Captive Souls Read Online Anne Malcom

Categories Genre: Alpha Male, Crime, Dark, Suspense Tags Authors: Anne Malcom Advertisement1

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I secretly thought Knox enjoyed torturing him just a little.

The three other guests were Kane, Avery and Mabel—Knox’s brother, his wife and their baby daughter.

The resemblance between the brothers was uncanny yet also unsettling. They were so alike. Kane was maybe a glimpse of who Knox might’ve been... Easy to smile. Warm. Friendly.

Not that I wanted Knox to be any different. I just mourned the life he might’ve had without his trauma, even if it meant we never would’ve met.

Kane had hugged me within seconds of meeting me.

I returned the hug, surprised at the open affection that his brother did not possess. He squeezed me then held me at arm’s length, not letting go even though I knew Knox was staring daggers at him.

I wanted to roll my eyes. It was his brother who was hugging me in front of his wife and daughter. I doubted he was a threat. But Knox didn’t know how to turn that off.

“What do you do for a job, Piper?” Kane asked, still holding my upper arms. “Knox has been really fucking cagey about this whole thing, about you. But you’re gonna be at our table for Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, Mabel’s birthday. He’s not gonna be able to keep you wrapped up in bubble wrap.” He winked at me.

My skin warmed at the forgone conclusion of us being with them for the holidays. At the slight hesitation to his tone. I got the sense that Knox had not been in attendance for previous holidays. And that Kane loved his brother.

“We’re not coming for fucking holidays,” Knox cut in at the same time I said, “Of course, we’ll be there.”

He glared at me. I beamed back at him before looking at his brother again.

“To answer your earlier question, I’m a kindergarten teacher.”

Kane’s amiable gaze went blank for a long moment before he threw his head back and laughed. True belly laughter.

I smiled with him because I understood he wasn’t laughing at me. He was laughing at the absurdity of his badass brother getting married to a kindergarten teacher with wildflowers threaded through her hair.

Kane’s ice-blue eyes were shimmering as they caught hold of mine, no longer laughing. “Thank you,” he said, his voice low and rich.

“For what?” I asked, confused.

He looked at his glowering brother with a smile. “For being his sunlight. He deserves it.”

I’d been in danger of bursting into tears right there and then, but luckily, with a toddler around, the tender moment was quickly interrupted with squeals of delight at discovering a butterfly and then tripping over a log. Both Kane and Knox rushed to Mabel’s aid.

That was when my attention moved to his stunning wife, Avery. It took me a while to recognize her since she looked different from the photo I’d seen of her in a restaurant review. The photo had shown a striking woman, but one who was hard, severe looking. Nothing like the warm, smiling woman who gave me a hug of my own then one to Knox, even though every signal he was giving off shouted that he repelled physical contact. She wasn’t scared of him.

Same with Mabel, who clawed at Knox’s leg until he relented and picked her up with a grimace she didn’t notice as she put two small hands to his cheeks and laid a kiss right on his lips.

He winced, but I didn’t miss the softening of his features, the way he held onto that little girl like she was priceless.

It was heartwarming to watch. Precious. The love he didn’t think he was capable of was staring right at me, giggling at the teddy bear that was her uncle.

Mabel was the flower girl at our small ceremony that Knox had fought tooth and nail against but quickly relented to when I told him how important it was to me.

“We don’t have to do any of the traditional vows,” I’d assured him. “Or mention gods or sins.”

Kane had officiated with what could only be described as a shit-eating grin on his face.

“I promise to never let you go and to kill anyone who hurts you,” were Knox’s vows, unsurprisingly.

This had elicited a low cough from Kane, covering a chuckle.

I’d merely smiled, expecting nothing less. “I promise to be yours. Forever.”

My vows were slightly less bloodthirsty but no less true.

I had no idea what our future entailed.

But it was ours.

Whatever came.

And I was more than okay with that.

A monster had brought me to this cabin in order to break me.

And instead, I’d broken the monster, splitting him apart to reveal the man inside.

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