Page 20 of In You
His words process so slowly that I begin to worry about my sanity. I fist my hand in the covers and then bring them up to cover my mouth. "Okay," I mumble into the fabric, too nervous to say anything else.
His eyes soften considerably, and the tension between us lets up just a little to be more bearable. "I have a doctor coming to give you a physical, and to look over your body and assess for any injuries," he says, ignoring my silence. "She's a female, so I think you should be more comfortable around her. Her name is Cynthia Riviera, and she's one of the very best. Works with military personnel. I'll be nearby in case you get scared."
My brows raise, but I'm not able to talk. I don't think Icanform a coherent sentence. The silence stretches for so long that the burn in my bladder becomes incessant, begging for relief. I wet my lips, still clutching tightly to the blanket.
"I need to go-to go..."
He gets up from the leather chair silently, and just stands to his full height, staring at me.
Holy shit he's a big man, and when he pulls to his full height, he towers above me even from over five feet away with a table in between us. That fear becomes stronger, because I know that he could very well easily overpower me if he wanted to. And unlike Calvin, where I always harbored thoughts I could take him out if I just had the right opportunity, with Caleb I don't entertain any such thoughts. I wouldn't even try.
However, he doesn't make any move towards me, and for that, I'm grateful. I don't think I can stand being approached or touched right now.
First thing I notice is, I've still got bare feet, and he'd cleaned them of the chocolate cake I'd slipped in earlier. A quick look out the window shows it's the dead of night. Completely pitch black, which informs me we aren't in the city. Or even in a town. He points towards a hallway to the right of him just past the fireplace. I turn my head curiously. It's a dark abyss past the arch way, and though I'm not afraid of the dark, Iamafraid of new places thanks to Calvin.
"Take a right down that hallway, and the bathroom is the second door on the left. I have sensors on all the windows so if you try to leave, I'll know. I don't know what that man did to you, but I won't beat you for trying to leave. But I'll only tell you once,you are not allowed to leave."
I swing my legs over the side of the couch and let out an involuntary moan at the feel of my head spinning when I sit up.
"Did you eat dinner earlier?" he asks softly.
I shrug my shoulder, not wanting to talk.
"Did you eatenough?"His voice goes somehow even lower.
My eyes flick to his and I shrug my shoulder again. Truth be told, I can't remember if I'd ate or not. But I don't want to disclose this to him.
He nods. "When the doctor is done, I will feed you." He jerks his head to the hallway. "Go on, now. Take your time. And if you'd like to take another shower, be my guest."
"Another shower?" I ask slowly, frowning.
His brow arches. "Yesss…." he trails off, tilting his head with a confused look on his face.
I blink, and inhale, trying to smell myself. I smell clean. "I don't….I don't think I need one." And the last thing I want is to be naked and vulnerable in a shower with him nearby.
"Well, you're my guest," he repeats, "feel free to take a shower or eat any time you want."
My chin quivers at the term, because I haven't been a guest anywhere for the last year, and I'm certainly not one now. And it feels cruel for him to use that kind of language when it's not true. We both know it.
It takes me a while to get up, but he doesn't make a move to help me, and for that I'm thankful. My arm burns and I swallow thickly past the lump in my throat, avoiding his sharp-eyed stare as he watches me like a hawk while I sway on my feet towards the hallway.
A quick flip of the switch lights the area. There's a closed double door room immediately to the left of the arch, and to the right I see a long hallway with about six doors, and only one door to the right all the way at the end. As I walk down the hall, I stop when I see a very large oil painting of a sea with a jagged cliff.
It's beautiful and clearly represents freedom.
Everything that I can't seem to attain no matter what.
I gasp, and my vision becomes hazy, making me sway. It evokes such a visceral reaction out of me that I immediately break out into tears, made worse by the sight of a vase of flowers situated on a small table to the right of the hall.
This is what started everything with that monster! Throw them!
I walk up to it and then feel my face break. I pick it up with a scream, and send it flying into the opposite wall where it shatters upon impact on the clean, creamy paint of the drywall. The poodle and hound scatter, their nails clacking on the floor as they hurriedly back away from me.
Breathing hard, I watch as the flowers fall everywhere, and the water runs down the walls and puddles on the hardwood floor. Some petals remain stuck to the wall, but I leave them there.
Just as easily as my anger swelled, it disappeared to be replaced by fear. Bone chilling fear. Because I do not know this man. I knew what to expect with the Captor. I knew my odds. With Caleb…I know nothing. I'm in unchartered territory, feeling much like the waves that crash on the rocks against the cliffs.
It doesn't take much to break me apart.
