Page 99 of Cruel Knots

“Enjoy,” she says in an emotionless tone as she places my plate before me.

The sight of four huge pieces of southern fried chicken, slathered with thick, rich gravy, instantly cheers me up. I inhale the scent of the deep-fried food, feeling my mouth water at once.

I love deep-fried stuff. They give me greater pleasure than chocolates and sweets. Of course, Callum deemed them unhealthy and contrabanded them from our dinner table.

Picking up a thick-cut fry, I dip it into the gravy and take a bite. My eyes nearly close at the delicious taste.

Ignoring Mikhail, I tuck into the rest of the meal. He doesn’t comment even when I tear apart the chicken to separate the crispy fried skin from them. I lick at the grease coating my fingers, thoroughly enjoying my meal.

“Want some dessert?” Mikhail asks after a while.

I’m already full from the meal but I nod anyway. Who knows what will happen in the future? I might as well use this opportunity to gorge on my favorite foods like there’s no tomorrow.

“Sure. I want to try their pecan pie.”

“That’s my favorite too,” he says with a grin. Calling our waitress back to the table, he orders our dessert.

“Thank you,” I say after a while.

“For what?”

I gesture all around the diner. “This. It’s been a while since I got treated for real.”

“Stop, already,” he says with an exaggerated sigh. “I get it. You lived as a prisoner in your high tower with a dragon guarding you.”

“It’s not funny.”

“Never said it was. It’s just...hard to believe.”

“Fine. Hand me over to Callum and rid yourself of the burden. Or are you and your brothers so fucked in the head that you’ll keep me until you finally get bored of me? And, then what? You’ll kill me and burn my corpse in the woods?”

His silvery eyes flash with anger. “You shouldn’t say things like that.”

Thankfully, our waitress comes back with our pies before he can hurl further threats at me. I should be scared and meek before him but something keeps giving me the courage to lash out at him.

Am I going to get myself killed soon? I wonder, taking a bite of the pie.

The pie’s sweet filling and flaky crust make me feel like I can happily die after finishing the slice on my plate.

When our meal is over, Mikhail leads me out of the diner and toward the parking lot.

The chilly night makes me button up the front of my jacket. Mikhail places the helmet on my head and latches it for me. The gesture is sweet and protective. I smile but he doesn’t notice it in the dark.

“A word of caution, Princess,” he says as he mounts his bike. “Damien’s going to be pissed when we return home. He has no idea what we’ve been up to. So, brace yourself.”

“He’s going to be mad at me?”

“Can’t say yet,” he says, gesturing for me to climb up behind him. “I’m just giving you a tornado warning.”

I climb up behind him with my signature awkwardness. Once I’m settled, Mikhail starts the bike and within seconds, we’re shooting down the dark, nearly empty highway.

I let the roar of the wind wash away my apprehension. Everything that I’ve gone through until now has taught me one single lesson. I have to enjoy the moment without worrying about the future. It’s the only way to survive these men who hold my heart in their hands.

28

Damien

My gaze swings toward the clock before me. It’s close to ten P.M. and there’s still no news from Mikhail. He took Lucia away this morning but told no one about his plans or where he was taking her.

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