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I turned away, not wanting to get involved in their personal business. Valik rushed over to me, giving me a once-over. He shook his head at the cut on my arm and my torn shirt. “You all right?” he whispered.
“Yeah.” I nodded and let him take me back to the house. Ryzen was waiting for us on the front porch, his eyes narrowing when he saw me scraped up.
“What happened?” He was angry, probably because he’d just had his ass handed to him by this Kaviathin guy.
“Just… It’s a long story,” I mumbled from the bottom of the stairs, which only seemed to irritate him. He shook his head, watching as the men piled back into their cars, the woman with them.
“Valik, I need you in my office now.” Ryzen nodded his head to the front door, and Valik walked up the steps. “Come on, Nova. Get cleaned up before dinner.” They both stood at the top of the stairs waiting for me.
Before I took my first step, Kaviathin called my name and motioned for me to come to him. I didn’t bother looking at Ryzen, because I knew he’d tell me not to go. I walked over to the car, standing behind the open door where Ryzen and Valik couldn’t see.
“You saved my sister.”
I couldn’t read the look on his face or his tone, so I just nodded.
He reached up and brushed his thumb just under my eye, the one that had been black and brown for weeks. “Your lion is tearing the world apart looking for you.”
“My lion?” I whispered, my heart stopping for a moment.
“You really don’t know?” He took off his sunglasses, his eyes piercing mine—the same as his sister, one gray, one blue.
Ryzen called my name and yelled for me to come inside. I turned to leave, but before I did Kaviathin grabbed my arm and I gasped. He pulled out a switchblade knife, pressing a button on the side so the sharp point popped out. My eyes widened as he pressed it again and the blade disappeared. He dragged my arm closer to him and stuffed the knife down the cast around my arm.
“I owe you.” He nodded and let my arm go.
I ran back to the house, a million thoughts rushing through my head. Ryzen narrowed his eyes. “What did he say to you?” He gripped my upper arm and Valik’s eyes widened. He took a step forward, but I shook my head slightly. I didn’t need Ryzen yelling at him again.
“Just said thank you because I helped his sister.” I patted his chest. “That’s all. Let me get cleaned up for dinner, OK?” I reached up and kissed his cheek and that seemed to relax him. He let me go and I raced upstairs, locking myself in the bathroom.
Well… I’d figured out what the problem was…
He was drugging me.
And probably trying to kill me.
Stepford WifeNova, you have a lot of explaining to do.
Chapter Eighteen
I gripped my fork until my knuckles turned white and stabbed at the salad Ryzen had prepared for me. He raised his eyebrows, and I forced a smile, digging my nails into my palm under the table. Kaviathin and his entourage had left not too long ago, and I had hidden the knife upstairs under my pillow. Why the hell had he given that to me? He knew something I didn’t, and that was fucking terrifying. I was in danger here, that much was clear. Every muscle in my body was tight, my body ready to run.
But where? There was nowhere to go. My shoulders sagged, and I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Ryzen, why were all those men here?”
He’d been mostly quiet while we ate, not offering a single explanation as to why a posse of men who looked like they had just stepped off the set of a mafia movie had shown up at our home. “Business associates. Nothing to worry about.” He tapped my nose and I had to stop myself from trying to bite his finger off like a wild animal. “How’s your memory? No improvement?” He watched me like a hawk, looking for something in my facial expression.
“No, nothing still.” I shook my head and put my fork down. “Maybe we should go see a psychiatrist? Someone to help me remember.” My voice quivered and I gripped his hand.
He tugged his hand out from under mine and tilted his head to the side. “The doctor said it would come back when you were ready, dear.”
More like it will come back when you stop fucking drugging me.
He wiped his mouth and tossed his napkin onto his plate. “You know I’ve been feeling terrible about your accident. If I hadn’t postponed the wedding date, you would have never left so angry. I would like to make it up to you.” He leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms behind his head. “How about I have a priest come this week and marry us? Right on the island. Just us?”
I blinked rapidly and jolted back, trying to process what he was saying. Get married? Why would we get married when I couldn’t even remember anything about our relationship? The way he looked at me made me realize that this wasn’t a choice. He was telling me, giving me the illusion of free will. It was like a game to him, I realized. All of it was.
I didn’t even know how to respond to that. There was no way in hell I was going to marry him, but I knew I couldn’t say that to his face. Not at this moment.
“Maybe we should wait? Until I get my memory back?” My heart slammed against my chest at my words.
