There was always the chance that he was playing her, using her somehow, but honestly, she couldn’t come up with a good reason for what he would gain by leading her on. She might be getting stronger, but she wasn't strong enough to make this journey on her own, and if she was on her own, she wouldn't even know where she was going or how to protect herself. And shewantedto go with Voodoo, wanted to help him and his team bring down Dr. Gardner, so he had no reason to try to convince her to do it.
“Why did you groan?” she asked, not ready to discuss his compliment. She wasn't used to them and they made her uncomfortable. Theonly person who had ever given her any was her ex-husband, and he had only been stringing her along, never meant a single one of them.
Voodoo meant them. She knew it. Felt it.
“I'm trying to win you over here, honey, which means trying to make a good impression.”
Something warm washed through her, a kind of tingling feeling, similar to what she’d felt when he’d been healing her. She liked the feeling, it gave her hope that maybe he was right. Maybe the fact that her past had been nothing but dark didn't mean there couldn’t be light in her future.
“Whatever you tell me will win me over,” she whispered shyly. Even if he told her he used to be in a gang and steal cars and rob little old ladies, she knew he wasn't like that anymore, so while she’d be disappointed he’d wasted his youth, she’d be proud he pulled his life together.
“I’ll bear that in mind,” he told her as he looked down at her and winked, making her blush. “Truth is, I was kind of a geek when I was a kid. I had it in my head that being perfect was the only way to earn my parents’ love, so I worked hard in school, played sports, volunteered, learned to cook, and took on more of the household chores. But what I usually did when I had spare time, which wasn't often between all of that, was learn new languages. There was always something about them that intrigued me, so I’d start learning them on my own. Once I got proficient, I moved on to a new one.”
“I think that’s cool,” she gushed. “How many can you speak?”
“Nine. English of course, then Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Italian, Russian, French, German, and Welsh.”
“Wow. I never learned any languages other than English, but maybe … you could teach me some. After. If you still feel the same way. I mean, it’s okay if you don’t, I just thought?—”
Her words were cut off when Voodoo stopped walking, dipped his head, swept the tip of his tongue along her bottom lip, then kissed her until her heart raced and she couldn’t breathe.
“Thought that would work better than trying to convince you nothing is going to change the way I feel,” he told her, throwing in another wink as he resumed walking again. “I’d love to teach you some languages when we get home.”
Home.
The word felt like a mirage to her.
As a small child, she’d always wished she had a home like the other children at her school, or like the children in books she read. Part of her had believed she’d find it when CPS first took her. That notion was long since disillusioned by the second time she entered the system. But she’d clung to the almost mythical idea of home, and wanted it with her first boyfriend, and then again with her husband.
Was it crazy to believe maybe Voodoo could finally give her the home of her dreams?
“Welsh,” she said softly, refusing to let hope grow too big inside her, but also refusing to let the dark thoughts take the idea that she’d never have a real home and run with it.
Neutral.
For now, she needed to focus on keeping her emotions neutral. It was okay not to immediately think the worst of Voodoo, but she also wasn't ready to fully commit to thinking the best of him either.
“Welsh it is.”
“I was a geek too,” she admitted. “But it was mainly numbers, not languages. I think most of the teachers felt a little sorry for me since I was always dirty, super skinny, and often covered in bruises. They'd let me stay inside during recess so I could work since I had no friends, and sometimes one of them would stay with me and share some of their food. It was nice, I liked having some positive adult attention, and it was fun. I got way ahead of my class, and if I'd had the money and opportunity, I would have studied physics at college.”
“You can still do that, the whole world is at your feet.”
“That’s sweet to say, Voodoo, but I don’t have a home, much less a job, much less any money to send myself back to school.”
“I don’t think you truly understand what I'm offering you, honey. The Oswald family, who own Prey, are rich. Billionaire rich. They pay their employees more than well enough to live comfortably. Because of our situation, Eagle also found us a place to live. A remote Gothic mansion. You're one of us now, which makes you part of Prey’s family. That means Eagle will do whatever he can to help you get on your feet. Paying for your college and offering you a job is a given.And you have a home with me and my team. If you're not comfortable with someone you don’t know paying for your college, then I’ll pay. I’d like to anyway, but I don’t want you to feel like there are any strings attached.”
“Are … are there strings attached?” she asked somewhat tentatively, not wanting to anger him. She’d seen Voodoo in a rage when he attacked the man who had assaulted her in the cave, and she never wanted to be on the receiving end of that. But she also had to be certain. Voodoo was attracted to her, and he was saying all the right things, only she would never allow anyone’s words to suck her in again. She had to be smart about this because she was basically putting her entire future in his hands.
“If I didn't know about your past, I might be offended by that,” he said mildly. But then his gaze grew serious as it narrowed in on her. “No strings, honey. Never any strings. I won't lie and say I hope you don’t decide to stay with us permanently, that I can woo you into falling for me like I'm falling for you. But there will never be any strings. If you only need help getting on your feet and then want to strike out on your own, we will all do everything we can to make that a reality. All I want is for you to be happy.”
When had anyone ever cared about her happiness?
It had never even been on the radar before.
Which made this man the most dangerous she’d ever encountered, because he could break her in ways nobody else ever could.
Chapter
