Page 54 of Missing Piece
“Fuck.” The word came out as barely more than a whisper. Adam’s chest ached with a sympathy he hadn’t expected to feel. His hand moved without conscious thought, reaching for Vincent’s shoulder.
Vincent caught his wrist before he could make contact. His grip was gentle but firm. “Don’t.”
“Sorry, I—”
“You don’t need to feel sorry for me. It was a long time ago.”
Adam swallowed hard. “Is that why you kept me alive? Because you know what it’s like to be…trapped?”
“No.” Vincent stroked Adam’s wrist, resting along his radial artery as though feeling the blood move through his veins was comforting. The contact scattered Adam’s thoughts, made it hard to focus on anything but the cool press of Vincent’s skin against his.
“Then why?” There was some part of Adam that was still insisting on finding deception in what Vincent was saying,but even that part was half-hearted.
Vincent’s grip tightened fractionally. “Your defiance, your strength…even now, you’re not cowering. You’re trying to understand. I don’t think a human has ever tried to understand me. They’ve only ever acquiesced out of fear.”
Heat bloomed in Adam’s chest, spreading outward until his whole body felt too warm. He couldn’t tell if it was fear or arousal anymore—maybe both. “That’s not exactly comforting.”
“No?” Vincent’s other hand came up to cup Adam’s jaw. “Would you prefer I lied? Said I kept you for some noble purpose?”
Adam’s breath caught. Vincent’s contact was gentle, but the power behind it was unmistakable. He should pull away. He should be terrified. Instead, his body leaned into the warmth like a flower seeking sun.
“I’d prefer the truth,” Adam managed.
“The truth is complicated.” Vincent traced the lines of Adam’s veins. “I wanted you. I still want you. But not just as a prisoner anymore.”
Part of him screamed to run, to fight, to do anything but sit here letting this monster caress him. But another part, a part that grew stronger with each passing second, wanted to surge forward and claim Vincent’s mouth with his own.
“What do you want from me?” The question came out barely above a whisper.
Vincent’s eyes darkened. “Everything you’re willing to give.”
This is dangerous. He’s tricking you.
Adam forced himself to look away from Vincent’s hypnotic gaze, focusing instead on the little crescent marks he had leftin his thigh from his free hand digging into his own leg. “And if I’m not willing to give anything?”
“Then you walk away. Once the current danger passes, you’re free to leave. I won’t stop you.”
Adam furrowed his brow, trying to process what he’d just heard.He says you’ll get to leave. That’s what you want. Right?
He looked back at Vincent. “And what if I don’t want to?”
Vincent’s icy eyes widened as though he’d expected Adam to jump at the first chance of freedom. A relieved exhale escaped his lips, softening the tense lines of his shoulders. He ducked his head slightly, as though he were struggling to hold back a smile.
After a long pause, Vincent’s expression grew serious again.
“There’s one more thing.” Vincent folded his hands tightly on his lap, fingertips pushing hard against one another. “It won’t paint me in a good light, Adam. I need you to know that going forward. But if you’re really staying of your own free will, you deserve to understand a piece of what I am.”
Anxiety twisted in Adam’s gut. He steeled his nerves against a familiar surge of apprehension. Memories of his own ugly mistakes crept from hidden corners of his brain. He had plenty of his own stories to share, none of which would fair any better under scrutiny.
“All right,” Adam said quietly. “I can handle it.”
Vincent rose abruptly from the bed, moving purposefully, crossing the room to a rough plywood board partially covered in faded photographs. Adam watched as he stood frozen before it, his back rigid with unease.
He finally spoke, words quieter than Adam knew he could be. “I haven’t really talked about this with anyone in a long time, or, honestly, I haven’t allowed anyone to talk about it.Unfortunately, I’m developing a soft spot for you, Adam. And I really don’t like it.”
Adam frowned, uncertain where Vincent’s mind had taken him. “About what?”
“There was another human, a man, that stayed here longer term, like you.” He carefully pulled a pushpin from a photograph covered by black paper. Vincent loosened the hidden edges carefully, seemingly reluctant to reveal what lay underneath.
