Chapter 19 #2
“So don’t let him. You’re his pet, not his prisoner.”
I roll my eyes. “Same thing.”
“No, it’s not,” he argues. “You won’t be living in the dungeons when we get back.
You’ll be in your room with clean clothes and bubble baths.
You’ll get to eat food that isn’t out of a can.
Thane’s deal with you was contingent on your behavior.
It’s not about imprisoning you; it’s about owning you.
And thanks to that little mark on your neck, there’s a bond between the two of you whether he likes it or not.
” I shake my head, not quite following. “The mark triggers an innate instinct to protect you… even from himself.”
“And yet, he’s the one who continues to hurt me.”
“Because you keep challenging him. He’s an Alpha. Power. Control. That’s who he is. To his very core.” Kole brushes his fingers along my neck, making me flinch. “But this mark restricts him from fully acting on those instincts now.”
“Doesn’t seem like that to me.” I take a gulp of the wine, hoping it’ll wash away the nightmares of today.
“That’s because you don’t know him like I do,” Kole says over his shoulder on his way back to the kitchen.
“Then enlighten me.” I follow him and prop myself up on the large white island while he adds the pasta to the boiling pot of water.
“Well, you saw tonight how he does things. He’s ruthless when he wants to make a point. But not when it comes to you.”
“How so?” I press, wondering how he could’ve possibly come to that conclusion.
“Let’s see. For starters, after you nearly peed on him in front of a room full of leaders, he made sure you were given vampire blood and fully healed.”
“After I had been on the brink of death because he chased me into the woods!”
“You basically peed on him!”
“He held my arm over a fire!”
“And sent you to get treated right after!”
The sizzling sound of water draws our attention to the pot that has boiled over.
“He forced me to eat dog food, electrocuted me with a shock collar, threw me from a roof, chained me to his bed, kept me in a cell—”
“And you think that’s bad?” Kole says, cutting me off.
“He’s burned vampires alive, ripped heads off of bodies, starved prisoners until their bodies have begun to decay, broken bones and allowed them to heal only to break them again, forced wolves to kill members of their own pack.
Thane has done things your human mind can’t even fathom, and yet he offers you clothes, warm meals, hot showers, a bedroom fit for a queen.
” Kole stops in front of me, placing a hand on each side of me.
He’s so tall that even with me sitting on the counter, we’re still not eye level.
“I’m not saying he hasn’t hurt you, but I know my brother, and I can see him struggling.
It’s why he sent me to put you in the dungeon, and why he had Kieran take you to shower every day.
He’s at war with himself, and if you just play the game, you could use that to your advantage. ”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“Because, unlike my brother, I don’t blame you for the actions of the human race.” He walks back over to the stove and stirs the pasta. “And because I think you could be good for him.”
I laugh at the ridiculousness of that statement. “Okay, now you’re just saying shit.”
Kole shakes his head. “You just don’t see it yet.”
“See what?”
“The good in him.”
I choke on the wine and start coughing. “You’re joking, right?”
“I’m not, but you’ll see it in your own time.
For now, just do what he wants, and I’ll try to convince him to give you more privileges.
” He holds out a wooden spoon with spaghetti sauce for me to taste.
“Your life can still be yours if you want it to be.” The savory taste of the sauce makes me moan with hunger, drawing a smile across Kole’s face.
“See, you could be eating beans out of a can against a tree trunk right now, instead of being fed delicious food by a roguishly attractive vampire.”
I chuckle, hopping down from the counter to look for some plates. “Maybe you have a point. Though, I’m not sure about that last part.”
“Oh, come on, Grey.” He reaches for the plates too high for me to grab. “You can’t tell me that my kind isn’t more attractive than the humans.”
“Mm, I don’t know. Have you seen Kevin Bacon?” I grab the plates from him and turn around to walk over to the modern-looking dining table. “That man looked good his whole life.”
“Really?” He scoffs. “Kevin Bacon is what does it for you?”
I look over my shoulder and shrug. “What can I say? I have good taste.”
Kole actually looks annoyed, which makes my smirk grow into a smile.
“Well, I can bet he doesn’t make a spaghetti as good as mine,” he says, setting a large bowl on the table.
“Considering he’s probably dead, there’s really no way of knowing.”
“Yeah, yeah. Once you try mine, you won’t even need to taste his to know.” Kole pulls out my chair and fills my plate with more pasta than I’ll be able to eat.
It’s almost comical how much has happened today. I started the day locked in a cell, only to end up drinking expensive wine in a penthouse. I’m not sure how I went from watching wolves kill each other to being cooked dinner by Thane’s brother, but here I am.
I twirl the spaghetti around my fork and shove a huge bite into my mouth with the intention of giving Kole a hard time, but instead, I moan, betrayed by my body yet again.
“Told you.”
I roll my eyes at Kole’s cocky grin, attempting to convince him that I find his smugness annoying rather than charming.
Maybe if he wasn’t so good looking, it would be easier to hate him, but it’s nearly impossible not to fall victim to those adorable dimples, and the worst part is, I’m pretty sure he knows what he’s doing.
“I’ve been living off of canned tuna. I’m pretty sure even a three-day-old turkey sandwich would’ve drawn a moan from my lips.”
Kole leans back in his seat, swirling his glass of wine. “And what about Thane? Could he have drawn a moan from your lips after what he did tonight?”
“If so, it would only be because it’s out of my control.” I take a gulp of wine, hoping to drown my disgust over that thought. “Nothing turns me off more than an arrogant, power-hungry asshole.”
“And what about an arrogant, sarcastic asshole?” Kole asks, flashing me a playful smirk.
“You know what? That might just be worse.”
“Well, then it’s a good thing I’m a charming, quick-witted asshole.” He tosses me a wink, and for some reason, my stomach does a backflip.
“Quick-witted? Sure. Charming? Highly debatable.”
“Come on, Grey. You know you can’t resist my charm. It’s irresistible.”
I bolt from the table with my hand over my mouth and lean over the sink, pretending to throw up. Kole speeds over to my side in an instant with his hand on my back as if to comfort me, but once he notices me laughing, he drops it.
“Oh no. I think I’m allergic to your irresistible charm.” I turn to him, biting down on my smile while he does his best to mask his amusement.
“Must be a human thing,” he murmurs, walking back to the table.
“Yes, that must be it,” I agree, my voice dripping with sarcasm.
The two of us fall into effortless conversation, avoiding anything relating to Thane or the events of tonight, and more than once, I have to remind myself that he’s not someone I can afford to let my guard down around. As charming as Kole may be, he’s still Thane’s brother.
Even so, I can’t help but think about what he said earlier about my life still being mine.
Maybe there is some truth to it. I’ve always had to make sacrifices in my life.
Maybe following Thane’s orders is just that.
A sacrifice I have to make in order to create a new life for myself.
One where I have luxuries I used to dream of.
One where I have Sienna as a friend. One where I’m not having to look over my shoulder every day.
Maybe if I play this right, I can still have some semblance of autonomy.
Maybe…