A phone rang then, and when I realized it wasn’t my wishful imagination but that it was coming from Gavril’s discarded pants, I quietly begged him not to answer. Perhaps too quiet. With a grumble, he told me he had to at least check it.
So that meant something was going on. Should I worry? How could I not? He stalked away in all his naked glory to take the call, and I couldn’t hear anything except his tense, low rumble.
After what we just did, was he still plotting against me? He may have believed I was his now, but my loyalty wouldn’t be shaken. I wanted so badly to confront him about his plans, but I had been shrinking away from it. I liked to make myself believe it was fear of how he’d react, but hadn’t he proven he wasn’t going to hurt me, no matter what I did?
Deep down, I didn’t bring it up because I didn’t want to know the truth. My feelings about him were becoming much lessmixed. The good was outweighing the bad. If he admitted his goal was always going to be to take down my family, what could I do about it? Try to change his mind?
He seemed so open to my opinions, but that was about inconsequential things like movies. Could I make him see there might be another way? And then what? Live happily ever after?
I almost laughed out loud, but remained silent, straining to overhear anything from Gavril’s side of the conversation. He had moved further away, and he was only a dark form against the trees.
No, there was no arguing with him about something so important. If I failed to change his mind, then I’d have to admit that my secret hopes were nothing more than foolish fantasies. He didn’t really care about me, and this was all a game. Even the passion.
It just sometimes felt so real, like during the shooting lessons. Movie nights. Dinners and breakfasts, and yes, even when he was hauling me over his shoulder after an escape attempt. Once again, his kisses and touches had made me lose sight of reality and what was most important. I should have fought him when he inadvertently mentioned dismantling my family, but I didn’t. And it wasn’t solely because I’d had way too much confrontation already that day.
I was getting dressed when he ended his call, and I tossed him his clothes. When I asked him if everything was okay in what I hoped was nothing more than a mildly curious voice, he answered that everything was fine. His tone was as forced as mine, and when he put his arm around me a little too tightly, something definitely seemed wrong.
He tried to act like the trip back to the house was just a moonlit stroll, but his steps were too brisk, and he almosthunched over me as if he feared gunfire was about to rain down from above.
Once we were in the house, he relaxed a little, but not much. And now that there was enough light to see his face, there was no hiding the tension there.
Before I could ask again, determined to get to the bottom of things, he swept my hair behind my shoulders, smiling as he pulled out a blade of grass and let it fall to the floor.
“Let’s go away,” he said, nodding as if he was sure this was a great plan. “Just the two of us. Somewhere you’ve never been.”
“That would be almost anywhere,” I said.
He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes as he leaned down to kiss me. “I’ll pick a great place that you’ll love.” With a light smack on my bottom, he turned me toward the stairs. “Go get packed.”
“Now?” I yelped. No way were we running from something.
“Why not now?” he asked, visibly more relaxed now that he’d made the decision. “We should have a honeymoon.”
Of course, he expected me to jump to agree. My mind was a whirlwind, not sure if I should dig in and confront him. Was something so bad about to happen to my cousins that he didn’t want me in the same state when it went down?
He seemed to sense my distress and pulled me close, running his hands down my back. “Everything’s fine,” he said. “Can’t I want more of you without any distractions?”
Sure, if those distractions had nothing to do with my family.
With no choice but to comply, because I believed he’d carry me the entire way to the airport and then straight onto a plane, I did some quick thinking. I had no idea where we’d end up, but if he was serious about it just being us, that might mean no guards. I had blown any chance of ever befriending the ones who worked at the mansion after I stabbed their comrade.
A new location, no guards. This might be my chance. I was a lot better equipped now if I got hold of a firearm, and all I needed was to get to a phone. I’d have a way better shot at it than staying here, where I was most likely going to be confined to the house after my little stunt.
I wrapped my arms around his neck and stood on my toes, not having to work too hard to feign excitement.
“I can’t believe it,” I said, my breathiness having more to do with being pressed against his hard body again than my plan. “A real honeymoon?”
The pleased smile on his face looked so real that my chest hitched a little. What if he was only trying to make me happy and nothing was wrong at all?
Yeah, right. Maybe if I were the heroine in one of my books. This was real, and I was Gavril’s prisoner, his forced bride, not his beloved wife. I had to remember that and remember it well. I may have been getting tougher, but I still had to build up the courage to incapacitate him enough to get away and make that all-important call for help.
Could I find it in me to actually aim a gun at Gavril? And then pull the trigger?
Chapter 28 - Gavril
I paced like a caged tiger after Lilia stopped kissing me and finally ran upstairs to pack. I wanted to believe her joy about the surprise trip was real. I wanted that as much as I wanted this shit with the Collective to be settled. Almost as much as I wanted her family under my heel.
She was a distraction when I needed to concentrate, but I could still feel her warm body pressed against me. It didn’t matter that I was only trying to get her away from the wrong people, possibly finding out the location of this house. Why shouldn’t we have a honeymoon while I kept her safe from men who should not have been my enemies.
