Page 101 of Forbidden Fate

I can tell the difference now.

I can tell when he’s shutting down because something hurts. I can tell when he’s forcing himself to stay calm. I can tell when he’s trying not to reach for me. I can tell when he wants something and hates himself for wanting it. That one’s especially easy, because I feel it too.

I tear my gaze away and look toward the window. Outside, morning continues as if everything is normal.

“This is different,” I whisper.

Cruz goes still. “What?”

I didn’t mean to say it aloud. “Nothing.”

“It didn’t sound like nothing.”

“Well, it was.”

He doesn’t push.

That makes it worse.

If he pushed, I could snap at him. If he demanded answers, I could get irritated. Instead he’s patient.

So different.

So different from Ştefan.

Weeks have gone by.

At the beginning, my fear was sharp. Every footstep could have meant death. Every locked door felt so final.

Now?

I’m still scared shitless, but the fear is quieter.

I mean, I’m still alive, so that’s a thing.

The house is somewhere remote. I know that much. Not a castle, despite every stupid vampire joke people make about Transylvania back home. It’s a farmhouse or a hunting lodge or some half-abandoned property tucked far enough away that screams don’t matter.

Men come and go.

Boots in the hall.

Cigarette smoke.

Vodka.

Arguments.

Laughter that makes my skin crawl.

The other girls have turned on me. They hate that I won’t give a name for ransom. They don’t believe that I have no one. Denisa refuses to even translate for me anymore.

Maybe if I had given them my name on the first day, my brothers would have paid whatever these men wanted and we all would have gone home sooner.

Or maybe the ransom would have made us more valuable.

Maybe it would have painted targets on everyone I love.

Maybe it would have told the kidnappers exactly which family had money, exactly which people to exploit.