Page 14 of Shattered Vows

“Put me down!” I kick my legs and pound my closed fists against his back, but his stride doesn’t break.

Even though I’m unsuccessful, it feels good to fight back for once. My entire life, I’ve done what my mother asked of me even if I didn’t want to. I’ve quietly shoved down my wants and needs. Even with Alistair, I always went along with whatever he wanted, no questions asked—the dutiful girlfriend and then fiancée.

For all of my effort, Kol doesn’t react. He sets me down, my feet landing on the tile floor.

He reaches for the hem of my shirt, and I smack his hand. “I’ll do it myself.”

“Then do it.” A predatory light gleams in his eyes.

“Get out. I’ll shower.”

He studies me for a moment as though he’s deciding whether or not he can believe me. I’m serious, though. No man has ever seen me naked. The most Alistair and I did was share some chaste kisses, and while things went further with Kol, we never went far enough to be naked in front of each other. Because we were getting married so quickly, we decided to wait until our wedding night—a night that never came.

“Fine. I’m going to get you something to eat. When I get back, you better be showered and dressed.”

I narrow my eyes, and he shows zero reaction before he leaves the bathroom. As soon as he’s over the threshold, I slam the door shut and flip the lock on the door. It’s not as if that puny door lock could keep Kol out, but it’s the only peace of mind I can get at the moment.

I undress and step into the shower, the hot water feeling heavenly against my body. It’s been days since I showered, so I take my time. When I finish, I feel less defeated for some reason. I towel off and realize I don’t have any clean clothes in the bathroom, so I wrap the towel around myself, securing it as tightly as possible, and unlock and open the door to the bedroom, peeking out to make sure Kol hasn’t returned.

Kol brought me a bunch of clothes the other day and put them in the dresser and the armoire. I never bothered to look if they’re even my size.

I open the drawers, revealing underwear, socks, bras, T-shirts, leggings, shorts, and pajamas. A few pairs of jeans are snug in another drawer. I walk over to the armoire and swing open the doors to find casual dresses, summer blouses, and dress pants.

Between the dresser and the armoire, there’s a consistent color—purple. My favorite color and something I shared with Kol four years ago. There’s no way it’s a coincidence, but it spurs me to worry why he’s being so kind?

I slide a few of the hangers to look at every item. Everything is expensive and designer. Well above anything my mom and I could ever afford. The fabrics feel luxurious, and honestly, I’m surprised he’d even bother spending this kind of money on me, though money is not a factor for him.

I hear the key in the lock, and my head whips in that direction. Fear plagues me as I whirl around clad only in a towel. Kol stands on the threshold holding a tray of food. His gaze quickly skates up and down my body. As if his eyes alone could ramp up my body temperature, I grow hotter and hotter as he drinks me in.

The towel doesn’t reveal much, but it’s more than any man, including him, has ever seen. I imagined that the first time a man saw me near-naked, there would be love or at the very least lust in his eyes. But Kol’s eyes narrow as if I’m tricking him by standing here with terry cloth wrapped around me.

“I didn’t have any clothes in the bathroom.” My voice is weak.

When he doesn’t say anything, I walk back to the dresser and quickly grab socks, underwear, and a bra. Not wanting to bend over, I squat to the lower drawers to get a pair of leggings and a T-shirt. I stand and make my way into the bathroom, but when I go to close the door, Kol is still watching me, only this time there’s a hint of something else in his gaze. Something that makes my blood heat along with my skin.

I slam the door and rest my back against the wood until I catch my breath.

There’s no way I saw what I thought I did in Kol’s gaze. He hates me. He kidnapped me. But what I saw was a glimpse of the military man I met at the hospital, not the asshole billionaire who ruined my wedding to Alistair.

But I know better than anyone how good Kol is at hiding the truth. This is probably just another one of his games. And I refuse to fall for it.

After I dress, I eat the breakfast Kol brought to the room and set on the small round table in the living room section for me. I’m so famished I finish every little morsel. Kol sits across from me, relaxed on the sofa, his ankle resting on his knee, watching me eat and not speaking a word. Suits me fine, but I can’t help but wonder what’s going through his head.

He doesn’t wait long to tell me what he’s thinking. After I set my cutlery down on the tray, he leans forward and pushes the tray to the other side of the table. “You need to call your mother.”

I sit up straight in my chair. “Really?” My eyes widen as hope blooms in my chest. He’s going to let me go?

“You’ll tell her you chose to leave and that you’re safe. That you’re tired of her controlling you. That you had second thoughts about marrying the prick. And that you ran away.”

I slump down in my chair, frowning because he snuffed out all my hope. I cross my arms. “Why would I do that?”

“If you don’t, they become my problem. And I don’t like problems. I tend to make them disappear.” He spears me with his whiskey eyes.

My frown indents further because he’s not joking, and a ripple of fear traces up my spine like a million red ants crawling along my skin. “I’m sure either she or Alistair has already called the police.”

His lips tighten when I mention Alistair by name. “Neither have. There are no reports about you missing.”

My forehead creases. Why wouldn’t my mother have called the police by now? I disappeared from my own wedding, for God’s sake. And Alistair? Does he assume I left on my own?

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