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My eyes dart around the hallway, trying to place which door he disappeared through, but they all look the same and there’s no sound coming from behind any of them. I need more time to explore. The more I know about this place, the more likely I’ll be able to escape, and right now, that’s the only thing I can think about. Because if I allow myself to be swallowed by the feeling of his body touching mine and how his words affect me like no one else’s ever have, I don't think I'll ever be able to drag myself from the depths.
Two days pass, and I haven’t seen or heard from Elijah once. In fact, the only person who I’ve seen is Mary, and as much as I’m starting to like the older woman who reminds me of my mother in so many ways, I’m going out of my goddamn mind. I’ve never been so bored in my life. Growing up with three siblings and having Everett around from when I was ten meant I was never without some kind of company at home, so spending forty-eight hours alone, in my room, with only the occasional visit from Mary, I’m going out of my damn mind.
The first night the door was left open, I ventured out to get a feel of the house. I tried every external door, but all of them were locked up tight. I riffled through every drawer in every room I have access to, and there wasn’t a single key in any of them. In fact, the only key I could find was the one hanging outside my bedroom door. It’s like a cruel fucking joke, taunting me with the threat of locking me up in this room again.
But then, what would the difference be? I’m already a fucking prisoner, and my jailer hasn’t even done me the courtesy of checking on me. The nagging voice in the back of my head tries to tell me the reason I’m mad is because he said all those things to me, and now it seems they’re broken promises, but that’s absurd. The only way that would be the reason I’m upset is if I wanted Elijah, and that’s the furthest thing from the truth.
Mary strolls in at the same time she has the last two mornings, a bright smile on her face as she makes her way to the other side of the room to draw the blinds. I haven’t bothered to get out of bed this morning, instead choosing to stay in the big comfortable bed. It’s where I’ve spent the last forty-eight hours. What’s the point of leaving it if I’m just going to end up back here again?
“Time to get up, dear,” she chimes.
“I’m not feeling well,” I mumble, tugging the blankets up higher.
Mary moves to the end of the bed and puts both hands to her hips, her eyebrows raised. “I know this is an adjustment for you, Snow. I know this isn’t something you’ve chosen for yourself, and Elijah isn’t helping by keeping himself locked up in his office rather than trying to make this transition easier on you, but the more you wallow, the harder it’s going to be for you in the long run.”
I sigh and burrow my face deeper into the pillow. “What’s the point of getting up, Mary? Just so I can sit in another room in this house? Might as well stay here where it reminds me of home.” The last few words slip from my lips without my permission. I assume every room in this place is bugged, including this one, but then again, if Elijah hasn’t bothered to come out to see me for two days, why would he bother to listen to what I’m saying?
Mary moves around the bed until she’s sitting beside me, her hand gently brushing through my hair like my mom used to when I was sick and my heart hurts thinking about her. I miss her so much it hurts. All the moments I’m going to miss, that all my siblings will, some days it’s more than I can handle. Today is one of those days. “I can imagine this is very difficult for you, Snow. I’m sure you’re feeling hopeless and like all you want is to go back to your family. But if there’s one thing I can tell you about Elijah, it’s that once he sets his mind to something, he makes it happen. I can tell you that this plan has been in motion for a long time. Much longer than anyone in his life realized, including myself. And now that he has you, he’s not going to let you go anywhere. I’m sorry if that’s not what you want to hear, but I don’t want to lie to you.”
“Please leave,” I whisper, a flurry of emotions hitting me all at once and causing my chest to ache.
The idea that I could be locked up in this house for the rest of my life has nausea settling in my stomach. I close my eyes and try to imagine I’m in my room at the estate. The sound of Wynter and Everett bickering down the hallway and Storm reprimanding them. Emerson’s giggle as Rayne chases her up the stairs. The time we’ve spent there since our parents died has given us something we’d all but forgotten we needed. Each other. Before we would see one another at work or at family events but living and grieving together has strengthened our relationship and made us inseparable. What if I never get to see them again? What if Elijah cuts me off from my family, and all I have left is him and Mary? The possibility makes my stomach flip uncomfortably.
“You need to eat, Snow.”
I shake my head against the pillow, not bothering to open my eyes. “I’m not hungry.”
She sighs. Her presence hangs over me for a few more seconds before soft footsteps retreat from the room, the door clicking shut quietly behind her.
The fucked-up thing is I almost wish she would lock the door again. At least when I was locked away, I knew where I stood. I was a prisoner. Now Elijah Russo has claimed me, told me I will always be his, and then proceeded to lock himself away for days at a time.
I don’t want to belong to anyone, but certainly not him, and yet some part of me is hurt that he’s done this and that I haven’t seen him.
How am I supposed to make his life hell if he isn’t around for me to do it? Elijah may think the youngest Saint James is easy to manipulate and control, but he has another thing coming. He’s just met his match.
14
Elijah
Mrs. Chambers makes her way from Snow’s room straight to the office without missing a beat. The moment she denied food, I expected our housekeeper to be at my door, and here she is with annoyance written all over her face.
The moment the door swings open, she’s storming in, her finger jabbing into my chest. “You told me you were going to take care of her, Elijah. You promised she would not be harmed while she was here.”
“I haven’t harmed her.” I shrug, moving back behind my desk where I can see my Snowflake. She hasn’t moved from beneath the blankets, and I don’t think she will until I go move her.
Mrs. Chambers sighs and collapses into the seat across from me. “Just because you haven’t physically hit her doesn’t mean you haven’t hurt her. You’ve stolen her from her family, deprived her of the outside world, and left her with only a few short conversations with me each day while you’ve been in here. I agreed to this because you told me she’s the one, but so far, you’ve spent twenty minutes together.”
I drag my eyes away from the screen and look across the desk at the woman who raised me. She cleaned my wounds when my father hurt me and fed me even when she wasn’t supposed to. She hid toys when I was young so I wouldn’t miss out on being a child. She’s the closest thing I’ve ever had to a mother, and as much as I hate to admit it, she’s right. I’ve done everything to bring Snow here, years of planning, moving chess pieces and waiting for the right time, and now that she’s here, I haven’t spent any time trying to convince her this is the best thing for the both of us.
“If you don’t make her trust you soon, she’s going to run. She’s going to find a way out of this house and she’s going to run as far as she can from you. You’ve given her no reason not to. You have to give her a reason, Elijah.”
I scrub my hands down my face and sigh. She’s right. Snow’s been sneaking around the house at night looking for a way out, but she’s not going to find one, at least not where she’s looking. But she’s crafty, and at some stage, she’s going to work it out. She’s been escaping from places and people she shouldn’t have her whole life, and no matter how many measures I put in place to avoid it happening, she'll do it again.
“I’ll talk to her.”
“She’s not eating. She barely ate dinner last night, and she’s flat out refusing to eat this morning. You need to fix this before I make good on my promise and get her out of here.” She stares at me pointedly, resting both hands on her hips like a disappointed parent.
“You will not,” I growl.
