Page 149 of Pervade London
“I’m going to hop in the shower.” I got out of bed and made my way into the bathroom, feeling the burn of his stare on my back.
I was reminded that he noticed everything…every flutter of an eyelid, every curl of a lip, every frown. Nothing was off limits. I was constantly being “scanned” by this man.
Luckily, I loved him, and part of me felt like he could see into my soul.
A few minutes later I was standing beneath the torrent of hot water, turning my attention on what might happen today. I’d missed a week of study at the Academy and was going to have to go back to class with some made up excuse. The thought made my stomach churn.
It wasn’t exactly my fault, though. James had prevented me from attending classes. As cruel as that was, it also meant I’d been able to hang out with the two of them, which brought its own privileges. Compared to my old life, when I was scrambling around for lost change in order to eat, this was preferable—though my life before all of this had seen me at my happiest. My dream was hanging on by a thread and it felt like a lifeline, no matter how tenuous.
Either way, I was going to have to play my violin later today—if for no other reason than to get my music fix.
I rummaged through the bag of toiletries on the counter. There were tampons, face wash, face cream—everything a girl could want while being held captive…but no deodorant.
Standing in the bathroom doorway wrapped in nothing but a towel, I called over to Xavier, who had popped in ear buds.
He saw me and eased a bud out.
“Can I use your deodorant?” I asked.
“You’ll smell like a man.”
“Don’t mind.”I’ll smell like you.
“You will when someone mentions it at the Academy.”
I brightened. “I can go in?”
“Don’t see why not.” He slid his finger along the screen of his Kindle. I assumed it was a chess piece he was maneuvering.
“Deodorant,” I reminded him.
“Down the hall. We should have everything you need in the last bedroom on the left. Your clothes are in there, too.”
I didn’t want to point out that this felt like a violation. Not yet, anyway.
Trudging down the hall, I tried to comprehend that this house could one day become mine. But I’d give it all up for reassurance that Xavier would always be in my life.
I felt myself relax for the first time since my world had been turned upside down and broken into a million pieces, scattered to the four corners of the earth.
With a nudge, I opened the last door on the right.
A blur of movement made me pause.
My vision adjusted to the dimness in the room and I saw a man lying in the bed in the corner. He had a gun pointed in my direction.
All the air left my lungs…
James sat up, bare-chested, and lowered the weapon. “Shit, Em. What the fuck?”
My heart hammered against my ribcage as I struggled to breathe.
“I’m sorry.” He gestured for me to come closer as he shoved the gun beneath his pillow. “You startled me. I was asleep.”
“Why do you have a gun here?”
He brushed a hand over his tired eyes, letting out a sigh of frustration. Then he glanced to the expensive watch on his wrist.
I swallowed hard. “It’s early.”
