Page 64 of Where He Ended
- Chapter 24 -
Dominic
I'm locked in a prisonof my own making. I've chosen to trap myself with wicked demons masquerading as humans - people who would destroy the last bit of light in my world. But if they're in here with me, they aren't outthere,putting Laiken or her sister in danger. I'll suffer endlessly just for that.
Three days have passed since Laiken escaped. I've barely slept, constantly concerned that my mother or father will slip off the estate and do something. I'm not even sure what. And when I realize they don't need to leave, that they can simply send someone for them, I begin hovering around them to listen in on their phone calls.
I follow my father to his business downtown.
I get as close to my mother as she'll allow.
Both of them tolerate me, but I think they know what's on my mind. Neither of them brings it up. It's like they want to forget Laiken and Kara ever existed. I'm fine with them doing that, even if it's an impossible task for me.
Walking through the quiet hallways of the estate, I find myself drawn to Laiken's bedroom. The first night after she left, I came here in the late hours, opening her door and peering inside, like I had to check that she hadn't reappeared.
I pull up short when I see her door is half open - someone's inside. Gripping the handle, I throw it open, startling a maid with a vacuum cleaner. “Sir!” she gasps, backing into the bedframe. “You scared me, I—”
“What are you doing in here?” I ask, my tone brisk. My eyes fly over the room, noting every tiny change—the blankets have been removed, they sit in a basket on the floor. The scent of lemons burns my nose.
“I was cleaning,” she says, still gawking at me.
“Why?”
“Sorry, I don't understand the question . . . it's my job, Sir.”
No. No, this is all wrong. I thought I was prepared for Laiken to leave this place, but to see her being erased before my very eyes is too much. “Get out,” I whisper.
She looks like she might argue until she glances at my shaking hands. She drops the vacuum cleaner and bolts out into the hallway. I'm alone in the room Laiken has slept in for the past six years.
I close the door on reflex. Once it's shut, I stare at my hand pressed against the wood. “Why did I close myself in her room?”I wonder. But deep down, I know the reason. I want to be alone in this personal space of hers.
The first place I wander towards is the bathroom. Leaning in the doorway, I remember the night I stormed in here, ready to pry every bit of information from her that I could. My fingers dig into the doorframe.She stood right there and challenged me.I think, if Laiken had grown up to become a fragile shell of the girl I knew, I could have resisted her.
If she'd been weak, I wouldn't have been drawn to test her.
If she'd been selfish, I wouldn't have admired her determination to protect her father.
Instead, as she'd sat on the toilet seat, facing away from me, she'd enticed me with her solid backbone. She'd become someone I could admire. And then, when I'd planned to fuck with her head, make her believe I was going to hurt her, she'd placed her claim on me without even trying.
I clench my hand into a fist as I remember how soft her hair was between my fingers that night. It was the second time I'd ever touched it. The first had been when I'd snatched her braid to keep her from escaping.
This . . . this was different.
Hovering behind her slim neck, playing my nails through her thick hair, I'd almost forgotten why I was here. I was supposed to be pulling info from her, and instead, she was forcing me to face the part of me that was burning with desire.
I don't remember walking toward her bed, but I'm there. Gliding my palms over her blankets, I lean close and inhale. This whole place smells like her, but here, it's so intense that my eyes flutter.
I stretch out on the mattress, my head resting on her pillows. The blankets hug me as my weight settles in. This place is all I have left of her. It's more than a memory, less than something you can grasp. It's perfect for someone as broken as me. Ghosts are all I deserve.
She slept here,I think, turning my cheek to the pillow. It's silky on my skin, my beard scraping on the fabric so hard I feel the vibrations in my head.Did she ever dream of me?
I want to imagine she did. Especially after I took her virginity in the rain. My own thoughts had been clouded by that encounter not just as I slept, but also while I was awake. I remember how the air had tasted like lightning. Laiken had tasted better—like sweet sugar and something magical.
And the way she'd moaned my name . . .
As my legs flex, my back arching while her smell floods my nose, I know full well what I'm about to do.
I'm a man who's lost everything he cares for. I've given up so much.
