Page 40 of Deranged and Obsessed Omnibus: Vol 1

“I’ll get to cooking,” I mumbled and quickly turned to leave him standing in the living room. But as I moved into the kitchen, I felt his gaze heavy and predatory on me. It also left a trail of heat gliding across my skin, teasing my nipples and caressing my pussy, and I just knew he was only a step behind me.

Fuck. I’m ahornybitch too.

We were both silent as I opened the fridge and pulled out a package of steak, setting it on the counter before reaching into the cupboard for a can of mushroom soup.

I hesitated when I saw the little glass jar tucked away far in the back. I glanced over my shoulder to see Kane staring at a picture on the wall. It had been here when I bought the house, and I never took it down.

With his focus occupied, I pulled the tiny jar out, holding it delicately, as though it might shatter under my touch. Insidewere dried leaves and petals of hemlock. They had shrank, darkened, and were harmless looking.

But I knew better. I’d used it before to kill my father.

I stared at the jar, my thoughts spiraling, until I felt the weight of his presence right behind me. My breath caught as I told myself to act normal and calm. I set the jar on the counter and turned.

Kane stood just a few feet from me. His eyes were locked on mine now, and his expression was a mixture of something dark, mysterious, and wholly dangerous.

The air between us crackled, charged with something I couldn’t name nor recognize. My mouth went dry, and for a moment, I was unable to break my gaze from his.

His presence was suffocating.

His energy was consuming.

I wanted to just get undressed and submit, to offer myself up to this man to do whatever he wanted to me.

God… I’m crazy.

I should have vehemently wanted to tell him to go to hell, to remind him I wasn’t his prisoner to be intimate with, but we both knew that wasn’t true. Not really.

The storm was still raging outside, the wind howling like a feral beast. Of course, escape lingered in my mind, but even if I ran, the woods were a death sentence. I knew that. The town was miles away, and Kane was here. In front of me.

“I’ll start dinner. Give me like half an hour to cook everything.” I kept my voice low and even.

He was silent for a second but then nodded slowly. “I’ll check on the fire and make sure it keeps all night.” His gaze flickered behind me to the counter, and a shadow crossed over his gaze. “What’s that?”

I looked over my shoulder, acting confused at first, even though I knew what he was referring to. “This?” I picked up thelittle glass jar. He didn’t respond. “It’s just spices for dinner. Do you like steak with mushroom gravy?”

He was silent for a moment, his eyes locked on the jar before looking at my face, studying me. “Whatever you cook, I’ll appreciate it,” he said, his tone holding this strange, dark gratitude that made my stomach twist.

And then he turned and left to take care of the fire, and I stood frozen, staring down at the dried hemlock. I could picture him eating the meal I’d make, his sharp jaw tightening as the poison worked its way through him. I could imagine him slouching forward before falling to the ground.

I could imagine poisoning him… just like I had my father.

But that hadn’t just been about self-preservation—it had also been about vengeance and justice.

And as I stood there, my fingers tightening around the jar, I couldn’t shake the gnawing, treacherous thoughts that this didn’t feel right. This didn’t feel like something I had to do to be safe, and I didn’t know why I felt so strongly about it.

For some reason, Ireallydidn’t want to see Kane broken and lifeless.

I closed my eyes and listened to him in the living room. I didn’t know what was happening to me, but it traveled through my very marrow, and I wanted it to grow until it consumed all of me.

I craved the monster in my home.

I swallowed hard as I put the jar back in the cupboard and grabbed a different one, this one containing driedSalvia divinorum. I didn’t want to kill him, but I needed to change the power dynamic.

With that thought—and plan—in mind, I started my task of making dinner.

Chapter Nine

Kane

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