Page 97 of The Prey

“There is plenty to talk about. I'm going to give you the heir you need to hold the Arturo business. This couldn’t have happened at a better time. We can run it together, as a family. If you want, I'll even let you keep your little pet as long as she understands her place and doesn't get in my way.”

It takes me a second to realize she’s talking about me.

She's telling him he can keep me...while being with her. Not that I think Sebastian would ever consider it, but even if he did, I would never allow it.

Sebastian stares straight ahead into the flames for a long moment, then he grabs a bottle off the mantel. His sweats hang low on his hips, and I have to look away from the bare expanse of his back as he flexes his fist against the stonework in front of him.

“Tanya. You need to leave before I do something I won’t be able to undo.”

His words ping inside me, and I'm not sure why they make my stomach turn even more.

Tanya doesn’t seem to care about his warning and approaches him anyway. As if that’s not enough, she skims her hands up and over his shoulders and then back down his back. He doesn’t move, doesn’t even appear to react.

How can he stand there and let her touch him?

“Sebby. We were so good together. I taught you everything you know...we can have that back.”

Sebastian shrugs her hands off of him. “Tanya...” he warns.

Oh no. It occurs to me then that if she comes out here, there will be nowhere for me to hide, and I don’t want to be on the receiving end of her wrath. If she's horrible enough to hurt her own...the man she raised this way...she will have no issue with hurting me.

I need to get back upstairs. The idea of eating after what I just witnessed makes me sick. I need a moment to wrap my head around things, and maybe build up the courage to talk to Sebastian about what I heard.

I tiptoe toward the stairs, but freeze when I spot one of the security guards standing there. Robin, I believe is his name. Weird. They usually don’t come into the house, that is unless Sebastian calls them. Hm, maybe he did. Maybe he’s going to have Tanya removed?

Robin leans down and waves at me to come closer. There’s a concerned look etched into his features. Over the weeks, I’ve come to trust Robin, as he’s always watching out for the animals and making sure I’m okay while I walk between the house and cottage.

With one final peek over my shoulder, I creep up the stairs, stopping once I reach the landing.

“What’s wrong?” I whisper.

“Sorry, I know I shouldn't be inside, but something is wrong with the dog in the cottage. He’s been crying and barking for hours. I feel bad for him, and the thought of leaving him there to suffer. Plus, shift change is coming soon. The other guards might shoot him instead of questioning if he’s someone's pet if they hear him.”

The words “shoot him” send me back down the stairs and into the kitchen. I can’t do anything about the situation with Sebastian, at least not yet, but I can take care of that dog.

Robin follows close and disables the alarm at the door, sliding it open for me. I rush out into the cold, dark night, goose bumps skating across my skin as I jog across the brick patio, my bare feet sinking into the dew-dotted grass.

“When did you first hear him crying?” I ask, carefully picking my way across the grass.

“Couple of hours ago. I was looking for you, but I didn't know how to find you without Mr. Arturo seeing me.”

Shit. A couple of hours. What could’ve happened? I guess anything. He could’ve eaten something? Or something might have fallen on him. The possible scenarios are endless. God, I hope he’s okay.

My heart lurches in my chest, fear ruling my instincts. Once I reach the cottage, I grab onto the door handle, but that’s as far as I get before someone's hand closes over my mouth, clamping down and sealing whatever scream was going to escape back inside.

Struggling, I crash into Robin’s chest.

“Sorry, Elyse. It's just business, nothing personal.”

My eyes go wide as I stare up at him, mumbling against the hard grasp of his hand. “What?”

He wraps an arm around my waist and turns me, dragging me into the cabin, back first. What is he doing?

The cottage is dark and quiet. Too quiet. A different kind of fear unwinds in my gut, urging me to fight harder. So I do. I thrash in Robin's grasp, but his hold is tight, and he’s so much stronger than me that I don’t even manage to land any hits on him. Opening my mouth the salty taste of his skin fills my mouth. I know how to get him to get me go.

Without thought to the consequences, I sink my teeth into the palm of his hand.

“You fucking bitch!” he growls and pulls his hand away, giving me a hard shove now that we’re inside. I stumble, nearly falling to the dusty floor.

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