I nod a few times, completely overwhelmed by my own deranged happiness over the slightest form of freedom, however small it may be.
“Good little angel,” he replies, and he pecks me on the forehead again. “It’ll all be easier if you just give in.”
Chapter 19
Amelia
A few days later, I’m invited for breakfast once again. I put on my big girl panties and dress up accordingly, knowing he’ll appreciate the effort. Even though I’m a prisoner, I can at least try to fit in with what he expects. If I play along and go easy on myself, maybe there will be an opportunity later. Even if he says he won’t fall for me, there is no guarantee. He’s a man, after all, and every man has an inner beast waiting to be released. His just happens to be chained well. But he’s shown it to me once, so he can show it again. And when he does, I’ll be ready. I’ll woo him with every ounce of my soul until I can spin him around my finger and convince him to let me out. Or at least, give me more freedom until he’s finally gotten from me what he so desperately wants.
I wish I knew what it is that he wants me to tell him, what’s hiding inside my own mind. But how could I tell someone what I don’t know? Is there a way to find out?
I gulp, thinking about what he told me, about how he will force me to tell the truth, one way or another. What will it take, and how far will he go?
And how much of myself will I lose in the process?
I let out a sigh and wait in front of the door. Only one way to find out.
When someone pushes a key into the lock on the outside, I know it’s time.
My heart begins to race. The door opens, and Mary greets me with a smile.
“You look lovely today,” she muses, looking me up and down. Her comment makes me blush. “Red? Provocative.”
I shrug. “Fits the occasion.”
She nods. “Can’t fault you there.” She beckons me. “C’mon.”
We walk down the long hallway again, and I can’t stop myself from staring at the doors where I know the other girls are being kept. A part of me struggles not to interfere and bang on those doors in an effort to let them know I’m here and that I won’t abandon them, even if I’m Eli’s personal favorite.
But another part of me knows I won’t get anywhere if I break the status quo. If I let my emotions rule, the guards standing by will immediately intervene, and I will have accomplished nothing.
No, the only way to win this war is to face it head-on, no matter how painful, twisted, or deviant it gets.
“Eli is really excited to see you,” Mary suddenly says as we approach the staircase.
I pause. “How come?”
“I don’t know, actually. Maybe it has something to do with your conversation?”
I suck in another breath as images of his hands on my shoulders and his lips on my skin invade my mind. Goose bumps scatter on my skin. “It was nothing.”
“That can’t be true,” she replies, raising a brow. “Eli never gets excited about anything.” Her smile grows. “You seem special to him.”
My eyes widen, and my hand touches my chest as though I can feel my heart beating out of it.
Special? Me?
That can’t be right.
She quickly heads downstairs. “This way, please.”
She points me in the right direction, the same room where we had breakfast the last time. Or at least, they did, because I wouldn’t dare touch it.
I guess some things have changed.
“Thanks,” I tell her.
Not because I’m grateful, but because getting some extra points with her can never be a bad thing. I need to keep my enemies close.
When I enter the room, the three of them are situated at the back of the table again. They all look up at me, three deadly and possessive stares that make my heart pound in my throat. But Soren quickly looks away, and Tobias returns his focus to a newspaper as though everything is fine and dandy, and they aren’t keeping seven people captive.
But maybe he doesn’t realize I know.
Soren’s already munching on a piece of bread that he plucked out of the basket while he picks at a wound on his knee. He doesn’t even seem to notice I’m here, which is a good thing, I guess.
After a quick breath to collect my nerves, I approach the table and sit down. Eli never takes his eyes off me, and it makes me blush even more than before.
“I’m glad you decided to join us,” he says. “Are you hungry?”
I nod. I’m not up for another bout of starvation if I can prevent it.
Besides, I doubt he’d want to poison me after all the trouble he went through to keep me locked up here.