Shattered Vows (Midnight Manor Book 2)

Chapter 6

Six

Two days pass, and all I’ve done is lie in bed and mourn the life I’ve lost, wondering whether I’ll ever be allowed to return to it. I was finally going to be able to see more of the world by marrying Alistair. Sure, it would never be a fast-paced, exciting life, but I wouldn’t be stuck in a tower.

God, Alistair. What must he be thinking? That I just ran off on him, that’s what.

He’s the second man I’ve left at the altar, and for some reason, picturing Alistair waiting there, unknowing and innocent as to why I wasn’t showing, feels less like a punch to the gut compared to the agony I felt when it was Kol I pictured.

No part of me wants to explore what fucked-up reason explains that. All I know is that with Kol, I mourned for months—years really. Alistair has only been a brief thought when I’m not worrying about how long Kol plans to keep me sequestered here or what he might ultimately do to me.

The faint sound of footsteps on the stairs registers before a key is inserted into the lock. The door swings open, and like every time he’s visited me, I don’t face him. Instead, I keep gazing out the glass doors that lead to the outside and freedom. Freedom I’ll never get during my lifetime.

Kol probably thinks I’m being difficult just to piss him off, and maybe a part of it is payback for leaving me here, but it pains me to look at him. He reminds me of what I thought I’d found once upon a time, only to find out it was all a lie—something that’s been made even more clear to me since he kidnapped me from my own wedding.

Any romanticized version of him that still lingered in my head has been destroyed.

I don’t know this man. I never did.

Kol’s strong legs clad in jeans come into view when he comes to stand beside the bed. “Get up.”

I don’t blink, just stare blankly ahead.

“Get up, Rapsody. You need to shower and get dressed and then eat.”

Again, I ignore him.

A growl rips out his throat. I really shouldn’t enjoy making him angry, but he’s leaving me here with too many unknowns. “Rapsody, either you get up on your own, or I will drag you into the bathroom myself, strip you, wash you, and force-feed you. The choice is yours.”

I glance at him for a second then back at the window.

Kol grabs the edge of the blanket, tearing it off me. He bends and lifts me up and over his shoulder like a fireman saving a victim.

“Put me down!” I kick my legs and pound my closed fists against his back, but his stride doesn’t break.

Even though I’m unsuccessful, it feels good to fight back for once. My entire life, I’ve done what my mother asked of me even if I didn’t want to. I’ve quietly shoved down my wants and needs. Even with Alistair, I always went along with whatever he wanted, no questions asked—the dutiful girlfriend and then fiancée.

For all of my effort, Kol doesn’t react. He sets me down, my feet landing on the tile floor.

He reaches for the hem of my shirt, and I smack his hand. “I’ll do it myself.”

“Then do it.” A predatory light gleams in his eyes.

“Get out. I’ll shower.”

He studies me for a moment as though he’s deciding whether or not he can believe me. I’m serious, though. No man has ever seen me naked. The most Alistair and I did was share some chaste kisses, and while things went further with Kol, we never went far enough to be naked in front of each other. Because we were getting married so quickly, we decided to wait until our wedding night—a night that never came.

“Fine. I’m going to get you something to eat. When I get back, you better be showered and dressed.”

I narrow my eyes, and he shows zero reaction before he leaves the bathroom. As soon as he’s over the threshold, I slam the door shut and flip the lock on the door. It’s not as if that puny door lock could keep Kol out, but it’s the only peace of mind I can get at the moment.

I undress and step into the shower, the hot water feeling heavenly against my body. It’s been days since I showered, so I take my time. When I finish, I feel less defeated for some reason. I towel off and realize I don’t have any clean clothes in the bathroom, so I wrap the towel around myself, securing it as tightly as possible, and unlock and open the door to the bedroom, peeking out to make sure Kol hasn’t returned.

Kol brought me a bunch of clothes the other day and put them in the dresser and the armoire. I never bothered to look if they’re even my size.

I open the drawers, revealing underwear, socks, bras, T-shirts, leggings, shorts, and pajamas. A few pairs of jeans are snug in another drawer. I walk over to the armoire and swing open the doors to find casual dresses, summer blouses, and dress pants.

Between the dresser and the armoire, there’s a consistent color—purple. My favorite color and something I shared with Kol four years ago. There’s no way it’s a coincidence, but it spurs me to worry why he’s being so kind?

I slide a few of the hangers to look at every item. Everything is expensive and designer. Well above anything my mom and I could ever afford. The fabrics feel luxurious, and honestly, I’m surprised he’d even bother spending this kind of money on me, though money is not a factor for him.

I hear the key in the lock, and my head whips in that direction. Fear plagues me as I whirl around clad only in a towel. Kol stands on the threshold holding a tray of food. His gaze quickly skates up and down my body. As if his eyes alone could ramp up my body temperature, I grow hotter and hotter as he drinks me in.

The towel doesn’t reveal much, but it’s more than any man, including him, has ever seen. I imagined that the first time a man saw me near-naked, there would be love or at the very least lust in his eyes. But Kol’s eyes narrow as if I’m tricking him by standing here with terry cloth wrapped around me.

“I didn’t have any clothes in the bathroom.” My voice is weak.

When he doesn’t say anything, I walk back to the dresser and quickly grab socks, underwear, and a bra. Not wanting to bend over, I squat to the lower drawers to get a pair of leggings and a T-shirt. I stand and make my way into the bathroom, but when I go to close the door, Kol is still watching me, only this time there’s a hint of something else in his gaze. Something that makes my blood heat along with my skin.

I slam the door and rest my back against the wood until I catch my breath.

There’s no way I saw what I thought I did in Kol’s gaze. He hates me. He kidnapped me. But what I saw was a glimpse of the military man I met at the hospital, not the asshole billionaire who ruined my wedding to Alistair.

But I know better than anyone how good Kol is at hiding the truth. This is probably just another one of his games. And I refuse to fall for it.

After I dress,I eat the breakfast Kol brought to the room and set on the small round table in the living room section for me. I’m so famished I finish every little morsel. Kol sits across from me, relaxed on the sofa, his ankle resting on his knee, watching me eat and not speaking a word. Suits me fine, but I can’t help but wonder what’s going through his head.

He doesn’t wait long to tell me what he’s thinking. After I set my cutlery down on the tray, he leans forward and pushes the tray to the other side of the table. “You need to call your mother.”

I sit up straight in my chair. “Really?” My eyes widen as hope blooms in my chest. He’s going to let me go?

“You’ll tell her you chose to leave and that you’re safe. That you’re tired of her controlling you. That you had second thoughts about marrying the prick. And that you ran away.”

I slump down in my chair, frowning because he snuffed out all my hope. I cross my arms. “Why would I do that?”

“If you don’t, they become my problem. And I don’t like problems. I tend to make them disappear.” He spears me with his whiskey eyes.

My frown indents further because he’s not joking, and a ripple of fear traces up my spine like a million red ants crawling along my skin. “I’m sure either she or Alistair has already called the police.”

His lips tighten when I mention Alistair by name. “Neither have. There are no reports about you missing.”

My forehead creases. Why wouldn’t my mother have called the police by now? I disappeared from my own wedding, for God’s sake. And Alistair? Does he assume I left on my own?

Kol reaches into the pocket of his jeans and pulls out a small black phone, tossing it on the table. A burner phone, if I had to guess. It’s not as though I’ve ever seen one in real life, but I’ve watched enough TV. I’ve never even had my own cell phone. Didn’t need one. There was no one to call, and I barely left the house.

“Make it believable. If I catch you trying to use code words or slip her a message, you aren’t going to like what happens.”

My hands tremble picking up the phone. “What if I can’t do it? What if she doesn’t believe me?”

“Figure it out.”

Anger rises in my belly until I’m almost choking. “It’s not that easy. She’s going to be upset.”

He tsks and tilts his head, a cruel smile tilting his full lips. “We both know you have no problem lying, no problem hurting someone you profess to care about. Do it.”

I press my lips together to stop them from trembling and swallow hard, then I open the phone and dial my mother’s number. Tears build in my eyes as I bring the phone to my ear.

It rings only once before she picks it up.

“Hello?” Her voice sounds worried and stressed. She’s always been an anxious person. I assumed her anxiety came from what happened to her.

“Mom, it’s me.” My voice comes out garbled, and I swallow back my tears.

“Rapsody! Oh, thank God. Where are you? Are you okay?”

“I…I can’t tell you where I am. But I’m fine.” The words rush out of my mouth before I’m inclined to let the truth spill from my lips.

“What do you mean you can’t tell me? You disappeared from your own wedding! I’ve been worried sick. Now tell me where you are.” Her tone turns more rigid and demanding.

“I’m not going to tell you. I had to get away for a bit. I…I didn’t want to marry Alistair.” I squeeze my eyes shut. “I didn’t know what to do, so I took off. I just need to be on my own for a while.” A single tear slips down my cheek.

“Rapsody, you can’t be out there in the world on your own! It’s dangerous!”

I glance at Kol. She has no idea the danger I’m in, and truthfully, neither do I. “I’ll be okay.”

“No, you won’t. Now stop with this right now, and tell me where you are so I can come get you.”

I shake my head, though she can’t see me. “No, Mom. I can’t.”

She pauses, and my anxiety ramps up with her angry on the phone and Kol angry right in front of me. “Can’t or won’t?”

I look away from Kol. “Won’t. I’m tired of being controlled and being sheltered by you. I want to live my own life, one of my own choosing. And if I make mistakes, then so be it, but they’ll be my mistakes, and I’ll own them. I’m sorry I couldn’t find another way to tell you before making a mess of things, but this is how it has to be for now. Please tell Alistair I’m sorry for dragging him into all of this. I didn’t mean to hurt him.”

The words spill from my lips so easily, and it’s as if someone lifted fifty pounds off my shoulders. My words are all truths that I’ve been holding inside me, pushing down for years—practically most of my life—but I’ve never been brave enough to say them until Kol forced my hand.

“I’ve only ever loved you. You’re my daughter, my everything!” Her words come out strangled on a cry.

“I just need some space. I’ll be in touch soon.” I don’t know whether that’s true or not, but I flip the phone closed and set it on the table, staring at it.

I think she believed me. She sounded like she did. Whether Alistair will believe her when she relays my message is another question, but I don’t think either of them will be calling the police to report me missing. Maybe that was a given since it hadn’t been done already.

There’s only silence in the room for a moment.

“Good.” Kol holds his palm out in front of me. “Now give me your engagement ring. You don’t need it.”

I raise my head and meet Kol’s stare head-on. I never would’ve guessed that the man I met and fell for could be this cruel of a bastard. But it’s obvious he enjoys inflicting emotional turmoil on me.

I slide my ring off my finger and push it into his waiting hand. He looks at it with disgust before shoving it in his pocket.

“I’ll be back with your lunch later.”

He leaves, and I’m alone again, as always. You’d think I’d be comfortable by myself by now.