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“Oh, Ryder,” he hums. “You don’t mean that.”

“I do,” I bite out, feeling like maybe death is the best option after all.

“Remember what I told you about the last person who fought me?” He sighs. “You remember, don’t you, angel? I thought we’d come to an agreement. I’d move you here and you’d be happy. We’d be happy together, angel.”

There’s no way I agreed to that. Even drugged out of my mind, I wouldn’t have promised something so insane. There’s no world in which I’d ever willingly agree to this.

I see him move and I freeze for a moment, worried he’s going to pull another needle, or knife, or something out of his bag, but no, it’s almost worse.

It’s a book.

One I recognize immediately, and I have an idea of where this is going.

Kyle runs his fingers along the cover. “This is where it all started.”

I say nothing.

“This is the first book I heard you read,” he murmurs, flipping it open, tracing a finger down the first page. “The book that brought us together, angel.”

I keep my expression neutral. For the first time in my life, I curse my profession, even though I know that’s not the problem.

He is.

“Now, here’s what’s going to happen, angel,” he rasps. “You’re going to eat this meal I made you, and then you’re going to read this book to me.”

I stay silent again, but he must disapprove of my lack ofresponse because he leans forward and kicks me in the shin, and I flinch back hard.

Instantly, Kyle’s voice softens. “See? I don’t want to have to do that, angel, and I won’t have to if you listen.”

“Okay,” is all I manage to say.

He stabs some of the food on the plate and feeds it to me, forkful by forkful. It feels so manipulative, but the chicken and broccoli taste incredible. I almost don’t care if he’s poisoned me again through the food, and I wake up in a new place. I’m ravenous and I need this.

“Drink,” he grunts, holding a cup of water with a straw in his hand. I try to slow down, but I chug the entire thing, and he chuckles.

“Thirsty, huh? I’ll get you some more. Don’t eat without me,” he says with a wink, like I could move.

As he turns to go, I force my throat to work. “Bathroom,” I croak.

He pauses in the doorway and looks at me like he’s considering this.

“Soon,” he decides, and disappears before I can say anything else.

After he gets back and continues feeding me until he’s satisfied with how much I’ve eaten, he dabs the corners of my mouth like he’s proud of me and there’s nothing I can do.

He hasn’t let me go to the bathroom, and he’s immediately ready to move on to the book. He picks it up and holds it open for me like it’s reading hour at the library.

“I listened to you reading every night after I first heard your voice,” Kyle admits. “Your voice was the only thing that helped me sleep.”

Jesus fucking Christ.

He lifts the book, holding it out toward me. “Read it to me, angel.”

My throat tightens, and I flinch, dragging my gaze away from the book. I don’t want to do this. Every cell in my body is screaming at me not to, but what choice do I have? Sitting here tied up, weak, and worn down, my options are limited—and Kyle doesn’t seem to handle disobedience with grace.

As much as I want to refuse, I can’t keep pissing him off.

Before I start, Kyle tilts his head, studying me. “You must be exhausted, angel. I’ll let you sit on the bed if that helps. It’s very important to me that you give this your all, Ryder. I’ll know if you don’t. I’ve listened to you hundreds of times.”