They were the blue eyes of her dreams. She couldn't stop staring at him, and for a moment, she was afraid that he would disappear. That it was just a mirage, or a vision. He held her gaze, and there was admiration in them. Brianna shook her head so that the image would disappear, but he was still there. So she decided to explore his features. He had black hair, in a cut that she had seen on some of the boys there, but she thought it looked better on him. He was wearing dress clothes, and the sleeves of his shirt were rolled up to the middle of his arms. He stood up, and she could see that he was quite tall and had a muscular, athletic build. She could tell, without fear of making a mistake, that he was the most beautiful man she had ever seen in her life.
He smiled and approached her.
"And where were you hiding?" He asked, and his voice sounded like a caress to Brianna. She didn't know what to say. "Are you mute, or don't you speak my language?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.
Brianna felt her face burn. She was barefoot and wearing a dress that hit her heels. She felt like a wanderer in front of a prince.
"I... I've never seen you around here either... Are you one of Dester's men?"
"Your accent isn't American... To answer your question... I'm not one of Dester's men. We're allies... Are you one of his women?"
Brianna felt her face heat up once again. She deserved that.
"I'm his fiancée."
"Strange that he's never told me anything about you... Maybe because he's already married, right?"
"Where I come from, that's not important." She said, feeling her face burn again.
"Where did you come from? Does your family live here, too?"
Brianna looked around to see if the men were at a distance where she couldn't hear them. She knew she was taking a risk, that their hearing was unknown, but that man could be her salvation.
"He brought me from Ireland. I don't know anyone here. He holds me captive."
"You told me you were his fiancée. Is marriage a bondage in your country?"
Brianna was irritated by his irony.
"Isn't it a captivity in every country?"
He laughed.
"I didn't know he was capable of that."
"Then you must not know him very well. He calls me names I don't even know what they mean, beats me and mistreats me all the time."
"You're so beautiful... You seem to be very sweet too... How can he have the nerve to do that?"
"He's bad."
"All of us who are involved in the mafia have to be bad. It's a protocol of the profession. We can't show kindness, because here, that's a sign of weakness, but that doesn't justify him mistreating his future wife."
"Help me get out of here. I can't marry a man like him."
The boy looked at her suspiciously.
"Why don't you ask anyone else?"
"I have no contact with other people. He's isolated me. I can't ask for help from people who are paid by Dester."
"I can try to talk to him so that he treats you more gently..."
"Please don't do that. If you don't want to help me escape, fine. But if he finds out that I tried to ask for help... I don't know what punishment he'd give me."
The boy understood. Brianna saw in his eyes that he knew she wasn't lying.
"I need some time to think... I can't go out relying entirely on your word. I'll investigate, and if it's true, I'll get you out of here... Can you come here every day so we can talk while I investigate?"
"You don't have much time. The wedding is in three weeks' time."
"Oh, so that's why he wants me to stay at his place for a month..."
"What's your name?"
"Everyone calls me Neto terceiro. But you can call me Henry. What about you? What's your name?"
"I'm Brianna. I won't be able to come here at this time, Henry. He usually tortures me in the morning. Today, he wasn't very interested. So I was able to come at this time."
"And in the afternoon?"
"Yes. I'll be able to come in the afternoon. You... What do you want to talk to me about?"
"Nothing special... I just get to know a person's character after a few conversations..."
"I see." Brianna said, and lifted her dress a little. "This afternoon, after lunch, I'll expect you here. The men who are watching us now will be changed at that time, and the others won't suspect a thing."
He smiled, and Brianna was delighted by this gesture, and felt like staying with him longer, but feared that someone would come looking for her, as he never stayed long on his walks.
"Don't worry about the men." He said and Brianna thought it strange that he should say that, because if one of the men told Dester that they were talking, they would both be killed, but he seemed calm. She looked into his eyes and saw no sign of a dot of lilac light, and was relieved. Although some of the sentries were not werewolves, she believed that they were all bad. They knew what was happening to her in that house, and did nothing, and she believed that a human, if they weren't under the influence of those evil creatures, would feel compassion for her, so what she knew of werewolves up to that point didn't testify in their favor.
Henry turned around and started throwing stones into the lake.
Brianna took advantage of this and ran off, but she didn't see him turn around and watch her walk away.
He noticed her sad eyes. But he found it difficult that Dester was capable of the atrocities she had told him. And now he couldn't get her out of his mind. She was a beautiful woman. Her eyes, her hair, her body... Everything about her stirred a fire in his chest. Just like him, who always said he wouldn't fall in love. He didn't know if he was in love or just lust. These feelings always confused him, until he managed to get the girl into bed. Then he would be disappointed after dawn. Perhaps he would have the chance to lie with her right there, on the grass around the lake, and that would remove the impression he now had. He turned to the man who had approached him.