“Or were you intending to simply run until exhaustion overtook you?”
I didn’t respond to that, as we both knew the answer, so why would I bother?
“You must know by now, there is nowhere you can go that I will not find you,” he continued with, what I supposed, in his mind, was a gentle threat. But there was nothing gentle about it, not when Bo had already warned me of this. Which was why my shoulders dropped despite myself.
The fight in me wavered as I started to realize the depth of my situation. So, I turned slowly to face him and asked on a sigh,
“When does this end?”
Unfortunately, he didn’t hesitate to answer.
“When I have the answers I require, and when I am satisfied that you are not in danger,” he said, and a laugh escaped me, one that sounded hollow and bitter.
“In danger? I’m currently being cornered in my own bedroom by the man who has just admitted I’m his prisoner,” I was quick to point out.
“I think you will find that my version of imprisonment differs significantly from your horror story interpretation,” he replied calmly, and it was starting to grate on me how damn composed he was.
“Oh, wonderful,” I shot back.
“So, it’s a luxury cell, is it? A pretty, gold cage for me to chirp in.”
He gave a slight, almost careless lift of one shoulder, and damn him, but I hated how well he filled out a suit.
“A cage is defined by perspective,” he replied, like this was enough of a distinction.
“A cage is defined by lack of choice,” I countered immediately, and his eyes sharpened slightly at that.
“I know you don’t yet understand this, but this is for your own good,” he said more quietly now, and I scoffed, shaking my head.
“I may not understand your world, but I recognize when I’m being handed a lie wrapped in silk.”
Something flickered across his face at that. Not anger but something that sounded dangerously close to frustration, and I couldn’t help noticing it was the first time his control had faltered.
“You don’t trust me,” he said, stating it plainly, and I came close to saying, ‘yeah, no shit,’ but instead went with reminding him of the fundamentals.
“Trust is earned.”
“And yet, mine in you is currently… strained,” he replied evenly, though that final word carried more weight than the rest.
I stared at him, trying to stop my mouth from hanging open, but my silence didn’t last long. Not after he decided to remind me of my position here.
“Contract or no contract, my word stands. This is happening.”
I exhaled sharply and snapped,
“Yes, well, as you can clearly see, there are no spell books lying around for me to vanish through, so if you don’t mind…” I gestured sharply toward the doorway, arm extended in unmistakable dismissal, yet he didn’t move.
No, instead, he just leaned back against the frame, crossing his arms over his chest with infuriating composure.
“I will remain, if it’s all the same to you,” he said simply, and I huffed in frustration before turning away, resuming my packing with exaggerated efficiency.
Drawers opened and closed. Hangers scraped. Fabric rustled violently as I shoved it into the case. And he just watched, silently taking it all in as if my feelings on the matter meant nothing to him. Honestly, the silence was almost worse than the argument. Because no matter how much I tried to ignore him, I could feel it.
The inevitability.
And the unsettling certainty that running, once again, had only bought me minutes, not the days I had hoped for. Not the time needed until Bo could return.
I let out another frustrated breath and pressed down hard on the suitcase until the zipper finally cooperated, dragging it closed with more force than necessary. The sound of it sealing felt heavier than it should have, as though I had just shut something away that wouldn’t reopen so easily.
