Page 95 of The Witch's Heart
It’s just one more strange turn my life has taken recently.
I wonder idly if I should see a doctor.
The sound of the car door opening pulls me back to the present and I look over to see Corbin climbing out at the curb. He doesn’t bother to turn back and offer to help me out. With the car door hanging wide in his wake, he stalks up the steps and lets himself into the house.
I tell myself to be glad he didn’t slam the door in my face.
Inside, I hang my coat and drop my purse then pad through the house and up the stairs. A shower sounds heavenly just now.
But Corbin is waiting for me just inside the bedroom, eyes blazing with a fury that even the long car ride home hasn’t diminished.
“You want to tell me what the hell you were thinking back there?” he demands.
My shoulders sag. Exhaustion hits me and we haven’t even begun to discuss this. “I don’t want to do this with you.”
“No, but you’ll do a lot for a couple of wild wolves.” His voice has a sardonic twist that feels almost cruel. “They could have killed you.Icould have killed you.”
He doesn’t sound relieved though. Or fearful of the possibility.
When I don’t answer, he grabs my wrist and squeezes hard. “Answer me, Celeste. What is going on with you?”
“I don’t know.” I glare back at him, emotions roiling inside me. “I just . . . acted. I didn’t want to see them hurt. And you looked ready to do something horrible.”
“You’re making me sound like the bad guy here. I was protecting you.”
I look pointedly at where he’s still painfully gripping my wrist. “Are you protecting me now?”
He scowls and releases me. “You’re acting crazy.”
I take a step back, the fight leaking out of me. “Don’t call me that,” I say quietly.
He knows it’s a word I hate. But he doesn’t offer to take it back.
Instead, he shakes his head and runs a hand over his face.
“Whatever’s going on with you, fix it.” His voice is hard. “I don’t have time to coddle you. I have too much going on between work and the wedding. Get your shit together so we can move on.”
He stalks out, shutting the door behind him hard enough to make me wince.
I listen and, a moment later, a door downstairs slams shut too. His office. I know from experience he won’t come out again tonight. It’s his sanctuary. Not that the rest of the house is my own. Everything in this place, down to the décor and the art, was chosen by Corbin.
Including me.
Now, more than ever, I feel like nothing more than a possession to him. A trinket to show off. Better seen and not heard.
Estelle would hate him.
The sudden thought propels me into motion again. Heading for the bathroom, I close and lock the door before stripping off my clothes. Underneath the stream of hot water, I let my mind empty for a while.
By the end of it, I’m a little steadier.
But back in my bedroom, dressed in pajamas Corbin ordered for me, I feel more and more like a trapped animal. An experiment in a cage—just like the wolves.
I pace for several minutes, my mind racing with a desperation that I know I didn’t feel before two days ago.
Nothing makes sense.
I consider calling a friend from school, just to have someone to talk to, but my phone is in my purse. Downstairs. Right next to Corbin’s office. Not worth it.
