Page 17

Cole hadn’t spoken a single word to me before locking me inside the Onyx Wing. I’d screamed for him to let me out for a few moments before conceding in defeat. After an hour of beating on the door, to no avail, I rolled into a ball, rocking in front of it. I’d remained there long enough that I’d ended up crying myself to sleep in that very spot.

Slowly pushing up from the floor, I rubbed my swollen eyes before stretching my limbs. Inching further into the entryway, I wrapped my arms around my abdomen, glaring at the impressive entrance of the apartment, which was surely my gilded prison now.

Peering at the steps leading down to the lower floor, I released a puff of air at discovering crystal quartz had been carved to form the staircase. Each step had been polished to reveal the glittering rainbow embedded inside each flattened panel. Over it, a clear coat of some sort protected the crystalized stone stairs.

Moving to the side of the stairs, I caught my first real glimpse of the beauty of the Onyx Wing. Rhys hadn’t been playing around when he’d designed this place. It was unreal, along with everything I’d have chosen myself if I’d had a similar budget to play with.

The foyer was painted in dramatic shades of midnight blue. White furnishings added a startling contrast to the room. Large wing-back chairs sat in front of silver railings, peering down over the lavishly decorated room below.

Below the midnight-colored entrance room, darker colors filled the spaces. Ink-colored walls seemed to pulsate with magic around a large, opulent front room. They slithered as if the walls themselves were alive with life beating through them. Towering pillars went from ceiling to floor. It added a larger-than-life feeling to the space.

On the farthest wall, a waterfall cascaded through a bed of crystal quartz. It flowed through the room, then vanished beyond sight. Rainbow prisms reflected from the light shining through the crystals until they were swallowed by the darkness of the space.

A large, intricate chandelier hung from the ceiling. The beauty of the pieces forced my eyebrows to shoot up toward my hairline. Shards of grayish-colored, smoky quartz hung down in various lengths. Each shard projected light from both the fireplace and the candles lit at the entrance of the foyer.

A large fireplace sat in the middle of what, at first glance, appeared to be a blacked-out windowpane. The more I stared, the clearer the image became. The walls weren’t even walls. They were magically enhanced runes that were even now pulsating and dancing with the protection magic they yielded.

From where I stood, I could sense the sheer volume of magic used to infuse to protect the space’s inhabitants. It was why the walls had appeared to slither. I’d never seen an actual space created by magic. I hadn’t known it could even be done.

The fireplace was merely a constant flow of magic, keeping the energy charged. Stepping onto the crystal stairs leading below, I gripped the railing tightly as it sent a whisper of magic searching through my mind, seeking to identify my intent within the chamber.

Rhys hadn’t merely refurbished the space. He’d built a gilded cage I couldn’t escape.

Once I’d reached the bottom of the staircase, I rubbed feeling into my chilled biceps while stewing over the day’s events. Strolling toward the waterfall, I dipped my fingers into the chilled depths.

Rainbow prisms danced over my forearm until I withdrew my hand. The moment I did, candles erupted with dancing flames burning the wicks. It was as if the room was a living, breathing thing.

Goosebumps spread from my head to my toes, realizing what Rhys had been doing while we’d been apart. While I hadn’t been able to repair my dilapidated shack, he’d built a magical prison. One that would ensure I never saw the light of day again, not unless he allowed it.

Tears slowly trickled free as the realization of how foolish I’d been. I’d fallen right into a trap. Rhys may have claimed me, but he’d intended to keep me as his prisoner. Either willingly or unwillingly, he’d never intended to allow me to escape him.

I’d never even thought him capable of imprisoning me. I’d been blind to everything in my need to prevent our child from being harmed or taken from us. The entire time, Rhys had probably been laughing at my naivete. I’d have been if I were him.

Rhys was much more calculated and cunning than I’d given him credit for being. Like a lamb to the slaughter, I’d allowed the wolf to lead me to his dinner table.

The sound of the door unlocking forced my focus to shift toward the entrance. Peering up the staircase, I studied Rhys, who strode straight for me. My heartbeat stalled, then started up again at an alarming speed.

I stepped back, then spun around as I searched for somewhere to run. As if I’d even be able to escape from him? It wasn’t feasible. It sure wasn’t something I could manage while trapped in a cage he had built for me.

“I would think twice about running from me, Silversmith. You’ll only make this more stimulating for me if you attempt to escape me.” Spinning around to face him, I felt my stomach swirling like a cyclone, threatening to send me spiraling into a full-fledged panic attack.

“I didn’t hurt Nyota,” I whispered through trembling lips.

My entire body trembled violently as he stopped right before where I stood. Rhys’ hand lifted, causing me to physically shrink away from him. Closing my eyes, I waited for him to grab me and shove me against the nearest hard surface he could find.

Time passed without a sound, forcing me to open my eyes and stare at where he’d stood. Only Rhys wasn’t there anymore. Turning, I watched as he paused in front of an island. I’d assumed it was part of a kitchen. Only, it wasn’t the kitchen.

A sleek, well stocked bar sat in the corner of the room. Rhys strolled behind it, then produced a bottle of whisky and two crystal goblets. Turning back towards where I watched, he twisted the lid from the bottle with a muscle twitching in his sharp, chiseled jaw. He poured two fingers of expensive scotch into both glasses.

“Have a fucking drink.” His voice was filled with strain and exhaustion, an exhaustion I felt in the very marrow of my bones.

“Thanks, but no thanks,” I whispered, remaining rooted to the spot.

Rhys’ glittering blue stare slid to my abdomen, then rose to my face. The corner of his mouth lifted as a cocky smirk transformed his handsome face. Slowly, he nodded as he removed his suit jacket and then the monogrammed cufflinks. As he rolled the sleeves of his dress shirt up, my eyes feasted ravenously on the ink being exposed.

“Have a seat,” he ordered huskily, his attention never leaving my face. Waiting for me to be his obedient captive, he lifted the whisky to his lips, sipping from the cup. “You’ve had a trying day. I promised Talia I wouldn’t overtax you or cause unneeded stress. So, we can either have this conversation here or in bed. I’ll leave that decision up to you.”

His threat issued anger pulsing through my abdomen, then exited through my lips. “I’m not sleeping in your bed.” If he’d heard me, Rhys chose to ignore me. Staring at the chair, I felt dread rolling up from my toes to flood my brain.

Rhys didn’t move from where he stood, resting his elbows on the bar. I wasn’t sure how he’d respond to me disobeying him, but it wasn’t this indifferent attitude. After a few moments of awkward silence, I started forward.

Without a word, I sat down on the bar stool. Rhys’ smirk grew as he turned, opening a small fridge, then removed a bottle of freshly squeezed orange juice. Turning back to face me, he twisted the top, then poured it into a glass.

The scent of freshly squeezed oranges flowed to my nose, making my stomach rumble. I regretted not listening to Winchester when she’d told me to eat this morning. It was hard to believe that it had been this morning. It felt as if it had happened days ago.

“How did you bypass the Silversmith curse?” Rhys’ eyes studied the confusion skewing over my face. “When I intervened inside your home, the curse only lasted two hours. Tonight, it never ignited.” Leaning his elbows back on the counter, he leaned against the bar. “I want to know how you did it.”

“I didn’t use magic.”

Rhys’ smile turned wolfish as he steepled his fingers in front of his mouth. It drew my eyes to his lips. I’d fantasized about them against my flesh more than I’d ever willingly confess to another living soul. His eyes sparkled with lust, causing my stomach to twist while a flutter began between my thighs.

“As far as I am aware, you were the only Silversmith inside my house tonight. Nyota was attacked with silver. Unless one of your siblings was inside my home, then vanished the moment they attempted to murder my sister.” He let his words hang in the air between us like a carrot in front of a rabbit.

A scoff of disbelief escaped before I could prevent it. “You cannot think I’d willingly harm Nyota, Rhys.” All the pretense of politeness vanished from his face as his dark head tilted to the side. A heated look pinched his handsome features, twisting them into a vicious mask of rage. “I care about her. She’s saved my life more times than I can count on both hands. Why would I hurt her?”

“That’s the million-dollar question, isn’t it?” Rising from his lax position, he placed his palm flat on the bar. “Why did you seek me out in your dream? You asked me to protect you. You knew I’d do so without hesitation. I brought you here, to my home. The one place where my family should feel safe and protected—”

“Fuck you, Van Helsing!” I snarled, shoving up from the bar stool. I slapped my hands onto the cool marble surface, glaring at him. “I didn’t hurt her. I’d never hurt Nyota. I didn’t use my magic. The curse isn’t activated because I didn’t use it. I didn’t have a meticulous or sinister plan to come into your home and harm your family. I’d never harm anyone I cared about merely to hurt you!”

“Wouldn’t you? Your mother repaid me by handing my mother over to her father. He raped and brutalized her because he couldn’t fucking have her for himself. Donte ensured we all knew the horrors he’d inflicted upon her for loving another. Why should her daughter be any fucking different?” he snarled as his palms slammed down on the bar. Turning his back to me, he inhaled and released it slowly before turning back around.

My eyes rounded in shock as I scurried back, shaking violently from the animosity oozing from him. Shaking my head slowly, I held my palms up as he strode around the bar, rounding it, coming face to face with me.

“Rhys, please. I didn’t hurt her. I’m not my mother,” I pleaded through quivering lips as tears scorched the back of my eyes. “I don’t know who attacked her, but it wasn’t me. Think about it. Why would I have you take me to your house, where no one can save me? Only then to attack your family? It would be the same as committing suicide.” Rhys’ pupils swelled as dark, inky veins slithered from beneath his lower eyelids. “I’m not stupid enough to think I could get inside your house, attack your sister, and live. What would I gain from hurting her?”

“I know you’re not stupid, Love. I haven’t figured out what you intend to gain from harming her, but I promise you this: I won’t let you accomplish whatever you intend to achieve here.”

My entire body trembled with fear and anger. It was a lethal mixture. Rhys continued, forcing me to back up until my knees collided with something solid. Without warning, Rhys’ hands lifted, then pushed me backward onto a soft settee.

“I suggest you get comfortable. Until I know you’re not a threat to anyone else in my house, you’ll not leave these apartments. You breathe because I allow it, Remington. I’d suggest you not push me to the point where I no longer care if you continue to do so.” Looming over me, he looked like an avenging angel.

“You aren’t foolish enough to fall for this shit, Rhys. Your hatred for me and my family will be your downfall. I didn’t do this, meaning someone else did. If it wasn’t me, that means someone in your household was willing to kill your sister to place the blame on me.” His eyes thinned on me. Folding his tattooed arms over his chest, he snorted.

“Are you trying to pit me against my brothers now?” His face darkened with something sinister filtering over it, sharply.

“Why would I come here, of all places, to harm Nyota? If I’d wanted to hurt her, I could’ve done it a thousand times over by now. Why would I wait until I was inside your house, the only Silversmith within it, to harm her? I’d have to be the biggest fucking idiot to do this. Think about it reasonably. Stop allowing emotions to rule your rational mind.”

The obsidian in Rhys’ eyes vanished as if sucked back inside a vortex. The veins receded until his face was once more handsome and safer to look at.

“Bathe before you join me in our bed, Remington. I’d rather you didn’t soil my chamber with the scent of my sister’s blood.” Turning on his heel, Rhys moved through the front room, then became a black plume of eddying smoke as he vanished before reaching the staircase.