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“And you planned to just abduct me? Take me away from my old life?”
“I’d hoped you would see reason eventually and choose to stay with me on your own.”
“That’s a pretty far-fetched hope.”
“Is it? You seem taken with the men who did buy you. Stress does strange things to people, creates bonds stronger than most people realize. It speeds along connections and can cause people who would never give each other a chance to fall in love. It wasn’t so crazy an idea when you consider how you cling to your captors. I’d hoped after some time with me, you’d see that I loved you, that I cared about you, that you’d grow to feel that way in return.”
I wanted to argue with him but…he wasn’t wrong. I thought about how I relied on Hayden, how Vance’s smile made me happy, how I enjoyed sitting quietly with Tor, how Char’s sharp tongue was normal to me now.
I’d accepted them all, and I wasn’t sure that would have happened in any other situation.
It made my stomach clench uncomfortably, as I considered what might have happened if the auction had gone Lorien’s way, if he’d taken me from the start. Would I have fallen for him?
What if I’d never met my men…?
The idea made me sick. I hated it, wanted to reassure myself that wasn’t possible, that I wasn’t so fickle as to fall for someone like Lorien. “I wouldn’t do that,” I whispered.
“No?” His tone encouraged me to talk back, which struck me as strange. Normally, men in Lorien’s position preferred their women silent and obedient.
“No. I know the things you’ve done, so how could I just accept all that?”
“But I’m not the only one. You know Tor is a hired killer who has murdered more people than I could hope to track down. Hayden was a soldier before he worked security, and he has killed just because of orders from superiors. Vance might not be a killer, but he’s hurt so many women, some who never really recovered. Char has bilked millions out of people, ruining them financially. They are far from the innocent people you like to pretend. They are not so different from me, except I am more successful.”
I tightened my fingers around the phone, not sure how to respond, how to argue with facts that were true. It terrified me, the idea that if I’d met Lorien first, he might have twisted my mind, might have had me thinking the same about him.
He sighed softly, as though having grown tired as well. “Sleep, Kenz. We will speak again tomorrow. Goodnight, my dear.”
With that, he hung up, leaving me in the silence of the room alone.
The things he said rang in my head, and I knew sleep wouldn’t come easily tonight. Instead, I traced the steps I’d taken since the auction, trying to see if I’d made mistakes, if I’d missed things I should have seen.
I hated that out of everyone in my life, I knew that I could trust myself the least…
Chapter Four
Kenz
I rubbed my eyes as I curled into the smallest ball possible on the couch. Being a woman really sucked a lot of the time. I had to deal with men who didn’t respect me, I’d had to dance to their tune my whole damn life, and once a month my uterus decided to tear itself apart like one of those surprise renovation shows.
It was that third one that plagued me right now.
The TV played, a show I hadn’t even tried paying attention to. It was some reality cooking show, and the food didn’t even make me hungry. My cramps hurt far too much for food to sound appetizing.
Char was home, working in his room, so I’d hardly seen him. Everyone else had things to do, which was why I’d settled myself in the living room instead of my own room. I had no classes, and I’d taken today off from painting.
A long hot bath later and an early bedtime were the best I could do to try to relax. My periods weren’t fun, but at least they tended to be on the short side, only lasting about three days. I considered that a small miracle.
My eyes drifted closed, and I figured sleeping was better than hurting. My rest was light, the type where I wasn’t sure I actually slept at all. I must have, though, because the soft murmur of voices roused me later.
“She’s been sleeping all day?”
“Yeah, so? We know she doesn’t sleep well. She probably needed to catch up.”
“What if she’s sick?” Hayden’s worried voice pulled me fully from my sleep.
I opened my eyes, surprised to find the windows dark.I guess I napped the rest of the day…
My head rested on something warm, and I frowned for a moment. Had someone given me a pillow?
