Page 80 of Unveiled

I want to be his partner.

His equal.

The queen he promised to make me.

That won’t happen if he’s more worried about keeping me safe than keeping me informed. Since he’s not going to budge on details of this meeting, I try to get the details from a different pressing situation.

“Have you heard any more about your father?”

At this question, his gaze darkens as emotion takes over the regret he was feeling only a moment ago. To my surprise, nothing happened yesterday, despite it being my first day away from Cain. I still had Jonah to protect me, but I was expecting Cain’s father to jump out at any moment. His threat to me the other night still lives in the back of my head, threatening to send me into a panic in an instant.

I’m going to keep finding ways to hurt you, torment you, maybe even sell you again, he had threatened. It was the last we had heard from him. My head is getting better every day, and the headaches rarely affect me anymore. The girls asked me about the gash on my head Sunday night, but I just told them I was clumsy and tripped walking up some steps.

His plan to use Christina to come between us failed miserably, but he couldn’t have really thought that would be successful.

Which leaves us to wonder when he’ll make his next move. This time, Cain will be extra cautious. He won’t be bringing me along, and he certainly won’t be leaving me alone anywhere. Not here, not at his house, and not in his car.

“No,” he finally answers after pushing through his rage. I can hear the anger in his voice, but I know it’s not directed at me. “There’s been nothing but radio silence. I have to force myself to let you stay here instead of locking you away again so he can’t get to you. The only reason I’m even remotely comfortable with you being on campus is because I know Jonah would do whatever it takes to keep you safe, just like I would.”

He would. Both of them would. They wouldn’t hesitate to jump in front of a bullet for me, though I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve that kind of devotion. I left Cain when he needed me most, and I never even attempted to find Jonah to make sure he was safe after Cain and his men took out all the bodyguards at Carlos’ house.

“People give me funny looks when they see him walking with me,” I tell him. By the end of classes yesterday, I had gotten used to the stares, but it was still mildly embarrassing. I could see everybody wondering who I was and why I needed a bodyguard to take me to classes.

Cain opens his mouth as if he’s about to remind me why I need Jonah with me, but I hold up the hand not propping my chin up to stop him. “I know, I know. I didn’t say I don’t want him with me, I just said I get funny looks.”

“I could walk you around on days that I have free instead,” he suggests with a mischievous glint to my eyes. I roll my eyes, knowing exactly why he’s saying it.

I may get weird glances for having a man the size of the hulk walking around with me, but having Cain walking around with me would be even worse. People would still look at me funny, but they would either be terrified of him in all his muscled, tattooed glory, or I’d be fighting off girls trying to get his attention all day. Yeah, no thanks.

“I think I’ll stick with Jonah,” I tell him, getting rid of that idea. No way am I about to watch girls trying to flirt with him. “I don’t need you falling for some random girl on campus because she flirts with you.”

My tone is teasing, but his face falls and I can tell he took my words seriously.

“Little one, if you think another woman could take me away from you, I must not be very clear about how much you mean to me,” he tells me. He’s looking at me intensely, trying to get his point across. Before I can argue and tell him I was just joking, he puts a finger to my lips to silence me.

“You’re everything to me, Ainsley. Without you, there is nothing left for me. I want to walk by your side through every step of life, even the hard parts. Especially the hard parts. I want to comfort you through every storm, and hold you tight through every nightmare. The world may paint me in shades of gray, but I don’t want to hide you from my darkness. I want to teach you to dance through the shadows and light the way with your smile.”

His words leave me speechless. For a man that loves to torture and kill people, he has a surprising side of him that only I’m allowed to see. A side that isn’t afraid to express how important I am to him, just to bring a smile to my lips.

“That would be a perfect proposal,” I tell him when I’m able to form words. He smirks at me, and I know exactly what’s coming next.

“Then take it as one and tell me you’ll marry me,” he says. It’s not a command, but it’s not a question, either.

“Do you still have that ring on you?”

His eyes widen with surprise. He was expecting me to say no, and when that’s not what falls out of my mouth, he moves to get up from the bed and get the ring that I’m sure is sitting in his pants pocket. Before he can get up, I push him back down and rest my head on the pillow next to him so I can look into his eyes.

“Keep carrying it with you. You might get to use it one of these days, but not yet.”

Chapter 32

Ainsley

“Good morning, little bird,” Jonah rushes to greet me. He looks disheveled, not at all like the well put together, kind of scary guy I’m used to seeing. His cheeks are flushed and his eyes are wider than I’ve ever seen them as they keep darting between me and the stairs. “How is your head feeling today?”

The question stops my train of thought, making me forget what I just walked out to. No one has really brought up my head since I started to feel better, other than my friends when they asked about my stitches. Cain stopped bringing it up because I could see he felt guilty every time he remembered, and I kept it quiet when it was hurting so I didn’t have to see that guilt. Besides a sorrowful glance here and there, Jonah really doesn’t mention it, either.

“It’s fine, thanks for asking?” I can’t make it sound like anything other than a question. My tone is laced with curiosity and confusion, but he only smiles kindly in return.

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