Chapter 12 Control #2
“He‘ll kill you,” I said with absolute certainty. “When he gets here and sees what you’ve done, he will tear you apart.”
Trevor’s smile didn’t waver. “That’s exactly what I’m counting on, Jade.” He patted my cheek condescendingly. “He’ll try. And when he does, he’ll prove everything I’ve been trying to tell you about what he really is.”
He stepped back, admiring his handiwork. “It’s all going to work out,” he said with the confidence of someone who believed completely in their own delusion. “You’ll see.”
I glared at him, hatred burning so hot in my chest I thought it might sear through the ropes binding me.
Trevor paced around the larger circle in the center of the warehouse, there was an eagerness to his movements that made my skin crawl.
He gestured to different sections of the intricate pattern, pointing out features as if I should be impressed by his handiwork rather than horrified by its purpose.
“The outer ring weakens him physically,” he explained, indicating a series of interlocking symbols. “The second layer dampens his powers. The third prevents transformation.” His finger traced an inner ring of jagged symbols. “And this causes pain. Controlled, adjustable pain.”
I stared at him, trying to comprehend how the man I’d once shared a bed with and believed I loved, could speak so casually about torturing someone. “You’re sick,” I said. “Genuinely, clinically sick.”
He ignored the comment, continuing his tour of the magical prison he’d created. “Once he steps into this, he won’t be able to leave unless I release him.” Trevor turned to me, his expression suddenly earnest. “But I don’t want to hurt him, Jade. That’s not the goal here.”
“Oh, I‘m sorry,” I said, sarcasm dripping from every word. “What exactly is the goal of your kidnapping-and-magical-torture plan? I must have missed the wholesome part.”
“To fix things,” he replied, as if it were the most reasonable answer in the world. “To put everything back where it belongs.” He stepped closer to my chair, crouching down so we were eye level. “To put you back where you belong, with me.”
The audacity of the statement would have made me laugh if the situation weren’t so terrifying. “I don’t belong with you,” I said flatly. “I never did.”
Trevor‘s face hardened. “That demon has you confused, he’s using some kind of influence over you. It’s not real, Jade. What we had was real.”
“What we had was a nightmare,” I countered. “One I woke up from months ago.”
He stood abruptly, running a hand through his hair. “You don’t mean that. You’re just saying it because you’re angry about this.” He gestured vaguely at my restraints. “Once you understand why I had to do this, you’ll see it differently.”
“Enlighten me, then,” I challenged. “Why exactly did you have to kidnap me and set a trap for Magnur?”
“I’m giving you a choice, Jade,” he said, his voice softening into the tone that once made me doubt my own perceptions. “A clear path forward that can end with everyone walking away.”
He began pacing again, more agitated now.
“When your demon arrives, he‘ll step into the circle. They always do, they can‘t help themselves when their mates are threatened. Once he’s trapped, the terms are simple.” He stopped and turned to face me directly. “You agree to marry me, to come back where you belong, and I’ll let him go. Unharmed.”
I blinked, certain I’d misheard him. “Marry you?”
“It’s the only way to ensure you stay,” he explained, as if discussing a business transaction. “Legal ties. Binding. We‘ll move away from here, start fresh somewhere he can’t find us.”
“And if I refuse?” I asked, though I already knew the answer.
Trevor‘s expression darkened. “Then I’ll make him suffer. Right in front of you. I’ll use every method my ancestors documented in their journals until you understand exactly what kind of monster you’ve tied yourself to.
” He gestured to the circle again. “And believe me, Jade, I can keep him alive for a very, very long time.”
“No,” I said, the word coming out like a gunshot in the cavernous space. “Absolutely not. I would never choose you again. Not if you were the last man on earth. Not if you could promise me eternal life and perfect happiness. Never.”
Trevor’s expression froze, a muscle twitching in his jaw. “You don’t mean that.”
“I’ve never meant anything more in my life,” I continued, leaning forward as far as my restraints would allow. “Do you even hear yourself? Do you understand what you’re doing? This isn’t love, Trevor. This is control. This is obsession. This is fear.”
“I’m not afraid—“ he began, but I cut him off.
“Yes, you are. You’re terrified. Terrified that I left you. Terrified that I found someone who treats me better. Terrified that I’m happier without you.” Each word hit him like a physical blow, making him flinch. “And you should be afraid, because everything you feared is true.”
His face contorted with fury. “He’s a monster! A demon! He’ll use you and discard you!”
“That’s rich coming from you,” I shot back. “In three days, Magnur has shown me more respect than you did in three years. He’s never once tried to control what I wear, who I talk to, how I behave. He‘s never made me feel small or stupid or worthless.”
“Because he’s manipulating you!” Trevor shouted, his calm facade cracking completely. “That’s what demons do! They find your weaknesses and exploit them!”
I laughed, the sound harsh and mirthless.
“Oh, like telling me my skirts were too short because other men might look at me? Like saying my friends were toxic because they pointed out how controlling you were? Like gradually isolating me from everyone who cared about me?” I shook my head.
“You’re projecting, Trevor. Everything you accuse him of is exactly what you did to me. ”
Trevor’s expression tightened, his lips pressing into a thin line as he fought to regain his composure. “You don’t understand what’s at stake here,” he said finally, his voice deathly quiet. “I’m trying to save you.”
“From what?” I demanded. “From being happy? From being with someone who actually values me?”
“From being destroyed!” he shouted, slamming his hand against a nearby support column.
“These creatures aren’t what they seem, Jade!
My family has centuries of documentation—the manipulation, the violence, the destruction they cause.
They look human, they act human, but they’re not. They’re dangerous. Unstable.”
“Unlike you,” I said dryly, “kidnapping your ex-girlfriend and planning to torture someone. Very stable.”
Trevor inhaled deeply, visibly forcing himself to calm down. When he spoke again, his voice had returned to that reasonable tone I’d grown to hate. “I know this seems extreme. I know you’re angry right now. But I’m doing this for us, for our future.”
“There is no ‘us,’” I said firmly. “There is no future. Not for you and me.”
“There will be,” he insisted, a disturbing certainty in his eyes. “Once I eliminate the interference, you’ll remember what we had. You’ll understand that everything I’ve done was necessary.”
I stared at him, truly seeing the depth of his delusion for the first time. “You genuinely believe that, don’t you? That after you kidnap me and torture someone I care about, I’ll just...what? Fall back in love with you? Forgive and forget?”
“You will,” he said with absolute conviction. “Because deep down, you know I’m right about him. About all of them. You just need to see it for yourself.”
He checked his watch again, a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth. “And you will. Very soon.”
“You’re going to make him relive his worst nightmare,” I whispered, the full horror of it crashing over me.
“Only if you force my hand,” Trevor countered smoothly. “The choice is yours.”
The warehouse fell silent except for the distant drip of water from a leaky pipe and the faint humming of the wards surrounding me.
Trevor moved to stand just outside the larger circle, his back to me as he stared expectantly at the warehouse’s main entrance.
The only sign of his tension was the way he repeatedly clenched and unclenched his fists, betraying the nervousness his voice had managed to hide.
A distant metallic sound broke the silence followed by the rattling of a chain and the creak of a heavy door. Trevor straightened, a smile spreading across his face as he turned back to me.
“Showtime,” he whispered.
My heart hammered against my ribs as fear and hope waged war within me. Magnur was coming but he was also coming because of me, his judgment potentially clouded by worry, rushing headlong into a trap designed to exploit his deepest traumas.
Another sound echoed through the warehouse, a low, rumbling growl. Trevor’s smile widened as he stepped back into the shadows. “He’s here.”