Twisted - Esme Devlin Page 0,28

a thought hits me. “Baron?” I shout after him.

He stops, holding the door open while he looks back and lets out an amused laugh. “You called, dear?”

I swallow, just as nervous as I always am when he stares at me. “Do you have pills here?”

Baron takes a step into the room and lets the door slide closed behind him. He says nothing, just stares at me while his head tilts to the side.

His breathing is slow and controlled, but something isn’t right. His hand is clenched tightly in a fist. The hairs stand up on the back of my neck as I wonder what I could have possibly done to anger or upset him.

Maybe he can’t afford all the pills that Maxim could? Maybe by bringing it up I’ve offended him?

“Pills?” He says the word as though it sickens him.

He begins walking toward me, his steps slow and calculating. Instinctively, I take a step back. Every time he moves, I move too, matching each one of his with another of my own.

Baron laughs, as if this game I’ve unintentionally created is amusing to him. “Pills?”

This time he demands an answer, and I nod. He moves quickly, too quick for me to back away in time. Hands come around my neck, and he slams me hard against the wall. My vision clouds with stars as I cry out.

“Fucking pills? Oh no, my sweet girl. You are mistaken. We don’t do that shit here.”

“Baron!” I try to choke more words out but they get lost in his heavy breaths.

“What the fuck did they have you addicted to?”

“Nothing,” I cry.

He pulls me toward him only to slam me back again. “Do not fucking lie to me.”

I cry out again, terrified. “Baron, please.”

“Don’t fucking beg, either. I need to be in a certain mood for that, and I assure you now is not the time. Answer the damn question. Sapphire, before I do something we both regret.”

“Vitamins!” I cry out. “Vitamins. Supplements. Medicine that stops you from catching the curse!”

He freezes. Just a moment, but in that moment my heart stops beating. Then his chest moves. He’s laughing. “Fuck.”

Baron drops me like I’m burning him, and I almost stumble as he puts a few steps between us. “Fuck,” he repeats, laughing again. “My poor, innocent, naive little girl. Is that what Maxim told you?”

My hands are on my throat trying to rub away the ache his fingers left, but I manage a small nod.

He shakes his head. “A lie to ensure you never leave him, no doubt. There is no cure. No prevention. Only luck.”

This time when he walks to the door, he doesn’t look back.

“You have twenty minutes.”

I spend the first quarter of the allotted time completely unable to do anything useful. Instead, I just sit there and try to stop my hands from shaking.

Then I realize my makeup usually takes an hour, and I only have twenty minutes. It would be stupid to provoke him any more than I have already.

Not yet. Not until I find my bearings.

I find the bathroom and wash as much of myself as possible, then I set about trying to make myself look presentable. The makeup isn’t exactly up to carnival standards, but it’s not horrible, either.

The clothes he set out for me consist of black stockings and a long-sleeved black dress. Between them both, the only parts of my body on show and flesh-colored are my hands. No shoes.

Feeling certain I’ve taken longer than twenty minutes, I don’t hesitate before slipping out of the door. Across the corridor, there are two doors, and I don’t know which one is the correct one.

I feel hands on my shoulders, and my back connects with a hard chest as I’m yanked off my feet.

“We really must get you a watch,” he says, his voice low and full of danger. “Or perhaps one of those timers with the sand. We can think of delightful ways to punish your tardiness. Would you enjoy that?”

“No,” I whisper.

“Oh, I think I would,” he says, spinning me around and pushing me back against the wall. He pauses for a long moment while he stares down at me, and I get the feeling he is inspecting my makeup.

“Listen carefully. We are going to a show tonight. You will listen to my every order. You can either sit on my knee and act like you want to be there, or I’ll put you in a collar and have you sit at my feet. I assure you