Not Well

For a few, maybe a few too many, seconds, I honestly considered nuzzling into his hand and calling him Master like he asked. We stared into each other's eyes, my muddy brown to his shining gold.

Then, I pulled the taser from my pocket and jabbed it into the exposed skin of his wrist.

"Argh!" His yell as he stumbled backwards drowned out the clicking buzz of the taser still in my hand. "Mother Fuck! That stings!"

I ran into the backroom and turned to the fire exit. My shitty slip-on sneakers squeaked as I skidded on the floor. The bright red EXIT sign glowing above the emergency push lever served as my path to the alley behind the building and salvation. The heavy door thunked and clanged at my impact, the early afternoon sunlight blinding—

"Freeze!"

I froze.

Completely.

Impossibly.

A lock of my blonde hair was still hanging mid-swing and I was somehow balanced on the toes of one foot with my hands still pushed outward after the door flew open and latched in place. I should have tipped onto the concrete immediately.

In defiance of gravity, I stood there, even my clothes might as well have been carved from stone. If my heartbeat hadn't frozen with the rest of me, it would have pounded its way out of my ribcage by now.

"Ah, uhh...sorry about that..." The smooth voice of the man chasing me should have sent a fresh batch of sweat down my back and another shot of adrenaline into my blood... except y'know, frozen. "Really, this was not how I thought this would go." He sighed behind me.

Rookwood tucked my petrified body under one arm and awkwardly shut the door with the other. The way he grumbled and muttered under his breath as he carefully maneuvered me around the many obstacles in the cluttered hallway was oddly endearing. A growing part of me felt safe in Rookwood's arms.

Wait. No! Bad Molly! Save the Stockholm Syndrome for at least another hour!

"Here we are!" My captor set me down on the same stool I'd started this whole mess on. "Let me fix you up a tad." His sudden strong English accent threw me for a loop even before he readjusted my limbs like a doll so I was sitting comfortably with my hands folded in my lap. "That's better!" He grinned down at me, boyish dimples charming despite the fangs.

He stood back and pulled out an ancient flip phone that might be even older than half the books we sold. He tapped out a few lines and nodded to himself before he snapped the device closed. Why the hell was he...

I blinked. What was I thinking about?

Right. Magic ****.

Honestly, the terror I felt in this whole situation was losing out to the curiosity and wonder at what looked like real magic...okay, fine. It also helped that the wizard dude is cute and dropped the seductive act.

"Let's try this again, shall we? Unfreeze."