Total pages in book: 134
Estimated words: 125982 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 630(@200wpm)___ 504(@250wpm)___ 420(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 125982 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 630(@200wpm)___ 504(@250wpm)___ 420(@300wpm)
Was he saying “Eat” to break the awkward silence that was so obvious? This was the longest they’d spent together while awake not debating her situation and not having sex so far. She didn’t feel like debating right now. She had a feeling it was moot with him. She had the strong sense that she’d have to take those matters into her own hands.
She was able to muster about a third of her breakfast and couldn’t do any more so she shoved her plate back. What she wanted right now, really wanted, was to go for a run. Running always helped her clear her head. But if she could run she wouldn’t have to be here, imprisoned.
“You should eat more than that,” he said.
She glared at him. He snickered, looking highly amused and that pissed her off. She glared harder and then lifted the butter knife beside her plate and held it out in a tight fist,
“What I should do is stake your heart,” she replied with a sneer.
The amusement drained from his face and his expression turned cold, “Don’t be stupid,” he said, and reached over and yanked the knife out of her hand. She felt a pang of fear but then they had another stare down and she fought hard to hold her ground. It didn’t take long for his face to soften, for it to turn into a smirk. Finally he stood up and gathered everything up onto a tray, “I’ll be back. I need to take care of some things. Watch TV or there are books,” he motioned to a tall bookcase in the corner of the room. “And stay here!” He pointed at her threateningly. She threw her arms up in the air and rolled her eyes.
Then he was gone. And it felt good to be alone. She could breathe easier without being scrutinized by those eyes. After a few minutes of staring out the window, she got up from the table.
Had he locked her in? She didn’t hear a lock turn when he’d left. She got up and slowly moved to the computer first. There was no internet connection established and the only available network was password protected. Then she turned to the door and twisted the door handle slowly. It opened. Her heart lunged forward. With a tight breath she slipped into the hall as quietly as she could.
It was eerily quiet but she could feel her own blood thudding through her veins. Was being repeatedly bit by a vampire making her hypersensitive about her blood pressure?
She padded softly and slowly down the hall, wishing she’d had the sense to look for shoes in her boxes before coming out here. Her sensibility had been thoroughly scattered the past few days, thanks to him.
She didn’t want to turn back now. She tiptoed down the long hall past the bedroom that she’d spent that first night in and as she got to the turn she was greeted with a closed iron gate. She grabbed it and tested it. Locked. She let out a desperate small cry and her heart sank.
Fuck.
This hadn’t been here yesterday. She could see that it was a pocket gate that must have been hidden yesterday. She leaned her back against the wall and slowly slid to the floor beside the gate and balanced her elbows on her knees, putting her palms over her face.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk.” Tristan now stood on the other side of the gate.
She didn’t look up at him; she shook her head, still looking down. She chided herself for not being smarter about this. Now his guard surely would be up with her. Damn.
“Be glad this gate was up, delicious. I left the door unlocked as a test after telling you to stay put. I needed to see if my powers of persuasion have any effect on you whatsoever. I can see they don’t. Good thing this gate was up or I’d have to restrain you. But that could be fun, too now, huh? That’d keep you outta trouble.”
There was silence for a moment, then he added, darkly, “And Kyla, what if you’d gotten out and it wasn’t me who found you? There are hungry vampires about. And they’re not going to be as nice to you as me.”
She didn’t answer but she was grateful she wasn’t now faced with Joe. Or Tristan behaving as the man who showed dominance to Joe. Maybe there were other monsters in this place, too. She shuddered.
“You should probably know that you won’t get away. It looks like I have a rather useful secret weapon.” He chuckled and then she heard him walk away and then trot down the stairs. She wasn’t sure what that was supposed to mean. She sat there for a long while, feeling sorry for herself. But then she decided she had to shake it off. She’d told herself a long time ago that she would not accept the role of victim in her life like so many she’s grown up around had done. After a few minutes she got to her feet and wandered back down the hall.