Page 32 of Darkness

My body stills, and a tingle runs down the back of my spine as an image of Eva sweeps through my mind. She’s stunning, the most natural beauty I’ve ever seen. But it’s not just her looks that have me losing my shit over her. It’s also her sass, bite, and insolence, all of which drive me to crave her. Underneath it all, there’s a heart of pure gold. She has the fight of a warrior and the calm of a goddess. What was it about Eva that made me take her? It was everything.

“Eva. I saw her and…” I pause, unable to put my thoughts into words without coming across as a pussy.

“I get it,” Ivy says.

My eyes flash to hers. “You do?”

She smiles weakly. “If anyone looked at me the way you did when you said Eva’s name, I would explode. And if I felt that way about somebody, there isn’t much I wouldn’t do for them.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

“You’re infatuated. It’s why you want to keep us apart. You said if she saw me, she would try to escape with me, but that’s not the whole truth. It’s because you want her for yourself, whether you know it or not.”

“She’s going to kill me when she finds out I’ve kept you from her.”

Ivy grimaces. “Yeah. I’d rip that Band-Aid off delicately if I were you.”

Groaning, I run my fingers through my hair. “I can’t. Not yet. She doesn’t trust me.”

Ivy leans forward on the table. “Have you given her reason to?”

“I kept her from being trafficked… shouldn’t that be enough?”

“You understand nothing about women, do you?” Ivy chuckles. “Okay, so she’s told you about our parents. That would have been hard for her to open up about, like picking the scab off a wound. She shared something deep and honest about herself, and in return, you…”

“Left the room. Told her I’d sleep somewhere else.”

She flops back in her chair dramatically with a long, drawn-out groan. “Imbécil. Poor Eva. She bares her soul, and you screw her over. That was your chance right there. You needed to open yourself up to her and give her an opportunity to believe you. Men are so fucking dense. No wonder she doesn’t trust you when you do something so ridículo. Fucking hell.”

My eyes widen as I stand. “I… ahh… shit. I didn’t think leaving was that big of a deal. Don’t girls want to be alone when they’re upset? I was giving her space to deal with her grief.”

“She was opening up to you, estúpido. Wanting to find common ground. Instead, she opened herself up, and you got out of there as fast as you could. You showed you can’t handle her pain. What woman wants a man who won’t be there for her?”

I lean against the table. “Fuck. Fuck!”

“Nycto, you need to go back to her and apologize. Open up. If you want her to trust you, entrust her with something of yours. Hell, you don’t have to tell her your credit card number, but something to make her feel like she isn’t alone. If you can’t, then please let me go see her. I need to make sure she’s okay. With how clueless you are, I’m pretty sure she’s not.”

Tilting my head, I assess Ivy’s wrist. There’s no sign of aggravation on her skin from her handcuffs. She hasn’t made any attempt to get out. I don’t get this woman at all.

“You haven’t tried to get out of your restraints. Why?”

She glances down at the cuff attached to the chain long enough to reach the corners of the room, then linked to the pole in the center. She shrugs. “I have nowhere to go. I’m in a foreign country. Eva’s here, even if I haven’t seen her. Not only that, but everyone has been welcoming. I might be held like a prisoner, but in no way do I feel like one. I just wish I could meet a few more people. People not moaning and groaning. Some other women, maybe?”

“You like it here?”

She takes in her cell, then shrugs. “I mean, it’s comfortable enough. I just hope Eva’s not too stressed out. I’m sure she’s going out of her damn mind, and Nycto, that doesn’t sit well with me.”

“I’ll send down someone to occupy your time. Someone other than Void. You know, for girl-time.”

“Yay,” Ivy deadpans. “We’ll talk about periods and paint our nails.”

I laugh. “If Eva’s half as smart as you are, I’m in way over my head.”

“You’ve got that right. The moment you lied to her about me being here was your first mistake. Walking out on her after she opened up to you was another. Try to stop making them, Presidente.”

With a deep breath, I turn and head for the stairs. “Keep your attitude in check. Just because you think you’re a houseguest doesn’t mean I won’t brick this door closed if you annoy me.”

She chuckles. The bitch actually chuckles. “I believe you, but you’ll never do it. Eva will never forgive you. And you love Eva…” she sings.

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