I couldn’t push the faces of those men leering at her from my mind. I’d shown up just in time. Who the fuck did they think they were? She was my property, my bride. Right before I crushed the last breath from their bodies, they knew what a horrific mistake they’d made.
When we finally arrived back at the estate, I opened the door and stepped out, the cold breeze biting at my skin. “Take theprisoner back to her room,” I ordered the guards waiting by the entrance. “Make sure she doesn’t pull any more stunts.”
Vivian tried to resist as they pulled her from the car, but she was too weak, her movements sluggish and uncoordinated.
“I’ll send someone to help clean you up,” I called after her. “And I’ll have Eldora bring you some food. Some rest would do you good. Maybe a hot bath.”
It was in my best interest to allow her to rest and recover. After all, she was a fragile human and my responsibility. I couldn’t very well drag a lifeless woman down the aisle.
She shot me a look of pure disgust before trudging up the stairs.
“No need to thank me,” I murmured. “It’s not like I saved your life a second time or anything.”
I didn’t bother knockingon her door the next morning. I simply pushed it open, half-hoping I’d catch her in some state of undress. Instead, I found Vivian still asleep, the sheets tangled around her slender frame. She looked almost peaceful, her chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm. Almost as if she wasn’t plotting her next escape attempt or glaring at me like I was the devil incarnate.
For a moment—a brief, maddening moment—I hesitated. The urge to turn and walk out gnawed at me, but I steeled myself and slammed the door shut behind me with enough force to rattle the paintings on the walls.
Vivian jolted awake, blinking rapidly as she stared at me.
“Good, you’re awake,” I said, my voice dripping with faux pleasantry. “I wanted to have a little chat with my bride.”
I crossed the room in a few long strides and sat down on the edge of the bed. The mattress dipped under my weight, making her shift closer to me. She immediately pulled the covers up to her chin, as if that layer of fabric could protect her from whatever evil I had planned for her. Her eyes were on me again, that same intense stare she’d had last night. I could practically see her thoughts racing behind those dark eyes, trying to figure me out, trying to gauge what kind of monster she was dealing with. She’d soon find out I was the worst kind. It was bred in me. There was never any hope for me to be anything other than the monster she saw before her now.
“Let’s get this over with,” I said, my tone sharper than I intended. “Yes, this is what I really look like. No, I didn’t want you to see it, but I let my guard down when I was snapping necks last night. So, since you’ve seen my face, I figured there’s no point in keeping up the illusions when it’s just you and me.” I watched her closely, waiting for some sign of disgust or fear.
Her reaction, however, was not what I expected. Her lips parted slightly as if she wanted to say something but couldn’t find the words.
“I could always bring the shadows back…”
“No,” she blurted. She clamped a hand over her mouth, her eyes widening in shock. “I mean, I’d much rather look at a normal face while I’m being held against my will.”
“Glad to hear it. And since you seem to prefer the face beneath the shadows, I’ve also dropped the illusions for you around the estate. If you’re going to be living here for the rest of your life, you might as well see what it truly looks like.”
Her brows furrowed in confusion, but before she could ask anything else, I reached into my back pocket and pulled out a necklace. The diamonds embedded in the chain caught the morning light, sparkling with deceptive beauty. I dangled it in front of her, watching as her gaze followed it.
“This is enchanted. Once I place it on you, it won’t come off unless I decide to take it off. Don’t even bother trying. It won’t budge.”
I leaned in closer, enjoying the way she stiffened, the way her pulse fluttered at her throat. “Consider it a precaution. Your resourcefulness last night impressed me, Vivian, but I’m not about to let you run off again. This will allow me to keep track of your every move. If you’re wandering the halls of the estate, eating in the dining hall, or taking a shit, I’ll know exactly where you are.”
Her mouth dropped open, her eyes darting between the necklace and my face. “You... you can’t just?—”
“Oh, I can. The good news is, you’ll have more freedom within the estate now. You can roam the grounds, get some fresh air. I’d like my fiancée to get a bit of exercise. It’ll give you that wedding-day glow, I expect.”
The color drained from her face. She looked like I’d just slapped her. “Wedding day?” she repeated, her voice barely more than a whisper. “You... you actually intend to go through with this?”
“Within the week.” I watched her carefully, noting how her hands clutched the sheets, how her eyes flared with a mix of fear and fury. She was shaken, but she wouldn’t break. Not yet.
“Now,” I said, leaning back, “stand in front of me.”
She glared at me, stubbornly refusing to move.
I clenched my jaw, my patience fraying at the edges. “Vivian, get your tight ass in front of me, or I will drag you here myself.”
Reluctantly, she threw off the covers and stood, her back ramrod straight, her chin lifted in defiance. I had to admire her spirit, even if it was utterly pointless. She came to stand in front of me, and my gaze drifted lazily over her. She was dressed in really short shorts and a thin pink T-shirt, the outline of her tightnipples clearly visible. I swallowed hard and averted my eyes, silently cursing Eldora for providing Vivian with this outfit.
Reaching forward, I wrapped the choker around her neck. The moment the clasp clicked shut, it emitted a faint glow before sealing itself. She winced, as if she could feel the enchantment locking into place.
“There,” I said, my voice dropping to a whisper as my eyes traced the line of her throat up to her lips. They were full and soft, and the urge to crush them with my own was so sudden, so intense, it almost threw me off balance. What the fuck was wrong with me?
