Page 79 of Hellebore

She searches my face, trying to find the truth I have buried deep. I let her look. I have always been good at hiding the monster when I need to.

I carefully set her back on the couch and sit beside her, putting the now-cooled tea into her hands. “That man, Tom,” I say quietly. “Do you think he had anything to do with them?”

Her body trembles at the name. “I don’t know.”

I nod once, keeping my voice steady. “Well, he’s dead now. No one will ever find him. And you are safe here, Briar. With me.”

She searches my face, doubt lingering in her eyes like shadows she cannot quite banish. “If it wasn’t for me, Tom would’ve⁠—”

I stop myself before the rest leaves my lips.

“You chained me,” she says quietly, “even when I kicked you.” There is something threaded through her tone now, something that is not purely fear or regret, and the sound of it stirs dangerous heat low in my stomach.

“I did,” I reply, holding her gaze. “And you loved it.” Her cheeks bloom with fresh color, and my cock twitches in response, but I force the hunger down. I need answers first. “I don’t want to make you relive it, Briar, but did you notice anything else about those men that night? Anything at all?”

She shakes her head slowly. “The one who… his voice sounded older. The gloves smelled like real leather.”

Real leather. Money. The type of money that could make hospital reports vanish and police investigations disappear.

“What happened after…” I press gently, though every word costs me.

She swallows hard, fresh tears glistening at the edges of her lashes. “He zipped up. The other one threw me onto the stone floor. He said, ‘It was worth it.’ And then they both left.”

It was worth it.

The words echo in my skull like a curse. I shake my head slightly, pushing the fury aside for now. Real leather. Money. Influence. I am certain the man from the bakery and Tom were both sent by him. But why now, after five years? I found her from inside a prison cell. He should have had no trouble doing the same.

“Are you listening to me?” Her voice pulls me back. She is still sitting beside me, looking up at me with those wide, searching eyes.

“Drystan, you better not be planning anything.” She wipes at her tears and gives me an angry, defiant look that only makes the beast inside me hunger more.

“I’m not,” I lie smoothly. “I promise.” The words fall easily from my tongue. I do not care that they are false. I have killed others for merely touching her. The suffering I have planned for these two will be something the devil himself would envy.

“You should eat,” I say, changing the subject as I see the confusion flicker across her face.

“I’m not really hungry after this conversation.” She stays next to me. “I am curious about you, though.”

Shit.

“Really?” I arch an eyebrow and wrap my arms around her more possessively, pulling her closer against my chest. “What do you want to know?”

“You were torturing Tom with the hellebore,” she says, her eyes burning into mine.

“That’s not a question, my love.” A smirk tugs at my lips.

“Is it some kind of homage to your mother?”

The question strikes me like a blade to the ribs.

“My mother died a long time ago,” I say, the words heavy on my tongue. “Car accident. The last thing my worthless father did was destroy her hellebore garden. He hated how much she loved them. We spent hours together in the afternoons tending to those flowers. It was our time. Our peace. And he could not stand that anything existed outside of his control.” The old anger simmers low in my gut, dark and familiar. “I still believe he found a way to kill her.”

“Drystan…” she breathes. Her soft hands rise to cradle each side of my face, and she leans her forehead against mine, her breath warm against my lips. “I think I know why we are drawn to each other⁠—”

I do not let her finish. The truth in her words will hurt too much to acknowledge. I kiss her instead, hard and rough, my hand sliding to the back of her head to grip her hair tightly.

“Don’t say it,” I whisper fiercely against her mouth.

“We are both the darkness,” she breathes.