Dark Lonely Lies (The Denton Family Legacy 6)

She chuckled, and he had no doubt it was rare for her to find any kind of humor in moments like this. For him, he was getting what he needed in just holding her. He had no doubt the time would come when he wanted more.

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The following morning, Landon was true to his word. He brought her to orgasm even before breakfast. By the time they made it down, Jade had already made pancakes, which had no sugar or syrup. They were good though, just bland.

After food, Landon got all serious. They had no choice but to explore the outside of the house and the inside, looking for weaknesses and ways out. He wanted to always have an escape route, which he found through the kitchen, which led out onto a back porch, and out into the main field. They would have to take cover in darkness. So long as they didn’t cut the grass, it would provide them enough cover for a short time. Long enough to get out.

The second exit was through Jade’s bedroom. She had a tree perched outside of her window, which they all had to climb outside.

“I didn’t grow up around trees. This is all new territory for me. I’m going to die.”

“You’re not going to die,” Landon said. “I won’t let you. Just follow Jade’s lead.”

So for the rest of the day, she had no choice but to climb up and down the tree. Jade and Landon kept on showing her, but she knew she was the weakest of the link so far. She’d never had to run for her life, not from the threat of death. This was different than anything she was used to.

Landon left to get them some food late at night. She and Jade took separate showers, and she went to Jade to get her hair put in a plait for the night. Her hair was way too long and she didn’t want to have to worry about it if they were attacked at night.

“How are you finding all of this?” Jade asked, combing her hair.

“Strange. I don’t know if I like it.”

“I imagine being back at the Denton house was a lot more fun.”

“Not really. I was trapped in a room all day, bored. They didn’t exactly take my entertainment seriously.”

Jade giggled. “I imagine not. I must have sucked, like big time.”

“Oh, it did, believe me. I did what they wanted me to do, though. I didn’t realize until it was too late.”

“What did you do?”

“They wanted me to escape,” Tulip said. “From the very beginning, Landon’s uncle, Rick, he fed me enough information to make sure I knew who I was dealing with.”

“Does Landon frighten you?”

“Frighten me?” She thought about the feel of his lips between her thighs and shook her head. “No, he doesn’t frighten me. I … I don’t know what I feel about him. What do you think? I never thought about it, but do you want him?”

“Landon, ew, no. He’s like a brother to me. I have brothers, and they’re assholes, so I know the difference.”

“Right.”

“He was going to kill me. You know that, but instead, he helped me.”

“Was your home life really that bad?” Tulip asked. “You’re running for your life all the time. You could get killed because of him.”

“I know. It beats being married off to some guy I don’t know. In my family, us girls, we’re nothing to them. The sons, they’re the ones to inherit the family name. Take over the line. Keep the name feared. I was allowed to go to school but I knew from the start it didn’t matter if I was academic. I was only as good as my looks. I had to look pretty. I had to be perfect. Whenever my father saw me, if I wasn’t pretty enough, silent enough, if I made him angry, he’d hurt me. A slap, a kick, that kind of thing. I was told at an early age that I was to remain a virgin and be available for marriage to whomever he pleased. I wasn’t to have my own mind, my own thoughts. If I even showed him a glare, he’d smack me for it.”

“Oh, wow,” she said.

“When the news came of my impending marriage to Landon, my first thought was at least he’s not old. Then my … wife training began. Yeah, I had to keep my husband happy. We all knew of the curse of the Denton men. How they’re destined to find their one true woman. Their love. I was told if I lost his attention, they’d kill me.”

“Wait, if they’re going to kill you anyway, why send men to come and get you? Back at the house, you said if the Savona crest was on the back of the guys’ necks.”

“Until I’m married, I’m useful. They’re probably hoping I’m still a virgin as well. I am. Landon and I, we’re friends. We’ve both been fucked over by our families and we have a mutual understanding. If my family gets a hold of me, they will put me on the chopping block. The highest bidder will get me. I don’t want that. I want to be free. Even though this means no designer dresses and constantly being on the run and fighting for our lives, it’s shit, I know that. But I can say shit, fuck, crap, and I can hold a gun. I can talk to whoever the hell I want to, and I can watch horror movies. I’m not going to lie, horror movies aren’t my deal, but I can watch them. I’m free.”

“You believe this is free?”

“It is to me and for now, I’ll take it. Haven’t you ever had a moment or a time when you wished for something like this? To be your own person? To not have people telling you what to do? How to live your life?”