The scars, they looked terrifying. Four jagged scars running parallel as if they came from the claws of a wild animal. Or from a kidnapped girl who was fighting for her life.
But they looked familiar as well. It took her a moment but then she realized.
“Cliff?” she whispered, leaning up on an elbow. She looked at the man with narrowed eyes, seeing the resemblance, seeing the truth. He was Cliff.
“My name is Logan,” he growled. “What’s yours?”
“Bella,” she said with a gulp.
“Bella,” he whispered.
“You’re the bear,” she said, still staring at him in disbelief. “You’re a shifter?”
“You hit your head,” he said, pushing her back down. “You need rest.”
She looked at him as her heart broke. She truly thought that Cliff was her friend. Why was he keeping her trapped here? Why would he save her life only to ruin it after?
“Are you going to hurt me?” she asked, her voice coming out in a whimper.
He huffed out a breath. “You’re already hurt,” he said, not really answering her question. “You’ll stay here until you get better. You will cook the dinners and do the laundry.”
“I will?” she said, swallowing the angry words that were coming rushing out. Who the hell was he to tell her what she would and would not do?
“Yes,” he said with a grunt. “You are not allowed to leave the premises for now and you are forbidden to go into the spare bedroom.”
Bella looked past him into the hallway to the closed door with the padlock on it. “What’s in the spare-”
“I said it’s forbidden!” he shouted, making her wince.
Definitely a serial killer. Definitely dead women inside that room.
“Why can’t I leave?” she asked, her head pounding once again.
He stared down at her with his muscular chest rising and falling in annoyance. “Stop asking so many questions.”
Her chin began trembling as she looked up at him through watery eyes. She was so stupid. She had thought that Cliff was her friend and now he was going to kill her.
She dropped her pounding head back on the rough pillow and faced the wall, closing her eyes as her body shook with sobs.
“I’m-,” he said, exhaling as he breathed heavily. “Do you want water?”
Bella shook her head. “I want to go home.”
With a furious grunt, he spun on his heels and stomped out of the room. “You are home!” he growled before slamming the door shut.
Chapter 4
“Women!” Logan said, spitting the word out like a curse.
He forgot how frustrating they could be.
And how beautiful they could be too. He shook his head, trying to get the image of Bella’s beautiful face out of his mind.
He marched out of his log house and ripped his ax out of the chopping block, squeezing it until his knuckles burned a hot white. She was infuriating.
He was only trying to help her and this was how she repaid him? Saying that he was going to kill her? Calling herself a prisoner?
Didn’t she realize that he only wanted what was best for her? She had hit her head on a rock and had a grade three concussion. Logan had examined her while she was knocked out and he could tell, her concussion was severe.