Page 30 of Splintered Shadow
“What’s happening?” Sarah asked between coughs. The unnerving feeling from last night still lingered. She didn’t feel like herself. Unsettled. Restless. Still searching in the forest for something lost.
He pressed his thumb against a black panel on the window frame, and a locking mechanism groaned as it released.
“Your mental and physical stimulation is inadequate. You will walk the grounds for one hour,” he said, pushing open the window. Cool air flooded in, still sweet and refreshing from last night’s storm. It carried flowery scents from the garden and damp earth.
“Outside? Seriously?” Sarah jumped off the bed. “I need shoes.”
“Eat. The medic will be here shortly to examine you,” he said, pointing to the tray on the table.
Sarah gulped down the smoothie and the nutritionally sound but gross jello without tasting them. As quickly as she could, she washed her face, brushed her hair, and dressed. A pair of shoes that weren’t there yesterday waited in the wardrobe.
An excited giddiness bubbled and fizzed inside her at the possibility of going outside. Was this how Stockholm Syndrome started? Fresh air and sunshine were things she’d actively avoided back home, but the chance to get out of this damn room made her feel like a kid on Christmas morning.
“There is something I must do first.” He motioned for her to sit and crouched at her feet. “I must remove this.”
He gripped the heel of her foot, and his thumb brushed over her ankle. Her skin tingled where they touched, like something inside her needed out. He held her foot for a moment too long, and Sarah sucked in a breath. Skin warmed from contact. Her whole body warmed, too hot for the room.
This felt intimate, more than simply inspecting her ankle for damage from the chain.
“Is something wrong?” she asked.
“No,” he answered quickly, voice rough.
The chain fell away, though the band remained.
He glanced up, head held at that awkward angle that meant he was looking directly at her. His eyes were black. All four of them. Tendrils of pitch-black ink moved under his skin, heading toward his eyes.
“Oh,” she said, voice no louder than a whisper.
He dropped her foot like it scalded him. He scrubbed a hand over his face and the black tendrils retreated. An angry expression flickered across his face, shuttering whatever vulnerability he had—but honestly, he had a strong resting bastard face game, so it was difficult to tell if he was genuinely angry or bored.
“What was that?” she asked.
“The symbiote that lives in me.”
“Is that… is that what’s in me?” She remembered the sleepy, horrific reflection in the mirror. “You said it was a parasite infection.”
“In you, it is an infection, yes. My body has bonded with the organism, and we have a symbiotic relationship.”
She wanted to know more, but his tone made it clear he wasn’t in a talkative mood.
Focus on the positive.The chain was gone.
“Thanks,” she said. Rubbing her ankle, she ran a finger under the band to massage the skin. The area around her ankle seemed bruised, but that had to be a trick of the light. The discoloration faded when she tried to get a better look.
She considered making a smartass remark about Vekele failing to make her promise not to escape, but not with that look on his face. He had shown her kindness. She should do the same.
“Do not give me gratitude for removing the chain. You are still my captive,” he said.
There he was, her arrogant alien prince.
He continued, “The band is connected to the house’s security system. It will track your location. You are free to walk the grounds, but you will not be able to cross the boundary. The band will vibrate as a warning. If you attempt to escape, you will be restrained until I retrieve you.”
“Stay in the yard. Got it,” she said, opening the wardrobe to retrieve the shoes.
The window opened directly onto the lawn. Outside, she tilted her head back to savor the warm sunlight.
Grass and weeds threatened to overtake a crushed gravel path, but enough remained for Sarah to figure out where it was. She followed rows of overgrown flower beds. Once tidy shrubbery burst from the beds. Flowers were a wild riot of color. Insects buzzed through the air, flitting from flower to flower and ignoring her.
