Page 28 of Redeem Me
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I didn’t know what game Damian was playing at but our meals were no longer laced with wolfsbane and we didn’t have a guard posted at our door anymore. But I knew better than to think the surveillance in our room had been turned off. I knew we were being watched even if someone wasn’t posted at the door and I knew better than to think they didn’t know our every move if we left the room.
Lucas shook his head the first day we had left our room. He hadn’t wanted to go. He insisted it was a trap but they hadn’t brought us a meal and I was starving. I could keep myself from eating a lot but I needed something. The water from the shower didn’t keep my stomach full. So I shrugged and yanked the door open. I blinked a few times when I realized Micah wasn’t at the door. Then I shrugged again and left. Lucas whispered aggressively behind me as I walked away and found the cafeteria.
It wasn’t as busy as it usually was and I wondered if they were using us as a social experiment. No one looked up as we passed, like they usually did. We were allowed to get our own food and it actually smelled like real food. When the lady on the other side of the counter passed me a massive slice of chocolate cake, I felt like I was going to cry. My nose immediately started to burn and my eyes filled. I doubted she was doing it out of kindness, but the fact was, I couldn’t remember the last time I had had something sweet. Maybe at the Crimson Manor? But how long ago was that? All of my days were blurred together at this point.
Lucas looked equally emotional and shocked as she gave him a slice even bigger than my own. The edges of the icing grazed over the side of the white plate. He didn’t wait till we got to the table and didn’t even use a fork. He simply stuck his mouth right into the top of it while he managed to balance his tray full of other mouthwatering foods. It wasn’t until we sat down that he pulled his mouth away from the dessert.
His entire mouth and chin were covered in chocolate icing. He grinned at me lazily as he picked up a fork and ate the rest of the cake before his actual lunch. How long had he been here? When was the last time he had eaten like this or enjoyed his food? I pushed my cake to him as guilt flooded me. He had been here a lot longer than I had. He deserved all the cake.
Country fried steak sat untouched on my tray but not for long. The scent of it was driving me crazy, almost as crazy as the cake. All of our food was gone in seconds. We wolfed it down without really tasting anything. Lucas ate both slices of cake before he finished off his lunch too.
“You’re going to have a tummy ache,” I teased.
He rubbed his flat belly as he wiped the cake from his face. “Completely worth it.” His eyes darkened as he realized something. “You didn’t have to give me your dessert.”
“And miss you eating more than three grown men? I don’t think so.Thatwas worth it.”
His eyes sparkled. I watched him as we put our empty trays on the garbage cans and walked back to our room. I didn’t want to test how far we could go. We would try another day. Lucas had a new pep in his step as we went down the hall. If chocolate cake could do that, what else would make him elated?
We didn’t speak as we neared our room. There was a healthy silence between us. Both of us full and satisfied with the turn of events through this captivity. I knew better than to grow to like it. I wasn’t naive to think Damian wasn’t dangling a prize in front of my nose. He would rip it away as soon as he saw fit.
I almost groaned when the smell of chocolate cake hit my nose. What torture. I couldn’t believe he still smelled like it. That was until we turned on the light and I noticed the slice of cake sitting on the table beside my bed. I unfolded the note slowly as I felt the same burning I had before.
You put others before yourself. It doesn’t go unnoticed. You have a friend in the cafeteria if you ever need anything.
Disappointment slammed into me as I realized I hadn’t gotten a good look at the woman’s face. But that was gone as soon as I dug into the cake and the chocolate coated my tongue. Maybe captivity wasn’t so bad as long as I was protecting others. I didn’t like to play games but I knew I had to risk it all with children involved. Bee and Sheeva both had families stuck in the middle of this. I was sure Lucas did too. Why else was he here?
I licked the spoon and sat the empty plate down outside the door of our room. Lucas was singing in the shower when I pulled the blankets up around my legs. It was time I got some answers from him on why he was here. It was only fair.
