dead?
My hand covers my mouth to stop the squeal from spilling out.
It’s my fault. I made her run.
And as I get up, Eli doesn’t take his eyes off me. Not even as I stumble away from the table toward the door. Not even when his guards block my way, their arms folded, stance menacing.
Eli raises two fingers into the air and snaps them.
“Let her go,” he says, his voice guttural … almost like that of an animal. “I’ll catch her soon enough.”
Chapter 27
Eli
When she gets up and flees the room, I let her go.
She’ll be allowed to dwell on her thoughts. But not for long.
I intend to follow suit, the beast inside me getting hungrier by the second. I admit, I enjoy the hunt more than I should, but it’s a weakness of mine. So I take one more bite, pat down my mouth with a napkin, and get up to pursue her. My guards immediately step aside for me. They know not to meddle in my affairs, even if I break the rules. I can change them how I see fit.
As I leave the dining room, Amelia has already rushed to the top of the stairs. She pauses near the banister to take a peek over her shoulder. When our eyes lock, it’s as if the world ceases to exist, and all that’s left is her and me.
“You can run, Amelia …” I say as I slowly go up the stairs while she storms toward her room. “But I will always win.”
With a devious smile on my face, I fish the key to her room from my pocket and swirl it around my finger until I get to her door. When I open it, she’s in the corner, busy with something behind a curtain.
As I close the door behind me, she jolts up in shock and backs away against whatever she was doing there. I wonder what else she hasn’t told me. Because I sure do wonder how she ever managed to escape and take Anna with her.
She grows rigid as I approach, her body tense while she leans against the table. But her eyes are skittish, searching for something, anything. I warn her with a deadly look, and our eyes connect in fury. The flames can almost be felt from across the room.
In a split second, she rushes at me and tries to slap me, but I quickly grasp her wrist just before her palm hits my skin. I’m far stronger than she is, and I’ve easily bent her to my will, forcing her hands down. We’re right up in each other’s faces, the look in her eyes so vivid and clear that it excites me. Because she has rarely ever looked at me like that before.
Like … she actually thought of killing me for the first time.
Magnificent.
“You can’t win this fight, Amelia,” I say as she struggles. “Give up.”
She pouts, tears welling up in her beautifully enraged eyes, the look so pretty that I could just swipe her off her feet and fuck her right here, right now.
“What did you do to her?” she asks.
“She’s not well, so she’s being taken care of.”
She scoffs. “That’s a lie. She’s dead, isn’t she?”
I wonder how she came to that conclusion. Is it because of the breakfast I wanted to share with her? I’m surprised she managed to figure out that Tobias, Soren, and I have it with each of our guests. I suppose it was only a matter of time, especially with her talking to the others. Still, I’m amazed at her wit.
I smile, tilting my head down. “Is that what you fear the most? Death of your friends? Or the death of you?”
She resists me again, trying to free herself even though she knows it’s no use. She’s never been this combative, and I’d be lying if I said it didn’t make me as hard as a rock.
“Stop fighting. Anna is safe. And once she’s healed, she will be free,” I say, my brows to show I’m serious.
“Free?” she growls, throwing me a look.
“When she allowed Tobias to take control, to punish her for what she did, she freed herself from the burden of shame,” I answer.
Amelia breathes in and out slowly. “And I’m supposed to believe you?”
“Yes. It’s the truth.”
She rolls her eyes in a way that makes me want to bend her over my lap and spank her. “That’s easy for you to say. You make the rules.”
“And I also abide by them. Which is why