And as I cradle him, I begin to realize something. The feelings I have no longer match what initially drew me to him. That obsessive tug-of-war we had, and the excitement I felt during our early interactions, are gone.
I feel something else—something much stronger.
I think I’m in love with this man.
Chapter 31
Torren
Mrs. Kay holds the cellar door open with a look of disdain on her face. My dirty high-tops peel off the stone stairs as I carefully descend into darkness. She slams the door shut, and I stop at the middle of the stairs, shrouded in darkness.
A groan cuts through the darkness, scaring me to death.
Who could be down here?
For a minute, I wonder if the client has already arrived, but then I hear another moan. And another.
I turn on my heels and try to open the door, but it’s locked.
“Please! Please let me out!”
“Torren!”
I hear my name screamed through the grunts of pain. “Torren!”
It doesn’t sound like Tobias. I run down the stairs and flip on the blue light.
I pull back, slamming into the wall and sinking to the ground. It’s them. All of the men Tobias and I killed are dying on the floor.
I scream into my hands when someone touches me. I startle and swing my fist on instinct, but nearly pass out when I see who it is.
“Felix?”
“Come.” Felix takes my hand. He wants me to walk through the mess of bodies, but I can’t. It’s too much. “Just ignore them. Come with me.”
It’s disgusting, walking over their bodies like I’m navigating around dog shit, but we eventually make our way to the bed. The groans finally stop, and Felix lies down. He pats the bed and says, “Come lie with me.”
I’m so flummoxed.What’s happening?I look up, catching my reflection in the mirror, and see…
Me.
Not child me. Adult me. Me now.
Then I notice that the bodies are gone. It’s just us—nobody else.
He opens his arms, inviting me to rest, so I crawl up the bed and lay my head on his chest.
I can hear his heartbeat.
“You’re not scared of me?” I ask.
“No.”
He doesn’t understand. I have to make him see. “B-but what if I hurt you? What if it all—“
Felix shushes me and runs his fingers through my hair. “You won’t hurt me, Torren. I’m certain of that. You don’t have to be scared anymore.”
My breath hitches because his words are like a key unlocking a door in my mind. I’ve been scared for so long—terrified of having my heart broken again. Scared to death that I’d get my hopes up only to have them crushed just like before.
