There is no hope for her, though. I always win.
I lean forward in my chair. “We can do this one of two ways. I can force you . . .”
“Option two, don’t eat,” she chimes in.
“No, option two is not that.”
“What’s option two?”
My lips spread into a large and thoroughly pleased grin.
“I’m happy you ask, Ivy. Option two is I chain you to the table until you do.” Her mouth drops open at my words, so I continue. “I have been easy on you.”
“Easy? You call this easy? You locked me in your scary home.”
“I hardly call living in a mansion, roughing it.”
“I’m all alone. The only companion is that dog.” She points at Cerberus, who chooses that moment to bark at her, and I can’t hold back the chuckle.
“You think that’s funny?”
“Yes.”
“It’s not funny that you have left me alone with a dog that wants to chew my face off.”
My lips keep pulling up. Watching her get so angry over the dog is fucking hilarious.
“How about this . . . why don’t you tell me why I’m here? Tell me why you took me, and I’ll eat.”
“Interesting idea.” And it is, but Ivy doesn’t know me. Everything comes with a price. Leaning forward, I rest my weight on my forearms. “Fine, I have one stipulation. You cannot ask me why I took you.”
“But—”
“Option two it is. I’ll just tell Cerberus to watch you while I get the chains.”
The shiver that runs down her spine is obvious. It’s as obvious as the fear that reflects back at me from her large blue eyes. Ivy is scared, and she should be.
“Fine.” She lifts her hands in acceptance. “Fine. One bite, one question.”
I nod. “I agree to those terms.”
She lifts the fork off the table and looks at me and then the food.
“Cyrus Reed, you better not be lying.”
“Ivy Aldridge,” I counter, “I don’t lie.”
“How did you take me, and before you say anything, the question is not why? It’s how.”
“Chloroform,” I answer truthfully. By now there is no proof, so she can’t do anything with this information.
“You have access to chloroform?”
I lift a brow and dart my eyes toward the food. “That’s two questions. Now you owe me two bites.”
She takes the two bites, and I can tell she wants to say how good it tastes after not eating for so long, but she’s too strong to do that. So she stifles the moan threatening to escape and swallows.
“Yes.”
She places her fork down and furrows her brow.
“That’s not an answer.”
“Well then, you should probably ask better questions,” I deadpan.
A groan of displeasure pours from her mouth as she shakes her head. She rights herself quickly. I’m not sure if it’s because she is hungry and wants to eat more, or if it’s because she really wants to know the answer.
“How do you have access to chloroform?”
“A store.”
Cue the groan again.
“This isn’t fair.”
“And you owe me another bite.”
She huffs in annoyance but takes the bite.
11
Ivy
A few days have passed since Cyrus came here and forced me to eat. I’m no longer starving, but I’m still annoyed. The man is infuriating. Never in my life has someone evaded questions quite like him. The whole thing was a giant waste of time.
Searching the property has also proven fruitless. I still have yet to find anything useful for a potential escape.
The worst part, cabin fever has set in.
I’m bored, have no one to talk to, and my only companion wants to eat me for breakfast.
Things aren’t looking good for me these days.
No. Not true. There has been one bright light in all this darkness. During my latest search, I did find one thing. Off the side of the house, I stumbled upon a door. It was jammed, and I almost broke my arm trying to bust in, but it was well worth it.
A greenhouse.
Not a very nice one, but still it has the potential to make my days better. Everything inside is dead and unkempt. But I did find seeds and will plant them in the abandoned pots I found. Maybe I’ll even be able to grow flowers.
I’m not sure what plants or flowers the seeds are, but I’ll plant and water them, nonetheless. As soon as they sprout, I’ll know.
Or maybe I won’t.
Hopefully, I won’t be here that long. My stomach drops at the thought. Will I?
At first, I would’ve said no, but seeing as I’ve come no further in a week, there’s a good chance I will be. At this point, I’m so desperate I had full conversations with Cerberus. As if he will answer.
I have made it my lifelong goal to turn him from the dark side to my alliance. At every meal, I try to feed him, and at every meal, he rejects my advances. I will win him over. I’ll get him to like me. Today, he guards me once again as I tend to my new flowers. It’s hard to plant anything, seeing as there’re no shovels. Cyrus was smart; he left nothing that could be construed as a weapon.