Page 65 of Deceiver

“Aren’t you? He’s telling you what to do. He’s keeping you away from your own house. I don’t know about you, but that sounds like captivity to me.”

“It’s not. I’m here because I want to be. It’s protection.”

“Protection from what? Your own father? I would never hurt you. That man doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”

“Thatmanis Wilder. I told you his name.”

“I don’t care about his name. I only care about you.”

I shake my head in frustration. Why does he care now that he’s gone?

“Even if I’m safe with you, you can’t stay, Dad. It’s not right.”

“I’ll decide what’s right.”

“What do?—”

There’s a noise coming from outside the bedroom, and I see my dad’s form flicker.

“We don’t have much time,” he says. “He’s going to sense that I’m here. Here’s what I need you to do.”

I lean in, waiting to hear commands, but all I get is an overwhelming sense of coldness that makes goose bumps break out along my flesh. Shivering, I wrap my arms around myself, looking around the room for where my dad went, but I don’t see him anymore.

Instead, it’s like Ifeelhim.

“Dad? Where did you go?” I glance around. “Are you still here?”

The room is icy cold, my breath appearing in puffs every time I speak. I’m pretty sure that’s a sign that he’s still here, but I can’t see him.

I go to stand up, but I immediately fall to my knees, gasping. What the hell is happening? I need to call for Wilder, but panic is spreading through me as my limbs grow heavy and unmovable.

I stare up at the ceiling, silently screaming for Wilder to come help me, and wondering why the protection spell isn’t working.

The bedroom door flies open seconds later, and Wilder is beside me, scooping me up into his arms and mumbling “Fuck” as he carries me from the bedroom.

Drifting in and out of consciousness, I’m only vaguely aware of what’s going on before I black out again.

My body feels like it’s floating, but then I realize it’s because Wilder’s still carrying me.

The farther we get from the bedroom, the more insistent the tugging in my chest is, and I claw at my skin, muttering, trying to tell Wilder what’s wrong.

The next thing I know, everything around me is completely dark. My body is lighter now, almost as if I don’t have a body anymore, and I wonder if maybe I’ve died.

Is this what it feels like?

“Keagan. Keagan, open your eyes.”

Wilder’s voice cuts through the darkness, drawing me back to awareness as I force my eyes open and gaze up at him. His face is a mask of concern, his brow furrowed, lips tight.

“There you are,” he says, smiling softly.

“What happened?” I choke out.

“I’m not sure. Nothing should be able to get to you here, but yet it did.”

“I remember…” The memory of the conversation I was having just seconds before the world turned dark comes back to me. “It’s my dad,” I whisper.

“What do you mean?” Wilder asks. “Your dad can’t get to you here.”