I didn't answer. Didn't know what to say. Because the worst part wasn't that he'd kidnapped me. The worst part was that when his thumb stroked gentle circles against my palm, some treacherous part of me didn't want him to stop.
I leaned back against the seat as a yawn suddenly rose in my throat. The warmth of the car, the gentle motion, the complete exhaustion settling into my bones… it was all starting to blur together. The adrenaline had finally burned out completely, leaving me hollowed out and empty.
My eyelids grew heavy. I tried to fight it, tried to stay alert, but my body had other ideas.
“Tired?” Julian asked, his voice seeming to come from very far away.
I wanted to snap at him, to tell him that of course I was tired after being hunted through the forest like an animal, but I couldn't form the words. Could barely keep my eyes open.
“It's okay,” he said. “You can sleep. We have an hour until we reach the estate.”
“Don't want to,” I mumbled, but I could hear how slurred my words were.
“You're exhausted, Violet. Just let go.”
His voice was so calm, so steady, and I was so, so tired. My head tilted sideways, coming to rest against something solid and warm. It was his shoulder, I realized distantly.
I should pull away,I thought.Should stay alert and plan my next move.
But I couldn't. My body simply wouldn't cooperate anymore.
“That's it,” Julian murmured. His hand released mine, and I felt him shift. A moment later, something soft settled over me. His jacket, I assumed.
I knew I should protest. Should stay awake. Should…
But then darkness pulled me under, and I let it.
26
Violet
I woke to unfamiliar softness.
For a moment, I didn't open my eyes. Just lay there as my awareness returned in fragments. The mattress beneath me was impossibly plush; nothing like my dorm room bed. The sheets felt like silk against my skin, and the pillow… god, the pillow was like sleeping on a cloud.
Where...?
Memories suddenly crashed back. The forest. The chase. Julian catching me. The car.
My eyes flew open. I was staring at an ornate ceiling painted in soft cream with gold leaf accents forming intricate patterns across the surface. A crystal chandelier hung above me, catching the morning light streaming through tall windows.
I sat up quickly, heart hammering, and took in my surroundings.
The room was enormous. Easily three times the size of my entire dorm suite. The bed I was lying in was a massive four-poster with carved posts that looked antique, draped in cream and gold fabric that matched the ceiling. Plush area rugs coveredgleaming hardwood floors, and oil paintings in gilded frames hung on walls papered in subtle damask patterns.
It was beautiful. Breathtaking, even.
I threw back the covers and realized someone had changed my clothes while I was asleep. Gone were the torn sweater and cargo pants from last night. Now, I was wearing soft pajamas in ivory silk that definitely weren't mine.
The thought of someone undressing me while I was unconscious made my skin crawl.
Julian,I thought, not sure if that made it better or worse.
I swung my legs over the side of the bed, my bare feet sinking into the plush rug. The room had multiple doors. I tried the most obvious one first; solid wood with an ornate brass handle.
Locked.Of course.
I moved to the windows next. Floor-to-ceiling and flanked by heavy velvet curtains in deep burgundy. The view beyond showed manicured grounds stretching toward distant forest, everything bathed in early morning sunlight.
