Chapter 17
Keira
I think I may have had a mild heart attack. I clutch a hand to my chest, my heart beating so fast, it hurts. Even now, as I walk around the mansion by myself, it doesn't seem to want to slow.
I tell myself to breathe, and I do—though the action is painstakingly slow.
I want to cry. I want to run out the front door and hide until it’s time to leave.
I’m stupid…so stupid for playing into Xander’s twisted game.
I should have known better than to take his bait, but he knew exactly what to say—exactly what to dangle in front of me to make me lose control.
I stroll the seemingly endless hall, feeling frazzled and stressed. Damon said to go to a bedroom upstairs—well, he should have given me a damn road map with instructions.
All the doors are closed…so how am I supposed to know where the bedrooms are? Or what rooms I can enter and what rooms I cannot.
It feels like a trap—like one wrong move and something’s going to jump out and get me. I already had a taste of fear downstairs when Damon nearly took my finger off. What’s the worst he could do now? Cut one off?
I open the first door to my right and pop my head in.
It’s dark, but the light from the hallway allows me to see this is a sitting room of sorts.
I close this door and try the next. My stomach clenches.
What if Damon finishes his meal and I haven’t found a bedroom?
Worse yet, what if his brother gets to me before he does?
With shaky hands, I twist the knob on the next door. I sigh, my eyes taking in the huge walk-in shower and clawfoot tub. Clearly, this is a bathroom, and one that’s bigger than the bedroom in my apartment.
Who has a bathroom this big?
I shake my head, my feet starting to ache from walking in these heels. Leaning against the wall in the hallway, I slip them off my feet. The floor is cold against my feet, but it’s a welcome feeling to my burning hot skin.
I tiptoe down the hall, stopping at another door. What I find behind it is so unbelievable, I think I might have landed in an alternate universe.
This room is unlike any other I’ve seen. The walls are painted pale blue. The furniture is white, and the room is lit with a nightlight that casts stars across the ceiling.
Is this a nursery?
I hold a hand to my lips. Is this...? Is this Xander’s child’s bedroom? No, it can’t be. Maybe it’s one of his worker’s children? Or someone else’s? There is no way Xander has a baby. No way.
A calming melody plays from a small toy sitting on top of the dresser. My feet move forward without my brain agreeing to do so. I only make it two steps before a voice drags me back to the present.
“I don’t think this is the bedroom Damon was referring to when he told you to go upstairs.” Xander’s voice sounds like nails on a chalkboard.
Impulsively, I turn around to face him. His expression is hidden in the shadows, and I wonder what my punishment will be for crossing such a line.
“I…I didn't know.”
“You ever heard the saying ‘curiosity killed the cat’?”
I nod, unable to make my tongue work. My throat is completely closing up, and my pulse beats furiously in my ears.
What’s he going to do?
Will he make Damon punish me? Or will he do it himself?
I want to sob as he takes a step forward, making me flinch and take a retreating step. Instead of coming for me, though, he steps around me and walks to the side of the crib.
I watch his every step. His every movement. I’m compelled to stare at him. I’m under a trance, and I can’t break gaze for a second.
My body shakes as he leans over the side of the crib and takes a baby into his arms. The movement is so mundane, so simple, so gentle—for someone who isn’t him, someone who has a heart and a soul unlike him. I immediately have the urge to grab the baby from him.
To protect the innocent little human from someone as evil and vile as Xander.
Courage pulses through my veins, and I take a step toward him. My intention is to stop him from hurting this baby. However, that thought leaves me when I witness something that can’t be true—even though I know it is because I am seeing it with my own two eyes.
Xander leans down slowly and ghosts his lips over the baby’s forehead. He’s possessive and caring, and he cradles the baby’s head as if he knows what the child needs and how to nurture him. They must have slipped something into my water, because there is no way in hell this can be reality.
“Why do you look so shocked?” he whispers, his voice silky and soft. It’s a strange contrast to his features—since his eyes and face always seem to scream murder and pain.
With trembling lips, I ask, “Is that...? Is that your child?” If this is his child, then what happened to the mother? Why isn’t she at dinner? Is she being held hostage somewhere in this mansion? A thousand thoughts circulate my mind.
When Xander takes a step toward me, I straighten my back, forcing myself to remain standing in place. I know he can sense my fear, taste it probably, but he doesn’t make it known. He just closes the distance between us, bringing the baby closer to me.
In the dim lighting of the room, I can only make out some of the baby’s features, but what I do see answers my question.
Cradled in a blue blanket sleeps a dark-haired baby boy. He’s sleeping so peacefully, I’m afraid breathing will wake him from his happy dreams. Lifting my gaze from the baby to Xander, I realize he’s watching me.
I smile. “He’s beautiful.”
“He is, and he’s the primary reason I brought you and Damon here. His safety is my biggest importance, and just like you would do for your brother, I will do anything and everything to make certain my son is safe.”
I nod, swallowing past the knot in my throat. Xander is a dark and sadistic man, but watching him hold his son, seeing how much he cares for him, proves there is a deeper, caring side to him I didn’t think existed.
He walks back to the crib, kisses his son once more, and places him back down. Then he turns on his heels and heads straight for me. His facial expression is masked, and I’m afraid of what may happen next.
When his hand touches the small of my back, edging me forward, my knees buckle.
“I’m not going to hurt you, Keira. There is no point. I got what I wanted already, and my brother got what he wanted as well.”
“And what is that?” I gulp, afraid to even ask. We slip out into the hall, and I let him guide me.
“You. He wanted you.”
I exhale sharply, realizing Xander has figured us out. He’s realized I am his brother’s weakness.
“No, he doesn’t want me. He just wants to use me.” I stumble over my words, trying my best to make some of them sound believable.
Xander chuckles. “You’re a terrible liar. Terrible.” He shakes his head, stopping in front of a door to our right.
I’m not sure how long we’ve been walking, but I’m terrified to see what is on the other side. When he twists the knob, I squeeze my lids shut.
Xander ushers me forward, and I assume this room is his torture chamber. My legs wobble, thinking about all the pain and suffering I’m about to experience.
“You don’t have to be afraid of me anymore. Yes, I am very much the monster you assume I am, but you’re my brother’s property now, and I will respect that. He has something he cares for greatly, just as do I. We’re even now.”
I open my eyes and realize I’m not being led into a killing room. I’m standing in a huge bedroom with a four-poster king-size bed.
“What happened to his mother? Did you...? Did you kill her?” I scurry away from Xander, wanting to put as much distance between us as I can. The rest of the lights in the room flicker on with my movement, and now I can see Xander’s entire body.
He slides his hands into his front pockets and gives me a somber look. He appears more like a laidback businessman, and less like an unhinged murderer.
“Yes, but not because of you what you’re thinking. She betrayed me. She planned on using our son against me, and I just couldn’t allow that to happen.”
I blink, trying to understand what he’s saying. I can’t wrap my head around everything I’ve learned tonight—and I can’t wait to tell Damon all about it.
When he removes his hands from his pockets and takes a step toward me, I put a hand out to stop him. He smiles, returning to his normal self.
“Loyalty means everything to me, Keira, and even though my relationship with my brother has been turbulent over the years...my brother is still my brother. He is blood, and I will kill anyone who hurts him, including you. Do you understand me?”
I lick my lips. “I would never hurt your brother.” I try to decide whether I want to tell him how much Damon means to me—how much he makes my heart sing and my body shudder.
“I love him. I love him with my entire being. Hurting him isn’t something I’m ever going to do.”
Xander smiles. “I know you won’t hurt him, and I know you love him.
I may not be as emotional as my brother, I may not show feelings at all sometimes, but I can tell you love him…
simply by showing up here with him. People who love someone do things for others they may not like to do, and you clearly do for him things you may not enjoy. ”
“I do. I came for him—partly because I knew he needed me here, and partly because I knew you’d kill me if I didn’t.”
He rolls his eyes, and the look is so unnatural, I almost laugh.
Who the hell is this man?
“Dramatic much?” he scoffs. “I need an actual reason to kill you. Simply not accepting an invitation to dinner isn’t one. Though…not accepting would have sped up the process of me coming back to get you—to push Damon’s hand where I wanted it.”
Chess. This is all a game of chess, and I suppose Xander has everything lined up, ready to steal whatever it is he wants most. He controls the entire board now.
“I’m going to go back downstairs and enjoy the rest of the night with my family. You’ll be a good girl and wait up here for my brother, right? Naked and on all fours, I think he said.” He winks and turns to leave.
I blush, realizing he heard what Damon said. Then again, everyone did, I suppose. It wasn’t like he was quiet when he dismissed me.
“Oh, and one more thing.” His eyes pierce mine, the dark orbs promising pain and misery.
“Don’t tell Damon about my son. He has his weakness, and I have mine, but my son is an innocent in this war—and I want him to remain hidden for as long as possible.
I’m trusting you to keep this between us, Keira. ”
“Yes, I promise.” I can’t believe we are actually agreeing on something. I don’t care that Xander might be a monster. That baby is an innocent in this world, and the less people who know about his existence, the better.
“Thank you.” He smiles one last time before slipping out the door.
I rush to the bed and lay on it. Xander just said thank you. Though that’s not the most shocking revelation to take place this evening. Finding out I won’t be going anywhere in a body bag any time soon takes the cake.
I sit at the edge of the bed in my dress, counting down the seconds until Damon comes back. Seconds turn to hours, and eventually, my eyes grow heavy. I slump against the silky sheets, burrowing into them.
I tell myself I’ll only sleep for a short time, but as soon as my head hits the pillow, I’m out, my dreams carrying me to a faraway land.