still reproachful.
She nudged her head barely an inch to see him and instantly brought
her hand to her forehead, a cry of pain escaping her lips. “Don’t move.” He slowly
put the computer down on the table, throwing her another look before he disappeared.
He returned with a glass of water and two pills, which he offered her, crouching on
the floor by her side. “Take this.”
“What is it?” she whispered apprehensively.
“Cyanide.”
Her eyes instantly shot up to meet his.
He rolled his eyes, smiling. “It’s aspirin, Laura.”
She hesitated for a second, then reached her hand out. He watched
her swallow her pills, like a parent would to a rebellious child. Satisfied, he
disappeared again. He came back a few minutes later with a hot bowl of soup and some
crackers.
“Eat this, it’ll help.”
She pulled herself up, resting on her elbows, eyeing the platter in
front of her suspiciously. She knew she was famished but had no appetite, and a part
of her didn’t want to eat simply because he had said to.
“If you want to defy me, Laura, at least make it worth your while,”
he said as if reading her mind, while he stood over her with his arms crossed
casually, an amused smile on his face. Then in a commanding tone, he added,
“Eat.”
Begrudgingly, she brought herself to a sitting position and obeyed.
It did make her feel better, the headache faded, and her strength returned slowly.
When she was almost done, he returned to claimhis seat. With a
veiled expression, looking in her eyes, he softly said, “Good girl.”
Her stomach turned at the words, at the way they were said, and she
blushed. Never once, since that night at the club, had she thought of him as
anything but a monster, but he was also a man, she would do well to remember. Very much a man . She could feel his predatory eyes linger on her body,
and she shifted in her seat uncomfortably. He went back to his laptop and didn’t
even look in her direction after that. She remained seated, quiet, too afraid to
remind him of her presence, desperate to get back to her room, wondering if that was
even an option.
At last, she cleared her throat, her voice tentative. “May I… Would
it… be okay… if I go back to my room?”
He stopped typing to look at her. “I understand you don’t leave
your room in the day?”
She didn’t answer.
He sighed. “Have Olga give you the tour tomorrow, okay?”
“Yes… sir.” The word just slipped past her lips. She wasn’t sure
why she called him that, but calling him by his name felt even weirder. Master
Kayne wasn’t even an option.
He lifted his brow, his expression slightly surprised, however
pleased. He stared at her pensively then nodded. “Good night, Laura.”
Day-4
L
aura lay awake for a long time in her bed,
tossing and turning, his face imprinted on her mind. She had the weirdest nightmare.
She was running desperately in a labyrinth made of stone, and the Secret
Service-looking men were hunting her down. She was carrying a torch, running
randomly down unknown paths until she turned into a dead end. He was already there,
as if expecting her, dressed in black and looking strikingly devilish. He smiled
seductively at her and crooked his finger, beckoning her to come to him. She wanted
to turn back; she stumbled backward before noticing the security men had caught on
and blocked the way behind her. Her eyes rounded, realizing too late she was already
walking to meet him, slowly but surely, as if hypnotized. He pulled an arm out to
her and brought her to him, enveloping her with his whole body. She leaned into him,
into the warmth of his embrace, a sense of safety washing over her.
Everything vanished around them, and it made her giggle. They were
the only two people left in the world. The idea was strangely comforting. She looked
up and smiled at him. He smiled back, lowered his face to hers, and huskily
whispered