Chapter 20: The Mine

KADE

From his desk, Kade watched his Unfortunate sleep soundly on his lounge, wrapped in nothing but a red towel. Her unconscious frown stirred feelings Kade hadn't felt in a long time. Sympathy. Longing. He had a desire for her that didn't begin and end with sex, which terrified him. He knew what could happen if he let his emotions get the best of him. His sketchy past was why he didn't want an Unfortunate in the first place. He could play cold and callous all day, every day, but when it came down to physically abusing someone who didn't deserve it, someone whose only crime was being born, the thought made him sick.

Worst of all, his Unfortunate reminded him of his mother. She brought back painful memories. Memories that tortured his soul. She forced him to acknowledge the little boy his mother built on a foundation of kindness, compassion, and justice. It was a foundation his father tore down in violence. Kade was rehabilitated. He thought he was better. He turned his back on his mo