Page 57 of Taming Liberty

Fluid in my lungs feels like it freezes, making it impossible to take a complete breath.

What if he doesn’t come back?

My head spins, and I get the urge to run or hide or hold onto his ankles orsomethingto stop this. I thought I wanted to go back to the manor to be closer to Naomi, but honestly, I don’t know that I’ve ever felt this much terror.

I can’t go back to that. I can’t be there without him. I barely survived the manor the first time, and now with Jasper around, running things in Sawyer’s absence…

Fuck no.

Angel walks back into the bedroom, fully dressed and adjusting the watch on his wrist. When he’s finished, he grabs the handle of his suitcase.

“Angel,please,” I barely get out.

He must hear the panic in my voice because he pauses. When he looks at me, his face pinches with concern, but he doesn’t speak.

My hands shake, and my knees threaten to buckle, but I don’t move to sit down.

He lets go of the suitcase and walks to me before brushing my hair over my shoulder and gently grasping both of my arms. “You’re going to befine,” he tries to assure me. “I promise you. You’ll have plenty of time with Naomi while I’m gone, and I’ll be back before you know it.”

I shake my head. “No.”

He sighs and lets his hands slip from my shoulders. “Please don’t make this harder than it has to be.”

“You promised you would never let anyone hurt me,” I croak. “If you make me go to the manor, that’s exactly what will happen.”

“No, it won’t.”

“Yes, it will.”

His brow knits, and he just stares at me. I don’t know if it’s me wearing him down or if it’s the news he got.

“I-I lied to you,” I say, desperation overtaking my sanity. I can feel myself about to make a horrible mistake, but the words barrel out of me anyway. “I was planning on trying to escape again. Naomi, she…” I falter, shrinking back when his eyes blaze with fiery anger. “She feels like she’s in danger, so she probably wants to try too. If you leave me here, I swear to God, I will get as many women as I can and kill every fucking guest and guard possible. I will create mayhem at the manor, and—”

“Stop it,” Angel snaps, grasping my arms and jerking me toward him. “Do notsay stupid shit like that unless you want to spend the next several weeks locked in the cellar. Do you remember what that was like?”

I flinch at his sharp tone, and it’s like I’m living those days all over again. He was my only ray of hope in that place. This time, I won’t even have him.

“I can’t do this anymore,” I say, closing my eyes and shaking my head. “I fucking can’t.” My hand covers my mouth in a desperate attempt to try and stop myself from spewing more stupid words I’m not sure I mean, but it doesn’t work. “Just fucking kill me.”

“What?” Angel yanks away from me like I’ve burned him.

I open my eyes and look at him. “You're the only thing here that makes this place bearable, and even then, I hate it. If you’re just going to leave me here, I’d rather you fucking killed me.”

He takes another step back and looks away from me. A few moments pass with my panicked breathing the only sound in the room. “Do you mean that?”

I jump at his firm tone and look down at the carpet.

Do I mean it?

No. No, I don’t.Of courseI don’t.

But I did mean the part about trying to escape again. I can lay low if I’m at Angel’s. I can try to chill out and pretend I’m going to be able to accept this life, but being stuck at the manor without him… I don’t know what I’d be willing to do, especially with Naomi ready to put a plan in motion. Which we’re nowhere close to ready for.

“Yes.” My blood runs cold at my lie.

He wouldn’t seriously kill me…

Would he?

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