Page 25 of Back In the Shadows

The men glanced at each other before Kip said, “He’ll burn the whole fucking world down until he finds her, or he gets caught.”

13

ELLA

My jaw clenched as Xavier drew back, his touch turning my stomach. His long, dark eyelashes fluttered as his eyes opened.

“My first kiss. Ella is my first kiss.” His expression lit up and a sweet smile pulled at the corners of his mouth.

“Your first? You’ve never …” From my best guess, he had to at least be in his thirties.

“First.” He sank into his chair and stared at me like a lovesick puppy. “No one liked Xavier.”

What was happening? This was the only time I’d heard him refer to himself in third person.

“And to think I’m the lucky girl,” I managed to say with sympathy. Even though his touch revulsed me, maybe it was the key to talking him into letting me go. If he thought he was in love with me, then it might be beneficial.

“This calls for a celebration.”

A flicker of hope sparked to life in my chest. “It does? What do you have in mind?” I offered him the sweetest smile I was capable of.

“Another riddle.” Excitement clung to his words.

“I don’t understand.”

“Another riddle for Sebastian Fletcher. Another clue to where you are.”

“Oh.” I struggled not to ask him to let me talk to Sebastian again, but even hearing my husband’s voice would help me hang on to the possibility of escaping or being found.

“Yes! I love riddles. Then, Ella … then we will have our first date.”

“You’re taking me out of here?”

Xavier wagged his finger at me. “No, no. We will watch a movie together. I have lots of choices. We can kiss and snuggle too.”

My lips pursed into a thin line, but I managed to nod and lie through my teeth. “I would love a movie. Why don’t you pick it since you know what you have?”

He leaned forward in his chair. “Silence of the Lambs. It’s my favorite movie ever.”

I gulped. He would choose a twisted, fucked-up movie like that to be his preferred choice. “I love it too.”

He clapped his hands, then removed his cell phone from the pocket of his flannel shirt. Even though it was summer outside, it was cold in his underground hole. He tapped the screen, then put it on speaker and set it on the table. “If you behave, I’ll let you speak.”

“I promise. I won’t make you angry this time.” I nodded for emphasis. The ring of a phone pulled my attention away from him, and my pulse kicked up as it rang again.

“Hello?” Sebastian said, his voice tight with stress.

My eyes snapped shut in a desperate attempt to contain the ocean of tears that threatened to spill over at the sound of his voice and beautiful accent. My heart wrenched with conflicting emotions. I wanted Death, not Sebastian. I needed Death to come find me, to rid this twisted world of the evil that had stolen me from him and our children.

Xavier’s face fell. “I’m so sorry to hear it is still Sebastian Fletcher. I was hoping that Death would come out to play.”

“It’s only been twenty-four hours since you called last time. It doesn’t work like that, motherfucker. He doesn’t jump when he’s told to appear,” Sebastian barked. “Let me talk to my wife.”

My hands trembled with Sebastian’s words. Had I misunderstood what he’d said about Death not just appearing? If so, how? I couldn’t handle thinking about it right now. He’d also let me know how long I’d been away from him and my babies. Almost twenty-four hours. It seemed as though I’d been gone for days. Xavier glanced at me, jealousy flashing through his narrowed gaze.

“Please,” I mouthed. “Then our date.”

Xavier’s expression changed as soon as I mentioned the word date. He moved the phone closer to me. “No clues.”

---