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The warmthof Alec’s hand brings me back to the present. His touch is so gentle, so tender, despite the pain that he must be in. I bolt upright in the chair, chagrined that I fell asleep while on watch. It’s so much harder than they make it sound in books.
And it’s morning.
I slept through the entire night. But what about Alec? He has to be exhausted.
“I’m sorry. I fell asleep.” My voice sounds thick and garbled.
“It’s okay, love. We’re alone,” Alec whispers to me and moves his hand down from my cheek to my chin, then places his jaw alongside my cheek. The roughness of his unshaven face against my skin and the slight scratch of his fingers as they drift down to my neck make me close my eyes, lingering on the edge of sleep before having to face the day and the horrors it brings.
“What time is it?” I rest my hand on his, holding it to my cheek, letting his warmth soak through me.
“A bit before dawn.” His voice is soft, sleepy, making me worry if he got any rest at all. Knowing Alec, and the protective man inside of him, he probably stayed up all night watching over me. Normally, a sacrifice like that would warm my heart, but I only feel pain. Pain that he sacrifices for me when he’s been brutally beaten and needs the rest more than me.
“Dawn? That’s all?” My brows tug together as his hand glides from my cheek to my chin, his thumb caressing the delicate skin. We have so little time to escape this place. I hate to have wasted the night and feel guilty for sleeping.
“I love you.” A soft, sleepy smile plays across his lips.
“I love you too.” My words are barely a whisper, but I lean in and kiss him.
Where the room reeks of must and mold, his lips are soft and warm, carrying the sweet taste of his breath. For a moment, we forget the dangers that surround us and simply revel in each other’s presence.
But the harsh reality of our situation cannot be denied.
“We need to find a way to escape.” Knowing someone’s probably listening, I keep my voice low.
“Not from this room.” Alec shakes his head. “I’ve looked at everything.”
I let out a sigh, feeling the weight of our situation press down on me, but rather than let his words get me down, I allow myself a moment longer to get lost in Alec’s touch and in the warmth of his hand on my skin. I lean in and kiss him, my lips melting into his. It’s a soft, gentle kiss, filled with love and tenderness.
As we break apart, Alec’s eyes meet mine. “We’ll get out of here. I promise.”
I nod, not trusting myself to speak. A glimmer of hope stirs within me.We’ll get out of here. Until then, we have each other, and in this moment, that’s all that matters.
I rise from the chair, stretching to alleviate the stiffness from sleeping in such an uncomfortable position. Alec watches me with concern and guilt in his eyes, blaming himself for my predicament. I offer him a small smile to reassure him, though it barely makes a difference.
“We need to come up with a plan.” I stretch my back, then walk over to the window to peer outside. Thick iron bars prevent any escape, but if they weren’t there, it’s too high to jump.
Maybe there’s another way out?
In the meantime, I prepare myself for more torture from Matilda. Instead of that, she brings us food on a silver platter. It’s tasteless and bland, barely enough to sustain us, but there is no further torture. She even brings fresh bandages and topical antibiotics for the cuts on my calf and ankle.
She continues to taunt us, threatening me with torture if Alec doesn’t tell her what she wants to know about the Guardians, but she doesn’t appear to be in any rush to get those answers.
The fear in Alec’s eyes is palpable. I have no doubt he can withstand the worst torture, but being forced to watch that torture done to me?
It will break him.
Several days later, we’re pulled from our room by Matilda and an escort of guards. I peer down every hallway, look in every room. If ever given a chance to get free, I’m looking for a way out.
Eventually, Matilda and her guards lead us into a study, where we come face to face with Artemus Gonzales himself—the man whose reputation I’ve only heard about from his wretched mother.
Tall and muscular, a few years past middle age, he wears a cruel sneer and possesses dark, menacing eyes.
One of the guards seizes me, forcibly separating me from Alec. Alec’s entire body tenses, preparing to fight back, but we’re clearly outnumbered.
Without uttering a word, Artemus strides toward me and delivers a stinging slap across my face. The impact forces my teeth to cut my cheek, flooding my mouth with the metallic taste of blood. My head spins from the force of the blow, and tears well up in my eyes. Alec erupts in a fury, attempting to intervene, but Gonzales’s men hold him firmly in place.
“Mother says you won’t cooperate,” Artemus sneers, his gaze fixed upon me. He strikes me with a brutal punch to the gut, causing me to double over, gagging and fighting the urge to vomit. Turning to Alec, his tone turns venomous. “If you don’t start talking, your little Barbie doll suffers.” Low and menacing, he makes his point.
