13. Vaughn
Vaughn
Silence.
It was the root of power. It’s where the guilty confessed and where pawns confused movement for strategy. Silence always revealed the one who required reassurance.
I had expected Penelope to fill it after our kiss. She didn’t. She let me feed her and sat with me in the quiet.
Content.
Unapologetic.
I had built kingdoms within that stillness.
Hell, I had carved my place inside the void.
Silence exposed the need for control, and I had mastered it long ago.
But Penelope hadn’t tried to control the silence.
She’d spent her life surviving it. She’d been shaped by it.
And for the first time, I found myself calculating whether perseverance was stronger than mastery.
Was it possible?
Or was I underestimating the kind of power forged by a lifetime of restraint?
As much as I hated it, Redmond was right.
Her upbringing, her trauma, made her perfect.
The psychology associated with her broken mind was evident in her behavior, and it would work in my favor so long as I took control and molded it to my mission.
It promised obedience. Loyalty. Possibly the perfect queen. But… what about love? What about more?
Questions. I let them come as I soaked in her pale shoulders peeking out from the top of the blanket. Penelope’s breaths were deepening, but I knew she was still awake. Was she thinking about our kiss?
The need to touch her was unbearable. I could still see her moving in after I pulled back, breathing me in. She hadn’t jerked away or screamed. She came forward, towards me. Remembering me. V.
After a lifetime of living in the shadows, being remembered by her did something dangerous.
It fed the obsession that was taking me over.
Attachment weakened judgement. I couldn’t afford weakness.
I quickly pulled back, focusing on keeping control.
Which didn’t seem important when I was close to her.
I wanted to kiss her again. I wanted to take off her mask so I could see her face.
It was driving me crazy not to be able to look into her eyes.
To see the emotion in them as she spoke to me.
I swallowed hard, hating the thought of putting back on my own mask. But she did need a break from hers, and at least I could get back to watching her expressions which I liked.
Reaching for mine, I pulled it on, immediately frowning. I didn’t like that it put a barrier between us, but it was something I wouldn’t bend on. Penelope couldn’t see me—not until I was certain. Either she was in a mask or I was. That was nonnegotiable.
“I’m going to remove your mask.”
Awareness had her turning towards me. She nodded, and I reached up, loosening the material and pulling it over her head. Penelope’s lashes fluttered. She squinted repeatedly, blinking while her eyes adjusted.
“Now yours is on.” Her lips twisted. “I said I wouldn’t tell anyone.”
“What we say and what we do—”
“I’m not a liar.”
“No. You haven’t given me reason to believe you are.”
“Then…” Penelope reached up, tucking her hair behind her ear, growing more agitated as the cuff caught. “I don’t like your mask. It scares me.”
My eyes narrowed, and I stood from the chair that I’d brought into the room. I sat on the edge of the bed, reaching for her hand. She didn’t repel from my touch as I gripped to the tip of her finger.
“You fear the mask more than me?”
“It’s an ugly mask.”
I laughed, not able to help myself.
“Maybe I’m an ugly man.”
Penelope’s head tilted as she scanned over the black and white skeleton face looking back at her.
“You can’t be uglier than that.”
“I’m not a good-looking man. You’re not missing much. Let me see… I have a big nose. Small lips. Horrible teeth. Oh, and I’m bald.”
“And I suppose I’m Santa Claus. You tease me.”
My head lowered as I smiled, but the smile didn’t last. I was teasing her. I… was teasing her. I was flirting, and that wasn’t like me at all.
I lifted my head, feeling the seriousness take over.
“The mask stays. Always.”
My deep tone had the softness of her face hardening. She nodded, once again going quiet.
“I have to go to the bathroom. And… I’d like to take—"
Penelope blinked rapidly, her head turning to the side as she took in her bare shoulders. Blue eyes grew round and her gaze jerked up.
“Where are my clothes?”
Betrayal. Fear. It was written all over her face as her eyes welled with tears.
“I had to assess you.”
“So you took off my clothes? You had no right.”
Anger.
“Penelope—”
“No, V. This is my body. Mine. You keep touching me and, and, no. You do not have permission to treat me like some inferior. Like I’m too stupid to have a say. I assure you I’m capable of making decisions over my own body, and what I want is for everyone to leave it alone.”
“You’re upset after what Lord Allford did. It’s understandable.” I kept my tone neutral. “But you were unconscious. You’re hurt, and I needed to make sure the damage wasn’t worse than what it is.”
“I’m not upset—I’m angry—no, pissed.” More tears spilled free as her body shook with fury. “I want my clothes, and I want them now.” Her eyes darted up to mine, and her shoulders curled in. “Please.”
“No.”
Her head jerked up.
“What do you mean, no?”
My shoulders went back. I let all I knew, all I wanted, come barreling to the front. I had her here for a reason. It was time I focused on that.
“Penelope, I didn’t just take you because of what was happening to you.
I took you because I’m choosing you. Your time with me once you heal will be grueling.
It will be demanding and unpleasant. As of now, your body is mine.
If I want it, you will give it to me. I will not take it by force, because you will not let me.
” I lifted my hand, pointing against her temple.
“I want what’s in here more than this,” I said, pulling back and gesturing over her body.
“I know you’re confused and you don’t understand, but it has to be this way. ”
Her head slowly went back and forth.
“You’re… not… okay.”
“I’m fine.”
“No.” Her head still shook. “You’re crazy. You… need help.”
My face tightened as my own anger rose. “I assure you I don’t.”
“You do. But that’s okay. I’m going to help you.”
“I’m not crazy, Penelope.”
“If you say so. I—”
“I’m not crazy. Listen to me, this isn’t some game, and I’m done explaining. The facts are simple. You’re here, and I plan to test you. Not just your body but your mind. I want to know everything about you.”
“Do you hear voices?”
“For fucks sake.”
“What? It’s a logical question.”
I reached down, unfastening the cuffs on her feet and moving up to her wrists. When she was free, I turned, grabbing the hospital gown Lord Oxley had left behind.
“Three days. That’s all you get the gown for. When the IV comes out, the gown disappears.”
“You’re not going to let me wear any clothes?”
“During training, yes, but that’s it.”
“And what am I training for?”
I took in her face—her confusion.
“A life with me.”
“What if I don’t want a life with you?”
“Not many do.”
Her lips parted and the confusion grew.
“Arms out.” I slid one of her arms through the gown, unbuttoning the sleeve of the other so it wouldn’t tangle with the IV.
“V?”
I reached behind her, tying the string at her neck.
“Yes, Penelope.”
“This is sort of like an adventure, isn’t it?”
Pausing, a slow smile came as I pulled back and looked at her, but it fell at the truth.
“You could say that, but I’m afraid this adventure isn’t going to be fun for you.”
“What do you mean?”
“Grab the stand and pull it as I carry you.”
She didn’t argue as I eased her into my arms. She grabbed the IV stand, pulling it alongside us as I took her to the toilet and placed her to stand.
“Can you make it back to the bed by yourself?”
“Yes.”
“Okay.” I scanned her face. “I’m going to leave you for a while.
Take a shower, brush your teeth, and get back to bed.
I’ll be back later.” I paused. “You want to understand what you’re in for.
I’m going to be blunt. While you’re here, you will learn to fight.
You will torture and kill those I bring to you.
And I will be hard and unfeeling every moment of it.
You will hate it, and you may end up hating me.
There is no way around it. It must be done.
It is the only way to know for certain.”
“Know… what?”
“Whether you’ll survive.”
I turned, not able to erase the terror I’d glimpsed. I headed for the stairs, not looking back as I took the steps by twos. I unlocked the door, closing and bolting it behind me. I took the five steps, heading up the second staircase that opened to a secret bookshelf in my home office.
Pulling out my phone, I brought up the cameras for Penelope’s room. I headed for my bedroom, not looking down until I had my clothes stripped off and the shower was running.
Penelope was in hers as well, but she looked like a deer in the headlights.
The hand with the IV held the towel and her gown out to her side while she tried to wash her body with the other.
She was so worried I’d come in at any moment.
She was trying to rush. She was so… innocent.
So afraid. Time would change that. I almost didn’t want to think by how much.
Spilling blood had a way of changing a person. Causing death stole life. It took pieces, leaving more of a shell behind each time. As much as I wanted to spare Penelope a life with less humanity, this was the only way. I hated it as much as I needed it, but what I needed was her.