“What’s your plan now, genius?”
“I plan to take you somewhere safe,” he utters, ignoring my sardonic tone.
“Safe?” I repeat, riddled with disbelief. “With you? The man who just paid a disgusting amount of money for me?”
“Don’t say it like I’ve taken any pleasure in this,” Zane returns, vaguely annoyed, but keeping his cool. “It will be a hell of a lot better than where you are now.”
I hate that he’s right, but even more, I hate that at least a sliver of me feels safer knowing it was him and not some unknown creep. Still, I push it down.
“I don’t need your help.”
The words come out sounding more defensive than I like, and I force myself not to cringe at the lie. We both know that’s exactly what it is.
“You definitely did. Now get up; we’re getting out of this hellhole.”
Even if I want to do exactly that, I hesitate as the anger in me flares. “I had it handled.”
Not even giving me the chance to convince myself of that, his gaze hardens into something more serious. “Naia.”
I stiffen at the way he says my name, not liking the way it sounds coming from him now.
“You were about to be sold to someone who actually sees you as property,” Zane says, still calm despite the grim topic. “That isn’t ‘handled’.”
“I would’ve found a way out.”
He doesn’t even need to question me. We both know I wasn’t anywhere near finding a way out.
Besides, I fought as hard as I could before, and thanks to whatever magic they’ve been using against me, it wasn’t enough.
The realization looms over me like an oppressive thing, both unwelcome and unfamiliar, and Zane sees it. He always did have a way of reading me. I doubt I ever made it particularly hard anyway.
“Let me guess…you figured your pack was coming to save you?”
Everything in me snapped to attention at that, immediately seeing the lines drawn between us all over again.
“You don’t know anything about my pack. Leave them out of this.”
His gaze sharpens. “I did once. But you’re right…I don’t understand them anymore. And right now, I don’t understand why you want to be here a minute longer than you need to be.”
Despite being one of us, there had always been something different about Zane, like he was always standing on the outside, even when he had everything he needed to succeed. He used to know the ins and outs, but it seems his friends have only encouraged him to put as much distance between himself and Wraith Peak as possible.
Gritting my teeth, I stand reluctantly, hating how I have virtually no power over him. Eyes burning into him, I slowly step out of the holding room that feels more like a jail cell, and I move with him down the narrow hallway.
“Once whatever this magic is fades, I’m leaving,” I mutter, wishing I could run right now and get back to the others. To what I’ve always known.
Something in him flickers again, but I can’t read it. “Yeah…we’ll see about that.”
As we reach the back exit, I stop, and my temper snaps. “I’m not asking for your permission.”
“And I’m not asking to have this conversation here,” he returns, tone deliberately quiet, as if to keep any unnecessary attention away from us. His hand at my lower back pushes me forward with more care than I even want to acknowledge. “Keep moving.”
My dulled strength is the only thing keeping me from losing it on him right now, regardless of how satisfying that would be. “Then don’t act like you get a say in any of this. Not after you just paid for me.”
“Naia,” Zane murmurs, gaze still intense on me, but a little different now. It isn’t soft necessarily, but certain in a way I can’t stand. “You can fight me all you want, but we’re leaving.”
“Don’t worry,” I return, barely speaking through the disgust I feel for it all. “I plan to.”
Surprisingly, the corner of his mouth twitches as if a piece of the old him is trying to come through, but it disappears just as quickly.
