Page 31

“Sleep,” That’s all he said before sleeping on his side of the bed.
What the hell happened?
I stared at his huge muscular body in the dark with tears blurring my vision. Because of my experiences in the past with the men in my life, I was under the impression that every man wanted to hurt me, but to see Castle turning away and giving me space did all kinds of things to my heart.
Later that night—or probably in the wee hours of the morning I woke up distressed. I imagined being back in the dark basement downstairs. Sweat trickled down my body and my throat felt dry. I’d woken up screaming…
“Shhh…I’m here, Millie…” The voice sounded distant.
“Millie…” Why was he so far away?
“Millicent!”
Castle had a firm grip over my chin as he brought his face close to mine, and I stared into his smoldering whiskey eyes, nestled in his lap, in his bed. He pushed my hair away from my face. His hands were large, but his touch was delicate and I was doing my best to not lean into it.
“Castle…” I whispered into the darkness, “I don’t want to go back there.” He was so close, the heat of his body sent shiversdown my body as he continued to stare at me in his usual sensuous way. He communicated more through his actions than through words. He continued to hold me, so I wrapped my arms around him tightly, and buried my face in his hard chest.
“You…” he said, and paused, searching for the right words, his face sinking into my hair, “You smell like me.”
It was perfect to have him hold me and I slept peacefully that night, glad that there was at least someone in this house who was kind to me, who cared about me.
As the days passed, my legs started healing, and the cast came off. I was able to walk slowly without using crutches.
Sometimes Castle would carry me from my room to the dining room downstairs. During the time, I tried my best to avoid any conversations with Devin or Dayana because it was easier to pretend things were normal in this house. They were forcing me to stay here, and the beating was just Dayana trying to prove their point, and I’d received the message loud and clear.
Castle didn’t like to make long conversations, but he knew how to get his point across. He chose his words and didn’t talk unless it was necessary. He was also an excellent listener. As I’d initially thought that he couldn’t understand conversations or what was going on around him, I realized how wrong I’d been. Castle was aware of a lot of things, and I was pretty sure he was hiding something from me, too.
It didn’t matter. What did matter right now was the fact that he treated me like an equal and not like I was an employee in this house, but like a friend. I had intentions to keep things that way. I wanted Castle to trust me completely; it was the only way that I could beat Devin and Dayana at their own game.
I was having my evening coffee in Castle’s room and he was sitting on the floor watching the trains moving on the tracks. I failed to see what was so fascinating about the toys that he’d stare at them for hours.
There was a soft knock at the door. “Miss. Millicent, it’s Lydia.”
“Come in,” I called out.
The maid walked in with a tray and a glass of water. She placed them on the coffee table. “It’s time for Mr. Montgomery’s medication.”
I smiled at her, “Thanks, Lydia. I’ll make sure he takes them.”
I picked up the cup with four pills.
Castle hated taking the meds, and I’d done some research over the pills that were prescribed to him. The prescription was from one of Devin’s private doctors, and they were supposed to help Castle cope with his trauma and anxiety.
After Lydia left the room, I emptied the cup into the toilet and flushed them down.
A satisfied smile tugged at my lips.
Castle needed his memories back, and those pills were making sure they didn’t.
Devin’s medication had to go.
I went back to his room and sat down on the floor beside Castle, watching the trains as they zigzagged. Castle glanced up to me, bewildered about the pills that I hadn’t insisted him to take this time.
I casually brushed the dark locks away from his face. “Wanna keep a secret? Just between you and me?”
“What secret?”
“You won’t be taking any medications from now on, but if Devin or anyone else in this house asks you about it, we’re going to pretend that you are. Okay? It’s going to be our little secret.”