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What would she think if I told her that I’ve watched over her every day of her life? That I would kill any threat to her? That I’d die for her?
That conversation is best for another time. Perhaps when I’m completely free to indulge in her.
“You are very important to Wonderland,” I say. “You have no idea just how much.”
CHAPTER4
ADELAIDE
“That’s insane,” I whisper.
Everything here is.
Darius with his familiarity and the magic that brought me to him. My reaction to this man and the way my body warms with him near. But most of all, the desire stirring in my blood, making it sing. There weren’t exactly a lot of choices for male company in the mental facility, but the pull I have toward Darius supersedes anything I’ve ever felt.
“You have a lot to learn, dearest one, but that will come in time. Unfortunately, we’re running out of that commodity.” He exhales, and the frustration within flows over me. “Right now, we need to figure out why you don’t remember anything.”
I bite my bottom lip, gnawing the soft skin, feeling the blood rising to the surface. “Maybe I don’t want to.”
Warmth brushes my cheek a second before his palm does. “You don’t need to be afraid. You’re safe with me. I won’t let anything harm you.”
Darius doesn’t need to know he’s my main source of anxiety at this moment. The affability pouring from him is enough to make me run away and hide. At the same time, it speaks of a connection that I’ve longed for since I first woke up, covered in blood. As much as I’d love to know our past, I can’t take the risk that it has anything to do with my nightmares.
Unlocking those might push me to a point of no return.
“Thanks,” I mumble, “but there’s a reason I don’t remember anything. It’s my mind’s way of protecting me.”
“Time will tell. Speaking of…”
His fingers, flush to my face, flex as though he wants to grab me. My heart rate increases, and I will my cheeks not to flush. The warmth from the blood recedes like a wave returning to the ocean.
“We need to leave,” he says. “If I release you, will you promise not to run?”
My mouth quirks up. “Where would I go?”
“Not far. That I can assure you.”
He removes his hands from me, and the sense of loss is immediate. I school my features, not wanting him to notice. What is wrong with me? Other than the usual repressed trauma, of course.
“I’ll behave,” I say.
With a low groan, he closes his eyes. “You’ll be the death of me. Now, up you go.”
I flatten my hands against the plush rug underneath us and push up, lifting my body from his. Darius stares up at me without reservation. The silver of his eyes pierces me like the edge of a dagger, conjuring feelings of danger as well as tingles of excitement. I might not know this man, but I don’t want him to look at me any differently.
Right now, he watches me as if I’m his entire world.
In the mental institution, I was happy to be ignored. Preferred it, even. But Darius isn’t dismissing me. He acts enthralled, and I can’t deny that I’m enjoying it while being freaked the fuck out.
I get to my feet and watch him spring up with an athleticism that’s to be envied. He brushes his waistcoat and pants with sharp movements that snag my attention, keeping it fixed on him. Although it would be regardless. His pure white hair falls over his ebony brows, and my fingers twitch to brush away the strands. I want to feel the texture of his hair. Just once.
“It’s getting late.” He removes a pocket watch and stares at it intently, his lips thinning. “I must get back soon.”
I spread my arms. “What am I supposed to do?”
He makes a soothing noise and wraps his long, elegant fingers around the back of my neck. With a gentle tug, he brings me close, and the rushing within his veins crescendos. I fight the urge to lower my lashes and drink in the sound. It’s alluring.
Darius is even more so.
