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Chapter 19
SUKI
I have been standing here for at least a minute and I cannot help but feel a little ridiculous. Not because I am afraid Adrien might be watching—that fear is more than rational, but because I am debating if I should be in the same room with the only person that can protect me from him right now.
Of course I can.I have to be alive in order for me to escape, and if Adrien gets his hands on me again, there is no way I’m leaving this mountain—not alive anyway.
I press the handle to Niklas’ room, but as I cautiously enter, I realize that he is most definitely not in here. I turn back confused and close the door behind me. Looking around the long hallway, I note a door to my right that is most likely his… playroom? Kinky room? Torture chamber? None of that fits what he did to me in there… it was much more, so much more and so much better.
No, he is most definitely not in there, not alone. I walk towards the only door I have not gone through yet and press the handle, but midway through my grip shakes as I realize I should have knocked first.
Shit, I should have knocked!
“Umm… Niklas?” I call before the door opens fully.
“Is that your backwards way of knocking?” I hear his calm, condescending voice behind the door.
Shit.Well… he did not tell me to go away, so…
I open the door fully and take in the image in front of me. This room is probably the smallest one of all the ones upstairs, such a contrast to all the others with its black walls and deep red themed prints on the walls. On the wall to my left, there is a cozy looking black fabric sofa, the wall opposite me has a row of windows, most of them covered with almost black roller blinds, and tall wood tripod floor lamps sit in the corners. To the right, facing the sofa, sits a massive wood desk, simple, almost mid-century style, filled with four large screens and a laptop I don’t quite recognize. He sits behind the desk, his chair turned towards me, and he looks menacing.
I have invaded his space, but I cannot back up now. Stepping into the room, I close the door behind me and pretend I do not feel his murderous gaze on me as I look around.
My eyes fall on the three prints framed on the wall behind him—trees, woods, or maybe a park, a wild woman and a dark alley. Their colors have been altered, bathed in a crimson hue, and I am wondering if these prints are intentional or if they are just art he found online.
I keep ignoring the intense gaze that is burning a hole through me, turn around and take a seat on the sofa, getting comfortable before he can tell me to leave. I finally look at him, and his chair is turned to face me, his forearms resting on the desk, watching me through the intentional gap between two screens.
“Please, come in. Take a seat.” He gestures sarcastically from the door to the sofa, but I can see a slight curve in the corner of his mouth.
“Thank you.” I match his sarcastic tone with a sweet smile on my face. Crossing my legs on the sofa, I rub them together to get warmed up, cursing myself for not bringing the blanket with me from downstairs.
He sighs, then continues typing away. Several minutes pass and I’m getting colder. I cuddle in the corner of the sofa, bring my knees to my chest and cover them with the hoodie that is too large for my body anyway. I see him watching me in the corner of his eye, trying but failing to ignore my presence in his space.
He is concentrating now, tapping too many words per minute on his mechanical keyboard that makes a nostalgic noise ripped out of the late ‘90s. I do not know whether it is the cold or restlessness, but I have to get up. Walking up to the only window where the blinds are open, I am assaulted by yet another magnificent view. These windows are on the side of the house and the landscape feels new to me… for some reason this makes me angry.
This world, the solitude… these views alone are reason enough for me to be convinced that this is where I belong, that I need to stay, and it is infuriating.
I do not need reasons to stay! That list is getting too long now. I need more reasons to leave!
But how can I leave when that son of a bitch is still out there?
“What are we doing about Adrien, Niklas?” I turn and watch him as he types away. He completely ignores me. I take a couple of steps towards him, flexing my fists, trying to control my temper.
“Niklas, seriously, we need to talk about Adrien!” my tone is laced with annoyance, yet all he does is take a deep breath, his gaze focused on one of the screens.
I close the distance between us and slam my fist on the desk, everything on it rattling at the impact. “For the love of god, stop fucking ignoring me!”
In the next second he turns, one hand is on the small of my back pulling me, while the other hand is on my throat, guiding me roughly until I am laid on his lap like a disobedient child waiting for a spanking.
“What the hell?! Niklas let me go!” I scream at him as he lays one forearm on my back, holding me down, typing on his laptop with the other.
“Shhh.” He shushed me! He goddamn shushed me!
“Are you kidding me?! Let me go!” I grab onto the legs of the chair and force my body to rise, but his weight on my back is making my efforts futile.
“Suki, I will mark your fucking ass in crimson if you don’t keep your mouth shut and let me finish this.”
My body stills, and I curse my betraying flesh because there is fire in his voice, promises of pleasure laced with pain, and I wonder if he would keep them.
