Page 27 of Kept

They both stare at me, mouths slightly agape, and I shift on my feet. “What?” I ask, a little defensively.

“A real-life fucking princess,” Ryder mutters. “I’ll be damned.”

Before I can delve into that little tidbit, he moves on, wandering around the apartment as he calls back to me. “You said you wanted us to take you with us. Is that what you want, or do you want to be free? Two options, princess. Pick.”

“I—,” I stop. He’s right. Those are two very different things.

Enzo is still close, still watching me. His presence feels all consuming, his eyes a brand. Like the world around us could be on fire, and he still wouldn’t take his eyes from me.

“Choose carefully, little prey,” he murmurs, without looking away.

It’s a little disconcerting. And that’s the only reason I give myself as I press my hands to my cheeks and head to the kitchen for a glass of water. He watches me silently as I drink, his eyes tracking the way my throat flexes. I hold up the glass. “You want some?”

I meant a new glass, but I gulp as his hand wraps around my hold, lips pressing over the exact same place as mine as he steals the last of my water.

Ryder breaks the weird standoff, appearing on the other side of the counter. “So?” he asks cheerfully. “Which is it, princess?”

I wet my lips. “I wouldn’t know where to start on my own. So, I guess I’m asking… to stay with you.”

He laughs, but there’s a definite edge to it that I can’t work out. “You always ask to stay with random strangers?”

I shrug, a little embarrassed. “No. But you’re the first people I’ve ever met.”

“Apart from Ethan Moore.” I jump at the sound of Enzo’s voice. “He keeps you here.”

Carefully, I nod. I don’t want to get Ethan in trouble. I just want to leave. And now it might actually be possible, my heart is pounding inside my chest, so loud in my eardrums I wonder if they might be able to hear it.

“That doesn’t matter. He thinks it’s for the right reasons. But I need to get out of here.”

“It matters,” Ryder mutters. His eyes slide to the shackle. “Right reasons, huh?”

I glance down, chewing at my lip. “We had a disagreement.”

It feels like more has happened today than in my entire life. My windows, Ethan, the iron around my ankle… and now this.

A frisson skitters down my spine, but I steel myself to look them both in the eyes. “So can we leave now?”

Please. Before I lose my nerve.

It’s Enzo who steps towards me. Standing my ground, I stay still as he moves closer, until his breath is warm against my lips as he looks down at me, our bodies almost brushing.

“You’re giving yourself over to strangers,” he says, almost wonderingly. “Just like that.”

Doubt creeps into the back of my mind, but I swallow it down.

A chance. This is achance. I might never get another one.

And as I said to Ethan… a life in a cage is no life at all.

Holding his eyes, I dip my head into a nod. “You won’t chop me into little pieces or anything, right?”

My voice jumps at the end, and his face remains expressionless. “A little late to be worrying about that, don’t you think?”

My audible swallow feels a little like surrender. “I could change my mind.”

Enzo smiles, and it’s ice cold. “Could you?”

Ryder interjects, nudging himself between us. “Okay, let’s try to dial down the psychopath vibes for a minute. Pack your shit, princess. Time to get out of your tower.”

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