Page 54 of Bind Me

For the second half of the day, I take Chowder back home and return to the office. I bury myself in admin work, catching up on training modules and trying to distract my wandering thoughts. The morning keeps replaying in my mind—the deaths, the sirens, my mother.

Tomorrow’s the weekend, and seeing as I’m not working, I have plans to start investigating what’s really going on. As much as I tell myself it’s not my business, not to get involved, I can’t walk away when it might explain why my mother turned on my father, why she killed him out of the blue.

On the drive home, my mind miles away, I find myself parked in front of my cabin. My brain went on autopilot as I drove here without even realizing it.

I sit there, staring out at the small wooden home, nostalgia lingering inside me. It appears empty, as though no one has moved in yet. Knowing I still have the key in my bag, I get out of the car to check for any of my belongings missing. Plus, something about it makes me miss living out here, where it’s nothing but peaceful.

I stroll up to the front door quickly, key in hand, and let myself in. The cabin’s exactly as I left it—well, except for all my belongings, which are gone. The furnishings were already here when I moved in, but it feels strange staring at a hollow place I once called home. My gut churns at the thought of being moved out without a say.

Deciding to do a final check, in case anything of mine was left behind, I do my rounds. Fifteen minutes later and a small bag of items—a couple of books, a forgotten hairbrush, and a stray sock—are all I find. With a sigh, I lock the door and head back to my car. The drive back to Kaden’s mansion takes me through the city and into the woods near the fjord. The sun is beginning to set, casting long shadows that add to the eerie ambiance.

Once at the mansion, in the run-down, foreboding yard that screams dilapidated house, a single light illuminates its creepy appearance. With my key, I enter a mansion that feels like a fantasy. The hallway upstairs is lined with paintings of ships battling stormy seas, each one more dramatic than the last. As I reach the stairs to go down into the main living area, a loud knock echoes through the hallway.

I freeze, a spike of fear running down my spine. Did someone follow me?

Slowly, I turn and walk back to the door, my heart pounding in my chest. The knock comes again, more insistent this time. I take a deep breath and grip the doorknob, my hand trembling slightly. I pull the door open a crack.

“Who’s there?” I ask, my voice soft.

A man stands on the doorstep, his face partially hidden in the shadows. “Delivery,” he states, holding a large, flat, square cardboard box. There’s nothing printed on it, but instantly, I’m hit with the most delightfully delicious aroma of food I’ve never tasted before. “For Kaden.”

“A delivery?”

The man shrugs. “I just deliver the packages, ma’am. Are you Kaden or not? Otherwise, I need to cart it with me all the way back to the car. Why do you live so far away?” His voice dips with his clear frustration.

I nod slowly, opening the door wider to take the package. “Yeah, that’s me. Sasha Kaden. Thanks.” I’m too curious about what smells so good to let him leave with the package.

“About time.” He shoves it over and storms away without another word. I watch him go. There has to be food in this box, and why does anyone deliver food? Wait, what if it’s poisonous? I turn back into the house, only to come face-to-face with Kaden standing behind me, glaring outside.

“Please tell me you ordered this, because it smells divine.”

He’s still staring outside in the direction the delivery guy went. “Sasha, my job is to make you a goddess, treat you as one while I stand behind you like a beast ready to destroy anyone for ever disrespecting you.” He steps out through the open door, frowning, shoulders rising.

“What are you talking about?”

“The delivery boy.” Kaden faces me, his brows pinched together. “He dared speak to you so disrespectfully. I should rip his tongue out for that.”

“The delivery guy? He wasn’t really that mean.”

“He was,” he says firmly, still glowering.

“He’s probably having a hard night,” I murmur, hoping to calm him down. “If I had to deliver packages to people’s homes, I’d be pretty pissed, too.”

Kaden shrugs, exhaling loudly, then his gaze falls to the box in my hand. “I wanted to surprise you with a unique human meal called pizza.”

“Oh, so they bring food to your home here? I’ve never seen that,” I say, never experiencing it in South Africa. “And pizza smells so good.”

He finally smiles my way, locks the door, and then takes the pizza from me. He reaches down and plants a kiss on my lips, surprising me more than what just happened.

“Are you ready to eat, Sasha Kaden?” He smirks at me, winking, and he’s probably dying to tell me I’m his again.

“Haha. Anyway, I’m starving.” And by the time we’re at the kitchen table, the pizza box open between us, I’m starving. Many human-style foods aren’t as popular as they once were, not to mention they aren’t easily available to purchase.

I follow Kaden’s lead and pick up a slice, the cheese stretching.

I’m salivating, even if I’ve never eaten anything like this before. Kaden watches me as I take my first bite, the savory flavors swirling in my mouth, and with the crust crispy, it leaves me moaning for more.

“Hmm, this is really good,” I say, taking another bite. Kaden examines his piece, then takes a big bite. He’s nodding in no time.

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