Page 25 of Red Lace Manor

On our worst days, we were no better than sharks. Mindless creatures driven by a hunger that food could never satisfy, and little to no impulse control. We knew not to attack each other, but Lux would be different, right?And, when blood lingered in the water, what existed to stop the slaughter?

Nothing.

One of us would snap, hurt, or even kill her, and the family we’d cobbled together would dissolve.

I could feel as Ronan stalked the halls. His steps were far too heavy, leaving the earth to rumble under my feet. That meant I should march over to that door, tear it off its hinges, and demand he take care of thepestin my office. After all, it wasn’t in my nature to hurt a lady.

But something heavy in my chest anchored me in place. I slid my glasses into position, careful not to drag them across my skin. I blinked twice as the world came into view, and once more, I crouched down to look at Lux.

She shook like a leaf, but didn’t dare move, other than to shift her bag to her lap.

“I’m going to count to three, and you’re going to crawl out from under the desk. If you cannot do so, I will come and get you.” I stood once more after my warning. “If I have to come get you, I will make anything else that happened this evening look like child’s play.”

I turned and faced the now-empty wall, glaring at the outline of the missing portrait before counting.

“One.” I kept my tone clipped,knowingshe’d fucking test me.

Because, why wouldn’t she? She’d already learned my name and made it further than most other brides. Who knew what the fuck she’d done to my men.

I forced out an irritated breath. “Two.”

Lux breathed, stirring the air around us, but it was a sign she’d braced herself for what was to come.

“I swear toGod, if I get to three–”

The floor creaked. The slow brush of her hand followed the sound. Goosebumps prickled my skin, and I cursed myself for taking a fucking shower. This would have beenso much easierwith my mask and heavy jacket.

I turned on my heels, and at first, I didn’t see Lux. Then, I looked a little lower. She was still on the ground, now positioned on her hands and knees. Her gaze was trained on mine, and thanks to my glasses, I now had amuchbetter picture of Lux’s wounds.

Most of her bruises seemed intentional, except for the ones on her back. She hadn’tdied, not yet. But tonight certainly hadn’t been easy for her.

And though she looked scared, no part of her looked ready to beg for mercy.

“Up,” I ordered.

Without thinking, I extended a hand.

Her eyes flicked to my palm, and then to me. Lux didn’t take my hand, and I wasn’t sure she’d considered it for evena moment. Instead, she pushed herself up, using the desk to steady her posture.

Lux’s whole body shook, and I could tell by the gentle sway in her stance that she wasexhausted. It was likely that her adrenaline had run dry, leaving her to face the rest of the evening on her own.

Good.

I curled the fingers of my outstretched hand into a fist, letting it fall to my side.

“Did you find what you were looking for?” I asked, doing my best to sound calm rather than paranoid.

Lux gnawed on her lip for a beat, and I wanted to scream at her to stop. Justwatchingher caused my skin to crawl. And then, her chin tipped up and her face turned into the picture ofdefiance.

Something in her stubbornness caused my stomach to twist.

“No.” Her voice was raw and barely audible. “Your handwriting’s shit, by the way.”

I blinked twice. “Excuse me?”

Lux crossed her arms to her chest and cocked a hip against the desk. “Your handwriting isshit. It’s barely fucking legible. I think mostpreschoolerscould keep a better journal than you.”

My chest heaved. I couldn’t remember a brideeverbeing this mouthy.

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