what was left of what she had to say, turned and walked away, Jeff turned to look at Riven, "Such bravery coming from you, growing up little boy."

"You didn't have to entertain her with your father's wife," Riven said before Jeff nudged him rudely and walked off.

Riven turned and headed down the stairs, leaving Sarah alone in the dark.

She stood there for a long time, clutching her arms, before she mustered enough courage to enter her room.

The next morning, came as quickly as she had hoped. Her body strained and weak, she sat up, the events of last night rushing through her head.

Her stomach rumbled immediately, and she stepped down from the bed to change into something casual before heading down to see what was in for breakfast.

Sarah tried to find the kitchen. The manor was a labyrinth of cold corridors and silent portraits. When she finally found the dining hall, the three sons were already there.

There was no breakfast laid out for her.

"Hungry?" Kael asked, not looking up from his newspaper. He was sitting at the head of the table, the seat that should have been his father’s.

"I... yes. Is there coffee?"

"Cook’s off," Jeff lied, leaning back in his chair. Sarah could see the steam rising from the kitchen behind the swinging doors; the smell of bacon was thick in the air. "We handle our own on the weekends. And since you’re the 'lady of the house,' maybe you should start leaning into the role. Why don't you make us something?"

Sarah looked at the three of them. They were watching her like cats watching a bird with a broken wing. Not this morning, she hoped. They can't just wake up, looking like lions to prey, trying to tear her down when it's just morning.

"I don't know where anything is," she said softly.

"Then starve," Riven muttered. He was staring at his phone, but his knuckles were white where he gripped the device. He looked up, his eyes clashing with hers. "Or go find Dad. Maybe he’ll find something for his little princess."

Sarah turned to leave, but Kael’s voice stopped her.

"Oh, Sarah? One more thing." He stood up, walking toward her with a predatory grace. He held up a small, delicate object. It was the locket her mother had given her, the only thing she had brought from home that had any value. "I found this in the hallway. It looks... cheap. It doesn't belong in a Voidmere house."

"Give it back," Sarah said, her voice trembling.

Kael smiled. It wasn't a kind smile. He walked over to the large fireplace where a low flame was flickering. "Everything in this house is high quality, Sarah. We don't keep trash."

He dropped the locket into the embers.

"No!" Sarah lunged for it, but Jeff caught her by the waist, swinging her back.

"Easy, Step-mom," Jeff whispered in her ear, his grip uncomfortably tight. "It’s just a lesson. Out with the old, in with the new."

Sarah broke free and ran. She didn't stop until she reached the gardens, the cold morning air biting at her skin. She collapsed against a stone fountain, the first tears of her marriage finally spilling over. She felt small, hated, and utterly alone.

She didn't see the shadow standing in the second-story window. As she poured her heart out.

"Why are you crying?"

The voice was like a landslide, deep, heavy, and sudden. Sarah gasped, her head snapping up from her knees. She hadn't heard him approach. Bardulf stood at the edge of the fountain, his massive frame silhouetted against the gray morning sky. He was dressed in a black tracksuit. He looked less like a businessman.

She wanted to complain, she wanted to open her mouth about everything that had happened since she came into this house, last night shouldn't be skipped but she kept quiet as his intimidating eyes swept over her like the wind.

Then he approached her, his hand circling her waist as he pulled her against his body, "You're not going to tell me what happened while I was away?"