Page 24 of The Beast's Broken Angel
“I should leave you two to catch up,” Adrian continued, all gracious employer. “I have meetings this afternoon. Noah, Viktor will bring you back to Ravenswood at noon. We have that treatment session scheduled.”
The reminder of my obligations, of my captivity, was expertly woven into what sounded like a normal employer-employee interaction. I nodded stiffly, not trusting myself to speak.
After Adrian left, Isabelle waited approximately three seconds before pouncing .
“Okay, what the actual fuck, Noah?” Her voice was low but intense. “That bloke isn't just some rich guy who needs a nurse. The way he looked at you... like you're his property or something.”
I sank into the chair beside her bed, suddenly exhausted. “It's complicated, Iz.”
“Uncomplicate it,” she demanded. “Because from where I'm sitting, it looks like you've made some kind of deal with the devil for my treatment.”
She'd always been too perceptive for her own good. I scrambled for a version of the truth that wouldn't terrify her.
“Calloway needed a specialist in burn treatment and trauma care.
He's... well-connected, with resources that make this kind of care possible.” I gestured around the luxury suite.
“Yes, the arrangement is demanding. I live at his estate, I'm on call 24/7, but the compensation includes your full treatment.”
“And that's it?” Isabelle pressed, clearly not buying my sanitised version. “Just a normal, if intense, employment arrangement?”
I thought of Parker hanging from the ceiling. Of Adrian selecting tools with practised ease. Of the gunshot as the elevator doors closed.
“That's it,” I lied, hating myself for it. “It's a good opportunity, Iz. And it means you get the best care available. That's all that matters.”
She studied me for a long moment, her artist's perception stripping away my defences. “You'd tell me if you were in trouble, right? If he was... hurting you or something?”
“Of course,” I lied again, forcing a smile. “I'm fine. Really. Just adjusting to a new job, new living situation. Nothing I can't handle.”
The conversation shifted after that, to her treatment, to the new doctors, to the incredible difference the private care made. I soaked in every detail of her improvement, storing it away as justification for what I'd done, what I was becoming.
All too soon, Viktor appeared in the doorway, a silent reminder that my time was up. My freedom was timed and measured now, doled out in carefully controlled increments.
“I'll visit again soon,” I promised, hugging Isabelle tightly. “Focus on getting stronger, yeah? And on your art. Sounds like you might have a wealthy new patron.”
“Be careful with him, Noah,” she whispered against my ear. “He looks at you like he wants to eat you alive.”
I pulled back, trying to keep my expression neutral. “Don't be dramatic. It's just a job.”
The biggest lie yet.
In the car returning to Ravenswood, my simmering anger finally boiled over.
“Stay away from my sister,” I said, the words bursting out the moment the privacy partition closed behind Viktor's head. “She's not part of this arrangement.”
Adrian, who'd apparently been waiting in the car, raised an eyebrow at my outburst. “Your sister's treatment is central to our arrangement. Why wouldn't I take an interest in the investment?”
“Investment?” I spat the word. “She's a human being, not a stock option.”
“Everything's an investment, Noah. Time, money, attention. I don't expend these resources without expecting returns.”
“And what return are you expecting from Isabelle?” My voice rose despite my efforts to control it. “Because if you think you're going to use her to control me even more than you already do, you can go fuck yourself.”
The change in Adrian was instantaneous. One moment he was sitting across from me, the next he had me pinned against the privacy partition, his hand at my throat.
Not squeezing, just holding me immobile with disturbing ease, his body pressed against mine in a way that sent confused signals racing through my system.
Fear, yes, but something else too, something I desperately didn't want to acknowledge.
“Don't mistake my indulgence of your attitude for weakness,” he said softly, his face inches from mine, breath warm against my skin. “Your sister received my protection when you signed up with me. But that protection comes from me, which means I can visit her whenever I choose.”
His body was hard against mine, his scarred hand hot on my throat.
I could feel his heartbeat, steady where mine raced.
The threatening words contrasted with the almost intimate position, creating a disorienting confusion that left me breathless.
My body betrayed me, responding to his proximity in ways that had nothing to do with fear.
“You're treading on dangerous ground,” Adrian continued, his voice dropping lower, almost a caress. “Push too far, and you might discover consequences beyond your imagining.”
“I'm not afraid of you,” I lied, the words coming out rougher than intended.
His smile was slow, predatory. “Yes, you are. But not only afraid, and that's what really disturbs you, isn't it?”
I couldn't deny it, not with my pulse hammering and heat flooding my veins despite the threat he represented.
Just as suddenly as he'd moved, Adrian released me and returned to his seat, straightening his tie with casual unconcern. I slumped back against the partition, trying to steady my breathing, to process what had just happened.
“Your sister is an exceptional artist,” Adrian remarked conversationally, as if he hadn't just had me pinned by the throat. “I wasn't exaggerating my interest in her work. I have contacts in several galleries that might be interested in showing her pieces. ”
The whiplash change of subject left me reeling. “Why would you do that?”
“Perhaps I simply appreciate talent,” he replied with a shrug. “Or perhaps I understand that her success and independence matter to you, and by extension, now matter to me.”
I studied him, trying to decipher the complex calculations behind those mismatched eyes. Every action, every word seemed to serve multiple purposes, layers of manipulation and meaning I couldn't fully unravel.
“I don't understand you,” I admitted finally.
“You don't need to understand me, Noah.” His gaze held mine, intense and unreadable. “You just need to belong to me, as agreed. The rest will follow in time.”
The car pulled through Ravenswood's gates, the mansion looming ahead like a beautiful prison. I'd sold myself to a monster to save my sister, only to discover the monster was more complex, more human than I'd expected. And far, far more dangerous because of it.
Whatever game Adrian was playing, I was both pawn and prize. And the most terrifying part wasn't the violence I'd witnessed or the control he exerted.
It was the growing, undeniable awareness that some treacherous part of me was responding to him, drawn to the danger he represented like a moth to flame, even knowing I'd likely be consumed by it.