Page 35 of Eat Me

Elijah's expression softens slightly, though his eyes remained hard. "We're not asking you to forget, Victoria…. but you will not be able to go back…either you leave here with a ring on your finger or in a body bag.”

When he lets go, I stumble a bit and slump against the wall. I hear Elijah release a breath as he looks down at me, “We like you darling, but just because we like you right now doesn’t mean things can’t change. You must prove yourself to the rest of ourfamily too and if you can’t do that…” He left the words hanging in the air, with a razor sharp, cold smile on his face. Elijah gives me one last look before leaving me alone with my thoughts.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Victoria

Islump to the floor after Elijah leaves the room because my legs no longer able to support me. His words echo in my mind, each word feeling like a physical blow.‘Either you leave here with a ring on your finger or in a body bag.’The finality of it, the utter lack of compromise makes my chest tight with panic.

Wrapping my arms around my knees, I’m trying to stop the trembling that has taken over my body. Part of me wants to scream, to rage against the injustice of it all, but what good would that do? They’ve made it abundantly clear that my feelings, my desires, mean nothing to them. I’m only a prize to be won, a possession to be claimed. The worst part, I know they’re right. There is no going back to my old life. Even if by some miracle I manage to escape, how could I ever explain what happened here. I can’t, that’s the simplest answer.

“Fuck.”I mutter as I curl even more into myself. I know after everything that’s happened, my life will never be the same. Howcould I think I could go back to being the person I was before all of this? There’s no way I could put the things I have witnessed in the back of my mind, lock it all up with a tight key and forget everything. I don’t want to remember any of this, but sadly that isn’t how life works.

I must stay strong and hope I can survive the other tests they have in store for me. Putting all my strength into not breaking down in front of them is my main focus. Rubbing my eyes, I will the tears that threaten to escape, to go away. I can’t break,not yet.

Just as I lay down and curl up to try and get some kind of sleep, I hear the door swing open again, quickly sitting up, annoyance raging through me as I flick some hair out of my face. I see Jasper standing in the doorway, a frown on his face as he looks me over. Glaring at him, “Whatnow.”

Jasper gives me a small smirk, "Just checking in on you…. There's a storm coming, so I thought I’d drop something off.” He drops a blanket over me, making me blink up at him.

“Why are you giving me this now, and not when I first arrived in this cell?” I inquire, generally not knowing why I’ve been given a blanket now.

“There’s a storm coming through and it gets drafty in here. We don’t want you getting sick when you’re so close to the end.” Jasper grins as he crosses his arms over his chest.

Eyeing the blanket warily, I’m not sure trusting this sudden act of kindness is a good idea. "Thanks, I guess," I mutter, still not making a move to take it.

Jasper's eyes take on a dangerous glint, along with his smirk almost shark like. "You should be more grateful, little bird. We don't have to give you anything."

I bite back a sharp retort, knowing it'll only make things worse. Instead, I force myself to nod. "You're right. Thank you for the blanket."

Jasper's grin softening, but the predatory glint in his eyes stayed. "You're most welcome, little bird. Though, I could always stay and keep you warm myself if you’d prefer."

I tense at his words, instinctively pressing myself further against the wall. "No thanks," I say quickly. "The blanket is fine."

Jasper chuckles, the sound sending chills down my spine. "Suit yourself. But my offer stands if you change your mind." He winks at me, his smirk growing as he sees how uncomfortable it making me.

Staring at Jasper, the words he spoke finally sinking in, "You had said…close to the end?" I echo, my heart rate picking up. "What did you mean by that?"

Jasper's grin widens with a knowing predatory gleam in his eyes. "It means you're nearing the final tests, little bird. The ones that will truly determine if you're worthy of joining our family."

I suppress a shudder at his words. "And if I'm not deemed worthy?" I ask, already knowing the answer but needing to hear it.

Jasper's expression turns into an amused look, as if I said something funny. "I don’t think you have to worry about that.”

My brows furrow at his words, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Jasper gives a small snort as he looks me over. “You’ve done so well so far; I have no worries about you not being able to pass the tests that are to come.” I don’t know how I feel about him being so sure I’d be one of them.

All I can do is stare at Jasper, as I’m unsure how to respond to his confidence in me. Part of me is relieved that he thinks I’ll pass the remaining tests, but another part's deeply unsettled by the implication that I’m becoming what they wanted me to be.

"You sound awfully sure about that," I say cautiously. "What makes you think I'll pass?"

Jasper's eyes continue to study me. "You've shown remarkable resilience and adaptability so far. Most girls would have broken by now, but you're still fighting. Still thinking strategically." He pauses, his grin once again turning predatory. "Plus, we've grown quite fond of you. It would be a shame to lose such promising potential… way more than anyone else that has been chosen.”

I frown, not liking the implications of his words. "How many others have there been?"

"Curious, are we?" Jasper smirks, his eyes alight with amusement. "Let's just say we've had our fair share of... unsuccessful candidates over the years."

Jasper's casual tone when discussing the‘unsuccessful candidates’sends a chill down my spine. I can’t help but wonder how many women have died here, because of being subjected to these cruel tests and twisted games. Once again, I find myself swallowing hard, fighting back the wave of nausea.

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