Chapter 9 Madeleine
Chapter nine
Madeleine
Alastor
Alastor
Answer me!
Alastor
You can’t ignore me!
Alastor
If you think this is some kind of fucking game then I will be sure to remind you what’s at stake. You won’t make a fool out of me!
Fuck.
I stare at the latest text messages from Alastor, filled with dread.
A splitting headache pounds against my skull as I lean back, resting my head on the cushioned headrest while I shut my eyes.
I’d literally rather do anything else than sit at a confined dining table with Alastor and his family, feeling completely imprisoned.
Like lie on a train track…
Drive off a cliff…
Jump out of a plane without a parachute…
The list could go on and on.
“Are you okay?”
Eli’s rough yet soothing voice floats over to me as he slides closer across the leather seat and closes the door behind him.
“Hey, Angel. I miss you.”
A slight, uncomfortable pressure forms inside my chest. Why? Well, I don’t very much care to look into that. It’s probably just heartburn from that chocolate cake I ate last night.
“Madeleine?”
I turn toward the window. “I’m fine. Just have a slight migraine coming on.”
“Do you get those a lot?”
Just for the past year.
“Now and then.”
“Anything I can do to help?”
Kill Alastor.
“No. Just need some pain meds and to keep my eyes closed.”
I reach for my bag, searching for my bottle of pain relievers, but when I take off the cap and tip the bottle, I discover it’s empty. I internally groan as the car begins to move, and I’m suddenly hit with a wave of nausea.
Oh great.
The last thing I need is to vomit in front of Eli, completely embarrassing myself in the process.
Taking a deep breath, I turn into my seat, wrapping my arms across my stomach as I close my eyes.
“Would that be such a bad thing?”
Eli’s question from earlier pounds back and forth between my skull. I internally scold myself for being so careless after almost letting it slip out that I didn’t have a choice in this marriage.
How could I be so reckless?
So weak?
If the truth were to escape, it would ruin everything.
“Would that be such a bad thing?”
No! I wanted to scream in his face.
Not when that’s all I’ve ever wanted.
We hit a bump in the road, intensifying my churning stomach. My arms wrap tighter around me.
“Do you need us to pull over?” Eli asks.
I know he’s only trying to help, but every sound vibrates throughout my skull like a jackhammer.
“No,” I whisper. “Home.” I take another long, deep breath. “I just need to go home.”
Thirty minutes later, we pull through the gate of the Alarie Estate, and a weight lifts from my chest.
“We’re almost there,” Eli tells me, and I can’t help but note an edge of concern in his voice.
I feel the car navigate the familiar twists and turns of my driveway deep in the woods, and I count the seconds until I can get out of this car and safely throw up in the privacy of my bathroom.
“Whose car is that?” Eli asks.
I don’t have the energy to look. “Vin was car shopping recently. If you don’t recognize it, maybe it’s his,” I murmur.
Once the car comes to a stop, I put on my sunglasses and unwind before stepping out. Within seconds, Eli is by my side, his strong arm wrapped around my back and his hand gripping my waist to support me.
“I’ve got you,” Eli voices.
As we take the last step up the stairs, a figure appears to the side, catching us both by surprise. Eli jumps in front of me, positioning himself to keep me behind him, protecting me from danger.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” Eli growls.
Definitely not Vin’s car, then.
I peek around him, finding the devil standing before us.
“Alastor?” I manage to get out as I take a step around Eli. I look toward my driveway, spotting a bright orange hideous sports car. “Is that your car?”
Alastor looks over proudly. “Ah, yes. Just got it for a small two million.” He chuckles, brushing a hand down his shirt. “She’s one of the fastest cars in the world. They only produced a few hundred of them, and now, well, she’s all mine.”
She?
I grimace as I internally shake my head. I felt my phone vibrate in the car on the way here, probably with notifications alerting me to a security breach, but I was in too much pain to look. Now I wish I had.
What the fuck is he doing here?
Unfortunately, I don’t have time to analyze this predicament because, at this exact instant, the chocolate cake from last night decides to make a reappearance.
I lean over the railing and vomit straight into the snow-covered bushes. A strong hand gently caresses my back while the other holds my hair away from my face.
With nothing left inside me, I take a deep breath and stand, turning to find that it was Eli who took care of me in my moment of weakness.
My bodyguard.
Not my fiancé.
Why am I not surprised?
Eli’s hand slides protectively down my spine, his body staying right beside mine. I swipe my forearm across my mouth, unsure of how much time I have left before I get sick again. So, I need to figure out what the hell is going on since Alastor’s never made an unannounced visit.
Alastor stands there, horrified, with his hand covering his mouth. “Please tell me you’re not contagious.”
I roll my eyes, instantly regretting the motion. “Migraines are not contagious.”
“Oh.” He laughs while lowering his hand. “Thank God, it’s just a migraine.”
Just a migraine? The pressure returns to my temple, and I pinch the bridge of my nose, massaging the area with my fingers. Eli’s hand moves in slow, gentle circles, calming me. “What are you doing here? I didn’t think I was seeing you until Friday night.”
His eyes bounce between me and Eli, taking in the proximity between us, I’m sure.
But I don’t have the energy to move away from him, nor do I want to.
Not when he’s the only thing keeping me up.
“Well, I was worried for you, darling. You never returned my messages, and I just wanted to ensure you would actually be joining us.”
“For what?” Eli asks, staring down at me.
Alastor beams. “Dinner with her future in-laws. They’re so looking forward to seeing you since it’s been a while. Not to mention, there will be a few photographers there as well to capture the moment.”
What he really means is that he wants to showcase an Alarie on his arm so the whole world can see his new powerful accessory.
I squint beneath the sun’s glare, which feels too bright even behind my sunglasses. I just want to retreat into darkness by getting under my covers and calling it a day.
“Madeleine’s not well—” Eli starts to say before I cut him off.
“Yes, of course. I’ll be there.”
“Great.” Alastor’s beady eyes move from me and then to Eli. “Well, I’ll be out of your way so you can rest. Wouldn’t want anything to cause you to miss such an important night, now would we, darling?”
“Of course not,” I answer quickly.
He hesitates for a moment, as if he might want to lean in for a kiss, but then stops himself, likely reconsidering since I just threw up—thank God.
After a short pause, he nods and walks toward his obnoxiously bright-colored car, where I notice his guard, Tony, waiting for him.
Looking up, I find Eli’s gaze fixed on him.
“Who’s that?” he asks, his free hand resting on the gun inside his holster.
“Tony. His right-hand man.”
I wait until Alastor disappears down the driveway before stepping inside my home, slipping out of my heels, and trudging up the stairs to my room.
I’m so lost in my thoughts that I don’t notice Eli behind me until he steps around me and closes all my drapes, shrouding my room in shadows.
He turns to look at me and takes a step closer. His hands reach out, slowly and carefully unbuttoning my jacket. It falls to the floor around me, and then, without taking a moment to overthink it, I reach for the zipper on the back of my dress and tug it down, letting the material pool at my feet.
It’s not like he hasn’t seen me like this before.
His eyes darken, and his gaze travels leisurely over my body, leaving a scorched path from my head to my toes.
I swallow hard. If I weren’t in so much pain, I might do something I’ll regret.
Or would I?
“I might get sick again,” I say.
“I’ll be here if you do,” he answers automatically.
Of course, he will be.
He’s always here.
I press my fingers into the side of my temple. “It hurts so much.”
My head. My heart… Yeah, especially that one.
Eli turns, removes his shoes, and makes himself comfortable on my bed, leaning against the headboard. “Come here.” He pushes my blankets aside, making room for me to join him.
Not wanting to overthink things, I get into bed and wrap the covers around me. He places a pillow on his thigh, and I instantly lie down, resting my head on his lap. His fingers gently begin to massage my scalp.
It feels heavenly.
“How is this?” he asks softly.
“This… This feels great. Thank you.”
A few minutes pass, and I feel myself starting to doze off when Eli’s voice awakens me.
“Madeleine?”
“Mm-hmm?”
“Do you hate me?”
The vulnerability in his words squeezes my heart a little harder than I can handle, leaving me defenseless.
I could lie to him.
I could tell him yes and hope he never asks me again.
It would make things easier.
It would keep him away from me, guaranteeing nothing comes between Alastor and my wedding.
But instead, I tell him the truth. “No, Eli. I don’t hate you,” I breathe. “I wanted to. I tried to. But I never could.”
“And do you, Madeleine Alarie, take Alastor Manacorda as your lawfully wedded husband? To obey until death do you part?”
My heart pounds beneath my rib cage as I absorb the priest’s words. “Obey?” I shake my head. “These aren’t the vows I agreed to—”
Alastor’s fingers wrap forcefully around my neck, cutting off my air supply. I claw at his hands, trying and failing to pull them away from me as he sneers down at me, a sinister smile spreading across his face as he watches me suffer under his touch.