“I know that,” she said, blinking a few times before she brought the mug to her lips and took a long sip. She sighed as she sat the mug on the table. “I can’t help it,” she said. “I’m doing my best to…adjust.” Her eyes widened at me apologetically. “Not that I’m not grateful to be here, Valor. I swear. I am. So, so grateful. I just—”
“I get it,” I cut off her ramble, reaching across the table to gently squeeze her hand. “I had a hard time when I was first…brought here too.” The memory of the day Lachlan found me flashed through my mind, and my heart ached and squeezed with the weight against it.
Two days.
It had been two days since the battle at the facility, since we’d rescued Daphne and brought her back to the safety of the Residence. Two days since he’d given me his blood—blowing my mind and the mating bond into nothing but brilliant sparkles of light.
And he still hadn’t spoken to me.
Hadn’t sought me out.
Hadn’t attempted to discuss the words I’d left him with before…
Yes, I’d shackled him in iron, but I’d been trying to save his life. I understood his anger, but I had thought after two days to cool, he’d at least try and talk to me.
I’d been wrong.
“What am I going to do now, Valor?” Daphne asked, sounding so much more mature than her sixteen years. “What are you going to do?”
I blew out a breath. “I don’t have those answers for you right now, Daphne,” I admitted. And I hated that on her behalf. The Sons of Honor—our families—had created and shaped our previous world down to the finest details. Daphne had been betrothed, for fuck’s sake, her entire life mapped out and narrowed down to producing more heirs to their bloodline. And if I hadn’t been trained to take over the Moorehouse line, I would’ve been forced to marry as well.
I rubbed my palms over my face. Faced with the freedom to choose, I could see why Daphne would panic. Especially with my brother still on the loose.
“Keeping you safe is my number one priority,” I said, at least knowing that much. “I’ll do my best to make sure you get your own choices as we do so, but Daphne, I can’t simply let you go out into the world on your own.”
“I know that,” she said, smiling at me. “This isn’t a prison,” she continued. “Not like what I’ve been living in. It didn’t matter if it was five-star hotels or seedy, crumbling homes. The people who kept me…” She shook her head, something dark flashing in her eyes. “They were a prison. For my mind, my soul. Everything I loved I had to hide.”
I swallowed hard. “Well, you don’t have to hide anymore,” I said. “I’ve stocked this room with all the romance novels I could find in Alek’s extensive libraries. And I had Ransom hook you up with a streaming package—binge all the Netflix you want.”
She huffed a dark laugh. “Sounds like a perfect way to spend my time.”
I tilted my head. “How would you prefer to spend your time?” I thought she’d be thrilled to have the time and space to recover, reset, be free.
“I don’t know,” she sighed. “I just know I don’t want to be helpless again. Don’t want to be a useless girl only deemed worthy enough for breeding.”
I swallowed a mouthful of acid. “Did your ex-fiancé…did he—”
“No,” she cut me off, her hands falling in her lap as she ducked her head. “He…not that. Other things. I…I can’t…”
“You don’t have to,” I finished for her. “You can talk to me whenever you’re ready. Or if you’d rather talk to someone else, I’m sure I can ask for that to be arranged.”
She nodded, silence eating up the space between us. I hated it. We used to talk over each other, we both loved to talk so much. Daphne had always had this pure light about her—sometimes I even thought she might be a damn descendent of an angel, if such things existed—that’s how absolutely good she was. She saw the world with hope and love, and optimism, even being raised by hateful, fearful people.
And I could still see the light shining through her, even now. It radiated from the very depths of her soul and shone through her eyes. But…whatever had happened while I was away, it had left its mark for sure.
I wanted to kill them all because of it.
“What about you, Valor,” she said. “Honestly, tell me. What are you going to do about Lachlan?”
I’d told her everything the first night I had her here. Told her the truth about the love I had for the vampire. I’d never keep anything from her ever again. Never again take for granted our time together.