ADELINE

 

SO MUCH HAS changed over the past week.  Lucien has actually been…nice to me.  I don't know why or how, but I've stopped questioning it.  We've been eating our meals in the dining room together every evening, sometimes with Jax and sometimes just the two of us, and he's been giving me more time in the library where my mind just gobbles up book after book after book.

It's a welcome reprieve from reality, and I couldn't be happier about it.  Although, if I'm being completely honest, my reality hasn't really been all that bad lately.

However, the more I'm around Lucien, the more confused I become, because I have a dark, looming cloud of doubt if my feelings are truly genuine or not.  I don't know if I've completely lost my mind or if I have a bad case of Stockholm syndrome; but the more time I spend with Lucien, the more I've grown to like him.  And when he's not around, I actually miss him.  I know what I'm feeling sounds crazy, but I can't help it.

I'm growing to like him.

He's smart and handsome, and his smile, although rare, could melt even the coldest of hearts.

It's late in the afternoon, and I'm curled up, reading in bed when Lucien unexpectedly comes to my room.  Usually I don't see him until around dinnertime, and so I'm surprised…and happy for his visit.

"Hello, Adeline," he says when he enters, and I can't help but love the sound of my name coming out of his mouth.  He's wearing a grin that has become a constant accessory as of late.  It's nice to see him smile so much.

"Hi."

I notice that he's carrying a small, white box in his hands, and my interest is instantly piqued.  He catches my gaze and stares down at the box.  "I have a present for you," he tells me.  "Well, two actually," he adds quickly.

He closes the distance between us in a few long strides and hands the box to me.  I take it from him without any hesitation, and it surprises me.  We've definitely developed a level of trust between the two of us recently, against all odds.

I carefully lift the lid and smile when I see the contents.  Inside is a digital watch with a rose gold wristband.  Since there are no clocks in my room, I've been going insane from never knowing what time it is.

"It's perfect," I tell Lucien with a big smile.

"I'm glad you like," he says.  And then he flashes that drop-dead gorgeous smile of his that seems to always make my heart go pitter-patter.

I take the watch out of the box, setting the contents down and wrapping the band around my wrist.  Struggling with the clasp on the band, I gasp when Lucien gently takes my wrist in his hands and does the clasp for me.

His fingers are long and adept, and I close my eyes, remembering the feel of his hands on me.  He's only a few inches away from me now, and I wonder if he can hear my heart beating out of my chest.

"I have one rule about this, Adeline."  When I meet his gaze, he says, "Never take this off.  It's waterproof, so you don't have to worry about even taking it off when you shower."

I nod in agreement to his demand, and I can't help but wonder if there's something sinister about this watch like it has a tracker to monitor my movements or something.  But then I decide I don't care.  It's not like he doesn't know where I am twenty-four-seven already.  I'm sure there are cameras everywhere throughout and outside of the mansion at his control.  And it's not like I can just up and leave an island anyway without his knowledge.

"You won't need to charge it.  I installed some new thermoelectric technology I've been working on.  The watch will stay charged running solely on your body heat."

It takes a moment for his words to register.  "You…you made this?"

He nods.  "I bought some of the pieces that I couldn't make on my own.  Mostly, I did all the internal work, writing the software for the hardware and installing the thermoelectric modules."

"Wow, Lucien," I say while peering down at the watch that seems so much more than just a watch to me now.  I've known from the start that Lucien was intelligent, but I didn't know he was a borderline genius.  My eyes flash to his as I tell him, "That's incredible."

Lucien gives a small shrug as if it's nothing, and I have a feeling he's not used to getting compliments.

"What's the other present?" I ask, remembering that he told me he had two gifts for me.

He turns and walks over to the keypad by the door.  I frown when I think he's about to leave without telling me, but then watch in confusion when he begins to type a long code into the keypad.  I hear three beeps before a click on the door latch, and the keypad goes dark.

"I'm allowing you to leave your room whenever you'd like.  You may come and go as you please."

My mouth falls open at his words.

"But make no mistake, you're not allowed to leave this house.  I have guards present outside at all times, and they are aware of your…boundaries," he says carefully.

I can't help but be a little displeased by his demand.  I would love to feel the sun on my face and the breeze in my hair.  It's almost springtime, and I always loved to watch butterflies and plant flowers when I lived with my father.  "Will I ever be allowed outside?" I boldly ask.

"Yes, when a certain level of trust is earned," he answers honestly.

I can't help but be excited about the prospect of being able to go outside. "Thank you," I tell him.  "For everything."

He gives me a small smile.  "You're welcome, Adeline."

My name rolling off of his tongue sends a shiver up my spine, and I involuntarily take a few steps towards him.  When I realize what I'm doing, I stop short and shift my gaze to meet his dark eyes.  What was I about to do?  Touch him?  Kiss  him?

Oh, god, I'm losing it, I tell myself.

Lucien stares at me for a beat before he says, "See you at dinner."

The door closes behind him, and it seems odd not hearing the beeping noise and the lock engaging.  This newfound sense of freedom has me almost giddy even though I know it's wrong to feel that way.

I shouldn't be happy about being allowed to leave a room I've been locked up for only god knows how long.

But I am.

I am happy.

It's so hard to differentiate between right and wrong anymore that I try not to dwell on it.  Normal rules don't apply here, and I'm not the person I used to be.

And as long as I'm here, I might as well get used to the new way…even if I'm afraid of losing myself in return.