Page 27 of Shattered Vows

My breathing picks up, and I meet his unwavering gaze as he slowly, so carefully brings his head closer to mine. I can almost taste him the closer he gets, and my lips ache in anticipation. His warm breath floats over my face, and my nipples pebble in my bra. Waiting, waiting for him to set his lips on mine.

Our mouths are millimeters apart, and a groan slides up my throat, begging him to put me out of my misery. His amber eyes disappear under his eyelids, and he steps away from me. A cold rush of air whips through me. I’m almost unable to bite back the sound of disappointment that’s desperate to be unleashed.

“I’m going to be gone for a week or so. I have some things to take care of for Voss Enterprises.” All the lust is stripped from his face. Kol is back to being the man who showed up in Seattle to collect me, as if we didn’t just share a moment.

“Oh. Okay.” Despair fills my veins that I’ll be here on my own without him.

“I don’t want you leaving the property while I’m gone.”

I wrap my arms around myself. “So I am a prisoner once again?”

“Yes. No.” He scrubs his hands down his face. “I know you want to live more during this time away from your mother. But I want to be the one to show you the world. I want you to save those moments for me.”

His words remind me so much of when we first met and all the things we talked about doing, the places he wanted to take me.

I nod. “Okay.”

“You sure?” he asks as though he thinks I’m going to try to slip off into the night again.

“I’m sure.”

“Your stuff is being moved to the room beside mine today. Is there anything I can have brought in for you?”

I ask for the only thing I’ve been missing from my old life. “Would it be possible to get some paint and canvases?” My breath stays trapped in my chest while I wait for him to answer.

“You still paint?” His head tilts.

“Yeah. Helps pass the time.”

Growing up, painting was one of my favorite ways to spend my time when I wasn’t doing homeschool classes. While my mom worked from her home office, I must’ve watched hundreds of videos online before I developed my own style of painting.

Now it’s more than just a way to pass the time. It helps center me, helps me make sense of my feelings, and gives me the ability to paint the worlds I create in my mind, since I don’t know very much of the one beyond my doorstep.

“I’ll make sure you have everything you need.”

“Thank you.”

There’s no hope that the two of us can ever come together again, but the way he looks at me, I curse my wretched heart for wishing we could.

Chapter

Thirteen

RAPSODY

Kol has been gone from Midnight Manor for more than a week, and with every day that passes, I become more and more lonely. I keep thinking I should find a phone to reach out to my mother, but I stop myself every time.

I flip in bed, unable to fall asleep.

The darkness filling the bedroom feels heavier, almost oppressive. With a sigh, I reach toward the night table and flick on the lamp. All that does is to further highlight the shadows in every corner the light doesn’t penetrate.

I’ve kept to myself since Kol has been gone. Before he left, he explained that the house manager, Marcel, could take care of any of my needs, so I’d requested that my meals be brought to my bedroom. Eating with the rest of Kol’s family when he isn’t here doesn’t feel right.

Anabelle was nice enough to seek me out one day, and we spent that evening chatting on the seating near the pool. But she’s busy with a new husband and her job as his assistant, so I don’t fault her for not returning.

The truth is, I just want Kol to come back. He’s the most familiar thing in this massive manor, and there’s a comfort in knowing he’s close, even if he resents me most times.

I huff and yank the blankets off of me, sliding out of bed. Lying here staring into the dark abyss isn’t any use. I’m going to go paint for a bit and wait for fatigue to settle in.

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