Total pages in book: 27
Estimated words: 24451 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 122(@200wpm)___ 98(@250wpm)___ 82(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 24451 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 122(@200wpm)___ 98(@250wpm)___ 82(@300wpm)
And as I stood there, my fingers tightening around the jar, I couldn’t shake the gnawing, treacherous thoughts that this didn’t feel right. This didn’t feel like something I had to do to be safe, and I didn’t know why I felt so strongly about it.
For some reason, I really didn’t want to see Kane broken and lifeless.
I closed my eyes and listened to him in the living room. I didn’t know what was happening to me, but it traveled through my very marrow, and I wanted it to grow until it consumed all of me.
I craved the monster in my home.
I swallowed hard as I put the jar back in the cupboard and grabbed a different one, this one containing dried Salvia divinorum. I didn't want to kill him, but I needed to change the power dynamic.
With that thought—and plan—in mind, I started my task of making dinner.
9
KANE
Ifinished with the fire, making sure there was enough wood to last through the night and early morning. To my surprise—and slight disappointment—she hadn’t tried running.
The hunter in me wanted to chase her.
Dinner was quiet except for the sound of our silverware lightly making contact with our plates. The storm was fierce, and the wind howled outside. Evelina sat across from me at the small wooden table, and I could see that she was nervous. It was understandable, although I hadn’t touched or hurt her.
I watched her like a hawk though, and I noticed her movements were deliberate as she cut into her steak as if she were trying to appear relaxed. But she’d occasionally glance up at me from under her lashes before quickly looking away when she saw I was already watching her.
But her discomfort didn’t bother me. I couldn’t blame her. After all, she was a prisoner in her own house, and I was the one keeping her captive.
Still, there was something about her right now—something that had my instincts prickling.
It was the way she held herself.
The way she kept glancing at me without meeting my gaze.
How she nibbled at her bottom lip, and how her hand lightly shook every once in a while as she used her fork.
But she could try to act like she wasn't bothered all she wanted. I was a predator and could scent fear and unease from my prey.
I focused on the meal she prepared for us. I couldn't remember the last time I had a home-cooked meal, and the fact that she prepared it for me had something in my chest tightening.
The steak was cooked perfectly, and the mushroom gravy was rich and flavorful. She’d taken care of me by cooking this meal for me, even if she hated me for keeping her as my prisoner.
“This is good,” I said, breaking the silence. I kept my voice low and rough, my focus on her. “Never had such a well-cooked steak.”
She didn’t respond, just speared a piece of meat with her fork and brought it to her lips. Her movements were slow, deliberate.
Too deliberate.
“Thank you,” she finally replied and glanced up at me, holding my gaze with her own.
We didn’t speak while those words seemed to hang between us.
I cleared my throat, leaning back in the chair. “I meant what I said. I’ll keep my word. I won’t hurt you.”
She didn’t respond, but with the way her throat worked as she swallowed, I easily picked up on her nervousness. She was pretty good at hiding how she felt, but not good enough to conceal it from me.
Her face was calm, but her eyes? Oh, her eyes burned with defiance. Fuck, did that turn me on.
She had a darkness in her. Just like I did.
I went back to eating, but in-between bites, I said, “You’ll learn pretty quickly that when I’m conversing with you, it’s polite to converse back, Evelina.” She set her fork down loud enough that the clank of it hitting her plate rang in my ears. I held in my smirk and cut of another piece of steak before smearing it through the gravy.
I was nearly finished with my meal when I felt the first wave hit me and set my fork down. The feeling started off small, just a faint dizziness. The room tilted slightly, and I cleared my throat, reaching for my glass of water and downing half of it.
But as the seconds ticked by, this uneasy feeling didn’t pass. My heart started beating faster, and an oily sweat popped out along my temples. Fuck, my chest was thundering.
When I tried to focus on Evelina, my vision blurred at the edges, the colors in the room becoming too bright, too harsh, and blending together. Jesus Christ, what had she done to me?
I rubbed my temples, the slight pressure of my hands feeling strange, almost foreign, on my head.
“What in the fuck?” My words slurred, meshing into one, sounding distorted. I leaned forward, but as I spoke again, my own voice sounded distant.