Chase

It’s already midnight by the time I get home.

I took my sweet-ass time. A necessary evil.

When I close the door behind me, the silence in the room is irrefutable … even though I’m not the only one here.

Brandon is sitting on the windowsill, staring out into the empty darkness. A full cup of coffee sits next to him, but it’s no longer steaming, so I bet it’s gone cold.

He doesn’t even look at me as I walk to the kitchen and turn on the faucet. I stick my hands underneath and wash off the red, watching it disappear down the drain. My clothes seem fine, luckily. I’d hate to see them ruined. But I took measures beforehand.

I dry my hands, still holding the towel as I walk toward Brandon. He’s turned around now, and he picks up the cup to take a quick sip, only to pull a sour face. Then he pours the coffee into the plant beside him.

“Really?” I raise a brow.

“Feel better?” Brandon asks, completely ignoring what he just did.

I nod.

“Good.” He gets up and brings the mug to the kitchen, passing me by as if it means nothing.

But we both know that isn’t true.

He knows exactly what it meant to me … what it does to us.

We’re both chained to the same desires.

The same sin.

He’s right. I feel much better. Like the calm after the storm.

But I can tell it only worsened his mood.

“Couldn’t you have waited?” he asks.

“No, and you know damn well why.”

“By helping you out, I was under the impression that’d be the end of things.”

“I only wanted to know the real me,” I say. “And you know damn well that was the only reason.”

“But she’s still alive,” he says. “This wasn’t how it was supposed to go.”

“Yes. I fucking know that.”

“And now what? What are you gonna do with her?”

“I’m not done yet. I need to know how far I can take this. How far I can go.”

His face darkens. “I’m not okay with you doing this. You know that.”

“Oh yeah, I know.” I shake my head and rub my forehead.

“Right.” He scoffs. “I’m off.”

I swallow back the annoyance. “Home or …?”

“You know.”

His crabby response is enough. He’s right. I know damn well how it feels.

We’re both at the end of our wits today.

Nothing makes sense anymore.

I thought I knew what I’d want, what I’d do … once I knew the truth.

But I don’t.

I know less than before I even started this.

“See ya,” Brandon says with a mellow voice, and he closes the door behind him, leaving me alone with my thoughts. And her.

I take a sip of water from the faucet before drying my mouth with my hand.

It’s time … It’s time to face her.

* * *

Syrena

When the door creaks open, I inch back until I’m against the wall again and clench my legs together.

I don’t know who it is or why he’s here, but making myself tiny makes me feel safer.

Hours have passed, and in that time, I’ve regained a little of my strength and my voice.

I don’t want to be afraid anymore. But I also don’t want to give him a reason to hurt me.

I don’t know what these men are capable of … yet.

All I know is that one of them tried to kill me. I have to keep that in mind, always.

The door closes, and a light switch is flipped. Not that I can see, but I can hear.

Some people view me as weak when they find out I’m blind. But the sensitivity of all my other senses has increased to compensate for my lack of sight. My ears work better than anyone else’s, just like my nose. I can tell people apart just by sniffing them. And I can tell a person and if they’re mad or happy just by his or her footsteps.

And judging from the sound he makes … it’s definitely Chase.

My tongue dips out to wet my lips.

Why did he come into this room?

He’s getting closer and closer.

Then … a small breath on my cheeks.

“Don’t be afraid,” he says.

He’s right in front of me and on my level.

His thumb brushes along my chin, making me look up. He wants to see me. But why? Why does he care how I look if all he wants is to use me and keep me like some pet?

Is that what this is?

His finger brushes along my lips, and my teeth lurch out to bite him instinctively. I don’t think about it. I just do it.

He flinches, leans back, hisses. Sucks his finger. I can hear his tongue wrap around it. It’s a delicate sound. Shiver-inducing.

But what I did will surely piss him off. I brace for impact, expecting a smack to the face anytime now.

However, nothing happens.

But he’s still there. I can feel it in the air.

And he sighs.

“You won’t … hurt me?” I ask, curious as to why he would suddenly be so apprehensive, when he’d attacked me before.

“No,” he says, swallowing. “I promise.”

His voice sounds less dark than before. Much more … relaxed.

Like some kind of load was lifted off his shoulders.

But the longer he stays, the more the questions seep back into my mind. And now that I’m sure he’s no longer trying to kill me … I feel safer to ask them.

“Why did you buy me?”

It takes him a while to answer. He sucks in a deep breath first. “Actually … I don’t know anymore.”

What kind of answer is that?

“But I want to find out.”

It doesn’t make any sense. He seemed so clear about his reasons before. So commanding and in control. And now? His voice is erratic, uncertain. As if he’s not even sure about himself anymore.

What does it mean?

“Here,” he mumbles. After a few seconds, a hot spoon presses against my lips. “I brought you some vegetable soup. Thought you might be hungry.”

For a few seconds, I contemplate it, but then my stomach growls. I can hear him smile, which means he heard it too. Dammit.

I don’t want to admit that I’m hungry, but I’ve been famished all day. I can’t say no to food that smells so good.

So I open my mouth and let him push the spoon in slowly, not too far, until the warm liquid is on my tongue, and I swallow it.

It tastes divine. Much better than anything I had at the compound. Graham was never a great cook. But this? This is … Jesus, so good.

It almost makes me tear up. Dammit, I don’t want him to see me cry. Not again.

But he keeps feeding me diligently, putting the utmost care into each spoonful that he puts into my mouth like he wants me well fed. As if he wants to satisfy my cravings and fill me up so I won’t go hungry.

Like he actually cares.

Graham never treated me like that.

For the first time in a long time, I don’t feel like the trash left outside next to the garbage bin.

I actually feel like a normal human being.

* * *

Chase

I continue feeding her until the entire bowl is empty. As I scrape the bottom of the bowl, I feel a pang of guilt stinging in my side. Maybe I should’ve brought more. I’ll get her some bread and butter next time. And maybe I can cook a nice meal. I have many recipes at my disposal, and I love working in the kitchen.

It puts my mind at ease.

But looking at her now while she licks her lips unwinds something inside me I didn’t even know existed in the first place. And I can’t help myself from reaching for her face and caressing her cheek softly. For a second there, it almost feels as though she leans into my hand.

But then her jaw tenses, and the moment fades.

I pull back.

None of this is right.

I’m keeping her locked up in a room with a chain around her neck like a goddamn dog.

Just so she won’t escape and rat me out.

Fuck. What have I done?

The bowl drops from my hand.

Without looking twice, I get up and march out the door, slamming it shut behind me.

I can’t think like this. What’s done is done. I can’t turn back time. I’ve made my choice, and now I have to stick with it.

But damn … why does it have to be so goddamn difficult?

I never expected her to be so … alluring.

Every time I step into the room and see those gorgeous translucent eyes and that soft skin of hers, it tugs at my heartstrings. She’s … someone different. Someone I never expected. Someone I’ve never experienced in my life before.

I felt it the moment I saw her cry in the canyon, and I never stopped feeling it whenever I look at her.

I’m overcome with guilt that I can’t seem to escape, no matter how hard I try to ignore it.

My fists clench.

I have to fight it. For my own good. This is all for a greater good.

Keeping her here could still serve a purpose.

Even if I passed the first test, it doesn’t mean I won’t fail soon.

I have to see how far I can take it. How far I can go.

We can’t leave any stone unturned.

See no evil. Hear no evil. Speak no evil.

God will be the one to judge.

I nod to myself and march into my bathroom where I strip off all my clothes and turn on the shower. I step under and let the water wash away my sins like it always does.

Except these recent marks … aren’t on my skin.

They’re carved into my soul.

But the longer I stand here with water cascading down my back, the more I succumb to my own thoughts. Memories. Scents.

God … she smelled so fucking nice.

When I touched her, I almost wanted to grab a strand of her hair and bring it to my nose for another whiff. The only thing that stopped me was the tenseness in her muscles.

She’s still afraid of me … and she has every right to be.

I wish I could take that fear away, but how?

Should I feed her more? Give her attention? Talk with her?

Taking off her collar would be the first thing on that list. But that’s where my hesitance steps in.

I don’t want her to run. Would she run if I took off the chain? Maybe.

I don’t know, and I doubt she’d give me an honest answer.

I sigh and rest my head against the wall as I soak in the water.

The least I can do is try. I have to start somewhere.

I need to treat her better. Give her everything she needs. Anything she wants.

Maybe … just maybe … she could be the one to undo me.

The one to keep me in check.

A smile slowly spreads across my lips.

Yes.

She will make me a better man.