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Tearing my mouth away, I shove him hard and press my back to the door as our heavy breathing fills the air. His hooded eyes blaze with desire and need akin to mine, although it doesn’t soothe the inferno in my chest. “No,” I say, sliding the window open and inhaling the fresh air in my lungs. “Don’t touch me again,” I warn him, watching his reaction because up until this point, we haven’t discussed physical intimacy.
Will he push even after I tell him no?
I hate having such thoughts about him, but how could I not?
We stare at one another as I gauge his reaction, and finally he says, “As you wish, kitten.”
Still not sure with his mood, I press my back firmer against the door. “That’s it?”
“I respect the word no. We don’t take what’s not willingly offered. Only pieces of shit do that.” Instant relief washes over me, and the tension I didn’t even know I feel eases out. I weep in joy inwardly because he might be many things but at least forcing himself on anyone isn’t one of his qualities. “Sooner or later, you’ll be mine, though. And you’ll enjoy every single minute of it. It’s a matter of time, kitten.” A beat passes. “It’s inevitable.”
Anger bristles inside me, and I open my mouth to argue, but then shut it as it’s useless. My behavior earlier proves his point, so why would I waste time convincing him otherwise?
However, I give myself my word.
I won’t let him touch me again unless he has some explanations for me, which reminds me… “You didn’t answer me.” He raises his brow. “Where are we going?” The minute I repeat the question, I see us pulling up by the huge iron gates as two security guards surveil the property, jumping up from their seats and nodding at the car.
“Home. Welcome to our castle, kitten.”
The guards press some button near their small building, and the gates slide open, the rustling sound ringing in the air. Eric starts the engine again, flying through the entrance onto the narrow asphalt road surrounded by an endless garden.
Countless trees and rose bushes are spread all over the perimeter, neatly cut as emerald-green grass glistens under the warm lights coming from various lamps lighting up the space around us and showing us it all in its vivid glory. They create almost a magic atmosphere where the garden's beauty invites you over to explore it, yet the weird energy warns you to be careful because one might not leave it with their life intact.
Compared to the Price mansion, it has no statues or fountains in sight, and while it’s gorgeous, it still seems secluded. I shift my focus to the enormous three-story house in the distance that piques my curiosity.
Over the years, the Reeds never allowed anyone inside, so society speculated about their mansions and what goes on behind closed doors. According to some rumors, Octavius renovated the house so many times, some people refused to work for him, even if he paid generously.
I sit up straight, studying the structure that dates back to the nineteenth century as this mansion has belonged to the family for generations, and it’s…magnificent and haunting at the same time.
The moonlight shines brightly from above, pointing out its dark colors and endless windows.
We drive farther, passing by alcoves on the way, allowing me to notice little details about the mansion, like rose bushes near the entrance and lights in almost all the rooms.
This, combined with the thunder echoing in the air, gives this whole place a rather dark and unpleasant vibe. A tremor rushes through me, and everything in me rebels against the idea of entering inside.
It’s almost as if, if I do, I’ll find out all its secrets, and what if they are so hideous they destroy me?
Eric drives closer to the entrance, where stairs lead to the massive double oak door, and I blink in surprise when we pass it, turning to the right. “What’s going on?” I look at Octavius. “We’re not staying here?”
“I don’t sleep inside this house. Fucking hate it.” I still at how much distaste coats his voice, but deep down, I hear something else.
Something that’s evident in my voice whenever I talk about church.
Was his house once the source of his greatest pain? Is this why he does all these renovations to it?
“Why do you keep it, then?”
He shrugs. “The mansion is a legacy entrusted to its heirs. It’s not my great-great-great-grandfather’s fault one of his descendants ended up being a piece of shit.”
“Your stepfather, aka your cousin,” I guess, and anger flashes in his eyes, but he nods. However, it leaves little doubt the man hurt Octavius in some way if he ended up killing the guy.
Not that it justifies the video and everything else, but my heart hurts just thinking about anyone harming a child. “So why did you bring me here?”
“I still live on this land. Just not inside the house.” That's when another house opens up to my view, smaller than the mansion but still huge.
A one-level modern house spreads horizontally across the secluded corner, and once again, it has an endless number of windows, giving a full view inside it while there is even a terrace.
To study what? The garden? I find it strange that some weird wires on the grass are placed in different directions. “What is that?”
