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His words make me consider, for the first time, his actions balanced with my father’s. It would be so easy to call him a liar, to believe that he’s spinning tales to make me hate my father for whatever nefarious purpose he’s cooked up.
But none of it matters because the facts remain. He wants to kill my father, and I won’t be able to look at him if he does it. Not without my answers. Besides, his professing ownership of me every five minutes doesn’t say he cares, only that he likes to lay claim. He likes to own people, and for people to owe him. More than anything, he enjoys the power of his position, even if he doesn’t rub it in other’s faces.
“You only want me for right now. I’m a novelty to you, revenge, as you said before. When I look at you, I see how much you want me, but it won’t be long until you get bored and cast me aside. Where will I be then?”
I get a pang of guilt for saying it, but I shove it down and meet him square in the eye. “You like the idea of owning me. Of owning your enemy’s daughter. It doesn’t mean you want me or even know anything about me.”
“You’re right. I don’t know anything about you. Tell me something.”
I shove at his chest, but of course, he doesn’t budge. “No. You don’t get to pretend to care when I call you on your bullshit, either. The only thing you want from me is obedience. You want me to say yes and spread my legs. But that’s it.”
The look on his face would have scared me a few days ago. Now it only makes me angry.
“Have I not made you comfortable? Have I not tried to engage you in conversation? You’re the one who keeps bringing up Lucas, or your father, or your family. Can’t you understand I don’t want to talk about those things? Not when all of them bring to mind the image of my mother’s blood spilling across the kitchen floor. My father’s blood caked into the grout.”
I stop struggling in his grip and stare into his eyes. He’s cleared the emotion from his face, presenting the mask he always did before… except now, I see something else in his eyes. Pain. So much pain he must be drowning in it.
I cup his cheeks and shake my head. “I need to talk about these things because they aren’t settled. All of them are stacked up, creating this barrier between us. If you want me to give myself to you, we have to clear them out of the way. No matter how painful it is. Until then, I can’t give you what you want from me.”
His hands grip my hips, but I wiggle free and put a few steps between us.
As he narrows his eyes, I shake my head. “You said no to my deal, so I’ll go back to our room now.” I turn to the door to leave.
“Stop,” his voice rings out in the room.
But I don’t listen, increasing my pace to clear the threshold.
I don’t get far before I hear the heavy thud of his steps on the hardwood as he gives chase.
13
Nic
“You can’t get away from me,” I call, not bothering to walk faster since there’s nowhere in the house she’ll be able to hide.
Her bare feet slap on the hardwood ahead of me before going silent, which means she either stopped or shifted over to the hallway with the runner. I turn the corner and spot the ends of her hair as she ducks into her old bedroom.
I brace my hands on the open doorway and peer into the darkened room. Once I moved her to mine, I had the staff clear this one out, so she had no option to return. All that’s left inside is the bare furniture and heavy curtains across the windows.
“Princess? You can’t hide from me. Come out now, and I’ll make this easier on you.”
I listen hard, focusing on any movement or sound. The bathroom door is closed, so I don’t think she made it in there before I got to the door.
If she won’t come out, I’ll have to go in after her and show her exactly what happens when she defies me.
It takes seconds to find her hiding behind one of the curtains, her bare toes peeking out from the edge of the steel gray drapery. I tug back the curtain to find her staring up at me, her hands curled around the edge of the windowsill like it might anchor her.
“What do you think I should do to you, princess? You not only tried to manipulate me, but then you ran and didn’t come out when I ordered. I think that deserves a punishment.”
