Page 64 of Tainted Serenity

As I finally calm down, I let Grey’s touch and voice silence the chaotic thoughts in my mind.

“What?” I stutter, looking at Daxton now.

I feel Grey’s eyes on me—those worried yet intense eyes that would do anything to keep me safe—but he can’t keep me safe from the storm within the walls of my mind, keeping what’s left of my sanity trapped. Not even I can keep myself safe from that.

My face has drained of all color, and I cannot help but pick at the skin on my bare feet when none of them pay me any mind. It burns, hurting like fuck, but it keeps my mind occupied as I tear away small pieces.

“There was a fire two years ago that destroyed the manor that belonged to Arthur’s brother,” Daxton says, looking puzzled as he steps closer to me. “Naya, are you okay?”

It has already been two years? I feel myself spiraling all over again, the chaotic mess taking me over from the inside out until I want to scream and tear down the entire room and both the men inside it.

Don’t show your weakness.

I despise doing just that, but maybe I need to allow myself to be weak in order to survive, even though it’s nearly impossible.

Grey shoves Daxton aside as he puts distance between him and me. Grey seizes both of my hands in a harsh grip when he notices my increasingly frantic picking, a hiss escaping me at the self-inflicted wound. He prevents me from further harming myself.

“What do you think?” He spits out, embracing me with his strong arms.

The scent of him, something forest-like with a hint of dark florals, instantly calms me down as I allow myself to be embraced in his comforting cocoon. My body trembles like an asp leaf, but Grey keeps me steady and still mentally here when it feels as if the poisonous demons inside my head will tear me apart until nothing remains but broken bones. I can’t focus on the confusion on Daxton’s face, not when I can barely stay afloat myself.

“Deep breaths, little doll.” He makes me look into his eyes while imitating breathing. “Follow me,” he commands, and I follow his motions until I feel myself entirely calming down, at last able to relax.

Despite that, my body still trembles from the after-effect, and I’m not ready to explain it to the other man in the room. As if sensing my train of thought, Grey gives me a soft smile and turns to Daxton.

“You don’t know anything about her life from before the dollhouse, correct?”

Daxton nods his head, his gaze flickering between Grey and me.

“Let’s just say Naya is quite familiar with Grimhill Manor, and it’s a no-go subject, understood?”

The sheer dominance in his voice evokes a visceral response, and I shudder from the sensation, though not from unease. Instead, my legs involuntarily clench together despite the fucked-up situation, and a strange mix of fascination and arousal washes over me.

“I’m so sorry, Naya.”

Daxton looks at me with an apologetic smile, and I nod, returning the smile as best as I can.

“Well then, spit it out. How are we getting out?” Grey changes the subject while staring at Daxton as if taking in every inch of his body, looking for any loopholes or bargaining chips.

He turns his attention back to me.

“Give me a few days, and I will come back with a plan.”

An inner voice fills my mind with doubt, whispering to me that whatever plan he comes up with won’t work out, despite my desperate yearning for it to succeed. A sense of foreboding comes over me like a chilling shadow, seeping through to the very soul of my being.

Chapter 26

Naya

Torches flicker across theopen space in the doctor’s office, casting ghostly shadows that seem to beckon the restless particles dancing around in the air. I sit nervously on a thin blanket on the clinical floor, goosebumps skittering across my arms from the chilly atmosphere. With each insistent note, the clock on the wall echoes, its sound pounding in my ears like a drumbeat made of dread.

“What if he won’t show up?” I ask with uncertainty, my nails scratching against my wrist and leaving rivulets of red marks.

“He said he would be here,” Daxton mutters, his eyes stuck on the clock.

“It’s been five minutes!” I exclaim, with worry mounting my words.

Grey was supposed to be here by now, but he hasn’t shown up, and I can’t help but worry that something has happened. Arthur is unreliable, and if he somehow knows about our arranged meeting here in Daxton’s office, god knows what he will do to Grey.

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