That should have been the first sign Delilah was insane. She pushed the doll’s body through the spokes in my bike tires so it would get mangled. However, like I was then, I’m enamored with everything she does.
“Well, my skills are a little better than yours because I didn’t use a steak knife, but you look like a doll. Kiss me, pretty girl.”
The apples of her cheeks turn a soft pink as she wraps her arms around my waist. “I don’t look like a creature out of one of the horror movies?”
“Never,” I promise. “You’re my beautiful little egghead.”
She looks like she’s glitching as she stares up at me, then a deep belly laugh vibrates through her chest into mine. FuckLenny.I got a louder laugh. She pushes her full weight into me, mumbling, “Fuck off, that’s not funny.”
Her scalp is still pink, so I stop myself from kissing her crown as I tease, “It suits you.”
“Kane,” she whines even though she has a smile on her face.
“Your husband is still waiting for his wife’s lips.” I watch her blush deepen and I swear her smile gets wider.
It disappears entirely when she stops hiding, leaning up on her toes to softly press her lips to mine. “Happy?”
“With a peck?” I scoff. “Kiss me properly, woman.”
The strain on her legs won’t be good for her after what she endured, so I lift her onto the vanity and step between herthighs. With one arm on my side, the other on my nape, she pulls me down to meet her lips with the softest fucking smile on her pretty face.
There has to be a word deeper than love to quantify Delilah’s position in my life. I don’t just love her. People love all kinds of shit, so it waters down the word. This is more than enjoyment, peace, or comfort. It’s life. My feelings for her are as unexplainable as a soul. There’s a common belief everyone shares about this elusive soul, but no one really knows what it is, where it is, or how it exists. She’s so fucking embedded into me, she’s written her name between the strands of my DNA, but I will never be able to explain it.
All I have to offer is my worthless life as I carefully undress her so none of the hair sticks to her skin, revealing different marks on her body at multiple stages of healing.
“Get in the shower, pretty egghead,” I say to hear her laugh again as I pull back, setting my knife beside the sink. “This is here for you, but no one will come in while I’m out.”
Her eyes are filled with fear as she curls her fingers into my shirt. “Where are we? Home?”
“Not yet. I have one more thing to do then we can go wherever we want. I’ll take you to Paris for real this time, yeah?”
My throat constricts as she whispers, “Promise?”
I know what promises are. They leave like you.
“I give you my word,” I amend before I kiss her forehead.
She’s still hesitant as I walk out of the bathroom, closing the door behind me. I don’t want her to run away, so I jam a chair under the door handle before I walk out of the house. The sun has already set but it doesn’t hide the rectangular divot in the snow. If I stop beside it, I’ll never leave, so I walk through the trees to reach the other cabin. There’s no lights to guide me, but the moon is enough as the cubed silhouette comes into view.
I have no idea where Rowan will be as I enter the building. My first guess is the security room, so I go there. Lennox’s gloved hands are on the desk as he clicks between the surveillance cameras. I make sure no one is behind me before I ask, “Why is my wife calling you Lenny?”
“It’s an awful name. Do get her to stop.”
“Do you care about her?” I take the seat next to him, facing the screen as I assess him for any reaction.
He plainly says, “She’s my niece.”
“And you’re from a family who fucks each other.”
He’s been open since the first trip I took away from this place. All of that changes now as he reverts back to his riddles. “If you grew up in a world where you never saw the sun, would you be afraid of the dark?”
“No, but I’d be afraid of the light.”
He nods, clenching his jaw as Rowan enters the captives’ room. The masks are back in place, but I focus on Lennox.
“You don’t like the dark, do you?” I deduce.
“We all do what we need in order to survive.” His voice is back to the softer one he’s always used with me. “I have no desire for your wife, however, if my comfortability with her makes you uneasy, I’ll make sure I don’t do it again.”
