“Repeat it,” he said, his eyes boring into mine.
“I hadn’t eaten before now in seven days, drank anything in nearly as long. I ran because Darius killed my parents,” I answered him, and he let my face go. He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose and exhaling.
“Well?” asked Darius.
“I was wrong. She is telling the truth.”
“So you called me in here for no reason?” Darius snarled at him.
“How was I supposed to know? I thought she was refusing to do what she was told.”
“By fucking asking. Did you bother to ask her?”
“You deal with her then. I didn’t even want to be near her,” Tobias said before storming out of the room.
I looked down at my hands, my throat restricting at his words. The mate bond made his words sting, even though the feeling of hatred was mutual. Their outright blatant rejection was like a slap in the face, making me remember they didn’t want me. I was here out of necessity and for them to ruin. I didn’t want to be here either, but forcing me to stay was cruel.
“Can I sleep now?” I asked, wanting them gone. Kalen’s hand dropped onto mine as I picked at my nails before gently squeezing.
“Kalen!” Darius’s angry voice makes me look at Darius, who was glaring at Kalen’s hand gripping mine, and Kalen sighed, removing his hand before dropping his head.
“Go with Lycus,” Darius growled at him, and Kalen stood, taking my empty bowl and the tray. Lycus followed him to the door before stopping.
“There is a bag with clothes in the wardrobe for you,” Lycus told me before turning and walking out, leaving Darius alone with me.
“Just because Kalen stood up for you, don’t think you can turn him against us. So stay away from him. If I catch you seeking him out, you will beg for me to kill you. Understood?” I nodded, pulling the blankets back up.
“I asked you a question.”
“Yes, Darius, I understand,” I answered as I tucked my legs underneath the blanket, my stomach sinking. Why wasn’t I allowed near the only person that didn’t seem hellbent on trying to kill me? He was the only one who was sort of nice, and I couldn’t go near him. Darius walked out before flicking the light off, leaving only the light from the fire in the fireplace. The door handle jiggled, and I knew he’d locked me in when I heard the lock click.
One thing I knew for sure was that I needed to find a way out of here. Get away from Darius because I could tell this was only the beginning of the cruelty I was about to endure.
Chapter 12
Restless, I tossed andturned all night, not really getting proper sleep. The tugging sensation of knowing they were so close was pulling me to seek out my mates, knowing they could replenish my powers. It must have been the early morning hours when I heard the twist of the shared bathroom door.
My mind instantly became alert as I looked in its direction. I let out a breath when I realized it was Kalen and not one of the others. He stopped when he noticed me sitting upright in the bed before hesitating.
“Did I wake you?” he whispered, and I shook my head. He looked over his shoulder toward his room before quietly shutting the door. For some reason, his presence didn’t scare me. I found his aura comforting, and I wanted to keep him safe and close to me for some reason. Kalen walked over to the bed, sitting down on it. I moved over so he had more room, and he lay on his side facing me.
“Sorry, it is the bond,” Kalen said.
“You might get me in trouble, though,” I told him, thinking of Darius’s threat.
“I can go?” he said, and he rolled about to get out of the bed. When I gripped his arm, he stopped. He didn’t want to go, and honestly, I didn’t want him to leave. It had been years since I met someone I wanted to be around.
Kalen was the first normal interaction I had had since leaving school. Being the strange girl who stuck to herself in school didn’t win me any friends, and for years the only friend I had was a stranger I spoke to online. It was the only way to vent my frustrations, and I regretted leaving my tablet behind. I wondered if I could get access to a computer here. I knew it wouldn’t be anytime soon if they did agree, and I doubted they would let me use it to speak to my friend over the internet, whoever they might be.
Kalen lay back down, and I observed him the best I could in the darkness, yet curiosity was eating at me.
“You’re not like them. You don’t seem to hate me.”
“Because I don’t. I figured you ran for some reason.”
“And if I just ran?” I asked him. He shrugged. “I can’t say I blame you. Darius scared the crap out of us when he found us.” He paused like he was locked in his memories, his aura turned depressive, and I held my tongue, thinking it might be best not to ask what upset him.
“So, I still couldn’t hate you for running even if you had no reason,” he said simply before wriggling closer to me.