Page 33 of Savage Stalkers
“Not lying,” I say, my voice rougher than I intended. “Protecting.”
Her eyes snap to mine, and I see the hurt. “Protecting who? Me or yourselves?”
The question hangs in the air like a loaded gun. The truth is, I don’t know anymore. What started as a way to indulge my obsession became something else entirely.
“You,” I say finally. “Always you.”
She laughs, but there’s no humor in it. “Right, because stalking and lying to someone about who you are is so protective.”
“You signed the contract,” Zay points out. “You asked for this.”
“I asked for a fantasy! I didn’t ask to be manipulated.” Her voice cracks on the last word, and something breaks inside my chest.
Kain’s eyes meet mine in the rearview mirror. There’s a warning there, a reminder to keep my shit together. But my control is hanging by a thread that’s getting thinner by the second.
“Where are you taking me?” she demands.
“Somewhere we can talk,” Kain says. “Somewhere safe.”
“Safe for who?”
The car falls silent.
I should say something. Explain how this started, how it evolved into something I never intended, but the words stick in my throat—all she will hear are excuses.
She’s angry, scared, and confused. But underneath it all, I can see something else, something that gives me hope. Skye’s still here. She could have screamed for help at the gala. Could have fought when Kain threw her over his shoulder. Demanded we take her home the moment we put her in the car. She did none of those things.
The car slows, and Kain turns onto a narrow dirt track.
“Oh, perfect,” Skye says, her voice laced with sarcasm. “Taking me to a secluded location in the middle of nowhere. You know this is exactly how every true-crime podcast starts.” She lets out a bitter laugh. “Well, if you’re planning to murder me, at least it’ll teach me a lesson about trusting masked strangers off the internet.”
Kain brings the car to a stop in a small clearing and cuts the engine.
“Nobody’s murdering anyone,” Zay says.
“Right, you three seem like the poster boys of mental stability right now.” She crosses her arms, the movement pushing her breasts up in a way that makes my mouth go dry. “Let me guess, you brought me here so we could ‘talk’ without witnesses?”
“We brought you here because you need to understand,” I say, finally finding my voice. “What happened back there with your date?—”
Her eyes flash with anger. “I could have handled him myself.”
“He was hurting you,” I say quietly.
“And that’s your business because?”
“Because you’re m?—”
“I’m your what?” she snaps.
Kain turns in his seat to face us, his gray eyes moving between Skye and me.
“You signed a contract.” I backtrack, even though every instinct screams at me to shut up. “You asked to be watched and followed.”
“I asked for a fantasy!” She leans toward me, her face flushed with anger. “Not for my fucking TA to actually stalk me!”
“It was never a fantasy for me,” I blurt out. “For me, this was very real.”
She stares at me for a long moment. “And what am I to you, Silas?”
