Page 113 of Haunted

“No.”

“Mira—”

“I said no.” My words remain dangerously calm and detached. I finally turn, but only to face away from him completely. “I’m tired. Go take a shower or do whatever you need to do and leave me alone.”

The silence stretches between us, heavy and tense. I can feel him watching me, can practically hear the gears turning in his mind as he tries to figure out what changed, why the woman who surrendered completely to him hours ago now won’t even meet his eyes.

“What’s wrong?”

The question almost makes me laugh. What’s wrong? How can someone so intelligent be so completely clueless?

“Nothing’s wrong. Everything is exactly as you dictated it to be. You own me, remember? Property doesn’t get to have feelings about how it’s treated.” The resolve to keep my emotions in check is dangerouslyclose to shattering. But I won’t give him the satisfaction of knowing he’s broken one more piece of me. So, I lock it all down.

His sharp intake of breath tells me the words hit their mark.

“That’s not?—”

“Not what?” I interrupt, still not turning around, and still not so much as a labored breath as I hold myself together. I can cry when he leaves again. “Not what you meant when you told me I wasn’t your confidante? Not what you meant when you made it crystal clear that I’m nothing more than a warm hole for you to fuck?”

“Turn around and look at me.” His voice carries that commanding edge that made me surrender completely during the Hunt.

But I’m not in his maze anymore. I’m not bound in silk and chains, helpless to resist. I’m in his bed, in his penthouse, trapped by a contract I signed willingly but feeling more caged than ever.

“No.”

“Mira.” The warning in his tone is unmistakable. “Face me. Now.”

Something in his voice—not the command, but the underlying note of uncertainty—makes me turn. Xavier sits on the edge of the bed, still fully dressed from whatever business took him away. He searches my face, looking for answers I’m not sure I want to give.

“You want to know what’s wrong?” I sit up, pulling the silk nightgown tighter around me. “You dismiss melike I’m nothing, and maybe I am, then expect me to welcome you back with open arms and sunshine.”

His jaw tightens. “I’m being cautious.”

“Cautious.”

“Yes.” He runs a hand through his dark hair, the first sign of frustration I’ve seen crack his controlled exterior. “How can you blame me for being wary? You’re a journalist, Mira. You came to Purgatory specifically to expose me, to uncover whatever dirt you could dig up on the Blackwoods.”

The accusation hangs between us.

“Why wouldn’t I be cautious?” Xavier continues, his voice gaining strength. “You spent weeks pretending to be another employee while you gathered information. You signed up for the Hunt to get a better understanding of our operations. So forgive me if I don’t immediately trust you with every detail of my business.”

I stare at him, seeing the logic in his words even as they sting. He’s right—I did lie. I managed to infiltrate his world for a story.

“I signed an NDA,” I say quietly.

“An NDA you fought against signing.”

“An NDA so ironclad that if I dared break it, I’d face jail time.” My voice rises, frustration bleeding through. “Do you really think I’d risk my freedom, my entire future, to publish some exposé that you could easily write a check to erase?”

Xavier’s eyes narrow, studying my face like he’s trying to read between the lines of every word.

“The woman who risked everything to get this closeto my world? Yes, I think she might. Don’t put words in my mouth that I haven’t said.”

I feel something crack inside my chest. “You’re right.” The admission tears out of me. “Before the Hunt, I probably would have.”

Xavier’s expression shifts, surprise flickering across his features.

“But I’m not that woman anymore.” My voice wavers, making me despise how vulnerable I sound. “That’s what I can’t stand about all of this. That’s what’s wrong.”