Page 50 of Redeem Me
Chapter 38
Jade
Damian had gone through all the trouble of having a picnic set up for us in the field behind the massive estate. But no matter how thoughtful it was, I couldn’t get over how twisted his mind was. His comment about his father made me think of Rafe. Except there were two drastic differences between the men. Damian had enjoyed killing his father, while Rafe didn’t.
The food wasn’t laced in wolfsbane, thankfully, but, I still couldn’t enjoy it. All I could think about was that I wasn’t a guest here. I was a prisoner and I didn’t know how I had let myself forget that. Especially after how he had burned Bee’s body without any flicker of emotion. Lucas had told me that night, as I was trying to fall asleep, that a witch needed to remain whole in the resting process or her magic wouldn’t pass onto her offspring. It was why the Salem Witch Trials happened the way they did. They wanted to prevent the passing of one’s power. If they had buried them, the remaining witches would have only gotten stronger.
Damian spoke very little as we ate and even less as we were walking back to his home. We were passing under an ornate brick archway when something didn’t feel right. The vibe in the air changed slightly. Before I knew it, Damian had me pressed against the wall in the shadows. The brick pressed into the exposed skin on my arms and a breeze made a chill brush over my skin. Damian’s fingers wrapped around my throat while he leaned in.
All I wanted to do was transform my hand into claws to rip his throat out. I couldn’t breathe but he didn’t care. His pupils were completely dilated as he looked at me beneath him.
“If you’ve been involved in the plan to take me from my throne, I will find out,” he whispered. “I will find out and I will make you beg for death, do you understand?”
The pressure on my neck grew heavier until the breath was completely gone from my lungs. I nodded the best I could.
His fingers unwrapped from my neck and he took a step back. “Good, I’m glad we are on the same page.” He ran a finger down my cheek and I flinched away. Not because I was afraid, but because I was disgusted. Disgusted that he could get away with this. “If you betray me, I will make sure you regret it.”
He walked away before I could say or do anything. My hands trembled as I reached up to rub the sensitive skin there. With the wolfsbane still in my system, whatever marks he had left behind would still be present when I saw Lucas. I closed my eyes as I leaned back into the shadows and let the tears slip from my eyes.
The pain that shook my body wasn’t from what he had done to me, but instead, how angry I was that I couldn’t do anything back. My body shook with the frustration that I couldn’t retaliate. I hastily wiped the tears from my face as I stewed over what Damian had said.
Had Micah been caught trying to defy Damian? Had he been caught planning or cleaning up the plan from the bomb? As much as I worried about him, I knew it was pointless to do so. There was nothing I could do while I was trapped here. Even so, he could take care of himself. He had proven that when he created the entire diversion and kept me out of it.
A shaky breath escaped me as I pushed away from the shadows and marched back to the house. None of us had been permitted to explore the castle but we were allowed to be on the grounds, outside. I hadn’t bothered with trying to see what was out here on what seemed to be a hundred acres. I knew we were in the middle of nowhere. I had seen the massive winding drive that brought us to the compound out front that had to have been a servant housing at one point. I didn’t know how I had missed this massive building behind it.
I rolled my eyes to myself.
Magic, duh.
Of course, he wouldn’t want anyone to know the luxury he was living in, especially with the way we had been living. I couldn’t imagine his followers being thrilled that he was living in a castle that could house all of them, but kept them on a leash in hell. I wondered what they thought of him now. Or was he wining and dining them so well that they no longer cared? I sighed. I had no business walking around the grounds or trying to make friends again. We were being watched closer than we had been before. I had no doubt that my tears would be reported back to Damian. He was looking for weakness and his men would find it.
Making friends only meant more heartache in a place like this. I couldn’t watch any more people burn for me or Damian. I would stay far away from them if it meant keeping them safe. Especially Lucas. He got joy from exploring the grounds and hiking each day with a supervisor nearby but I couldn’t stomach it. I couldn’t handle the thought of enjoying anything here. All Damian would do was exploit it.
Lucas’s smile flashed through my thoughts. Pain seared my chest. I knew the time would come when Damian would use him against me. I was just too damn selfish to do anything to prevent that heartache. I couldn’t give up Lucas even if I wanted to and that was what scared me the most.
