“But didn’t we just—”
“I still need sleep,” he interjects, throwing me a look over his shoulder.
I don’t think I want to go against him right now.
He still seems pissed off about what happened, but I don’t know if it’s because of the fact that he woke with me on top of him … or if it’s because I stopped him from hurting himself.
Regardless, I’m glad we’re taking a break. My feet are aching from all the sauntering around on uneven ground. And I guess we both lack a bit of sleep after last night.
But I don’t feel guilty.
He’s the one who forced me to come with him, who tied me up, who dragged me along despite my pleas to let me go.
And if I can’t win this thing by strength, then I’m going to try to use my seduction skills instead. Even though I’m pretty much a newbie when it comes to love, it’s the only chance I have, so I’m willing to try.
Especially when I know it could work. He’s been gawking me ever since we left the House, and every time I get close, it looks almost as if he wants to push back. Like he’s afraid of his own reaction to me.
And to my body.
Memories of me slipping in and out of the water with his eyes ogling my every move slide back to the forefront of my mind, and my body flusters with heat.
God, I really need to learn to control myself.
Even if I am going to try to persuade him using my charm, I must never fall for a beast like him.
Soren marches up to the cabin and promptly shoves the door open without even so much as a knock. And I just stand there with a gaping mouth. “Uh … shouldn’t we ask if we can come in first?”
“No one lives here,” he retorts, stomping into the cabin.
I pause in the door opening and peer inside. Everywhere I look are cobwebs, and dust is gathered on the floor. It looks like a soul hasn’t been here in ages. But how? Who would build this cabin in the middle of nowhere for no reason? Maybe it’s a vacation house that’s only used occasionally. But in that case, it’s still not a safe hideout.
“How do you know no one lives here?” I ask. The thought of bothering someone makes me feel uneasy. “What if the owners use it for vacations? They could come back any time.”
After putting his bag down on the couch, Soren looks me dead in the eye. “No. I killed him.”
Chapter 15
Soren
April hasn’t talked to me since I told her about this cabin and what happened to the previous owner.
I killed him because he was snooping on the House grounds, peeping through the windows, trying to snap pictures of the naked girls in their rooms being punished for their sins.
To me, it was obvious he couldn’t survive.
After all, no one talks about what happens at the House.
No one lives to tell the tale.
But when I look at her bustling around in the kitchen area, I can’t help but wonder if she thinks the same could happen to her when she’d talk.
If she asks … I can’t deny it.
Rules are there to be obeyed.
Yet she continues to fight them.
I sigh out loud as I watch her toil, and she briefly glances up at me when I cock my head to see what she’s doing. She swiftly hides a pan beneath the sink and raises her brow at me until I look away again.
If she’s still frightened by the idea of me killing people, I won’t bother her with the details. It’s only natural to me. Exterminating vermin is what I’m good at. Hurting people who deserve it is what I’m good at.
Monitoring a girl’s needs while also taking her somewhere she doesn’t want to go?
Disastrous.
Suddenly, a spicy smell enters my nostrils, and I turn my head in the direction of the scent. It’s coming from the kitchen … and there’s smoke rising from the stove.
Is she … cooking?
How? With what?
I narrow my eyes, watching her stir that same pot she tried to hide from me, making sure she doesn’t see me look. I don’t know what it is that she’s cooking up there, and I don’t think she wants me to know either … but it smells delicious.
And it makes my stomach growl.
No one in the House ever made any dish smell that amazing.
What did she do to it?
She moves away from the stove and grabs two plates and cutlery from the cabinet, placing them on the only table in this cabin. Then she places the pot on the table with a spoon and looks up to greet me with an awkward smile.
“Dinner’s ready.”
I frown for a few seconds, but she doesn’t relent.
It almost sounds like she wants to play house here, and that doesn’t sit right with me.