Page 21 of Firedrake Betrayal
We couldn’t have been gone for longer than fifteen minutes. The doorman doesn’t even blink as he opens the door for us and steps aside, nodding. “Mr. Alarik.”
Dominik nods back and marches me through the lobby to the elevator.
The door slides open within seconds of him calling it, and he pulls me inside. He inserts the same key into the lock before pressing the button for the top floor.
As the doors slide shut, he parks himself squarely in front of them, back to it, eyes on me, and a tight grip on my wrist.
Giving me absolutely no avenue to escape.
It is a very long ten second elevator ride up. Mainly because I can’t help but notice that his pupils are red. No wonder everyone on the street couldn’t get out of his way fast enough.
The elevator dings as it stops, the door sliding open to reveal his apartment.
I don’t move.
“Jade.” A warning note creeps into Dominik’s voice.
I press my back flush against the wall. “I just want to know if my dad is okay.”
“He is fine.”
He tugs.
I tug back. “You don’t know that. I want to go back.”
“Your life is here now. With me.”
It’s inevitable when I eventually lose this tug of war.
He pulls me out from the elevator, sighing. “You were quieter in the compound.”
I tried escaping. I tried anger. Now I try pleading.
“He’s my dad, Dominik. I have to go back.Please. He’s all I have left in the world.”
He looks at me for so long that I believe I’ve gotten through to him, made him understand how important this is to me.
Until he dips his head and looks me right in the eye. “Andyouare all I have in the world. You will soon adjust to this new life.”
His head lowers.
I back up, struggling to believe someone could be so cruel. Because thisiscruel. “No.”
He blows out a heavy sigh. “You are being unreasonable, Jade. I saved you from?—”
“No!” I interrupt. “You didn’t save me.Isavedyou. Without Shep, Isaiah, Patten and my dad, you would still be in that cell.”
He glowers. “I gave myself up for you.”
“Fully expecting I would feel guilty enough to come back and rescue you so you could turn around and kidnap me.”
He doesn’t respond.
I think of how sad I was in that cell. How desperately I’d sobbed. I’d gone to him, leaned my head against the glass as he did the same, thinking he was comforting me.
He wasn’t comforting me.
He wasusingme.
