Read Online Willing Captive by Belle Aurora - Free Book Online Page B

out is, “Errr my
gerrrd.”
My attempt at begging the Lord for
mercy makes me sound like a drunken sophomore.
    My head snaps up
when I hear Nox laugh through his nose. Still typing and not
bothering to look up at me, he says, “Serves you right. You’re so
dehydrated, you’re lucky you didn’t have a muscle meltdown. Boo was
this close to putting you on a drip. I talked her out of it.”
Finally looking up at me, he smirks and says way too loudly,
“Welcome back to the land of the living.”
    Each word he says
pierces my eardrums and my stomach recoils. Cringing, I cover my
eyes with a hand and mumble, “What happened?”
    A chair scraping is
followed by thudding footsteps over to the bed. Peeking through my
fingers, I suddenly wish I’d never looked.
    Nox is pissed.
    With his jaw set, a
vein in his temple pulses. And I know what’s coming. He almost
yells, “What the hell did you think would happen, Lily? You haven’t
eaten a damn thing in days! You’re underweight and dehydrated.”
Looking down at the floor, he sighs and shakes his head before
looking back at me. His eyes soften and he admits, “I fucked up. I
know it. You know it. My team knows it.” Leaning closer to me, he
goes on, “Don’t hold onto it. Let it go. You got pissed at me. We
exchanged words. It’s over. Starting fresh. Right now.”
    It all comes
back.
    The escape incident.
The depression. The fight. The embarrassing fainting episode.
    We don’t speak. I
take a moment to search my captor. He looks haggard. Exhausted.
Worn. Just plain tired.
    Who can blame him?
He’s been watching your sorry ass for three nights. When’s the last
time he got some sleep?
    When is the last
time he got some sleep? I hadn’t thought about how my actions had
affected him.
    If only I could
trust him.
    “ What if I can prove you can trust me? Would you do what
you’re told?”
    I hadn’t realized
I’d spoken aloud. My cheeks flush, but hope blooms in the very
center of me. Nodding quickly, my lips part and I mouth ‘yes’.
    Nox nods, turns, and
exits the room, leaving me to wonder if I’d just unknowingly made a
deal with the devil.

    Chapter Six Trust is like a mirror

    Lily

    Left on my own, I
look down at myself and squeak.
    Oh, dear God! Where
are my clothes?
    All I’m dressed in
is a pair of white cotton panties and a white, spaghetti strapped
tank. I gasp when I spy my clothes at the side of the bed,
including my bra.
    I’m going to kill
him!
    Standing on unsteady
legs, I stumble over to the bathroom and flick on the light.
    Holy shit. Nox
was right. My collarbone protrudes slightly. My is face drawn.
Lifting my tank a little, my ribs stick out sickly and my throat
tightens.
    I’m naturally thin,
tall and lanky. Now I just look ill.
    A cough at the
bathroom door jerks me out of my head and into the present. Nox
stands there, eyes fixed on my ribs. My neck flames and I shove my
tank down over my belly. Then I remember I’m fuming. How dare he
remove my clothes! Opening my mouth, I start, “You better have a
good reason-”
    My argument dies on
my lips as he holds out a hand. A shiny black object sits in his
palm.
    Suddenly frozen, all I can do is openly stare at the cell
phone. My head spins. Placing my shaking hands over my eyes, my
chest heaves with heavy breaths. Bending at the waist over the
bathroom sink, a large hand rubs my back gently.
    Nox asks, “You
okay?”
    Unable to speak, I
nod yes while my head screams no. He walks back out the door and I
hear him say, “Sorry, Ciaran, she’s not feeling too well. She had a
bad day. Maybe we’ll try again tomorrow.”
    Ciaran? As in my
dad, Ciaran?
    Energy magically
restored, I run out of the bathroom, almost sliding on the tiles.
Coming up behind Nox, I snatch the phone out of his hand and place
the cell to my ear. Voice shaking, I ask quietly, “Dad?”
    “ Delilah! Oh, my sweet girl. You’re okay?” His unsteady voice
matches mine shake for shake.
    That’s all it takes.
My heart