Page 16 of Fractured Memories

“I want to know why I’m here,” I tell him sternly.

At that, his gaze flicks away. The muscle in his jaw ticks, and he rubs a hand over the thick, dark scruff along his jaw.

Now that he’s not watching me, I let my gaze run over him. His forearms are on full display with his sleeves rolled up. His shirt is a button more undone than when we were in the car. And his hair is a mess, the wavy strands tousled like he’s been tugging at it.

It takes him a moment to gather himself. “Because this is your home, Eden.” He doesn’t look at me when he says it, and his voice is noticeably tight, lacking that playful edge that was just there.

So he expects me to stay here. Live here. With him.

The concept puts me on edge because I don’t know him. I know that he stormed into the camp, took me by force, and locked me in a guest room. If this is my home, then it’s not because I want it to be.

“I’d call myself a prisoner more than anything,” I snap back at him. My skin is starting to crawl with the confusing information I’ve been given. I might not remember much, but I know I don’t like holding so little control.

Kieran tips his head back with a sigh. He looks…tired. Not triumphant after forcing me into his home. Not angry that I’m fighting him. Just worn down.

“No one could keep you somewhere you don’t want to be.” With both hands stuffed in his pockets, he stares at the window. He’s anything but relaxed, despite the way he’s trying to seem. His whole body is lined with tension, and he still won’t look at me. “I know that better than anyone.”

There’s a strange part of me that wants to cross the room, to make him look at me. I want to study his face, to read him.

Because I need to understand my captor. It can’t be for any other reason.

“It seems like you are the only one trying to do that,” I bite out, forcing myself to stay still. I’m getting agitated by his confusing answers and the way my heart rate is increasing the longer I stare at him. I blame it on my body recognizing him for the predator he is.

He scoffs, and those green eyes snap to me. They are blazing now, and I realize that those words made his anger spike. “I’m the only person that has given you every opportunity you’ve ever wanted, wife. Don’t accuse me of something that couldn’t be further from the truth.”

My mouth goes dry as I stare at him, trying to cover up my shock. Wife?

“What did you call me?” I croak out, unable to hide how affected I am.

Kieran’s eyes close briefly, his body growing even more taut. He looks seconds from exploding when he flicks his gaze up to me. “This is your home, Eden. It has been for almost a year.” He takes one slow step forward, and it seems like he’s holding onto his control by a thread. “I don’t know what happened when you were at that camp⁠—“

“What did you call me?” I interrupt, blood rushing in my ears.

“Wife.” It’s a whisper. “You are my wife.”

I’m shaking my head before he even gets the words out. “No. That doesn’t make sense⁠—“

“No!” Kieran finally explodes, taking another step closer as he throws his hands out. There’s a crack in his expression, the slightest glimmer of that same anguish I thought I saw in the car. He’s trying to mask it, but I still see it. “You know what doesn’t make sense?”

I don’t breathe as he stalks closer, chest heaving and eyes wild. My pulse pounds harder, heat spreading down my chest and pooling in my stomach. Which shouldn’t be my reaction. I should be trying to get away from him, especially now that he’s snapped.

But some instinct in the back of my mind is saying he won’t hurt me.

“What doesn’t make sense,” he continues, his voice dropping so low that he’s practically growling, “is how you are standing there, staring at me like I’m a stranger. How you saw me in that rebel camp and didn’t ask for your knives so you could join the fun. How you refused to enter a home you love.” He swallows hard, and while each word drips with anger, I doubt that’s the main emotion driving him. “None of this makes any fucking sense, Eden. But you being my wife? That is one truth you can’t take from me right now.”

He’s crept so close, I could reach out and touch him. The air between us is charged, and I’m surprised that Kieran doesn’t take it all away.

Instead, he stands right in front of me, almost trembling as intensity pours off of him. And I think he’s waiting for an answer from me.

I was the one who demanded we talk. I had just expected a much simpler response. One I could wrap my head around.

Not that I’m married to a man I don’t recognize. One who is admittedly attractive and insanely dangerous. One I was ready to kill an hour ago.

“You’re lying,” I whisper, unable to come to any other conclusion. “You have to be lying⁠—“

He scoffs, the sound cutting through my words. He turns away, his jaw working, and I think he’s about to go completely over the edge. “I don’t know what the fuck happened, Eden, but if there’s one thing you should know, it’s that I’ve never been anything but honest with you.”

I don’t get a chance to answer before he’s crossing back to the door, wrenching it open, and slamming it closed behind him. I rush after him, but when I turn the knob, I find myself locked inside the room once again.