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The door behind me slams, making me jump, and somewhere deeper within the greenhouse there’s a crash, the sound of breaking glass and a deeply hissed curse that sets my nerves on edge.
“Hello?” I call out. “Is anyone here?”
There’s no answer and it’s too dark to see much but I follow the path in the dark, hopefully aiming for the direction the sounds seemed to come from. I forget all about my bare feet and the risk of cutting them on whatever broke when I came in.Music plays faintly in the background, but I can’t work out the words as I press deeper into the space.
Deep, blood red peonies surround me, their perfume stronger than their pale counterparts. Black Swan. As a kid, the palest pink were always my favourites, but I can appreciate these dark beauties so much more now.
Reaching out a finger to stroke a velvety petal, I pause. Someone is behind me. I don’t have to turn around to know it’s him. I can feel his eyes on me, watching me with a mixture of surprise and curiosity.
“I thought you were asleep,” he says, his voice low and raspy and slightly slurred.
Is Axel Abbot drunk?
I immediately dismiss the notion. He would never lose control like that.
“I was,” I reply, not turning around or taking my focus away from the flowers captivating me.Why is there a greenhouse full of my favourite flowers growing out of season? And what is Axel doing out here in the middle of the night?“And then I wasn’t. And I needed to clear my head. To remind myself that I’m still in control.”
His shoes crunch on the gravel path as he takes a step closer, and then he speaks again. “You are, you know.”
Whisps of his breath caress my neck, and I shiver slightly. The words of the song become clear, seeping into my flower-drugged brain and confusing me. The lyricist – a guy – is singing about knowing you’re home when you see someone’s light shine. It’s poignant, especially when Axel’s hands land gently on my hips and he tugs me back against his chest.
My heart catches. Why can’t I ever let him go? “What are you saying, Axel?”
His hands dance across my abdomen, and even though I’m clothed, his touch burns like I’m bare.
He doesn’t answer for a moment, just silently swaying us in time to the beat of the song and humming the tune under his breath. When the chorus hits, he whispers the lines in my ear, and it takes immense effort not to melt.
Axel Abbot singing is a thing of beauty that I never want to share with anyone else.
Mine.
“I’m saying that you’re a strong woman, Odile. The strongest I ever met. I’m… I hate that you’ve had to be so strong by yourself for so long. If things could be different, I’d make it so.”
I slowly turn to face him, and even though he lets me turn, he doesn’t drop his hands from my hips.
“What do you mean?”
The song ends and the next begins, the same artist I think, singing about always feeling someone in your blood no matter the distance.
Under different circumstances this would be romantic.
Hell, maybe itisromantic anyway.
Axel steps closer, his eyes feasting on me. “I mean that you have power. Over all of us. It might not be the kind you were expecting, but it’s still power, nonetheless.”
I take a deep breath, gathering my strength and my resolve. “You think you can control me, but you don’t know me, Axel. Just because I opened up and told you the bare bones of my story, it doesn’t mean you understand. I’m not some fragile object to be manipulated.”
His eyes flash with fire and determination as he steps even closer, his body language daring me to defy him. “I know you better than you know yourself. And I know that you need me.”
I lift my chin, challenging him with a smile that says I’m not afraid. “Oh really? And just how well do you know me, Axel?”
He grabs my wrist, pulling me flush against his chest, his eyes darkening with a mix of desire and frustration. “Wellenough to know that youdoneed me, Odile. Need me to protect you, to guide you, to show you the way.”
“I don’t need anyone to do that, Axel. I can do this on my own.”
“Oh, you can try, but I’m not going to let you go down this path alone. I won’t let you destroy yourself.”
I wrench my arm away, pulling back, my heart pounding with defiance. “I’m not seeking destruction, Axel. I’m seeking freedom.”
