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The fingers were rough yet gentle.
“You’re sure? Because I’ll gut you from navel to throat if you’re wrong.”
Matteo’s deep voice came through like a serrated knife, and despite the severity of his tone, I felt something relax in me at the obvious concern—and deadly promise—laced within his words.
The digits touching my forehead stroked my skin in an almost soothing manner, and although I couldn’t see who touched me, I knew it was Matteo.
It was a strange sensation knowing a man like him didn’t feel compassion or empathy. That a man who could torture and kill two people didn’t have empathy yet could touch me as if he feared I’d break.
I heard them retreat from me then their voices dropped low as they murmured to one another. I couldn’t make out what was being said. The sound of the door opening and closing should have made me feel relieved that I was finally alone.
But I wasn’t.
I could still feel another presence in the room… could feelhimwatching me although he was silent, so still I envisioned him being a statue.
I felt the same sensation of his gaze upon me as I did when he sat in my living room, watching me from the darkened corner like a demon wanting to possess my soul.
For long moments, I just controlled my breathing, but I felt tense, and with each passing second, my muscles contracted harder, painfully. The sensation of being weighed down, of sinking into the bed, was almost too much to handle.
“I know you’re awake, Liliana.” Matteo’s voice was deep and dark, smooth like the whiskey I was sure he drank frequently.
I didn’t open my eyes, didn’t speak or change positions. I heard him come closer, though I could tell the floor was carpeted because of his muted footsteps. I picked up on the heavythumpof his shoes on the plush carpet as he came closer.
When he stopped at the foot of the bed, Ifelthis presence. It was heavy, like a straitjacket. Suffocating. Contradicting. Yet… comforting in the same breath.
“Open your eyes.”
I did what he said. Slowly.
I was thankful the lights were low, my head throbbing now that my eyes were open. I clenched the sheets tightly in my hands, not showing the pain outward where Matteo could see.
He wrapped his hands around the footboard of the bed, the black button-down shirt he wore rolled up at the sleeves showcasing his thick, tattooed forearms.
He showed no expression on his face, no emotion behind his dark, bottomless gaze. I swallowed, feeling on display as if I were a deer in the middle of the woods and could sense a predator.
It was as if I knew I was about to die and couldn’t stop it.
He straightened and walked toward a door off to the side. He turned the light on, and I could see it was a bathroom. I heard the sink run, and a moment later, he was back out, holding a glass of water.
When he handed it to me, I contemplated shunning him, cursing him out, and telling him to let me leave. Maybe even toss that shit in his face.
But my throat felt like the Sahara Desert, and I took the glass from his hands before I knew I was doing it.
I downed it in a sloppy manner that should’ve embarrassed me, but it didn’t. Water dribbled down my chin and covered my shirt.
He watched me the whole time, and when I finished, he refilled it for me. I was on my third glass when I finally rested back on the bed, my belly hurting from being filled, my headache easing slightly.
Although I knew he still stared at me, I focused on my surroundings. Dark shades of gray, paired with a minimalistic design, decorated the room.
A fireplace was across from the bed, massive and ominous.
There was only one picture on the wall, one that hung over the mantle and showcased a dark figure standing off in the distance surrounded by an eerie forest.
Chills moved along my arms because I could imagine that figure was Matteo, a demon in the middle of the night creeping through the dark forest as if it were looking for some sacrificial virgin to offer to the very devil himself.
“Baxter left some pain pills and is going to come back in the morning to check on you. I’m going to have him check in frequently for the next few days.”
His voice drew me out of my thoughts, and I thought about his words, that demand sinking in.
