I wasn’t fooled.
I now saw the truth. With his crazy act, he’d perfected how to appear simple.
In reality, C’adon’s cunning made him the most dangerous predator I had ever faced. He had me right where he wanted me—dependent on him.
CHAPTEREIGHT
He didn’t lifthis head when I took my place at the table or when I picked up the bread to dip in the gravy. But he did look up as I fished a piece of meat out with my fingers. I learned why when I licked them clean, and he groaned.
He had some serious fixation issues. And they made me wonder how I would end up going from a protected and fed obsession to a skeleton on a bed. Less interaction might be better until I knew the answer to that.
While I ate, I considered what contact I might be able to eliminate. I didn’t see many options. He was the one following me and feeding me when my stomach growled. Since his presence kept others away and starving wouldn’t help me find a way out of here, I couldn’t very well turn my back on either offering. But, touching him had been a calculated risk on my part. I needed to stop now that I understood his goal. Hopefully, he wouldn’t collapse the building on me when I changed the game.
I chewed thoughtfully, staring down at the bowl.
“She frowns. No, no, no.” He slid his hands into his hair and forcefully tugged at the strands, rattling the links attached to his cuffs. “She forever hates the stew. Poor choice.”
I grabbed the bowl and started drinking down the contents before he could turn it into a pig’s head. Some of the gravy dribbled down my chin and hit my chest. I didn’t care. A mess was better than a menu change.
His silence rang in the room, but I didn’t look at him. I stayed focused on inhaling the stew.
“You can hear me.”
My eyes went wide behind the bowl, but I managed to swallow as if I hadn’t heard him.
“Speak my name. One word. I will give you the world for one word.”
I shook the bowl, sliding the last piece of meat into my mouth. He watched me set the dish down and pick up a piece of bread to mop up what was left of the gravy.
My hands shook when he leaned in closer, studying me intently, but he didn’t seem to notice.
“I want this to be real. Please let it be real. Speak to me, I beg you. I hate your silences. I would rather bleed.”
He’d hinted at blood and bleeding before, but this was the first time he spoke so clearly. The clarity worried me.
I stuffed the bread into my mouth and drank some water. Through it all, his intense focus didn’t waver from my face. His infatuation with me needed some dilution.
Using the back of my hand, I wiped my mouth clean. Then, I looked down at my gravy dribbled chest and used my fingers to clean myself up, making sure to lick them clean after each swipe. I couldn’t think of anything less attractive than what I was doing until I saw gravy on the key between my boobs.
Plucking it free, I dunked it in what was left of the water then used my fingers to fish out any gravy remnants from my cleavage.
He groaned lustily, and I wanted to roll my eyes. How could he possibly find me cleaning gravy out of my cleavage suggestive?
“My treasure. I need. I want. Look at her skin. Why can this not be real?”
Inside, I crowed with triumph that he was once more referring to me in third person. Imaginary was safer than real.
“If she lingers, I’ll offer her more. Wine, perhaps? Something sweet?”
I realized what he was doing and fought not to grin. Clever C’adon. That flash of humor immediately faded as I realized the danger of the moment, though.
Neither rushing nor lingering, I tucked the key back into the banding on my chest. When I rose, he made a thoughtful noise.
“Wine and sweets were poor choices. I can do better. Simple. Perhaps more bread.”
Ignoring the additional slice that appeared beside my empty bowl, I left the room. C’adon followed closely behind me. His now quiet observation made me nervous and with very good reason.
He was on to me. Or maybe he always had been.
