Page 54 of No One’s Daughter

“I can hear you worrying from over here,” he cut in, voice edged with mild irritation. “Stop it. The cat’s fine. Marlette has a soft spot for the clawed creatures.”

There was a brief pause.

“Just… go to sleep or something.”

“Oh, okay,” I said, unsure what else to say. At least that was one thing I didn’t need to worry about. And he’d said he’d let me call Claire, so there was that.

Okay.

I let out a slow breath, leaning back against the seat as the countryside swallowed us up once more. But I wouldn’t sleep. Not if I could help it. I didn’t trust him at all and I wanted to know where we were going. The more information I had, the better my chances of escape were.

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

Davien

I PULLED INTO the underground garage in the early hours. I pulled up my hood, trying to disguise myself as much as possible. I didn’t need anyone remembering us, so I threw a black hoodie I’d picked up on our way into the city to Ailsa. “Put that on and pull up the hood.”

To my surprise, she didn’t argue and did as she was told. If only she could be this well behaved all the time. Maybe there was hope for her yet, or rather, for my sanity.

Still, I wasn’t going to take any chances of her disappearing on me. She huffed her annoyance and didn’t hide the eye roll when I dangled a pair of handcuffs in front of her.

“Seriously? Again?”

“Until I can trust you… yes,” I said, not sure how I could make it any more obvious.

She swore under her breath but complied.

I quickly hauled the two bags Merrick had packed out of the back seat and flung them over my shoulder before I grabbed Ailsa’s hand, entwining her fingers with mine. And if looks could kill, I’d have been a dead man. “Calm down, Princess. Us holding hands looks a hell of a lot less suspicious than the dangling chain of the cuffs linking us. Just play along.”

She squinted her eyes at me. “Oh, I don’t know Davien, I think what would have been less suspicious would be to not have cuffed us together in the first place.”

I took a sharp inhale through my nose. I guess she wasn’t ready to play along nicely after all. But who was I kidding, I preferred it that way anyway, and I’d be lying if the sound of my name from her lips didn’t do things to me.

No, for fucks sake.

What was wrong with me?

I shook the thought from my head. I couldn’t go down that road. “Let’s just get up to the fucking flat.”

Calling it a flat was generous given that it was an open plan single room with a tiny bathroom but I had a feeling that if I admitted to her just how small the space she’d be forced to share with me was she’d probably make a run for it. And I couldn’t have that here, this city was far too big. She’d actually have a chance of getting away from me. It was a headache of a thought. But the bigger problem was us staying hidden, and with all the smells and hiding spots within the city, this was the best option until I could get us out of the country.

“Well, this is…,” her eyes scanned the room. “Cosy.”

I locked the door behind us and she shook her wrist at me, a fake little smile on those perfect lips. “I promise I’ll behave.”

​I sighed. “Fine.”

​I couldn’t keep her shackled forever.

​Or maybe I could.

​She could learn to accept it.

​No. I internally scowled at myself. No. I couldn’t.

​Seriously. What the fuck was wrong with me today?

As soon as the shackle was off her wrist she practically skipped over to the bathroom and I heard some mumbling about thanking God as she tested the water pressure of the tap.