Total pages in book: 37
Estimated words: 32429 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 162(@200wpm)___ 130(@250wpm)___ 108(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 32429 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 162(@200wpm)___ 130(@250wpm)___ 108(@300wpm)
The wand falls from my hands and I take a few steps back, shaking as I stumble out of the dungeon.
I broke her.
But I'm not ready to be back.
Chapter 13
TALLULAH
After Xander leaves the room, my mind is spinning. I can't believe what just happened, how much torture he put me through once again, just to prove something to himself that no one else believes.
I was never going to bend the knee to Xander. I was always Xavier's property, so there was no way I was going to break for his brother. Except that's exactly what I've done by admitting my love for Xavier. I'm already afraid Xander is going to turn it against me.
Now that he's left, I feel abandoned, the cold air on my skin making me shiver as I remember all the torture he put me through.
I'm also painfully aware of the fact that the blindfold is off my eyes now... and yet I still won't open them. I'm forcing myself not to look.
And then I hear the door slam against the stone wall again as he enters. He approaches me and at the last moment, as his hands reach out to me, I open my eyes for a fraction of a second, and I see something I don't expect. But then the blindfold is firmly back on, and I'm not sure whether or not I just imagined what happened.
"How fucking dare you open your eyes?" he spits out at me. "I could have them poked out of that pretty little head of yours for that, you know. That's what my brother would do."
My heart races as I struggle to make sense of his words. Does he mean Xander, Xavier? Which one?
In the moment before my eyes were covered with the fabric again, I thought I saw Xavier in front of me. But now I'm not sure with the way he's acting. My heart pounds in my chest, threatening to burst right through.
"What did you see, Tallulah?" he taunts me, tracing a finger along my cheek. "Tell me everything you saw when you had your eyes open. Was it everything you hoped and wished for?"
My body starts shivering as I realize he's luring me into a game of cat and mouse. I don't know what to tell him or how much to reveal. I'm not sure ... I'm not sure who he is. My mind could be playing tricks on me. It's done that before.
"I didn't see anything," I whisper, thankful to take the weight of the confession I just made moments ago when I admitted it I still belong to Xavier.
Whether or not this is him in front of me, I'm shifting his attention, and that's good enough for me.
"Don't lie to me, angel," he says.
Once again, my heart skips a beat. Xander never calls me angel. Only Xavier called me that.
I don't know whether I'm imagining half of this. Going so desperate and lonely from the lack of sight, my mind is souring. Maybe this is all in my head. Maybe I really am going crazy from everything I've been through. And yet I feel like neither of these men are done with me. Whether or not I'm with Xavier, I'm going to find out who the man in front of me is.
"Let's play a little game," he suggests and I feel shivers going down my spine as I wait for him to go on. "I'm going to tell you something about us. And you'll have to guess who did it, either Xander or Xavier. I'm ready to play, angel."
Once again, the old nickname he used for me makes my blood freeze in my veins. But nevertheless I find myself nodding to his suggestion, hoping he gets it over with quickly.
"Which one of us branded a girlfriend?"
I shake my head, unwilling to give him a reply. The problem is, I can see Xavier doing that - he's so possessive and jealous when it came to me. I have no qualms or doubts about him putting his initials on a girl I don't know, but Xander seems even more fucked up.
"Xander," I whisper, my voice breaking over the words.
"Which one am I, Tallulah?" he whispers in my ear and my bottom lip wobbles.
"Xavier," I whisper, my lips parting to let out a gasp.
"No, Xander," I correct myself when he sucks on my earlobe painfully, his teeth digging into my tender skin and making me gasp for air.
He laughs as if I'm amusing him.
"It's not the only way you're gonna tell us apart. We both always liked pain. You're gonna have to figure out a different way. And tell me which one I fucking am, now!"
I don't know how to respond, and which answer to give him. I'm not sure which one of the two brothers is really in front of me, and I know I don't have much time left to figure it out. This emotional torture is almost too much for me. I can feel deep inside... I'm falling apart, pieces of me are breaking off, threatening to let me fall and crumble into an abyss. But I won't be rising like a phoenix out of the ashes. Once I'm broken, I'm going to stay that way. That's something I've always been afraid of - being stuck in the state I get in when I'm around Xavier, or even Xander. When I'm so needy and desperate, I will do anything to please them.