Roman stares at me, his heated eyes locked on mine in a silent battle between wills, but there’s no way I’m budging on this. He won’t be let off the hook by a little slicing and dicing, and I sure as hell won’t be giving up a part of my own soul just to make him feel better about what he did. I know my limits, and from here on out, Roman DeAngelis will not be breaking them.
I hold my ground, refusing to be the weaker person, and after a slight pause, Roman turns and stalks to the door, leaving the knife in the center of my bed like a challenge, daring me to stab him right in the back. He steps into the doorway and pauses, glancing back at me. “I know you’ll never forgive me, but one of these days you’re going to have to learn how to be okay with me, because no matter what, you’re not going anywhere. You’re stuck here, just like we are.”
“What you’re failing to see, Roman, is that you’re the one who’s going to have to learn how to live with me. From here on out, I’m the queen of this goddamn castle, and you’re the piece of shit who tried to cut her down,” I tell him. “And for the record, it’s a two-way street. I have to learn how to trust you in order to survive in this world, but you need to do the same for me. You want me to trust you blindly, but you didn’t trust me when it mattered most. I told you I didn’t do it, but you refused to listen. You didn’t even hear me when I screamed, so until you come to the party and meet me halfway, you and I have absolutely nothing to talk about. From here on out, you’re dead to me.”
And with that, he walks out of my room, leaving me standing just a little bit taller, while also hating that he’s right. Our situation doesn’t change the fact that all four of us are prisoners in this castle, and long, endless days are going to be torture if they’re filled with hatred, anger, and pain. It would be a shitload easier on everyone if we could all learn how to live as one, something I thought we’d mastered before all this shit went down. But in trying to make things easier for myself, I’ll be making life easier for them too, and right now, that’s the last thing I want. So from here on out, torture is my best friend. A life of hell is going to be worth it if it means they’re going right down with me. Besides, I have Marcus with his wicked tongue, skillful fingers, and devilish need to make me his dirty little whore. For now, he’s all this girl needs.
8
A soft creak filters through my room as the door slowly swings open. My gaze falls toward the door, my heart leaping right out of my chest as though history is about to repeat itself. Since Roman walked out of here a few hours ago, my head has been even more of a mess than it usually is. Having another stranger sneaking into my room in the middle of the night just ain’t gonna cut it.
Without skipping a beat, I lean across my bed, holding back a pained cry as I stretch out and turn on the lamp that rests peacefully on my side table, which is exactly what I should have done the night McHooded Bitch snuck into my room. Consider me officially educated on the consequences of not knowing who and what is around you.
Flashbacks of the hooded woman circle my mind as a dark shadow moves into my room, but as the light from my lamp floods the room, I find one of the massive wolves making his way toward my bed. He plonks his furry ass down and looks up at me, his dark eyes almost as scary as his masters’.
“What do you want?” I murmur, keeping my voice low to not alert the boys that I’m awake. Otherwise, they’ll be down here with some bullshit excuse like they were just checking on my injuries, not stalking me to make sure I wasn’t attempting my fifty-third escape.
The wolf moves his head toward the door while keeping his eyes firmly locked on mine and I can’t help but feel as though he’s trying to tell me something. “I don’t speak mutt,” I tell him, almost certain that this is the wolf Roman ordered to follow me into the woods. It’s pretty dark though, so I can’t be too certain. This big-ass creature led me to safety and kept me warm in that cave, but the second Roman showed up, the little double-crosser turned on me, and I realize now he was just trying to keep me alive so that Roman could have his fun. And here I thought all animals were supposed to have some kind of innocence about them, but it turns out, this wolf is just as corrupted as his owners. The only difference is the wolf can’t be blamed for his actions.