Page 70 of Deadmen's Captive

I watched in horror as he ripped off your clothes, leaving you exposed and vulnerable under him. You didn’t stop him, Paige. You let him touch you, kiss you... I hate that you’d been corrupted by them.

I promised myself right then, Paige. He would be the last man to touch you like that. I will make sure of it.

As I walked away from your house that night, blood boiling with jealousy and anger, all I could think of is how good it will feel when I finally have you, when your body is marked by me alone.

The taste of your fear mixed with confusion when I take you; your screams echoing through my empty apartment will be a symphony to my ears. There's no rush though, Paige. I want to savour every single moment with you before the inevitable end.

Right now, my mind is a whirl of explicit scenes, each darker than the one before. The sound of your cries filling my ears as I force myself inside you. The way your body will arch under mine, the sobbing pleas falling on deaf ears. I will consume you, Paige. Every part of you, until you have nothing left. Until you are nothing but mine.

Chapter Thirty One

TRISTAN

Isighed and took another sip of water as I opened up another browser. In the background, I was dimly aware of the football game Nate and Bast were watching, and the flickering lights in the room made me feel slightly queasy again. I reached out, turning on the lamp next to me.

“Found anything?” asked Bast, his eyes flicking from the screen over to me.

"Nothing." The word came out laced with frustration. “It's like she doesn’t exist, except for that fake social media account her mother runs for her. Which, by the way, we haven’t actually acknowledged yet is totally twisted.”

“I get the feeling there’s quite a bit about Pauline Tremaine that is twisted,” said Bast, his voice icy. “Did you know she controls what meals Paige eats?”

I stared at him in shock. “No… how?”

“She sends her calorie controlled diet meals every week, so Paige doesn’t put on weight,” he said darkly.

“Couldn’t she just go out and buy food though?” Nate asked.

“You’re assuming her mother sends her money,” answered Bast.

I shook my head. “She doesn't. Paige told me she gets an allowance from her mother for makeup and beauty supplies, but that she spends most of the money on clothes from the charity shop and painting supplies.”

“The sooner she moves in with us, the better,” growled Nate.

“Damn right,” I muttered.

“Have you tried searching for her friends?” suggested Bast, bringing my attention back to the job I was supposed to be doing. "They look about as close as sharks circling prey."

“No, but good idea, hang on.” I chased down public links, and delved into private ones, using my skills to navigate my way through the web, looking for anything on the girls in Paige's photos. Distant. Detached. There was no intimacy in these connections, nothing that screamed confidant or partner-in-crime. Nothing that screamed enemy either.

"Dead ends everywhere," I growled, pushing back from the desk and running a hand through my hair. "This is useless."

“What about someone related to her parents?” said Nate. “Bast wanted to ruin her for vengeance, maybe someone else did too. And they’re bound to have enemies.”

I couldn’t help but glance over at Bast who rolled his eyes. “Cute, Tris, but no. Not my father’s style. He'd just bankrupt them.”

I shrugged. "True. What about yours?” I looked over at Nate who’s eyes narrowed.

“Doubt it. I mean, obviously he was involved in the scandal at the time, but he doesn’t tend to bear grudges. If he’d wanted revenge back then, he’d have taken it. It’s not like anyone could have proved anything, and even if they had, he pretty much owns the High Court.”

“And I highly doubt my dad would, he just sounded sad when I asked him about it,” I said, frowning at the memory.

“What did he say?” asked Nate. “Carver wouldn’t give me any details.”

“Not much,” I said. “Only that Pauline Tremaine was Persephone their year and Neil Matthews was a Reaper. Pauline did something that caused a huge scandal, and it costs a lot of money to cover it up. Her family kicked her out, and suddenly Neil and her were married.”

“That’s not exactly true,” Bast said quietly, and I turned to look at him.

“Do you know more?”

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