Page 42 of Captive Union
“I wasn’t!” I shout. The loudness of my voice startles even me.
“Then what were you doing?”
“I needed to know where we were. If I’m to belong here truly, I should have the choice to be able to leave. But I came back. Doesn’t that mean anything?”
Erik approaches me, so we’re standing toe to toe. “Or maybe you were just trying to find out more information to give to your family. Maybe I’ve been too soft on you.”
“No,” I say hotly. “You’ve been nice. Don’t change that now. And you still haven’t told me how you got hurt.”
“Why does it matter to you?”
“Can’t I care about you? Where is all of this coming from? I thought that’s what you wanted. For me to care about you. Why are you so angry with me?”
“Because I caught you running back up the driveway!”
“I didn’t do anything wrong!” I can’t believe I’m screaming so much. I can’t remember the last time I used my voice this much.
Erik huffs, rubbing a hand over his face. “God, why are we arguing?”
“Because you started it.”
“Because you were trying to leave!”
“I was not,” I say firmly. “Erik.” I place my hand on his arm. “It’s not fair to me to stay stuck here the rest of my life. You know this. I could have run, but I didn’t.”
“Why not?” he asks in a softer tone.
I drop my hand. “I’m not sure. There’s a part of me that wants to stay with you, and it’s scary, and I don’t quite understand it. I just know it’s there. I want to live my life for myself and make decisions that make me happy. So, I decided not to run.”
“And yet you were running when I was driving up,” he points out.
“Only because I thought you’d be angry with me, and I was right.”
He has the decency to look a little chagrinned.
“Now, please tell me how you got hurt,” I ask again.
Erik drops his head back, sighing, before he says, “Your brother.”
My body goes cold. “What?”
“Maxim and I fought.”
“Is he alive?”
Erik sneers, an ugly expression on his otherwise handsome face. “That’s what you’re concerned with?”
“Well, I can tell you’re clearly all right. Is my brother dead, Erik?”
“No,” he says after a moment. “Not for lack of trying, though. We both could have died if it weren’t for Nik stopping us.”
I raise a hand to my mouth. “My god. How did this happen?”
Erik shrugs, acting way too nonchalant for the occasion. “I called him and offered a deal. Whoever wins in a fight gets to keep you.”
I take a step back. “What? You made a deal about who gets to have me like I’m some horse for sale?”
The look on Erik’s face tells me he regrets saying what he said. “No. It was just to get Maxim off my back. He’s still searching for you, Kira. What do you think will happen when he finds us? You’ll return to your miserable life, and I’ll be killed. I was trying to find a way to make sure we could stay together without the threat of your brother looming over us.”
