Chapter 11
C h a p t e r E l e v e n
S y l v i a S w a n
The strong scent of turpentine and rain fills my nose. I look around confused as my bedroom transforms into my mother’s studio. The smell only gets stronger the longer I stand in the middle of the room.
Lights spill in from her open window, casting her unfinished canvas in gold.
The art looks beautiful yet so delicate in the light as I walk up to it.
As my hand hovers over the painting I hear an audible gasp.
My eyes sweep over the room with unease and I catch her standing by the window, looking out as if someone is in the distance.
“Mama?” I try to speak but the air feels too heavy and my voice comes out small.
A man appears beside her, towering her in darkness.
He’s too tall to be my father. I can’t see his face or make out any details besides the large hat that sits on his head and the outline of a long dark coat.
Something is clutched tightly in his hand at her side, the metal catching the light with a gleam.
She slightly turns to me, her eyes filled with recognition while mine suffer with fear. She knows what's next and tears fill my eyes.
“No!” I yell but that doesn’t stop the male from raising his hand up high and digging the metal into her side.
The walls appear to shrink as if granting me a front row view of her death. I try to run up to her, to save her, but my feet won’t leave the floor. My heart thuds so loud it's the only sound I can hear besides the wet metal slicing through her skin over and over.
He doesn’t stop. He goes mad with rage until her body goes limp in his hold.
“Mama!” It jolts from my lips as I wake up. My head spins and tears streak down my cheeks.
The lights in here are blinding as I take in my surroundings.
I’m in the library at school, my textbook is wet with tears and I slam it shut.
No one seems to have heard me and I collect myself as fast as I can.
I wipe away the dry tears on my cheeks and let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding.
My heart hammers in my chest as if the nightmare was more than a dream.
Why out of all places did I have to fall asleep at school? Last night was a disaster. I flipped and rolled until sunlight broke through my window telling me it was time for school. The same dream of her being killed played in my mind all night and even now.
“Well look who it is.” I roll my eyes at the familiar drawl of his voice. “A girl and her cat.”
His voice is laced with venom as he walks up to my table and leans against it. His dark gaze bores into mine unapologetically and a sadistic look swirls in his irises. He’s come with a plan up his sleeve, great.
His tie is loose around his neck as if he was fidgeting with it all day and his sleeves are rolled up to his elbows.
The dark ink carved into his skin catches my eyes and I take in all the intricate symbols and animals.
I dismiss the thoughts I’m having about him and meet his stare with a sharper gaze.
Amos hisses in his carrier. His brass eyes on Kian as he leans closer to me.
Not much you can do right now Amos.
“What do you want?” I mumble with a sharper tone than I intend.
His hand lifts from his side and wraps around my throat before I can grasp what he’s doing. His fingers tighten and my eyes grow wide with fear. I’ve never had a male lay a hand on me. Usually my sharp attitude and dark demeanor scared them away, but with Kian I should’ve expected it.
His dark eyes turn to slits as he tilts his head and brings me closer to him.
I stand up to stop from being choked to death and meet his stare with my own.
Amos stands up in his carrier and my eyes skate to his anxious form, his back is arched as a loud hiss leaves him.
His carrier shakes as he tries to escape, to find a way to help me but I'm defenseless at this point.
The table separates us, stopping me from kicking him in the balls.
“I’ve even got the cat scared.” Kian’s chuckle is low and vibrates through me from his grip.
A hungry, cruel look settles in his gaze as it comes back to me.
He’s enjoying this. My skin lifts with goosebumps and a knowing feeling crawls into my gut.
I reach up and try to pry his hand off of me but he doesn’t let up, ignoring the blood my nails draw from his skin.
My feet press into the ground but his grip is unrelenting.
“What’s wrong, Little Swan? Cat got your tongue? What a coincidence." His laugh is cruel and mocking.
“Let me go.” I huff as I try to catch my breath, the words leaving with a croak.
“I don’t believe I will and I dislike you telling me what to do.” His fingers flex as a warning and each ring on his finger brushes the delicate skin of my neck with a chill.
“You don’t seem to listen to anyone, Kian.” His name is spit on my tongue. “I don’t owe you anything.”
A shiver wracks through him and a smirk lifts his lips. “That’s where you’re wrong. You owe me everything.”
My eyebrows furrow with confusion but he doesn’t decide to continue.
“I don’t owe you shit,” I hiss and Amos joins in.
My hands tighten around his, my nails digging into his skin, but he doesn’t even flinch. I don’t know what is wrong with him or what his problem is but it's pissing me off. Anger coils around my spine and the heat of my glare only reflects in his soulless eyes.
“Oh but you do. As soon as you stepped on my land, you became mine. If I want your pain I’ll have it, If I want your silence—your body, I’ll have that too.
You’re mine to use, whether you like it or not.
” His voice is low as his other hand trails down the curve of my body, starting at my breast down to the curve of my stomach.
My body warms at the tenderness of his touch and my stomach flutters. What the hell am I feeling right now? Arousal? Lust? Have I lost it completely? I’ve gotten myself in shit deeper than I can comprehend with a psycho—someone who holds the power to absolutely destroy me.
I gulp, anxiety eating away at my anger. “You’ve got the wrong girl.”
He chuckles, the sound twists my stomach with something more sinister.
“I’m positive I’ve got the right one. You’ve got that dead look in your eyes—that damn look. There’s something I admire in it and you’ll be my little swan until I’m finished.” His words cut right through me, draining the last of my breath away.
I stare at him in shock, with horror, I’m unsure. I just know my heart beats in my chest and my hands instantly become clammy. My knees threaten to give out from underneath me. This is worse than what Alistair said. He wants me, he wants to own me.
“No, no.” My head shakes with denial. I’ve got to figure out a way to escape this…mess. “I’m not an object, Kian. You can’t own me.”
My voice wobbles and I hate how weak I sound. I’ve been through so much shit with men. I’ve never fallen victim to their ways but I can hear the promise in his words. The dread that crawls in my stomach weakens me farther, but his grip on my neck and waist stops me from collapsing.
“I can, when you moved here you became my property. You stepped onto my grounds willingly and I promise when I’m done you won’t want to leave.” He whispers with that deep voice and my body responds with so much temptation but my mind fights.
Curse being a woman. Mini me only works when she wants to and right now she wants this psycho.
“You’re sick if you think I’ll go along with your plan. I don’t belong to anyone but myself. I didn’t willingly come to your shit town. I was dragged here by my father but that doesn’t give you ownership of me…of us.” My voice is strong but lacks any real danger.
He remains silent, his dark gaze on me, deciphering me as if I were a transparent book. He notices the tremble in my thighs, the fear reflected in my eyes, the quiver of my lip as if I might cry any minute and he enjoys it. His smirk lifts higher and a slither of admiration drifts through his eyes.
“Tell yourself whatever you need too, but I can see the curiosity pouring out of those fuck me eyes. You want me too, Little Swan.” He whispers with so much obsession in his voice it scares me.
“I’ve seen you, really seen you. You’ve captured something I could never with my camera and I want to know what it is. ”
He finally drops me and removes his hands from my body. I grasp at my neck, still feeling the chill of his rings all over me.
Amos hisses in his closure, as his eyes fly to me. I hate that he had to witness something so vulnerable, so damn embarrassing. I step back from the table so he can’t reach me. I’m cowering for the first time in my life. This town, him, will ruin me more than my broken heart can take.
“You don’t see me. You see a version of me you created in your psychotic mind. You know nothing about me. You’ll never have me, not willingly.” My mind finally wins and fire burns in my tone.
I’ve already lost my mother, I can’t lose my dignity too.
I hold his sadistic stare with my own. I know my face is red with anger but I don’t care. This rich prick is nothing to me, nothing I should be scared of.
“Sure.” He mumbles and walks away from me. His broad shoulders disappear behind the aisles of books and I release a sigh.
“I’m so sorry Amos.” I whisper as I open his carrier.
I lift him up to my chest and bury my face in his mane. I breathe in the familiar scent of my cat and let the worry go to the back of my mind. He purrs and buries his face in my hair.
Anxiety has a way of riddling your mind no matter how strong you are. It makes you into something so small.
The bell rings and I carefully place Amos inside his carrier. He meows with contentment and I collect myself, pulling my jacket over my arms and hurling my satchel over my shoulder opposite of his carrier.