Page 43 of Chained

The basement stairs loom ahead, and I dig my heels in, every muscle resisting even though I know it's useless. My heart is hammering so loud, I can feel it in my teeth.

"Please—" I hate the word the moment it leaves me. I hate how small it sounds echoing off the stone. "Please just tell me where you're taking me. Please."

Annabelle's sobs grow fainter with every step upward. I keep looking back until the door closes between us and her voice disappears entirely.

The silence after it is the worst sound I've ever heard.

The halls of the manor all mould into one, each turn connecting with another passageway, every door the same wood, the same shape. My eyes dart around, trying to remember each step I take just in case I ever get the chance to flee through them. It's unlikely, maybe even a pipe dream, but still, I try to remember. Staff worm their way through, their eyes never looking up from the ground as they pass us. I wonder if this is normal to them. To see women being dragged, to hear their screams, their sobs. Maybe that's why their eyes stay fixed to the floor so much. I'd want to avoid attention, too. I glance at the guards who have me by both arms, their faces set and jaws tight. They don't speak, and neither do I.

What's the point? I've already begged to know where I'm going, despite the fact that somewhere deep inside, I already know.

We finally come to a stop outside a door—his office, I think. The walls are a little darker down this hallway, the carpet a little softer. One of the guards releases me and I sag with relief, my arm aching where his fingers had sunk into my skin. He taps twice on the wood with his knuckles, but no one answers. I don't know whether I should be relieved or terrified. Maybe I'm a bit of both.

He knocks again, louder this time. The guards exchange a look while we wait. I'd love to know what they're thinking, but their faces never change. A straight, blank expression while time slowly ticks by. I hear the shuffle inside, the sound of drawers closing.

Vincent.

I don't need to see him to know it's him. He's somehow crawled so deep inside my skin I feel the small zaps whenever he's close by. I swallow as footsteps approach the door, the handle twisting as it finally opens, confirming my worst fears.

"Amora." He breathes my name like it's a breath he's been desperately waiting for. I shiver at the sound, but I don't get a chance to reply, not that I would. The guards are already shoving me through the threshold, returning me to another cage. But this time, there's a beast trapped inside with me.

My fingers twist together as I stand in the centre of the room, my eyes flicking around from tank to floor—anywhere but him. His eyes never leave me; they burn into me like the sun at noon. I close my eyes at the thought. I long for the feel of the sun on my skin, to be sat on my balcony with Rosa, both with our magazines and wine like we do every summer. The memory hurts, but not as much as the idea that it'll never happen again.

He keeps his eyes on me, and it's draining. Like I'm being made to perform for him. Every movement he studies, every inch of bare skin he devours. Is this what he wants? For me to comply? Will my pretending be enough to convince him to let me go?

All I can do is try. "Hello, Vincent." My tone is as sweet as syrup despite the fear that shakes behind it. I'm not stupid, not by any means. I know what this could cost me. Trying to manipulate him is either the bravest thing I've ever done or the stupidest.

I can tell by the way he flinches at the softness in my voice that he's surprised by the way I greeted him. His face lights up like the Fourth of July, and all I can do is pray I'm making the right choice.

"You must have slept well." He lets out a small laugh before gesturing to the same leather seat I sat in the night before. I follow, slowly sitting down. My heart beats so loud I swear he'll hear it. He doesn't speak, the silence thick as my eyes drift to the tanks beside me.

"Fascinating, aren't they?" His voice is soft, his eyes following mine.

"They're beautiful." The words are honest. He likes that, his smile reaching his eyes as he shifts from the desk to the tank. Fingers slowly glide over the glass, causing the snakes to hiss in response.

"You keep surprising me. Every time."

"I don't mean to⁠—"

"That's the point, you never mean to. You don't even try. That day I saw you in the Art Museum covered in paint, hair a mess, you weren't trying to impress anyone. You were just being you." His eyes flick back to the snakes, a smile on his face. "Just like my pets. They never try to be anything they're not, either."

My breath snatches in my throat, his stare so intense I'm forced to look away. Relax. It's okay, I soothe myself, trying to keep composed. It's just another man. You don't need to be scared.

But it's not fear I feel. He doesn't stop drinking me in, his gaze unmoving. His eyes fan down my body and with every glance, I can feel myself getting hotter in response.

I hate it. I hate it more than him. More than Percy, more than Derek.

I hate that my body is responding to his eyes. Performing for him without my permission. I'm disgusting.

I need to distract myself, pull myself out of the spiral that's slowly swirling in my head. I spit out anything, the first thing that comes to mind just to stop feeling like this. The silence is so heavy, so thick with something in the air that I'll never name. I'll never accept, never admit. Never.

"Did you...did you plan this?" It's the first thing I can think of, but it doesn't work. It makes everything so much worse. He moves closer, crouching before me. I messed up. Oh God, I should have suffered in silence.

"Bringing you here? Not exactly." His hands move slowly to cover my own, thumb stroking against my skin. I want to pull away, to create distance, but I can't. I'm paralysed by his touch.

"Then why?" The words fall from my dry throat with a croak.

"It was always my intention to have you, Amora. From the moment I saw you, you were mine." He shifts, his face turning into a jealous scowl. "Unfortunately, it seemed I wasn't the only one captivated by you."