Page 31 of Hearts Of Darkness

There’s a pause. “Like my birthday.”

Shit.

“Well, wasn’t I the perfect fucking present,” I grit out, heading for the door.

12

EVE

Inever make it onto the balcony. The small taste of freedom offered up by those open doors is good enough for me, and my eyelids flutter shut as soon as he exits the room.

I’m exhausted by his fucking, as well as from the maelstrom of my own thoughts. Most of all, I’m shattered by what he’s unleashed in me today. I feel like an intruder in my own life again, especially now that I’ve uncovered this deviant fragment of my soul.

With all this swirling around my brain, I tip headfirst into a dreamless sleep—my first since my abduction four days ago.

I wake, hours later, to the sounds of movement in my room. It’s dusk and the room is bathed in the soothing hues of gold and rose. Even so, uneasiness cloaks my skin. It’s not him…Dante.I know that, for sure. The noises are too subtle, which is one thing I could never accuse him of.

I roll onto my side, taking great care to keep my breathing even, and my movements natural. That girl is in my room—Valentina. The one who brings me my food. Her back is turned and she’s busy arranging dresses onto hangers and transferring them to the closet.

I narrow my eyelids to tiny slits and carry on my spying undetected. She glances in my direction. I watch her pretty face crumple into a scowl, and she mutters something under her breath as she turns back to her work.

Once the task is done, she heads for the door, but then she stops and seems to think better of it. Shooting me another furtive look, she makes her way back over to the bureau and carefully slides the top drawer open. She’s looking for something, but the way she keeps poring over the contents suggests to me that she doesn’t have a clue what it is.

I watch her repeat this same action with each of the lower drawers before she turns and creeps over to my nightstand. Up close, I can see tiny beads of perspiration on her forehead. Her mouth is fixed into a tight, white line of fear. Whatever she’s doing right now, she’s doing it without Dante’s knowledge or permission.

“Can I help you?” I say loudly.

She jumps back, her hand flying to her throat. Her face colors, the blush spreading high and clear across her olive skin. “Señorita! You’re awake!”

“And you speak English,” I say accusingly. I haven’t forgiven her for ignoring me those first two days. Even less so now.

“We were under strict instructions not to talk to you.”

“But you could’ve at least—”

“Señor Dante requested that I unpack your new clothes. They arrived a few hours ago. I was trying not to wake you.”

“Have I clothes in that bureau, too?” I say, directing her eyeline to the furniture in the corner.

She shakes her head reluctantly. “Just the closet.”

I open my mouth to ask the obvious question, and then I stop. I don’t trust her, but I don’t want her knowing that yet. Instead, I force a smile to my lips. “Thank you. That was kind.”

Her shoulders slump in relief. “It’s not a problem, señorita. I’m sorry again that I woke you. There’s champagne waiting for you on the balcony.” She looks at me speculatively, almost with a challenge in her expression. “Will that be all?”

“I guess so.” My jaw is beginning to ache under the strain of all this false positivity.

I listen to her footsteps receding down the hallway, and then I’m out of bed and walking over to the bureau. Pulling the top drawer open, I sift through the sparse contents. What the hell was she looking for? There doesn’t seem to be anything in here of interest—just an old magazine and some instruction manuals in Spanish. No personal effects, just like in his bedroom…

“Looking for anything in particular?”

My head jerks up and my hand flies to my throat, mimicking the actions of Valentina.

Dante’s back. He’s leaning against the doorframe again. He’s changed his outfit and is now wearing jeans and a pale blue shirt with the sleeves rolled up. He looks more like a deity than a devil tonight.

“Nope,” I lie, shutting the drawer with a bang.

He smirks before glancing at an incoming message on hiscell. “Did you have a good nap? I came by earlier, but you were still asleep.”

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