Page 21 of Bloody Kingdom

My spine goes rigid as I brace myself, thinking she’s resorting back to her original bitchy ways. “Sure.”

“You’re looking at this situation the wrong way,” she starts. “You keep saying Silas blackmailed you into being here, but you haven’t considered the alternative if he hadn’t stepped in. If you hadn’t been able to repay those other men, where would you be right now? From what I’ve heard, there wouldn’t be anyone making you breakfast.”

Silas’s comment comes back to me.Nothing but a warm cunt for them to abuse.That pit of dread returns to my stomach. Based on what Gallo’s man said the other night, he was done waiting for the money. If I’d been taken by Gallo, I’m positive my situation would be a lot worse than what it is right now.

But… “He still kidnapped me.”

“I never said I agreed with how you got here.”

“He keeps threatening to send me back to Gallo.” My voice isn’t as strong as I’d like it to be. The thought of being taken by Gallo making me feel even more helpless. “Do you really think he’d do that? Send me back?”

Della simply nods. “If you push him too far or cause more problems and headaches? He’d do it in a heartbeat.”

The best part of being abducted by a wealthy sociopath is hands down the spa-like en suite bathroom in my room. After getting Ira settled for the night, I ran myself a bubble bath. I sat in there until the water grew cold, thinking over what my life has become.

I can’t believe I’m working with a patient after I swore to myself I never would again.

Each time I touch Ira, I cringe a little inside. The slurred warning from my mother all those years ago plays on repeat in my head like a song I can’t forget.

For most of my life, I’ve never put any stock into the readings my mom did. I was a woman of science. I need to see actual evidence before I believe in something like fortune-telling or curses, but my mother is the complete opposite. She always believed. She would tell me tales when I was younger of all the things that go bump in the night. At three years old, I fully believed things like witches and werewolves walked among us. When I was five, I finally started to piece together that her stories were just induced by the alcohol she consumed. It was then I stopped believing in the fairy tales she told. It’s when I stopped believingher.

That is until all my patients started to die.

Even if she was wrong, all those people died on my watch, it’s clear I’m no longer good at what I do and have no business trying to save lives anymore.

Wrapped in one of the fluffy black towels, I pad out of the bathroom in search of some clothes to sleep in. My fingers work their way through my long hair, detangling the knots in the wet strands. I used to wear my hair at my shoulders, but after leaving town years ago, I let it grow out. It’s now inches below the center of my back.

Distracted by my hair, I’m not paying attention to my surroundings. Not until I’ve flipped on the light next to the bed do I see the figure leaning against the far wall. And when I do, I’m almost positive my heart stills in my chest. My hand flies to my mouth to cover the scream building in my throat.

“You’re always screaming,” Silas comments, stepping out of the shadows. “I thought you were braver than that?”

I am.

As he walks closer, I instinctually take steps back to maintain the distance between us. Scowling at him, my hand grips my towel tighter to my chest. “You’re the one who keeps putting me in situations that scare me,” I accuse him. “As you said, you crave my fear, so this must be a grand ol’ time for you.”

“I was going to announce my presence when you were in the bathroom, but I assumed you wouldn’t appreciate me walking in on you naked in the tub.” Silas holds his hands behind his back as he continues to move slowly around the room. His midnight eyes scan the room looking for I don’t know what.

“I don’t appreciate or enjoy you seeing me in nothing but a towel either.” I hate how uneasy he makes me feel. I also hate how he’s taken all my control. I despise him for it.

He doesn’t even bother looking at me when he coldly says, “Don’t worry, Miss Page. I don’t enjoy seeing you in nothing but a towel either.” His insult cuts deeper than I want it to. “Then again, I haven’t much cared for anything you’ve worn since you’ve been here.”

A sudden, unexplainable boldness surges through me. He’s done nothing but make me feel uncomfortable since I’ve been here. He enjoys making me squirm. Maybe it’s time he got a taste of his own medicine. The warning that Della gave me comes to mind, but I push it aside before I lose my nerve.

With one last steadying breath, I loosen the knot in the towel and unapologetically let it pool around my feet. “Problem solved.” I shrug my bare shoulders,

I don’t get the impression someone like Silas Laurent is easily shocked. Duke has already informed me that Silas doesn’t enter a situation if he doesn’t know every angle of it. Meaning he’s never in a position to be surprised. So, this moment has become priceless to me.

He masks his shock well, the only tell that he’s rattled is the way his lips part ever so slightly in a silent gasp and his eyebrows raise just a hair.

With my head held high and my shoulders back, I kick the towel out of the way and strut confidently across the room. I stop less than two feet in front of him and boldly meet his eyes. The desire to cover myself up is strong, but I find the willpower to stand still.

He’s tried to strip me of my power, but I’m demanding some of it back right now.

“Now, what can I do for you, Mr. Laurent.” I smirk cockily up at him.

He stares down at me, his nose flaring, but doesn’t say anything.

One second I’m standing in the middle of the room, the next I’m whirled around, and my bare back is connecting harshly with the plaster of the wall. Silas’s large hand presses into my collarbones, keeping me pinned against the wall. My head is spinning from how fast we just moved, it takes me a second to catch up. I blink repeatedly until I can clearly see Silas’s pissed-off face. He’s leaning down so we are face to face, the height difference between us now nonexistent.

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