Chapter Eight
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Ily
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YOU’RE MINE.
You’re mine.
Victor’s words echoed over and over again. I couldn’t look at the older man. Couldn’t allow his greying blond hair, lean frame, and merciless blue gaze to haunt me any more than he already did.
Unlike Henri, who’d entranced me from the first moment I saw him, Victor petrified me. Henri might wear his tall height and broad shoulders with animalistic power, but the Master Jeweler? He wore charming to hide the viciousness within.
An hour passed, then two.
By hour three, I couldn’t do it anymore.
Claustrophobia slashed at my veins, and hysteria bubbled in my belly.
All I wanted to do was let go of the tightly tangled emotions and scream, scream, scream!
I needed to shout, fight, punch, kick, and kill.
But the memory of the guard’s gun against my temple made me swallow all those fizzing urges.
I sat in aching silence.
Henri sighed heavily beside me, and any spark I’d felt toward him—any idiotic awareness or stupid, stupid connection—was nothing more than cinders on the airplane floor.
I’d never been so affected by someone’s appearance before, and what had it gotten me?
Pain.
Despair.
Imprisonment.
Fuck him.
Fuck all of them.
Leave, Ily. Just for a little while.
I closed my eyes and did my best to sink into a meditation.
I’d been raised in a household that was as diligent about meditation as some were about prayers before dinner.
Each morning before school, Krish and I would sit on matching yoga mats and Dad would guide us through a visualization.
I’d stopped when I moved in with Sam because he snickered at me each time I tried to sit in silence.
I’d grown self-conscious.
I’d let him take away one of the most magical parts of my day.
I missed it.
God, I missed it.
I missed the peace, the serenity, and the bone-deep knowledge I was more.
I supposed it made sense why I turned to it now. Why desperation drove me into any attempt at freedom—real or imaginary.
Focusing on my breathing, I did my best to sink out of this world.
I focused on a grounding cord of light. I spun the wheels of my chakras.
And nothing.
My mind didn’t explode with rainbows and calm.
It remained black and miserable, firmly trapping me in the airplane with three bastards.
A sob wrapped itself around my throat.
Everything that’d happened—the breakup with Sam, the near-rape with Henri, and the kidnapping by Victor—chose that moment to suffocate.
I hadn’t just lost my freedom; I’d lost myself. I’d lost a sliver of myself every day I let Sam mock my passions, and now...I had nothing.
God, Ily...you’ve really messed up.
I gagged on fears of what would happen.
How would I survive?
How would I get free?
Because I would never stop trying. I would never accept this. Never let these men think they ruled me.
No one ruled me.
I’ll escape.
Somehow...
Tears ran down my cheeks as I squeezed my eyes tighter.
My lies didn’t help soothe me; if anything, they made me hate myself even more. I couldn’t believe I’d let this happen. What did that say about me? Just how dumb was I?
I should’ve slapped Henri the moment he propositioned me.
I should’ve kept screaming.
I should’ve gone with that nightclub bouncer.
God...why didn’t I go?
Why didn’t I see the evil inside him?
Another awful thought crashed into me.
Krish.
A keening noise pierced my chest, making Henri shift beside me.
I didn’t open my eyes.
I couldn’t.
All I could picture was Krish with his big black stare and wonderfully pure soul. If the French police told my parents I’d gone missing....
If I was never found again...God, Krish—
I flinched and shoved that thought away.
I couldn’t think how devastated he would be.
How much it would affect him, possibly even destroy him.
I’d been adopted because of him. I became his sister all because he’d taken one look at me when he was six years old and vowed he couldn’t live without me. I’d been given a home almost like a service animal was adopted to aid the life of someone suffering.
Krish had suffered, but the moment we met...I was his security blanket and salvation. It didn’t matter twenty-two years had passed since he found me...I was still his, and without me?
Don’t.
I gritted my teeth.
You’ll get back to him.
Somehow.
The airplane descended, slicing through another judder-bar of air, jostling with turbulence as we slipped lower, lower, lower.
My breathing picked up as our arrival happened far too fast. One moment, we still cut through air; the next, we kissed earth in the smoothest landing I’d ever felt. The engines roared, the wing flaps activated, and our speed slammed to a crawl.
I kept my eyes closed.
Not yet.
Not yet.
I don’t think I can do this...
“Ily.” Henri’s hands landed on my waist, flicking open my seatbelt. “Wake up.” I stiffened but didn’t strike him like I wanted to. If I was going to survive this, I had to be smart.
I’d let stupidity get me into this.
I’d be damned if I continued letting it destroy me.
“She’s not sleeping, Ward.” Victor chuckled. “But if she’s keen on playing that card, slap her.”
My eyes flew open, narrowing on Victor as he stood and stretched in the aisle. “Ah good, I’m glad we didn’t have to resort to violence so soon. Plenty of time for that later.” Clicking his fingers as if I was a dog, he smirked. “Come along, my sweetling. Time to see your new home.”
I bared my teeth.
Roland blew me a kiss as he followed Victor to the front of the plane and vanished down the short steps to the dark skies outside.
“Get up. Now,” Henri commanded, practically hauling me from the seat and shoving me into the aisle.
I tripped and stumbled from his strength. Any arousal I might’ve felt back at the club was now as toxic as him. I felt it poisoning me, vaccinating me against his looks, his curses, and whatever damn secrets glowed in his gaze.
“I hate you,” I seethed.
“So you’ve said.” Planting his huge hands on my shoulders, he spun me around, then pushed my lower back. “Move.”
I fought against his pressure. “Why are you doing this? You’re obviously not one of them. You could’ve let me go—”
“I tried, remember?” He shoved me too hard. I tripped and almost went to my knees. His arm lashed around my waist, keeping me upright. He saved me all while shooing me to the steps where Victor and Roland chuckled outside.
“Let me go,” I urged, my heart winging. “Do something.”
“Oh, I’m going to do something,” he hissed. “I’m afraid I’m going to do a lot of things, and none of them legal.”
I spun to face him. “You don’t want to do this.”
He held my stare for the longest moment. Finally, he nodded. “No, I don’t want to do this.”
I sucked in a breath. Perhaps he would be on my side and—
“But I will.” He towered over me, grabbing my chin and holding me tight.
“My self-control has been fraying most of my life, but now that I’m here?
Fuck.” He ran his nose over my cheek, inhaling hard.
“Every thread is breaking. Every decency is fading. And I have to say...death might be worth the price of letting go.” He grabbed my hand and pressed it against the steel in his trousers.
He flattened my palm over his hard cock and rocked his hips, ensuring I felt every ridge.
“Seeing your fear makes me hard. Knowing you’re terrified makes me so goddamn horny.
If you knew how badly I want to let go...
you wouldn’t stand there looking at me as if I’m going to be the one to save you. ”
I tried to pull my hand away; he didn’t let me.
“You said you were my only friend,” I snapped, cursing the feel of him.
His eyes darkened to flint. “I did, didn’t I?” I gasped as he dove both hands into my hair and yanked my head back. My spine contorted in his hold. “A friend who will most likely fuck you over after taking everything you have to offer.”
My heart galloped, but I forced myself to search for his weakness. To use this snippet of alone time to see how I could use him. “You’re not like them. I know you aren’t.”
He smiled so blackly, so coldly, I couldn’t breathe.
“You’re right, I’m not. Unfortunately for you, I think I’m worse.
” He exhaled hard as his gaze locked on my mouth.
“Luckily for you, I’m still doing my best to resist so...
heed my advice, sunshine. Don’t fight me.
Whatever you do, whatever I have to do to you...
do. Not. Fight. Me. You do that and we both might survive. ”
Stepping into me, he flashed a look at the open door before muttering under his breath, “You heard Victor. You’re mine for the weekend. If you play along and—”
“Henri. What the hell is taking so long?” Victor’s cultured accent flowed up the steps. “Hurry up.”
Gritting his teeth, Henri stepped back. Our eyes locked but whatever he was going to say was replaced with a snarl. “Move.” Shoving me around, he almost kicked me out the door.
I caught myself on the railing at the top of the airplane stairs.
My eyes tipped up.
I froze.
I gawked at the most beautiful building I’d ever seen.
Not that it could be called a building.
It wasn’t a house or mansion or dwelling.
This thing...this acropolis...this citadel was in a league of its own.
Wherever the hell we’d just landed and whatever flag this land flew paled in comparison to the sheer size and imposing presence of Victor’s sadistic playground.
Medieval in its turrets, gothic in its towers, and utterly barbaric with its ten-metre-high stone wall complete with wide parapet and guard stations.
Men in black uniforms patrolled and watched us from above, rifles slung over their shoulders, and more weapons glinting on black belts in the sleepy morning.
One guard shone a large spotlight in sweeping arcs over the manicured lawn leading to the airstrip where we’d landed, no doubt hunting for runaways.
Not that they could run far with a wall ringing the entire estate.