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THEO
I open the door quietly,hoping not to wake anyone. It’s two in the morning and I’ve stayed in my room ever since I eavesdropped on King’s phone call with my father. No one came to find me and that only made me more suspicious.
Dax saw me standing outside the door. He would’ve gone in and told King I’d heard whatever had been said. King knows that I know. God, what is this game he’s playing?
My stomach growls again, reminding me why I’m trying to creep out of my room and down the hall. Walking with light steps on the soft carpet, I make my way silently down to the kitchen. Thankfully, it’s empty and I haven’t come across any staff yet.
Opening the fridge, I help myself to some leftover meat to fill the hole in my stomach. Only eating is making me nauseous, the uneasy feeling in my stomach never settling.
I take in my surroundings and figure out how I’m supposed to leave this place without being caught. I know there will be guards outside patrolling the area, but I have no idea how many or how often they circle. Maybe tomorrow I’ll spend the day outside and see if I can spot a pattern.
A light switches on in the study just down the hall and I freeze, knowing it can only be King or Dax. I quickly shove the plate back into the fridge and walk to the other side of the kitchen to make my exit.
My eyes flicker to the kitchen knives stored on their magnetic strip, gleaming in the moonlight, and without a second thought, I grab one and run silently back to my room.
Once safe inside, I flip the lock and run over to my bed, kneeling at the side of the mattress. I slide the knife underneath, blade first, so I know I have a weapon of some sort if I need one.
I tuck my knees into my chest, my back pushed up against the headboard, and I take in deep breaths to calm my beating heart. My palms are clammy as I rub at my arms to stop the chill.
I have no idea what game King is playing, but he’s winning and if I don’t act soon, the game will be over.
I’ve been walked over all my life and I refuse to be trod on now. King Rhivers may be in the lead, but it’s only a matter of time before he stumbles across a snake and slides right back down. And best believe that snake will beme.
* * *
The next day,I spend it doing just as I said I would, walking around the grounds and trying to suss out the guards’ rota. There is a small change every two hours, but they just rotate, so there’s never really any gap. So if I’m getting out of here, it’s going to be pure luck because there’s no way I can outrun the guards or go undetected.
The sun has long gone down and I’ve dressed in all black, to try and help blend into the shadows at any opportunity. My pulse hasn’t settled for hours and the more I think about running, the crazier it seems.
I hadn’t seen anyone at all today and it seems even more odd than before. Not even Rori has been around the grounds or to see me. Dax is avoiding me, or so it feels. A few times today I’ve caught the back of him as I turned to walk into another part of the garden. King is completely missing in action?I haven’t seen or heard from him in two days now.
Something bad is going down and I need to be out of here before it does.
A loud knock comes at my door and I jump back a mile. Who the fuck is here now of all times?
The knock sounds again and that deep, husky voice I know so well calls out my full name.
“Theodora,” King says, completely monotone.
I take a deep breath and walk towards the door.
“What do you want?” I reply quietly because if I spoke any louder, he’d hear the shake in my voice.
“I need to see you, Theo. It’s been two days. My bed’s cold without you.”
I frown at the door, trying to figure out his angle. He sounds normal, but how could he be when we haven’t even seen each other in two days? If normal is how he wants to play it, then so be it.
Shaking the tension out of my shoulders, I open the door to see King standing tall in his usual suit, minus the blazer. His white shirt is stretched across his taut muscles, the sleeves rolled up to show off his tattoos like usual.
“Look at me,” he whispers and my eyes slowly travel over his chest, his lips, until I finally land them on his. He looks sad, but I can’t read him completely. Suddenly, sadness washes over me as I look into those green orbs.
His hand comes up to sit gently against my throat, in its usual spot, and his thumb rubs softly back and forth over my pulse point.
“Where have you been?” he asks, his eyes flickering between both of mine, trying to read me.
“Here,” I reply and shrug, lifting my arm to gesture into my room.
“Theo, why are you avoiding me?”
