Page 67 of Captured

“I’m not going to hurt you, Styx, or rip out your eyeballs. Yet. I simply want to see your eyes. You can’t have a decent conversation with a man in dark sunglasses. Didn’t you know the eyes are the windows to a man’s soul?”

“Well, then that shouldn’t take long since I don’t have a soul to see. Besides, I’m certain you’ve thought of other ways to poke out my eyeballs when I’m sleeping.”

“Perhaps. Everyone has a soul, Styx. It might be black as night, but it’s still there. However, colors can be changed.”

“You think too highly of your effect on me.”

“No, I just know everyone has a good side. It’s all about choosing which side to be on. Tragedies can change a person, horrors as well. It’s what we do afterwards that either shows our fortitude by surviving or our weakness by falling into the abyss the monsters wanted to thrust us into.” She plucked a blueberry from the bowl, popping it into her mouth and it was all I could do not to ravage her.

“You have rose-colored lenses covering your eyes.”

She laughed again and the sound was like the sweetest flock of birds in the spring. She rolled her eyes, her body rocking. “Hardly. Let’s see. My mother was murdered and I found her lifeless body covered in blood. My father couldn’t care less whether I’m alive, keeping me prisoner with two bodyguards, who were murdered. I’ve had a single kind of boyfriend in my life, who my father drove away, and few friends because everyone feared my dad. If you really want to plop the cherry on the whipped cream, then you can add in that I was recently kidnapped by a dark, mysterious, and very sexy stranger who stalked me, fucked me in the middle of the night, and proceeded to whisk me off to a beautiful but secluded island wrapped in electric wire. I don’t think I’ve lived a fairytale life that would be conducive to being a good girl. Do you?”

“Hmmm… When you put it that way, I’m surprised you’re not a raving lunatic.”

“That’s what my father intended on turning me into.” Her eyes opened wide after the admittance. “I guess he has his reasons. So, what’s your story? Once a bad man, always a bad man?”

Her frankness and ability to make light of the rather wretched life she’d endured brought a moment of sadness into my obsidian-laced soul. “I haven’t always been a monster. What is it they say? A bird can change feathers?”

“What does that mean?”

“It means I once tried to heal people.”

I caught her so off guard her mouth slacked open. “Really?”

“Yes, really. But as you mentioned, certain events in your life can change you dramatically. I guess I failed on all counts, resorting to what I’d been taught from the time I was a boy. To kill or be killed.”

“That’s… the biggest tragedy of all.” Her words were entirely too sincere, the girl worried about the bastard who’d captured her. Her resilience was the kind of thing bravery was comprised of.

Now I laughed, unable to keep from doing so. She was delightful in every way.

I poured a glass of wine, handing it to her, even being careful not to allow our fingertips to touch.

Yet.

I would devour her for dessert after tasting the lovely cake Celine had prepared, but not yet. I wanted Emily to be more comfortable around me, especially since I was leaving the island in the morning. I hated the thought more than I’d believed I would.

She was still tentative in her actions but accepted the glass, closing her eyes as she took a sip. While I found it difficult not to continue watching her, I laid out the plates and napkins, opening containers so she could make a choice herself. When she plucked a cube of smoked Gouda from the plastic container, for some reason I grinned. “I wish you could see the beauty around you. Even I can envision what this gorgeous island would be like without the barbed wire.”

“A lovely fantasy but impossible in my world. There are men ready to destroy me if I show a single weakness.”

“Then what am I?”

“A risk worth everything… but don’t forget how powerful I am.”

“No, I think you’ve made that perfectly clear. Obey or die. Maybe one day you’ll remember the man you once were.”

I doubted it. I seriously doubted it. Not that I wanted to in the first place. “Let’s relax and enjoy ourselves. There is no need to delve into our respective ugly pasts.”

Everything about her was adorable, including the way she nibbled on the cheese after a heavy sigh of contemplation. “Delicious. Everything is beautiful. But you didn’t do this. Did you?”

“You caught me. I do love to cook and do most of it myself as I told you before, although cooking for one is not nearly as amazing as sharing my food with someone else. However, romance is not something I’m good at. Celine is an amazing young woman who has worked for me for years. She was very happy to learn I had a guest in my house.”

“Celine?”

“My housekeeper. She’s been an amazing find.”

“She knows all about you? I mean that you’re a killer?” Emily asked as she selected a shrimp. Why was it that everything she did, including the way she ate, brought about a deep longing in me?

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