Page 65 of Tainted Serenity

My eyes remain locked on the clock, its ticking minutes dragging on. It’s as if time itself is taunting me with every minute that passes. Where is he?

Daxton turns away from the clock, only to look at me, his eyes shining with pity that I disregard. I don’t need his fucking pity. As he sees me glaring at him, he sighs before running a hand through his hair.

“I will go see if I can find him,” he offers with a voice mixed with resignation and concern, before he leaves the room without saying another word.

There’s a chaotic tranquility between the brothers, but at the same time, an irreparable hostility that festers beneath the surface, like a darkness that refuses to dissolve. Both of them struggle with their own internal turmoil, fighting emotions they cannot accept. That Daxton would go to find Grey means a lot to me, especially considering I cannot venture into the corridor alone. That will only raise Arthur’s suspicion, who believes I’m at the doctor’s office for a weekly check-up.

I slowly stand up when I’m alone in the room, not able to stand still. I hope nothing has happened to Grey while we were apart. I will fucking shred Arthur to pieces if he is harmed.

The clock continues to tick; the echoes sounding eerie to my ears as I wait for both men to arrive. It feels like it takes several hours before I hear footsteps far away in the corridor, but instead of hearing two, I hear one pair. My heart spikes up, and I realize I forgot to lock the door after Daxton left.

The steps are slow and deliberate, causing my pulse to quicken when I take in the room in panic. There’s nowhere to hide, and the steps are right outside the door now. It cannot be Daxton; he wouldn’t scare me like that, and now with both men gone, I fear it’s Arthur.

There is no stopping him from getting to me, and without a second of hesitation, I run to hide behind Daxton’s desk. There is a resounding creaking in my ears as the door opens slowly.

Someone breathes, and I crouch down while trying to make myself as small as possible. Dread wears heavy over me when the door slides fully open, and I dare not breathe, waiting for the worst to come.

“Naya?” a voice asks, a soft tinge to the words that makes me instantly relax.

I stand up again, revealing myself as I take in Grey’s frame when he stands inside the now-closed door.

He’s wearing a T-shirt that stretches taut against his muscular chest, revealing the intricate design of his tattoos covering one arm. He looks at me under a tuft of red hair, giving me a reassuring smile that eases all my worries.

“Where were you?” I ask as I approach him, holding him close to me.

His frame towers above me, his muscular arms trapping me inside a cocoon of warmth and safety. He looks down at me, his smile slightly fading away as he puts his hand on my hips, uncertainty lingering in his eyes.

“Let’s not talk about it,” he says, his chest rumbling when my head leans against it.

“Never hide anything from me.”

He sighs. “I know, it’s just that I don’t want to ruin the mood now when I finally get you alone again.”

As he speaks, his arms drag me even closer to his body, as if seeking the reassurance that I am here with him.

“You can tell me everything. I can handle it; you know that.”

He tilts my chin upward, so I’m looking into his eyes. “Fuck, yeah. I know that, my love.”

“Then tell me,” I demand, needing to know whatever it is that’s bothering him.

He has a furrow in his brows, as if it is permanently etched there.

“He made me kill another person. Fuck, Naya, it was bad. Real fucking bad.”

Those words drag at my heart, wanting something other than this cruel life, wishing we were somewhere else, where we could discover the world together. I continue to look into his eyes, letting him know I’m here for him, ready to bear the pain with him.

“It was a young boy; couldn’t have been more than eighteen years old. Arthur had captured him, locked him inside a basement cell with no food or water, and then forced me to kill the boy.” His voice breaks as he speaks, and I feel his sorrow.

“He didn’t say why I had to kill him, and when Arthur demands something, you listen because there is no other way. I can’t lose you, Naya, I just can’t.”

He closes his eyes as if having them open physically hurts, and all I can do is hold him tighter. There’s nothing I can do to ease the agony in his chest or save him from the devil residing inside the same castle.

“I’m just glad you’re okay,” I whisper to him, kissing his cheek as I lay my palm on it.

The smile he offers is as brittle as porcelain, making my emotions crumble as if they were made of glass.

“Hopefully your brother can help us escape, but it feels like it’s only wish-thinking,” I say, and Grey nods in agreement.

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