Lover (Betrothed 3)

“You live in a nice house, have chef-prepared meals, and look at this view. It could be worse.”

“No, it couldn’t be worse.”

Both of his arms rested on the chair, and he propped one ankle on the opposite knee. He was dressed casually, a long-sleeved shirt and jeans. “Maybe I need to step up my game.”

I knew I should’ve kept my mouth shut. “How long are you gonna keep me here?”

He turned his gaze toward me. “Forever.”

I felt the blood drain from my face; I felt my fingers squeeze an invisible trigger. “You got your revenge. No need to make this situation permanent.”

“I’ll decide that.”

I wasn’t sure how long I’d been there. Perhaps it’d been a week, maybe two. It was ironic that I’d lost track of time even though I had nothing else to do. I would give anything to hear my husband’s voice again, to be connected to something good. He probably had no idea if I was alive or dead. “Can I talk to him?”

His face remained blank. “Why?”

“I want him to know I’m okay.”

“But are you okay?”

“Well, I’m not dead…yet.”

He faced forward again, dismissing my request.

I tried again. “Please.” It was unlikely that I could tell Hades where I was, that Hades could figure out my location, but maybe it was worth a shot.

He looked at me again. “And why should I?”

“Like you said, I’m innocent.”

He considered my request for several minutes before he reached into his pocket and grabbed his phone. He typed in a number and made the call.

I held my breath because this actually might work. I might get to talk to Hades again.

Maddox smiled just before he began to speak. “How are you, Hades?” He continued to smile as he listened to whatever Hades said in response.

I couldn’t hear a single word.

“Your wife wishes to speak to you. Should I put her on?”

My hands turned slippery once my palms began to sweat. I ached to take that phone, to feel safe, even for a few seconds.

Maddox extended the phone to me, a warning in his eyes. “One minute. Say something stupid, and I’ll kill you.”

I took the phone with a shaky hand and brought it to my ear. My heart was racing in ecstasy, wrestling with the unbridled joy this moment could bring. I took a deep breath before I spoke my first word. “Hades?”

Hades was quiet on the line, as if he didn’t hear what I said. Only his breathing was audible, noticeably strained, noticeably profound. When he spoke, his voice came out as a strained whisper. “Baby?” All he said was my nickname, and that was enough to show how devastated he was. His agony was audible, his pain visible like colors on a spectrum.

Now I wished I’d never called.

He didn’t ask where I was, probably because he knew I couldn’t answer. Even if I could answer him, I really had no idea where I was. Instead, he gave me hope to keep living. “I’m going to get you out of there. I promise.”

My eyes watered as I gave a slight nod, not that he could see me.

“Just stay strong for me a little while longer.”

I was too emotional to speak.

“Baby?”

I didn’t tell him how miserable I was. I didn’t tell him what Maddox was doing to me. It was best to say nothing at all. “I miss you…”

After a painful sigh, he said, “I miss you too.”

I had been so excited to talk to him, but once I had him on the phone, I didn’t know what to say.

“Baby…are you doing okay?” He didn’t ask anything specific, probably because he didn’t want to know. It was the vaguest question he could ask.

Tears streaked down my cheeks and I tasted them on my lips, but I kept the pain muffled so he would have no idea. “Yeah…I’m okay. I can’t wait to see you. I can’t wait to come home.”

“You’ll be home soon. I promise.”

Maddox snatched the phone out of my hand and ended the call. “Did that make you feel better?”

No—it made me feel worse.

5

Hades

I sat on the patio outside my bedroom with my two greatest allies.

Damien and Ash.

That phone call had been brutal. She barely said a few words, because she didn’t want me to know how much she was suffering. She was trying to make me feel better when I was the one who should be making her feel better. I’d managed to steady my tears, that way she wouldn’t have to listen to me break down. I played that conversation over and over in my head, and every time I did, it sounded worse.

I had to get her out of there.

Damien leaned back in his chair, his cheek propped on his hand. “She didn’t give you any hint to where she was?”

I shook my head. “No.”

“You couldn’t trace the call?” Ash asked.