Chapter Seven
Brit
Sneaking out of the kitchen, I checked the main living area before heading back to my bedroom. I'd been avoiding Fly for the rest of the day, just in case he changed his mind about my father's request. So far, he'd stayed away.
I checked over my shoulder as I crept cautiously up the stairs and checked the hallway before disappearing into my bedroom; the first one at the top of the staircase. I'd wanted to stay nearer the front door, just in case I had the chance to leave.
Shutting the door behind me, I sighed. There was nothing in the room I could use to block the door. I just had to stay alert.
I'd been surprised when there hadn't been a lock, but in the few hours before my father’s game, I'd trusted that Fly wouldn't hurt me. Now? I wasn't so sure.
It had been a while since my father had signed off, warning us that there would be consequences. I'd not seen Fly once but all I could think about was his body pressed against mine and the soft kiss on my skin. He was frustrating, infuriating even, yet he'd been so gentle. I wasn't used to it.
Sighing, I placed my glass of water on the heavy wooden bedside table and climbed onto the bed, under the sheet. I'd allow myself to doze, just for a bit. I knew my father would be asleep by now, I'd stayed up long enough. So hopefully Fly was asleep too.
The heaviness of the day weighed on me and I closed my eyes, relieved to rest my bones.
A sound.
I jolted alert when something heavy climbed on the bed.
Snapping my eyes open, I reared away from Fly, who was lying beside me.
He gripped my arm hard, placed a hand over my mouth and told me to shush. “Be quiet,” he murmured when I stiffened. “Or you'll wake the overlord.”
My snort of humor blasted against his palm, shocking me into silence. Had I just laughed at his stupid little joke? Jeez, what was happening to me?
“I'm not going to hurt you,” Fly insisted, gently releasing my mouth, his face a picture of expectation.
I shunned him and stayed quiet, swallowing the fearful lump that was threatening to block my throat.
He was lying on his side, facing me. He wore jeans and socks but nothing else.
The endless ridges of muscle on his torso were sickening.
How had he stayed so fit after several days in confinement?
Wasn't he supposed to be going soft by now, like me?
Silent, I waited for him to speak. I didn't want to encourage him to do anything that would hurt me. As much as my body awakened with him right there, I didn't want to be taken against my will.
“I need to know more about your father,” he whispered, his voice barely audible.
I moved closer to hear him better, before panicking when he gave me an overtly sexual smirk. Rolling my eyes, I shook my head and widened them in challenge. He backed down, nodding to invite me to speak.
“He's been chosen,” I said softly, “by the divine. You know that.”
Fly's jaw tightened. “No, I don't know that, because it's not true. Your father is a clever man who has used faith to appeal to people's vulnerable nature. Men like him have done the same thing over many centuries and people are still taken in. He hated us because we questioned his reasoning.”
“But…” My chest squeezed with anxiety.
It had been so long since anyone had questioned my father, I'd forgotten how it felt. I wanted to defend him, to show Fly that what we had done at the compound was good. We were lucky that we got to be cleansed from the awfulness of the world.
“Has your father cleansed you?” he enquired, his gaze intensifying.
Drawing a breath, I shook my head slowly. I knew what he was getting at, and yet, I couldn't quite find the words to defend my father, even though I'd believed his methods had worked for all the women who had been cleansed by him.
“No.” My reply was weak. “I don't need to be, I'm born of him, so I'm chosen too.”
Fly stayed quiet, watching me with a thoughtful expression. I dropped my gaze, instantly regretting it when it landed on his perfectly masculine nipple. It stared back at me, calling for me to reach out and stroke… wait, what?
“How far is your father likely to go to keep us here?” Fly changed the subject, which was a relief.
There was something about having my beliefs questioned that made me uncomfortable. For so long, I'd lived in my father's shadow, ready to come into the light when he was gone. I had to take over his mission. Didn't I?
“E-Erm,” I stuttered my words as my thoughts collided. “It depends. I want to believe he's doing this for the greater good.”
His scoff drew my attention to his face. Of course he would find humor in me and my world, but he didn't have to be an asshole about it.
Leaning forward, he put his face close to mine. I went rigid and folded my lips together, waiting to see if he would do anything. If he tried, I would strike him around the head.
“Brit,” he said, his breath fanning my face, “you're an intelligent woman. I don't say that lightly, considering your naivety and idiocy when it comes to your father.”
I tried to protest, but he put a finger over my lips and raised his eyebrows, forcing me to be silent. “We need to figure out how to get out of here.”
Nodding, I puffed out my lips to knock him off. His nostrils flared as he frowned, his body stiffening.
“Did you just kiss my finger?” his deep gravelly voice slipped into my ear.
Wait. Kiss his finger?
Pushing myself up, I stopped when he placed a hand on my arm, directing me back down.
“No, I didn’t kiss your…” I paused, my mind swirling as his stupid handsome face cracked, just a little. “…finger.”
Shrugging, he rolled onto his back and looked up at the ceiling. “I’m just saying,” he whispered, “it felt a little affectionate.”
“I thought you were here to talk about escaping,” I spat, “so do that.”
“He’s your father,” he said, “Surely you know of an exit that isn’t the one he’s guarding?”
I shook my head, wanting to bury it into the pillow when he glanced sideways at me.
Considering I was the heir to his empire, I didn’t know much about how things ran behind the scenes.
Chad had always kept me at a distance, using words and promises to placate me when I’d pushed for information.
The more I thought about it, the more I realized that Fly was right.
I was naive. I knew hardly anything about my father and what drove him.
“I've never been here.” I kept my voice low, just in case my father woke and heard us talking. “I just knew that he had this private wing in the mansion, so he could escape if he wanted, to recharge… especially after his ceremonies.”
Fly chuckled, but when I looked at him, he was clenching his jaw, far from humorous. “That man is an abusive son of a bitch and when you open your eyes to see it, you’ll never be able to live with yourself. Maybe it would be better if you stayed ignorant.”
Squeezing my eyes shut, I fought the wave of sadness that pushed against my numb heart. He couldn’t be right. Except, I was trapped because of my father, who was using Fly to harm me.
“Let’s re-focus,” Fly said, shuffling to turn on his side to face me again. “I want to escape, and whether you want that too, doesn’t matter. I might need you to distract your father somehow. He’s clearly got some sort of fetish where–”
“No!” I snapped, going quiet when he glared at me. “It’s never been like that with me. If I’m really honest, he kind of despises me.”
Blinking slowly, Fly didn’t say anything, instead, he just watched me.
I looked away, unable to keep eye contact with his pretty eyes.
Not when so much was eating me up inside.
Why had his presence turned my world upside down?
Being near him awoke something within me, a guilt I’d suppressed for years and something else.
Something I couldn’t – and didn’t want to – name.
“Maybe I could distract him somehow?” I whispered, “By bringing him to the door and then you can, I don’t know, do something. Ugh, I sound so dumb. I’ve never dreamed of defying my father before.”
Tiredness suddenly pulled on my muscles and I yawned, smiling briefly when Fly's eyes widened.
“You always did have a big mouth.” His statement silenced both of us as we inevitably thought about different things. Or maybe it was the same. Would he be sizing up my mouth for…? No, I had to stop.
My eyes grew heavy and he whispered something I didn't hear. I tried to fight the sleepiness as he spoke, his deep voice soothing me so much, I couldn’t resist falling asleep. The vision of his beautiful face flickered before everything went black and I slipped into oblivion.