Bound to Darkness (Doubeck Crime Family)

I shrug. “Only for when we went out in public where people might see. I usually made everything I wore out of scraps from old outfits either me or Val had outgrown.”

He flinches at the mention of Val but doesn’t say anything else. “Just go change and stop arguing with me for once. I will strip this robe from your body and put the clothes on you myself if you don’t do it quickly.”

Since he’s not a man who makes idle threats, I don’t wait for him to tell me again. I scurry back to my room and close the door.

My exhale escapes harsh and loud in the empty room. My skin is crawling from him touching me, his clean almond scent still clinging to my robe in places. I don’t like being touched anymore, yet when his hands met my skin, it wasn’t the revulsion I usually feel from the touch of another but something else. Something that scared me far more.

I stare at the clothes, then drag them down and put them on, cursing Kai every second. As usual, it all fits me perfectly, as if he’s tailored the fabric himself just for me. The silk of the black shirt is soft against my skin, lying flat and straight against my body. I tuck the shirt into the slacks and grab the leather ballet flats on the floor near my dresser.

When I come out of the bedroom, he gives me a quick once-over and then focuses on his phone. “Come sit. We’ll be leaving in just a second.”

I swallow, not wanting to sit so close to him while things are rolling around inside me unsettled. But I also don’t want to argue more and get him in a worse mood. Not so early in the day when I don’t know how long we’ll be stuck together.

“Can I ask where we are going?” I manage, sitting on the stool next to him.

He answers, but I blink, and it’s like I missed something. “I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that.”

This time, he turns to face me and tucks his phone into his pocket again. “I said the plane is ready. We can leave in a moment.”

I nod. Things seem to be slowing down, and my body, which had been coiled tight since I woke up, is relaxing. “What are we waiting for then?”

He reaches out and wraps his hands around my waist gently. “For the drugs I slipped into your cereal to kick in. Don’t worry, it’s just a little Xanax to keep you calm until we reach our destination.”

“You motherfu—”

Darkness swallows me whole, and it wears Kai’s face.

5

KAI

It occurs to me that I should feel bad about drugging her. Or at least not giving her the choice of medicating for the flight. However, knowing how she feels about going outside and how much of a battle it had already turned out to be just to get her to pack and come with me, I opt for ease rather than her autonomy. A decision I’m sure I’ll hear about the moment she wakes up.

I sit back on the plush leather couch and sigh, the sound of the high crackling fire to my left lulling me into calm I rarely manage these days. If I weren’t afraid she’d wake scared and alone, I’d take a little nap myself, but I don’t trust her to be calm when it’s time, and I won’t leave her to her fear like so many before me.

Snow is falling in a steady blanket outside. Inches have already accumulated since we landed and took the SUV up the mountain alone. Not that she noticed anything in her deep slumber. The bags still sit by the door, but it’s something we can deal with later, once she’s awake and no longer cursing my existence.

Valentina told me to take Rose somewhere safe and hide. Adrian agreed, and that’s all the direction I needed to get out of the city for a while. At the very least, I won’t have to see a single council member out here. Maybe they will forget about me with the new season starting soon. Or maybe I’ll get tired of waiting and make a move on them myself. Death is better than uncertainty.

When we arrived a few hours ago, I placed her on the long couch directly across from the fireplace so I could keep an eye on her. The second she starts stirring, I ease out of the chair to her side and kneel next to her shoulders. “Rose, can you hear me? Wake up.”

She moves a bit more and then blinks her eyes open only to let out a huff and squeeze them shut again. “What…how? Why is it so bright? Why does my mouth feel like I swallowed a handful of cotton balls?”

I shove off the couch to stand and grab her a glass of water from a pitcher on the counter. When I return, I gently help her sit and then gingerly sit beside her, so I don’t jostle her too much. Maybe I gave her too high of a dose, but the doctor assured me it would be enough to keep her sedated without any ill effects. Slowly, I wrap her hands around the glass of water and help her bring it to her lips. She guzzles it down greedily, letting it dribble down her chin until the glass is empty.

“Do you want more?”

She shakes her head, blinking her eyes open once more. “No, thank you. That was enough.”

I set the glass on the long wood coffee table and study her face. She’s barely squinting her eyes open, and her mouth is twisted in her usual scowl. Her hair is mussed, the braid piecemeal after all the travel and then her fitful sleep. “What’s going on? Why is it so bright in here right now?”

Instead of answering, I shift off the couch to find the remote for the built-in window shades. Her eyes follow me, and when I start the shade, she screeches, “Wait!”

I hit the button to stop it and watch her struggle to stand. Okay, the dose had definitely been too large for her. Maybe it’s because she’s lost so much weight since the last time the doctor took her vitals. My new mission is to help her put some of it back on. Not that she’s too thin, but I liked her curves before, at least what I allowed myself to see. Not much with her being so injured for so long.

“Is that…is that snow?” She carefully makes her way across the room to the huge bank of windows framed by the aged wood beams. “Why is there snow outside?”

“We are on a mountain, and I think that’s a blizzard.”