Page 50 of Absolution
“Don’t you dare leave me,” she seethes, following me down the stairs. “I won’t let you do this.”
I’m beyond words now. I’ve said every cruel thing I could muster. She’ll have to stew in it. She’ll learn to hate me in time.
“You promised!” she shouts raggedly. “You promised yourself to me. You’re mine, Dane Graham.”
I can’t stop my body from reeling like she’s landed a physical blow. My sweet Abigail is every bit as fiercely possessive of me as I am of her. She’s my perfect match, my everything.
My fingers tremble slightly as I reach for the handle on our front door.
“Look at you,” she accuses. “You’re shaking. I don’t know why you’re doing this, but I know you don’t want to.”
I turn the knob.
“I love you!” She flings it at me like a dagger.
The blade hits its mark deep in my chest, and I can’t suppress a pained grunt.
She wedges herself between me and the exit, pressing her back against the door to prevent me from opening it. Her small hand rests directly on my heart, and I can practically feel her looping a cord over it, tethering me to her.
“I can’t stay.” The admission is gruff.
I’m wavering. I can’t waver.
“Step aside.” There’s no force in the breathless order. “You have to let me leave.”
I’m not commanding; I’m begging.
Her other hand comes up to cup my cheek, grounding me to her. “No.” Her stunning aqua eyes search mine. “Tell me why you’re doing this.”
“I’m saving you!” I thunder. “I promised to always protect you. I’m the most dangerous person you’ve ever met. I’m sadistic and selfish, and I’ve wronged you in ways you can’t even imagine. I’ve hurt you, Abigail. Just like all the other men who’ve hurt you. I have to protect you fromme.”
Her petal pink lips part, but she doesn’t have an opportunity to speak before I barrel on.
“You said men see you as prey. Well, I’m the worst predator you’ve ever encountered. Do you know how much pleasure I derived from hunting you? Trapping you? I bound you to me in every way I could, and I never intended to let you go. You were right: you never had a choice.”
Her brows draw together in determined slashes. “You’re wrong. I chose you. You know how stubborn I am. I could’ve fought you for the rest of my life, but I married you instead.”
“Abigail—”
“No. It’s my turn to speak. Do you know what my plan was back in England, when I first woke up in your family home? I was going to prove to you that I didn’t love you. I was convinced that you would tire of me if I showed you how much I reviled you.
“But I failed miserably, because even when I was terrified and enraged, I never stopped loving you. I’m not capable of it.”
“That’s because I warped you,” I growl. “You don’t love me. You can’t. Because you don’t know the real me. You’ve never wanted to truly see me for what I am.”
She tips her chin back. “And what is that?”
“Your worst nightmare. All the terrible things other men have done to you when they’ve violated you is nothing compared to how I’ve treated you. I wanted you, so I took you. Like you’re a toy I could play with.”
“Stop it,” she seethes. “You’re trying to be cruel and push me away again. I won’t allow you to do that. I know you care for me. Possibly more deeply than you understand. I’m not a fool. I know you’re obsessed with me, and our connection is twisted. That doesn’t make it any less real. It doesn’t change how I feel about you.”
“I’m your stalker!” I lash out in a final, desperate attempt to force her to see reason. “I’m the masked man who attacked you in your own home and violated you in the worst way. We’venever talked about what happened that day when you discovered the truth of what I am. I was violent with you. I choked you out and restrained you so that you couldn’t run away from me. I drugged you and held you captive.”
She flinches, and her eyes tighten with an echo of horror at the memory.
“And even as I broke you piece by piece, I claimed to be your protector. I deluded us both. I won’t cause you another ounce of pain. The only way I can guarantee that is to extricate myself from your life. You’ll be better off without me. You’ll be free.”
Her delicate jaw firms. “You have freed me. Before you came into my life, I hated myself. I was disgusted by my dark urges. After what happened with Tom, I was in survival mode, just making it through every day through sheer force of will. But that was all a cheery, pretty lie.” Her voice becomes more ragged. “I was alone. I’ve been alone all my life. Now I have you. We belong to each other. We’re supposed to be together.
