Page 28 of Capturing Victory

She kept her gaze blank and said in an even voice, “I don’t know what you mean.” But her lips were trembling in fear. Would he kill her now that he guessed? Would the fledgling emotions she’d brought out in him be crushed under the weight of her betrayal?

Ivan pulled his lips back in a feral grin. She’d never seen him look at her that way, as though he were about to lose control but enjoying himself at the same time. The look terrified her almost more than the bombing. Maybe he was going to torture her. Maybe she had overestimated his regard for her. Maybe he’d only saved her from the castle and the bombing so he could torture her slower, more horribly later on, when he had the time.

“Now it’s my move,” he said and reached into his pocket. When she looked down she saw he was holding a needle. She frowned and tried to jerk back. He shook his head and smoothed her hair back, then dropped his hand to her arm, holding her still. He pulled the cover of the needle off with his teeth. “I tried asking nicely. Now you’ll give me the answers I need.”

He sank the needle into her arm.

Jaya let out a scream of outrage and squirmed in his arms while he held her. He continued to run his hands over her hair and body. She knew she should fight whatever he gave her, but she found his touch soothing. Finally, anger gave way to tears and she asked, “Wh-what did you give me?”

“Sodium pentothal,” he told her immediately.

“You’ve drugged me,” she moaned, trying to twist away.

“This is the best way I can think of to get the information without hurting you in the process,” he explained.

She went limp against him. There was no point in fighting, he wasn’t letting her get away from him and he wasn’t going to let her hurt herself either. She turned her head to look at him with a frown. “Why are you even explaining this to me? In fact, why are you worried about hurting me at all?” she asked, confused. “A week ago you were all kinds of threatening. You even hurt me a few times. Now you can barely stand for me to bruise. What gives?”

“A week ago I hadn’t watched you almost die in a situation I had a direct hand in creating,” he said quietly, his voice threaded with a steel determination to make her understand something. “I don’t care if you fell into my hands by my design, by yours or by someone else’s. I’ve decided that you belong to me and that I don’t want you harmed. It disturbs me greatly to see you suffer, so I will attempt to minimize the things that upset you.”

Her mouth fell open and she stared at him. Unfortunately she realized that she was staring for far too long and his edges were growing fuzzy. Damn, the medication he gave her was taking effect. But their conversation was extremely important. It sounded like it might have a direct impact on her future.

“B-but doesn’t that mean that you only do nice things for me so you don’t have to be uncomfortable yourself?” she asked blinking heavily. “That’s insane, like a psychopath or sociopath or something.”

He shrugged and continued to hold her against his chest, mindful of her hands, still chained behind her back to the chair. “I’ve never adhered to a label before, never been diagnosed by a doctor. But yes, to some extent my feelings and reactions were largely stamped out and twisted when I was a teenager. I observe the feelings of others. Usually if someone makes me uncomfortable I eliminate the feeling. But you’re different, Jaya. You make me want to feel, want to pursue the comfort you can provide.”

“How is this possible?” she whispered, desperately wishing she could touch the features that were now swimming in and out of her vision. “You’ve kidnapped me, taken my freedom. And you know I will betray you again, just as soon as I can.”

He smiled down at her and smoothed his thumb over her mouth. She frowned and tried to move her head. When he wouldn’t let her she bared her teeth and snapped at him. “I think you’re ready to answer some questions, sweetheart.”

“Okay,” she whispered and smiled sleepily back.

“When you escaped, you sent a message. Is this correct?” he asked.

“No,” she said immediately, enjoying the way he sifted his fingers through her hair.

“You didn’t send a message?” he asked, sounding confused.

“Yes, I did, but I didn’t escape.” Was that her voice? It sounded all garbled, like she was trying to force it through a long hollow tube. “You let me go. Remember?”

She felt a vibration run through his chest and thought maybe he laughed. “Okay, sweetheart. I let you go. Fair enough to say you ran amok and caused some damage. Now, please tell me what the message said.”

She tried to reach up and touch his face. It was such a handsome face, with a gorgeous chiselled jaw, meant for fingers to slide along when it wasn’t knotted in anger or concentration. She pulled on her hands, but they were restrained. She frowned and tried to look behind her only to discover that her head was swimming and unable to swivel back the way she wanted it to go.

“Whoa!” she gasped.

He readjusted his hold on her and gave her a little shake. Her gaze snapped back to his face and locked on his fascinating jaw. “Focus, Jaya. What did the message say?”

“Riiight…” She thought about it and then said, “They were coordinates to your location and a message that I was attempting to get off the island.”

“So you knew about the strike?” he asked sharply.

“No,” she denied and wiggled in his arms trying to touch him again. “Would never want all those people to die. But I knew he wanted you dead, thought maybe he’d find a way to come himself.”

“Who is he, Jaya?”

“Father,” she whispered.

He gripped her jaw and forced her head up so she was looking right at him. The storm in his eyes was brewing up to something big, something terrifying. “Your father is dead. Who is the man that sent you to me? Give me a name,” he demanded.

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