Page 13 of Dancing With Delusion

Victoria’s light snores fill the room as she drifts off into sleep. Earlier, I’d given her time to think about her behaviour after taking what I wanted, but I instantly regretted it when her screams filled the manor.

I’d been watching her on camera from my office, considering what the hell to do next. She was restless, tossing and turning, and all I wanted was to go down and comfort her. But she needed to understand the severity of her dangerous behaviour.

Her screams ricocheted around the house, scaring me half to death. I’ve never heard so much pain in one scream, and trust me, I’ve heard a lot of them. When I looked back at the camera and saw she wasn’t on the bed, I ran to the dungeon, relieved when I found her in the bathroom, but the relief didn’t last long. The way she reacted to me, like she was seeing Marcus, is concerning.

I reach over, stroking the side of her face, and she stirs slightly before resting her hand over my heart. I grasp her hand in mine and stare up at the ceiling. My mind floods with worry when I picture the fear I witnessed on her face in the bathroom. She’s falling apart. Somehow, some way, I need to save Victoria Harding.

I’ve remained awake, just watching her closely in case I need to chase any more nightmares away.

Victoria stretches beside me, yawning before reaching up to place a kiss on my lips. “Morning, Adonis.” She smiles as if last night didn’t happen.

I roll on top of her, pinning her to the bed, and she giggles. I’ve missed the sound. I take her mouth possessively in a kiss, and she groans against me, arching herself off the bed. I break the kiss and peck her on the nose. “In the shower, my krasota.” I wink, and she moans in frustration. I roll away from her and slide my trousers on.

She whines, pulling the blanket back over her head. “I think I’ll just stay here.”

I smile, grabbing the edge of the blanket and pulling it from her body. She lets out another dramatic groan. “I thought I could take you to see Marshall.”

This gets her attention, and although I feel a pang of jealousy at her reaction, I know she needs to see that he’s okay, apart from a few cuts and bruises.

I might be a monster, but I wasn’t going to end his life. He’s a good man to have beside me, and he took his punishment well. I respect that. “But if you don’t want to,” I tease, throwing the blanket back over her and collecting a clean shirt from the wardrobe.

“Really?” she asks, nervously fiddling with her fingers. “I don’t think he’ll want to see me. It’s my fault.”

I step towards her, hooking my finger under her chin and raising her eyes to meet mine. “He knew the consequences, my krasota. He should have pulled the car over and called me. Marshall is well aware of how I conduct myself.” Her eyes are downcast, and I feel her retracting back into herself. “Victoria, look at me.” She lifts her gaze. “Go see him for yourself. He doesn’t blame you, though don’t get any ideas about kissing him better.” I wink at her, trying to lighten the mood, and she smiles and gets up from the bed. As she passes me, I slap her arse. The sound makes me shudder and my palm itches to repeat that action. “That’s my good girl.”

Once Victoria has freshened up, I take her upstairs to one of the spare rooms Marshall is currently residing in. I enter without knocking, finding him lying in the bed. He tries to sit up when he sees me but grimaces in pain. I put my hand up to stop him, not wanting to create any more damage. “No need to get up. Someone wanted to see you.”

He frowns, clearly unsure of my change in demeanour from last night. Victoria enters the room with her head lowered and her gaze on the ground. My strong, independent woman is suddenly so forlorn, and it twists my heart.

Marshall looks between us nervously. I imagine he’s feeling apprehensive about what this situation means for him. Grasping Victoria’s hand, I pull her attention to me. “You have nothing to worry about, my krasota.” I place a gentle kiss on the back of her hand. “Marshall, you understand why this had to happen, no?” It comes out a little harsher than intended.

He nods, wincing with each movement. “I apologise again, Boss. I should’ve called you.” He takes in a deep breath, spluttering as he holds his ribs. “It won’t happen again.”

“I know, because if it happens again, you will have to come to an end.” Marshall has been with me a long time. He knows how I work, and he realises how lucky he is to still be breathing right now.

“I understand, Boss.”

I release Victoria’s hand and leave the room, allowing her a chance to apologise and make things right between them.

I enter my office, opening the surveillance app for Marshall’s room. The jealousy I feel is overwhelming, but Marshall could be good for her. Before all this, they were getting along, and if they have a good bond, I know he’ll want to protect her with his life.

Running my hands over my tired face, I consider my next move. There’s a knock on the door, and I look away from the screen to see Nik’s frame filling the doorway.

“Take a seat, Nik.” I motion to the chair at the other side of my desk.

“Boss,” he nods in acceptance and sits down opposite me, “I’ve had a call about the note that was sent to Phoebe. As suspected, there’s no indication of where it came from or who wrote it.” I let out a sigh. I don’t know what I was expecting, but a clue as to who sent it would have been nice. “I don’t mean to overstep, Boss, but you look tired.”

I glance at the CCTV, eyeing my beauty. She’s sitting in the chair next to Marshall’s bed with her legs tucked under her, listening to whatever it is he’s telling her.

“Victoria is struggling.” I run my hands through my hair and shake my head. When did it all get so complicated? “She’s falling apart, and I think she’s seeing visions of Marcus. Last night, she was distraught, screaming at me as if I was him. It was like she was locked in a nightmare, only awake. It makes no sense.”

“She’s been through a lot, and she’s not from this world. It must be catching up with her.” He eyes me curiously as if contemplating his next words carefully. “I know a great therapist.” I’m already shaking my head as the next words leave his mouth. “We can’t have any information leaked about Marcus, and she needs to talk about that if the nightmares are to stop.”

“The therapist is from our world, Boss. She can be trusted not to disclose anything. It may help Victoria get control of herself. It could also help put a stop to her irrational behaviour.” He laughs, and I frown at his overfamiliarity. He puts his hands up in defeat, losing the smile from his face. “Sorry, Boss, completely unprofessional, but let’s put it this way—it can’t hurt, can it?”

He’s right. I need to do whatever I can to save Victoria from herself and the memories in her head. Everything I’ve tried so far has just made the situation worse.

“Get me her number. I’ll make arrangements for her to be seen, but it must be done at the manor.”

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