Page 159 of Nanny and the Beast

His hand tugs on my scarf, making it fall to the ground. He replaces it with his hand, wrapping his fingers around my neck and squeezing possessively.

“Mine,” he says. “Mine. Mine. Mine.”

“Yours,” I say. “Only yours.”

I’ve heard war stories. When people thought the world was about to end, when bombs were raining from the sky, they made love. It’s human nature to want to find pleasure and joy even in the most dire of situations.

That’s how this man kisses me. Like it’s the final few minutes before the whole world ends.

Like he needs me close to his heart.

I let myself believe the lie because it feels like magic in my veins.

“No matter what happens, I’ll always be there for you.” He whispers the words against my lips. “I’ll always look out for you. Okay?”

“Okay,” I reply.

He’s about to pull away, but I clutch him tighter.

“Can you just...hold me?” I ask. “Just for a little while.”

“Whatever you need,” he says, pressing a kiss on top of my head and wrapping his strong arms around me.

I can hear the sound of his heart beating against my ear. It soothes me, making my own heart beat in sync with his. He holds me tighter than I expected him to.

I become warm lava in his arms, my body turning liquid just for him.

With him surrounding me like this, I enter a state of deep relaxation. Nothing can touch me here. Nothing can get to me. He’s an impenetrable armor that shields me from everything else.

After a few moments, the blissful silence is interrupted by his phone ringing.

“It’s Vera,” he says, looking at the caller ID.

The two of us stare at the phone. I think I already know what she’s going to say.

He picks up. “Hey.”

“Come to the greenhouse,” she says. “I found something.”

As we walk back toward the greenhouse, I realize I’m not nervous anymore. No matter what I learn, it’s going to be okay. I have Klaus on my side.

Vera sits on a wooden chair, writing in her notepad.

“I have good news and bad news,” she says.

“Was the tea poisoned?” I ask.

“It was,” she says. “It’s a potent neurotoxin derived from a flower that grows in the foothills of the Himalayas. It’s a rare species, so the studies that have been done on it are limited.”

I thought I would be ready to hear it, but the news feels like someone punched me in the stomach.

My stalker was in my house. He tried to kill my grandmother.

He used to send letters that he would take everything from me. He told me that he would destroy everything I loved. All of that fear I used to feel before comes back multiplied.

“What’s the good news?” Klaus asks, squeezing my hand tighter.

“There’s an antidote,” she says. “Your grandmother must have been given a very low dosage. That’s the reason it caused minimal damage.”

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