Page 8 of He Will Come for Me

Clara motions to the room across from mine that always has the door closed. “That’s Mr. Phoenix’s room.” I try to hide my shock. Phoenix is only about one hundred feet from me.

When he’s here. Why do I care so much that he’s not here? I should be happy.

Both of our rooms are at the end of the hallway. She leads the way to the stairs, but points out things as we go. “That’s his upstairs office.” I raise my eyebrows at that.Does that mean he has a downstairs office?“That’s a guest bedroom. It’s not normally used, though.”

When we get to the end of the hallway, it looks out over the living room and splits with stairs on each side. If we keep going past the stairs, that leads to another hallway, but Clara doesn’t take me that way. I stop to look at the artwork along each wall leading down the stairs. It’s not the type of artwork I’d picture a man like Phoenix to own, let alone display.

Clara doesn’t say anything about it, so I don’t mention it. I make my way down the stairs slowly. My energy is returning, but I haven’t done anything more than walk to the bathroom.

“Wow! I should have left my room sooner. The living room is beautiful.” Clara smirks at me as she leads me through the living room to the kitchen. I pause at the entrance, completely overwhelmed by the grandeur of the kitchen.

I didn’t grow up poor. My dad was wealthy, though it was by illegal means, but even we didn’t have a kitchen that looked like this. It’s white, black, and gray. Running my fingers along the countertops, I’m certain they are white marble with streaks of gray.

One side is the kitchen and the other side is a large dining table in front of a wall full of windows that looks out over a beautiful pool. I always felt like the kitchen was the heart of the home. I spent hours baking with my mom when I was a kid. Sighing, I refuse to allow my thoughts to stay there.

There’s a large island with a sink. There are two ovens. I study everything. The stove, the extra ovens, the wine fridge, but I stop when I see the KitchenAid mixer. It’s a beautiful shade of green and has a copper bowl.

It seems so out of place because of the color. Glancing at Clara, I motion to it. “Do you think Phoenix would let me use that?”

She smiles widely. “I think he would be okay with that.”

“It seems odd to have this color instead of white, black, or even gray, considering that’s the color scheme.” A look of sadness covers Clara’s face so briefly I think I may not have actually seen it.

“Well, there’s somewhere else I’d like to show you that I think you’ll love.” I follow her out of the kitchen and down another hall. There’s a closed door, and she points to it. “That’s Mr. Phoenix’s downstairs office.” A few steps down, there’s a double door. She opens it and I stare at the shelves and shelves of books.

“This is the library,” she says in reverence, which it absolutely deserves. This house has everything I love. The very things I wanted growing up, but wasn’t allowed to have. It gives me a different perspective of who Phoenix is, and I’m not sure how I feel about it.

“The sections are divided by genre. There’s science fiction, horror, fantasy, romance, non-fiction, and so much more.” She guides me down an aisle as I take it all in. Each wall has book shelves that go up to the ceiling. There’s a ladder that can be rolled to reach the ones at the top. There are some bookshelves in the middle of the room as well.

She brings me to a window that has a window seat that looks like a cloud. The view shows the lake I can kind of see from my room. Clara grins at me as she leads me further into the room. There’s a couch in front of a huge fireplace and in another corner there’s a wicker swing. So many places to get lost in other worlds.

“Would you like to stay here while I finish my chores?” I’m sure I don’t hide my excitement well from the smirk Clara tries to hide. “There’s an intercom at the door. If you need me, just buzz. I’ll get Phillip to make you some hot chocolate and bring it to you soon.”

“Thank you.” She walks out and I begin looking at all the books. This is where I’m going to be spending my days now. If I’m going to be held prisoner here and they aren’t going to chain me to a bed, then I’m going to take full advantage of the amenities they offer.

I’m drawn to the fantasy bookshelves and begin scanning them until I find one that catches my eye. I climb onto the swing and pull a fluffy blanket over me as I settle in and get comfortable. Clara brings me a hot chocolate and I sip on it as I get lost in a world with faes. I’m about halfway through the book when my eyes get droopy, so I close it and decide to rest my eyes for a few minutes.

I must have done more than rest my eyes because when I blink them open, it’s darker in the library. There’s a glow coming from my left, so I glance in that direction to see Phoenix sitting on the couch in front of a lit fireplace. He’s reading a book and hasn’t noticed I’m awake yet, so it gives me a few minutes to study him.

He’s wearing a black button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and black pants. It contrasts with his ivory skin and dark blonde hair.

Why would he sit in here while I was sleeping? Did he just get home and came in here to check on me?

When we were at the academy together, he didn’t pay much attention to me. We were in separate friend groups and many times I felt like he was determined to keep it that way. Although he did wind up in all of my classes. I was always the nerdy bookworm that lived in the library. He did spend time in the library, but he played lacrosse.

I’d go to a game here and there, because one of my best guy friends was on the team as well, but I knew nothing about lacrosse. So, I’d lose interest and wind up with my nose in a book. The only time he’d ever speak to me was to ask me what world I was living in that day.

Sighing, I try to remember anything after the party. Anything at all that would lead him to go out of his way to rescue me from that horrid place, but keep me here. What am I to him? I always thought he wasn’t going to go down the same path as his father.

He gave the impression that he hated that lifestyle, but him keeping me prisoner says otherwise.

“You’re awake.” Phoenix’s voice startles me from my thoughts and I focus on him as he turns toward me.

“I didn’t mean to fall asleep. How long have you been here?”

He shrugs and places his book beside him. “An hour or so.”

I nod slightly and sit up, catching my book before it slips off my lap and onto the floor. I don’t know what to say. I’ve had all these questions running through my mind, but having him here in front of me makes it harder to speak my mind.

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