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7
KAI
I pushed her too hard. But if I don’t push her, who will. She’s certainly not about to pull herself out of the box she’s crawled into to die. Every time I see her, it’s as if she’s given up a tiny bit more of herself to those bastards, letting them win even though they are gone. I hate it. The dead solemn look in her eyes eats at me, reminds me of feeling powerless, and that’s something I don’t allow myself.
When she ventures out of her room, the light outside is low and gray. The only light inside is the dappled firelight as it casts shadows across the walls. I watch her as she very pointedly avoids looking my way.
I’m stretched out in an oversized armchair with my feet propped on the solid wood coffee table and my laptop balanced on a pillow covering my thighs. I track her progress as she enters the kitchen, the long sleeves of her black sweater wrapped over her hands, so I only see her white fingertips poking out.
She grabs a bowl of fruit from the refrigerator and closes the door softly, making as little noise as possible, trying to make herself invisible. That’s impossible. I could never unsee her. Never forget she’s there. If anything, her soft, clean scent is enough to keep her around, but she’s so much more than that. More than she gives herself credit for.
“You can’t ignore me forever,” I say, not needing to raise my voice.
She stops in her progress back to her room and turns to face me but keeps her eyes down on the bowl clutched in her hands. The sweater is too big on her, hanging loose around her thighs. She’s also wearing fluffy gray socks she’s pulled up almost over her knees. “I’m not ignoring you. I just have nothing to say to you.” Each word is crisp, clipped, and cheerless. Not that I expect her to be particularly cheerful. I never have.
I wave at the couch across from the fire. “Great, why don’t you take a seat and talk to me then?”
Her eyes dart to me finally, then to the couch, and back to me. “Why?”
I shrug, snapping my laptop closed and tucking it between the chair cushion and the arm. “Why not? It’s going to be just us here for a while. We should talk to each other.”
She resettles her shoulders as if preparing for a physical fight. “You’ve been fine to leave me to my own devices up till now. Why do you want to get to know me all of a sudden? I’m not going to fuck you.”
I scoff. “Oh, well, at least we’ve cleared that up. Little Rose, if I wanted to fuck you, there is very little you could do about it.”
Her eyes lock on mine, her lip curling. “You’d do that, knowing how much I’ve been through.”
I surge to my feet and make it around the couch before she even realizes I’ve moved. I grab her around the waist and haul her against me so I can stare down into her eyes. “No, I wouldn’t do that to you. You misunderstand me.” I lower my voice and dip in closer till my lips are only a breath away from hers. “If I wanted to fuck you, I’d have you so fucking wet you’d be climbing me like a tree, begging me to take you.”
Her eyes are wide now, and I can see the heavy thump of her pulse in her throat. Is she aroused or scared? Probably both since I can’t read it on her face. I release her slowly, so she doesn’t slip off-balance. When my hands are off her skin, it’s as if I can still feel her there, the soft, clean scent of her surrounding me, calming me in a way I don’t understand, or maybe I’m not ready to.
I step backward once, then sit down in the chair again. “Anyway, as I was saying. Sit…please.”
She swallows hard, her throat working, then skirts around the other end of the couch to sit as far away from me as possible. I scan her features, her body, trying to pick up on what she’s feeling, but I can’t tell, not with the darkness and the way she hides in oversized clothing without ever meeting my eyes. “What do you want to talk about?” Her voice is soft, still angry with me then.
I dig in the pocket of my sweatpants and pull out a burner phone. There’s only one number programmed in it, and I hit it and press the phone to my ear.
Rose’s brows draw down, matching a frown spread across her full lips. “Really, you tell me to sit, put on that whole show, and then you make a phone call—”
I hold up my hand when someone says hello on the other end of the line.
“Valentina, please.”
Adrian doesn’t say anything to me. There’s a long pause, and then her soft voice answers. “Hello?”
“Valentina, it’s Kai. I thought you and Rose might want to have a little chat.”
Valentina gasps. “Yes, please.”
I hit the speaker button and stand to grab the seat next to Rose. Just to piss her off, I throw myself on the couch right next to her, so close her bare thigh presses against mine.
“Go ahead,” I prompt.
Rose stares at the phone, then at me. I see something more than fear there now, and I wonder if I’ve made a mistake. Maybe she’s not ready. Maybe…
Rose clears her throat heavily. “Hello?”
Valentina makes some sort of noise on the line, forcing static. “Oh, my god, it’s so good to hear your voice. You have no idea. I thought you were dead, or I would have been there for you the entire time. Please believe me.”
