Chapter 23
“He isn’t a bad man, Madame. A man isn’t born bad. It is his memories and trauma that make him who he is. And from what I’ve known of him in these past 30 years, Mr, Clarke has a lot of both”, she finishes, leaving me aghast.
“Please return to your room, Miss Dawson”, she requests, moving away from me. I nod, even though she’d already left.
Shaking my head, I try not to mull over what she said too much. I already had enough to think about.
For now, I decided to obey her. I needed to prove to her that I had absolutely no intention of escaping. It was the only way to catch her off guard and that was necessary in order for my escape plan to work.
As I climb back up the stairs, I can’t help but wonder why in the hell hadn’t Azriel shown up to see me? Had he kidnapped me just for the sake of keeping me locked up here? That couldn’t possibly be true.
But then why wasn’t he here?
Turning the knob, I enter my room. Sliding in between the covers of the inhumanly soft bed, I decide getting some sleep would be best. I needed to be completely rested for I would need all the energy I had later.
Azriel couldn’t possibly be feeling bad for kidnapping me, could he?
‘Of course he wouldn’t. He’s a cold, murderous bastard.’ My subconscious sneers at my wayward thoughts. And for once, I agree with her. He was cold….. cold as an iceberg. Sympathy was the last thing I expected from him.
****
I’d always been a light sleeper. I used to think that it was a weakness. Little did I know that it was actually a strength.
I hear the door creak open but I don’t make a move to get up. I wanted to see if he would wake me up or would he just walk out?
Trying to keep my breathing normal, I stay absolutely still.
The reason I knew it was him without actually seeing him was because he was the only one whose dominance could be felt in a room as soon as he stepped in. And no one else’s aura could be as cold and silent as his.
Heavy steps made their way to the bed I was pretending to sleep in as I heard the door close shut.
I don’t dare to open my eyes, afraid that he’ll catch me in the act.
I hear him chuckle. Making confusion overtake my features. What the hell was so funny?
“I know you’re awake, Claire”, he deadpans, his deep, dark voice reverberating in the room, making my heart beat out of my chest. I feel the bed sink under his weight as he sits down next to where I was sleeping, making my breathing elevate to an extent where my lungs were starting to give up on me.
I try to keep still but that was getting extremely difficult because of him.
His hand was suddenly on my face, stroking my cheekbone as he moved down to stroke my jaw. I flinched away from him, my eyes opening wide open in the process. I gulp as I take him in. I’d forgotten how huge and tall he was. I sat up with the covers still covering half of my body as I tried to remain as far away from him as I could.
He towered over me even now as we were sitting on the bed.
Azriel’s POV
Defiance was clear in her eyes. Sharp and clear.
There was no fear on her face. It was pure, fierce anger!
I couldn’t help but grin in satisfaction.
It would be much fun to bring her down to her knees if she was resistant.
I knew she would break at one point. And I couldn’t wait for the moment when I wiped her defiance right off her fierce eyes and she surrendered to me completely and accepted her fate.
I was done being the nice man. It was all pretense. I knew it wouldn’t be long before my inner beast took over like he always did.
And that thing which had been keeping me from ruining her had snapped! I had no conscience or guilt whatsoever. All I knew was that I needed to own her. She was f*****g mine.
“Tell me Claire, are you afraid now?”, I ask her in mock amusement. Her brows shoot up in annoyance as her lips puckered.
“Why am I here?” She asks me, ignoring my question.
“Because you’re mine”, I simply tell her, grinning an evil grin as I see exasperation flash across her eyes. That was good! That was very good.
I’d f****d many girls before. The name Clarke was uttered in hushed whispers in many b**m clubs which I occasionally visited to fulfill my s****l needs. But those girls there were just a one-time thing! I’d never slept with any woman more than once for none of them managed to capture my attention for more than one night.
But her….. she was just different. Even now, instead of being afraid, she had a curious look on her face as if she was trying to read my mind.
“I’m not yours”, she shoots back, her hands clenching around the covers at her waist.
She shivers when I move in closer to her, placing a hand by each of her sides, caging her in.
“You can’t just keep me locked up here”, she indignantly says, her breathing accelerated as her cheeks heat up…. from anger or l**t, I couldn’t tell.
“I can and I am”, I tell her.