Page 5 of Kael

Something about that felt worse.

Like death had a soft spot for me.

But in the end, it was still death.

He fucking terrified me.

And the sick part was… before what happened in that warehouse, I’d almost started feeling safe around him. Kael had helped me before. Fed me. Sat beside me when I shook so hard I thought my bones would crack. He remembered little things about me—the drinks I liked. He made sure I ate and even had clean needles.

But I could never fully relax around him. Never fully breathe.

Not when I knew what he really was.

And definitely not now.

Not after waking up cuffed.

He stopped at the foot of the bed. He was wearing a black shirt with the sleeves rolled up, exposing the fresh scratches I’d left on his forearm.

“Good morning, Bunny.”

His voice was low, almost soothing. He set the tray on the small table—oatmeal, sliced fruit, water, and pills that probably weren’t for fun. He pulled the armchair closer and sat down, watching me with those dark eyes that seemed to see every shaky breath I took.

I pressed myself back against the headboard as far as the cuffs would let me. “Let me go. Please, Kael. I didn’t mean—I wasn’t trying to—”

“You were. You were trying to steal from me.” He said it so simply, like it was just weather. No shouting. No rage. Just fact. “I saw you on the cameras. You brought them in. Don’t lie to me, Bria.”

He picked up a tablet from the nightstand, tapped it a few times, and turned the screen toward me. My stomach dropped as the grainy footage played.

Tears burned hot behind my eyes. “They said they just wanted to steal something small. I thought if I helped them once, they’d leave me alone. I didn’t want to give them any reason to turn on me. Darius still has people looking for me and—”

The second his name left my mouth, Kael’s jaw tightened. He set the tablet aside and leaned forward, elbows on his knees. Close enough that I could smell the faint copper and gun oil still clinging to him underneath the fresh soap.

“Darius is exactly why you’re here,” he murmured. “Don’t say his name again.”

I could hear the jealousy in his voice. I knew what men like him and Darius did when they were jealous. I braced myself, waiting for the monster in him to show— for a slap, for his fist, for him to climb onto the bed, rip the clean shirt off me, and take what men like him always took. My mind spun with it until I was visibly trembling.

His hand moved toward me.

I jerked backward, the metal chains snapping taut as a shriek tore from my throat. I pressed myself as flat as I could against the headboard, every muscle trembling so hard my teeth chattered.

“Please,” I sobbed, voice cracking. “Kael, please… please don’t hurt me.”

Instead of hurting me, he reached out and brushed a strand of damp hair from my forehead. His touch was feather-light, sickeningly soft against my clammy skin.

“Don’t look at me like that, like you’re scared I’m going to take what you’re not willing to give. I’m not going to hurt you like that,” he said quietly. “Never have. Never will. You’re shaking like a leaf in a storm, thinking I brought you here to break you. But I’m going to help fix you, Little Rabbit.”

My eyes widened. “What do you mean?”

He moved slowly, pulling the key from his pocket.

He unlocked the cuffs.

I rubbed my wrists, eyes darting toward the heavy door, feeling like a trapped animal. I wondered how far I could get if I ran. Would I even make it to the door? My eyes cut back to him. His face was neutral. He didn’t stop me from sitting up, but he watched me like he was reading my thoughts.

“I talked to your parents last night,” he continued, picking up the bowl of oatmeal and holding out a spoon. I didn’t take it. He just waited, patient as death. “Drove by their house before you woke. Told them everything. They’re exhausted, Bria. Years of you like this have nearly broken them. They agreed to let me keep you until you’re clean.”

The words hit like a slap. My own parents gave me to him—was that what he was saying? “They… what? Liar. You’re lying.” He had to be lying.