Chapter 5

LEAH

I immediately moved when I realized he wasn't on the couch. When the lights came on, I saw him sitting in that same corner, like a predator watching its prey. For some reason, I let out a sigh of relief when I should have been running for my life.

“What's wrong?” I asked, sitting on the ground where I had jumped to. He continued to look at me.

“You've been restless the entire night. Tell me something I don't know about you.” His voice was so calm that it seemed impossible it belonged to the same person who had been glaring at me earlier.

“There's nothing that I'm willing to share.” He looked at me carefully before walking up to me. Though I feared what he was about to do, I remained still.

“When I said I wanted to sleep with you, I didn't mean it in the vulgar way.” He picked me up from the floor, and the impact of his skin against mine sent a tingle down my spine.

I refused to speak, so I wouldn't make a fool of myself.

“Lay down and sleep quietly. Nothing is going to happen if you do that. You need rest, there’s a lot for you to do.”

“Why are you being so nice? You aren't meant to be nice.” I blurted out the question, raising my eyebrows at my audacity. “... Forget I asked that.”

He chuckled, and it sounded like music to my ears.

I wanted to hear it again. I craved to hear it again. But I took a deep breath as he stared down at me like I was a flower. Yet, I knew too well that I wouldn't even be as good-looking as the ugliest one.

“Good night.” He walked to the couch, and words swirled in my mind.

Why wasn’t he touching me? I knew my mind wasn't prepared, but it was almost unheard of. He was in the room with me without making a move. Perhaps he was just being pleasant, but what had I done to deserve this kindness?

“You think too much.”

I jumped but held on to the edge of the blanket tightly. He could sense my every emotion. Taking a deep breath, I let the dream world take over me.

******

I stumbled over a branch, breathing heavily. The rain poured down vigorously, mixing with my tears as they flowed with the current of the river.

I couldn't do this anymore.

I could hear the noise from afar and knew I needed to keep going. I ran as fast as I could, entirely ignoring my injured legs. Then, out of nowhere, my leg was yanked back, and my body slammed against the ground.

“There you are…"

His voice sent chills through my body, and I sobbed harder.

“You didn't think you could get away from me, did you?”

“Please, let go of me! I didn't do anything. I don't want anything from you. Please!”

My heartbeat increased by the second as those fiery gold eyes glared at me.

My very own undoing.

He looked too perfect to want my attention. I couldn't do this.

“Let go of me!” I cried bitterly, but he ignored me. In the blink of an eye, my body was slammed against a tree.

“You are mine and no one else's. Do not try to escape, you have nowhere to go.”

His grip slowly tightened around my neck, but he didn’t stop.

Tears filled my eyes again, but he wasn't stopping.

I kicked my legs, but everything slowly blurred. My body suddenly felt light, and at that moment, I didn't see Dante anymore.

It was him.

The man I had run from all my life.

And he was smiling.

A loud slam against the door jolted me from the bed. The room was empty. I released a breath of relief.

I hated being around him, but what in the world was that noise?

Tears rolled down my cheeks as the memory flooded my mind.

No, no, no.

This couldn't be happening.

He should be dead.

He had to be dead.

He couldn't possibly be,

Hands brushed against my waist, and a scream ripped from the back of my throat.

“Please…"

I turned to see Dante sitting there, looking so concerned.

Taking a deep breath, I tried to steady myself.

“Come, let's go for breakfast.”

I wiped the tears from my face.

“I… I want to wash up.”

“I'll wait.”

I rushed into the bathroom, taking a deep breath. This was not okay. Not in any way.

Pulling the shirt off my head, I sat under the shower and scrubbed my arms while tears streamed down my face. It was just a single stain, but I could see the blood on my hands. It refused to go away.

He was long dead, I should be happy.

But he appeared in every nightmare, like he wanted to take me along with him.

I couldn't let him.

I scrubbed vigorously, but it wouldn't come off.

“Leah…"

I heard a voice whisper, and I smiled a little.

“Just a minute. I just need to get this off. There's… there's so much blood…" Tears poured out as I scrubbed harder and harder.

“Leah!”

My body froze in time. I was turned away from the wall and forced to look at him.

“There's nothing there.”

I looked down at my arms.

He was right.

“... Come here.”

My body trembled as he picked me up from the shower and put his shirt on me again.

“You can have breakfast up here.”

I shook my head.

“I don’t want to,” I whispered into his chest as he held me tightly, like I weighed nothing.

He went silent and took me outside.

I could feel glares being thrown my way, but I didn't look up from his chest. His scent was so comforting.

I wondered if he had a mate I should know about, but I couldn’t bring myself to ask.

I might anger him.

He placed me in my chair and sat next to me while the maids served the food.

“And that is my sister, Kiara.”

I raised an eyebrow and looked in the direction of his gaze.

A young, beautiful woman walked downstairs, radiating excitement like she could ignite an entire kingdom. She threw her arms around me out of nowhere.

“I'm offended that you didn't talk about me sooner!”

“I really don’t care about your existence until I eventually see you again. Deal with it, Kiara. I really don't care.”

I frowned at him.

“You aren’t meant to speak to her that way.”

He looked at me. So did everyone else, as if they were shocked that I had spoken.

“I like her already,” Kiara said.

Dante chuckled lightly. I wanted to listen to that for the rest of my life.

“Sit and eat your food, Kiara.”

“Yes, sir.”

The atmosphere between the siblings was comforting.

For once in my life, I didn’t want to leave.

It felt like home.

Like my parents were still here.

“Leah?”

I blinked away my tears and looked at Dante. He looked concerned but hid it well.

“Yes, sorry, I didn’t catch what you said.”

“Tell me about your past.”

My heart dropped.

I never spoke about my past to anyone.

“My parents were murdered a long time ago. I was in an abusive relationship. My mother-in-law, for some unknown reason, hated me. And that’s pretty much it.”

He looked at me like I was crazy but remained silent. Kiara cleared her throat.

“How about a walk with your sister-in-law?”

She smiled, but there was something eerie about it.

Dante said nothing, so I chose to follow her.

“Alright.”

She clasped her hands behind her back like a teacher, making my heartbeat quicken.

“No one has ever spoken to my brother so casually. And you married him just yesterday, right?”

“Yes. I'm sorry if,”

“Don't be sorry for being you. I'm glad he married someone he wouldn’t lay a finger on.”

“What do you mean?”

She paused, looking at me.

“You don’t know, do you?”

My fingers fidgeted as I looked at her for an answer.

“You’re his eleventh wife.”

I froze.

“Why aren’t they here?”

“They’re dead.”

A chill ran down my spine. Thoughts filled my mind as I began to question myself and everything else, I had gotten myself into this marriage without thinking about it, and I was his eleventh wife?

She was

“Eleventh wife?”

His expression darkened.

“What happened to them?”

“You don’t want to know.”