You Can Run But...

@ castle.

When Blake was at his side with a towel, James was able to reach out and grab it before Blake moved quicker and started to wipe him off. So, instead, he relaxed his body and allowed Blake to do so. It was nice to be cared for, even though it wasn't out of love. At least it was something and not something so horrible that James needed to feel bad about. He waited until Blake was done before heading out of the room.

"All I want from you is that list. Everyone who did something to you...Include what they did as well." With that said, James went into his bedroom and headed towards his closet. He found some pj bottoms and pulled them on before heading onto the bed. Sleeping on the couch had freaked Blake a lot more than he wanted. Maybe sharing the bed would be better? It was hard to say. Though he did pat the open side of the bed and motioned to Blake to sit and write there.

"When you are done with your list, set it by the nightstand. We are going to sleep for the rest of the night and once morning comes." James let out a sigh and rubbed the bridge of his nose before continuing. "Once morning comes, there will be things to do... but anyways, come here. He ensured to give Blake plenty of room as she came onto the bed and shifted until she was comfortable. Though, once she was, James laid his head on her lap before closing his eyes. He really needed to sleep. Especially as there was going to be pleasant to do tomorrow.

It felt so wrong to be making a list of the things that had been done to her by James' pack members. It felt like she was betraying them, even if it had been what James was asking her to do. It only got worse because as she listed the things that had been done and said to her, it made her relive it all. Tears welled in her eyes and she looked away from the paper, toward the wall as she fought to contain her emotions. She didn't want to start crying and risk upsetting James.

She bit down on the inside of her lip, forcing herself to exhale. It wasn't fair to put her concerns on James' shoulders. Blake sniffled, finishing off the list as quickly as she could so she didn't have to focus on it any more than she already had. Settling back against the bed after placing the list on the nightstand, Blake wasn't prepared for when James set his head in her lap. Her eyes widened as she stiffened, trying to calm herself down.

Blake hesitated, unsure of what James wanted from her. She just knew that she wanted to continue to please him. Reaching out, she started to run her fingers through James' hair. Her touch was so light because she was afraid that touching him without permission would upset him somehow.

@ castle.

As Blake started to run her fingers through his hair, James let out a small content sigh and closed his eyes. This was nice, having Blake back again. Even though things were all fucked up, James preferred to have her by his side. She was his mate after all. Everything else was something that James could figure out for the both of them. Just hearing her heartbeat made him feel better...it had been so long since she was next to him.

Reaching back, James lightly grabbed onto Blake's arm and ran his thumb up and down her skin. But once a few minutes passed, James let go and he allowed his arm to drop back into the bed. "It is time for both of us to sleep." James whispered to her before slowly lifting his head off of her and setting himself on a pillow. "Rest, Blake. There will be plenty to do tomorrow."

When James awoke from his slumber in the morning, he did so slowly. He didn't even open his eyes at first, instead turning in the bed so he was facing Blake, leaning forward and taking a deep breath of her scent. One arm wrapped around her waist and pulled Blake into his chest. Though as he did this, James listened closely to her heartbeat and tried to sense if he was scaring her or not.

"I have some chores for you today. Do you think you can handle that?" James whispered to her gently. It was a nice day and he decided to move forward with his plan to give Blake more structure in her life. He hoped it would help. If it didn't, James would have to move to Plan C but he had no idea what that would be. "The first thing is that I need you to tell the kitchen to bring us breakfast. Tell them and then come right back here."

Blake laid on the bed, stiff as she listened to the sounds of James slowly falling asleep. She had wanted to ask for him to hold her, or to at least move closer to her but she didn't have the courage to speak. That would certainly be considered speaking out of turn and she didn't know if demanding things would upset James. He was being so kind to her, upsetting him was the last thing that she wanted to do. She squeezed her eyes shut and eventually, Blake managed to fall into an uneasy sleep.

It wasn't until the morning that Blake started to wake, only because of James' gentle touch. She snuggled closer to him on instinct until she tensed, seemingly realizing what she had been about to do. Her eyes flew open, wide as she willed herself to calm down. The moment that James began to speak, Blake calmed because he was giving her tasks. The tension in her shoulders eased as she listened to him speak. He had things he needed from her? She could do that. She nodded, rolling onto her side as she was facing him fully. All of her attention was focused on James.

"Yes, sir," Blake whispered before practically throwing herself out of the bed. Blake hurried out of the door, not even considering it the slightest bit odd that she was wearing James' clothes. He hadn't asked her to change so she saw no reason to. Her head was lowered as she navigated the halls, remembering the pathways despite her absence. When she reached the kitchen, Blake hesitated for a moment before she stepped inside to request breakfast be brought up to James' room.

When Blake returned upstairs, she looked uneasy as she knocked on the bedroom door before stepping inside. While she was sure that James could sense her return, Blake didn't want to assume anything. She headed over to the bed and stood beside it with her head lowered, her hands carefully behind her back. "Breakfast has been requested. They said it should not be long before they are able to bring it up, sir," she said quietly, chewing on her bottom lip. "Is there anything I can do for you, while we wait?"

@ castle.

James swore he could have gotten whiplash but how fast Blake threw herself out of bed and ran out of the room. He let out a sigh as she left, thinking to himself that he would have enjoyed some more of her company in the morning before she ran off. Though he knew that it was his fault for not telling Blake to stay close or having not waited to tell Blake her first task later. Even so, James tried not to let it bother him as he knew she would come back soon.

As he waited for his dear to return, James continued to lay in the bed. There was not a single bone in his body that wished to get up or move. This was a day that he did not want to start. He wish it could go on without him but that was not possible. There was much that James needed to do and the most displeasurable was at the top of most important. James needed to deal with the wolves that successfully scared his mate away. He was even scared to look at the list. Who would be on it? What would Blake have written that they did?

Before James could dwell on it too much, Blake walked back into the bedroom. He looked up at her, evaluating her for a moment. Now he was worried about every interaction she could have when she left his sight. James felt a duty to check on her, to ensure that nothing happened when she was out of his sight. For now, she seemed okay. "Good job," James whispered to her before he lifted the blankets up.

"Come here. I request you to come close and care for me while we wait," James told her. He just waited Blake to come cuddle with him. It might be a strange request but it was surely one she could fulfill without issue, right? Well, he would just have to keep close attention to her heartbeat.

Blake felt a swell of pride when James told her she had done a good job. It certainly wasn't what she had been expecting, she was simply around to do as she was told. She didn't need praise or thanks... even if it did make her feel better. A ghost of a smile flitted across her features before it had disappeared, just as quickly as it had appeared. She frowned momentarily when James instructed her to come closer but still, she moved closer. James would never have to tell her to do something twice. She knew what repeating themselves tended to do to wolves.

She moved to climb into the bed, pressing herself into his side. It was so odd to her when all James did was wrap an arm around her, his hands not moving to explore further. She was quiet, wondering just how today was going to go. Blake was sure that whenever James decided to read the note that she had written, things would get difficult. She had no doubt that James was going to disagree and it was going to cause issues with his pack. Exactly what they had said would happen - James would be driven from his pack and that would be all because of her.

Or James was going to read through the reasons and he would realize they had been right in the first place. That he didn't need or want her and then he would send her right back to Killenger. Her heart started racing as she squeezed her eyes shut. She knew that if she ever was back with Killenger, the wolf would kill her. She had disrespected him in public, she had 'gotten free'... two things that Killenger had told her would never happen. Letting out a shaky breath, Blake tried her best to calm down.

@ castle.

A bit of a frown moved over James' face as he could sense the anxiety rising in his mate. He started to slowly run his fingers through her hair, wanting to calm Blake down. It sadden him to think that she was upset because she had to be close to him. This certainly was not what he wanted. He wanted Blake to love him, to care for him.... Though right now James had hoped that she would at least find some kind of comfort or calm in laying with him but that did not seem to be the case.

With his arms still around her, James pulled back slightly so there was some space in between them. It wasn't a lot but maybe she would feel better not being completely pressed up against him? Maybe that wasn't enough but there was no way of James knowing without testing it out. Especially since Blake was no longer telling him what she actually wanted. Though before he was really able to keep testing it out, there was a knock at the door. James sat up in the bed and told them to come in.

One of his slaves came in, pushing a cart filled with hot breakfast food. She pushed it besides the bed before leaving without a word, closing the door behind her. With the food now there, James sat up and opened up the top of the cart to reveal several plates filled with different types of foods. He glanced back at Blake for a moment, motioning her to sit up before he started to fill one of the empty plates on the cart for himself. James wanted to just tell her to grab what she wanted but he knew she probably wouldn't be comfortable taking food until he had done so.

Once the full plate was sitting on his lap, he looked to Blake. "Take what you want to eat from the cart. I don't want to hear any fuss about it. You will eat from here... I don't want to have to wait for you to go to the kitchen and come back."

Blake's hands moved to her waist, her fingers wrapping around the bottom of the shirt she wore when James moved a bit further away from her. Her mind went to one place because what else could James have possibly wanted from her at the moment? She gulped, wondering if James would be kinder than Killenger. She seemed to remember that he was but she couldn't be sure of very much at all. Before she could do anything else, there was a knock at the door and a slave was appearing with a cart of food.

She pulled away from James when he went to sit up, remaining in her spot until he motioned for her to sit. Blake did just that, keeping her head lowered. She may have been hungry but she knew better than to ask for food that wasn't meant for her. She would either have the scraps or James would let her down to the kitchen when he didn't need her. When James told her to eat, Blake's head whipped up as she looked up to him. He wanted her to eat?

She opened her mouth to ask James if he was sure because how could he want that? But then he continued talking and Blake was under the impression of even asking was wrong. Which she knew it was. She should never question James, ever. That was all there was to it. She nodded as she inched toward the cart of food, eyeing all of the options. Eventually, Blake pulled a pancake onto her plate along with several bits of fruit.

When she finished her meal, Blake was careful to set the plate back where she had grabbed it from. She cleared her throat, fiddling with her hands in her lap. "Sir? Woud you like me to start the shower for you? Gather you clothes for the day?"

@ castle.

James was quiet as Blake offered to start his shower and gather his clothes. He knew he needed to make a decision on what Blake's day to day would look like under his plan but... Well the truth was, James did have some ideas but nothing solid. And, on top of that, he needed Blake to not be by his side for the whole day. There were things that he needed to do with his pack that he didn't want the young woman to see. He worried that it would upset her as he was not planning on being kind to those who had not been kind to her.

He glanced off before shaking his head. James wanted to keep a close eye on her but today was not the day to do that. Though now the question was, who could watch Blake for him? Who was someone he could trust wholeheartedly and what task should he give her. James held his breath for a moment before looking back at his mate. She needed to be out of the house. That was the only way to ensure that she would not find out or interfere with what was to happen. "No, I will care for myself this morning. There is something that I need you to do that is more important,"

With that, James pulled himself away from the bed before continuing on. "You must go to the guest room next door and get showered and dressed. Once you have done that, you will go to the kitchen and assist the chef today. He will need help making a few things. On top of that, he is going to need someone to go to the store with him as well. You will go with him, but do not leave his side and do not cause any trouble. Additionally, I need a grand cake to be made which you will also help with. It will be three tiers but the chef has the rest of the details."

He felt a bit silly giving Blake the task of going shopping, cooking and making a cake for the day to keep her out of the way but it needed to be done. And if he talked to the chef, he knew he could keep her at the store for as long as he needed her to be there. There was no worry that someone would kidnap them while they were out. The chef was one of the wolves. He didn't care much for fighting but damn he was good at it. He would be able to keep both of them safe. "Go ahead now."

Blake could feel panic beginning to rise as James remained quiet. She was sure she had angered him by speaking out of turn, even if it had been to offer him something. She hung her head, curling her shoulders in on herself. She tried to brace herself as much as possible, because she was sure James’ patience had probably run out for her. When James gave her a seemingly important task, Blake’s brows pulled together. Why was he asking her to do something if she had done something wrong?

Instead of asking, Blake gave a hurried nod of her head as she moved out from under the covers entirely. It seemed odd to her that she was helping in the kitchen but she would do her best because she knew that she had already stepped out of line. Going any further, Blake was sure would be an awful plan that she didn’t want to follow through with.

Blake left James’ room and was quick to shower before preparing for the day. She was surprised to find options to wear but did her best to make the choice that would please James. Since she would be in the kitchen, Blake chose a pair of pants and a plain shirt.

Admittedly a bit nervous, Blake headed down into the kitchen while making sure to keep her head down. She chewed on her bottom lip as she stepped inside, unsure of how she was supposed to help. Eventually, Blake found the courage to speak. “Sir requested I help today. Please let me know what you may need,” she kept her voice low, submissive like because she remembered enough to know the chef was a wolf. And she would always be subservient to them.

@ castle.

The moment Blake was out of his room and in the next one over, James made his way to the kitchen. He needed to talk to Liam before Blake got there. Once he was able to find his head chef, they had a several minute conversation about how James needed Liam to watch over Blake for the day. Also, how he wanted her out of the house for as long as possible. The wolf agreed to his alpha's wishes before going back to finishing some prepping for the day. James then made his way to his room, getting ready to prepare himself for the day ahead.

It was a while until Blake came into the kitchen. Liam glanced up at the young woman for a moment before nodding. He was aware of what happened to Blake. James also had gone over some of the...issues that was now popping up. So he knew that he needed to be able to work gently with her. But, at the same time, Liam was not going to allow Blake to show him down. At least it sounded like she was willing to work and, hopefully, the young woman would be able to work fast.

"Yes there are several things I am going to need from you before we head off to the store." Liam told her, glancing back at her for a moment before refocusing on cutting the vegetables in front of him. "First thing is first, I have started working on a grocery list. It is on the counter. Take it and double check that the items on there are not in this kitchen. When you are finished with that, I am going to need you to come back to my side as I tell you what else to write." Liam stopped what he was doing and looked back at the woman.

"Do you know how to cook at all?" The man asked as he raised an eyebrow. He wanted to know just what he was dealing with. What if she didn't even know how to boil water? Fuck, and James had told him that they were suppose to make a whole ass cake together as well.

Blake held her hands behind ehr back, her head lowered as she listened to Liam's directions. They all seemed so easy, she was sure that she could do them. Or at least she was hopeful that she would be able to because she was sure that if she upset Liam, it would only serve to upset James as well. They were both being so kind to her, she didn't want to make the situation awful if she didn't have to. She lifted her head slightly at the last question, just enough to nod her head.

"Yes, sir. I am better with savoury items but if you can tell me what to do, I will be able to help better with the cake that sir requires," Blake explained. She made sure to keep her voice even, quiet as she spoke as to not overstep her boundaries. She was the human, the slave - Blake understood that. Even if she didn't belong to Liam, he was still a wolf and demanded respect in the same regard.

Once Liam dismissed her, Blake started for the list that he had pointed out. She grabbed it and started to go through the list, only crossing off the baking powder because the box had been shoved to the back of the pantry. Returning to Liam, Blake's head remained low as she waited for Liam to acknowledge her. "Everything on the list is correct, there was a box of baking powder in the back of the pantry so I've taken it off of the list," she explained softly.

Blake uncapped the pen before she set the paper on the counter, chewing on her bottom lip. "Sir?" She prompted after a moment, assuming that Liam would have decided what else he wanted to get while they were out at the store.

@ castle.

Liam let out a grunt after Blake told him her level of expertise. It wasn't what he would have been hoping for but at least it seemed she was not going to be completely incompetent in this matter. So he motioned for Blake to go off and do the task that he requested for her as he continued to chop away.

By the time Blake came back, Liam had moved onto peeling potatoes. As the young woman spoke, Liam nodded in understanding that they did need to buy everything but the baking powder. Though he was quiet for a few moments as he thought about what else to put on the list. Though when she called him sir, Liam stopped what he was doing and looked to Blake. "I am not a sir. You may call me Liam or Blake. But I am not your master nor anyone else."

He then immediately dropped his attention back to the potatoes in front of him. "Okay write these down." Liam then proceeded to tell Blake the ingredients that they still needed to get. Most of it was for the cake; things like sugar, strawberries, cream cheese and the like. Once the list was done, Liam had finished peeling the potatoes. He pulled off his gloves and stepped away before grabbing two cutting boards and a knife. "These potatoes need to be diced and thrown into that large pot. We are making dinner for the pack tonight so there will be a lot of food. Once this is done, we are going to head to the store."

He set a cutting board and a knife in front of Blake before doing the same for himself. Liam then moved along, cutting the potatoes and throwing the diced ones into the pot. Once they both were done and the pot was filled, he turned to one of the slaves in the kitchen and motioned to the pot. The young man took the pot and put it on the stove. Liam then started to grab his things. "Lets go."

Blake felt a sudden surge of panic when Liam instructed her to call him something other than sir. He wasn't James but he was still a wolf and he deserved the utmost respect. She opened her mouth to argue with him before she seemed to realize what she had been about to do. Shutting her mouth sharply, simply returning to the list that she had been writing for Liam. Quiet as ever, Blake started cutting up the potatoes as Liam had asked of her. Smoothing down her shirt once they had finished, Blake held her heart lowered. When he started out of the kitchen, Blake was quick to follow after him. She made sure to keep a few steps back, not wanting to crowd him but she made sure not to stray too far. She didn't want to make him concerned about being in public with her.

The last time that she had been out in public had been when James found her a few days ago. The last time she had been without Killenger or James? It had been the same day that she had run away and Killenger had managed to find her. As calm as she tried to present herself as Blake could feel her heart beginning to quicken. She clasped her hands tightly in her lap, silently praying that this trip to the store would be fast. Blake felt safer at James' home. Even if she thought there was a possibility of being punished for her mistakes, Blake still didn't think it would be as bad as her time with Killenger.

Hurrying after Liam, Blake made sure not to lift her gaze any more than necessary. Out in public, Blake couldn't be too sure who was or wasn't a wolf and slighting the wrong wolf.. Blake knew what that could mean. She took a deep breath as she set the large bag of sugar into the cart that Liam had pointed out before she grabbed the handle and started pushing it, after Liam.

@ castle.

Once they were inside of the car, Liam couldn't help but let out a sigh. He looked over at Blake, who he could hear was having a minor panic attack. Her heart was beating so fucking loud and fast that Liam was sure that she was going to drive him insane before they even got to the market. Though he kept his mouth shut about the issue until they were parked in the parking lot of the grocery store.

"You're at level 8 mode of panic and I need you to come all the way down to a 3." Liam told her before he turned around and looked at the back seat of his car. He was quiet for a moment before grabbing a sweatshirt and a pair of reflective sunglasses. This was not his first time dealing with a slave that was WAY too over the top for him. Fuck, all he wanted to do was have a calm day and the slaves around him were always way too freaked out. Liam tried to be a chill guy but it was hard when everyone around him was in hyper mode.

Liam handed both of the items to her. "Put these on." He told her. It had been proven useful to cover the slaves up more. For some reason, it typically caused them to calm down for him. He didn't care to understand it. As long as it made them comfortable, things were easier. "All I want you to do is stay close to me in the store and to help me make sure that we get everyone on that list."

With that, Liam headed out of the car and motioned for Blake to follow him into the market. It was actually pretty calm inside. Not too many people running around.

Blake lifted her gaze, a slight frown forming on her face as Liam described how she was reacting. She dragged in a deep breath, trying desperately to calm herself as she lowered her gaze back to her lap. Upsetting Liam was the last thing she wanted to do, even if he wasn't James. Still, Blake didn't think she could ever intentionally upset an alpha. The thought alone was enough to make the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. "I-I'm sorry.. I-" Blake fell quiet all over again when Liam handed her the sweater and glasses. She was quick to do as she was told, revelling in the way that the sweater hung on her frame. It was big enough to make her feel small but it wasn't a bad thing. It was more comfort than she thought she could get from such a thing.

When Blake climbed out of the car, she kept close to Liam. A step or two behind him, her head lowered as she walked. When they stepped into the store, Blake was quick to grab the cart. Her head raised considerably so that she would watch where she went, not wanting to run into anyone with the cart. Chewing on her bottom lip, Blake would only move a step or two away from the cart to grab an item that they needed and that they were near.

She could feel eyes on her and it made her shrink in on herself, staying closer to the cart as they moved through the grocery store. She was relieved that even when they left the store, nothing major had happened. Being out in public made her so nervous because she knew all too well that things could go south before you even realized what was going on. When she had been kidnapped and when James had found her again both came to mind as examples.

@ castle.

As they moved through the grocery store, Liam walked around calmly. He knew that he just needed to keep Blake busy so it didn't really matter how much time they spent there. Though, at the same time, his mind was also focused on the timing for the meals. After all, he needed to go back to the house at some point to actually make all of the food that James would need for the dinner. It made him question which was more important, Blake or the dinner. The man let out a small hum in thought.

Soon enough, they were out of the store and packing the car up. Liam had Blake sit in the car as he put the cart away. Once inside, they drove off back to the mansion. When they had reached it, Liam parked in the back and had Blake and another slave assist with bringing the groceries inside. At the kitchen, some of the slaves grabbed the groceries that they required for their specific dinner items. Liam supposed that he needed to focus on this cake that was meant to keep Blake busy.

Heading over to his counter, Liam saw that the ingredients they needed were already set up. He smiled softly and added the last few items the got from the store. The man then sat down in the only chair in the kitchen, which was an office chair that was brought in for him. "Alright, I'll read the recipe and you'll do what I say, alright? And try not to fuck it up to bad. I can fix most mistakes but not everything."