Page 13 of The Devil's Heir

Liliana

I wake up and stretch. I've been sleeping in Heath's bed ever since that first night we were intimate. It's been about two weeks, and I still haven't let him take it all the way; I'm just not comfortable with it yet.

It's still early, so I'm surprised that I find it empty when I look over to his side of the bed. Heath never rises so early; he's a late sleeper. Throwing back the covers, I hug myself against the slight chill in the air as I pad my way to the door.

I'm dressed only in one of Heath's heavy metal rock band t-shirts, and my feet are bare.

When I come down the hallway, I can only hear the muffled sound of Heath's voice.

Smiling, I wonder who he could be talking to other than himself, but when I hear him say my name, I slow down until I'm just by the living room doorway.

"Yeah, I've been working with her. Lily's turning into a real porn star.

Her cherry will bring in a shit ton of money when we're ready.

" There's a long pause, and then his next words clarify any confusion I may have had until now.

"I haven't fucked her, and I won't. Let me handle Lily; I'll have her ready in no time.

I promise we will make bank pimping her out. "

The pain in my chest is unbearable. How could he—I thought we meant something to each other!

I hurry back to the bedroom and jump back into the bed. When Heath comes in a few minutes later, I pretend I'm still sleeping as he crawls beside me and pulls me into his arms.

It takes everything I have not to lash out at him, but I need to be smart about this. I need to pretend that everything is okay, and then as soon as I get the chance, I need to grab my shit and get the hell out of dodge.

How do I keep managing to attract the worst men?

"Hey, beautiful. I didn't mean to wake you…" Heath says before nibbling on my neck. "Wanna have a little fun before we start our day?"

Maybe I should test him and see if what I heard was taken the wrong way. If so, I may end up giving up more than I wanted, but at least I'd gain some peace of mind.

"I think I'm ready, Heath," I tell him softly.

His body stiffens a little but then relaxes again as his hands begin to wander. "Oh, yeah? Ready for what, exactly?"

"You know," I say as I try turning in his arms, only for him to stop me and press his hardness into my backside. "I'm ready to take it all the way with you."

"Mm, I love that—I really do—but I think we should wait a little longer." Heath's hand slides between my legs, and his fingers slip inside me.

There it is. I heard correctly—Heath wants to pimp me out. I have no choice but to leave now. My body betrays me as he plays with it more, lubricating itself to give him easier access. His other hand comes up to squeeze my breast while slipping a third finger inside me.

I don't fake the moan that slips out. If anything, Heath knows how to work a woman's body just right. I hate that I'm loving it. This doesn't change anything, though. I will be leaving the first chance I get.

"Come for me, baby. Then, I want you to take me into your sweet mouth so I can serve you a warm, protein-packed breakfast."

"I'm not really in the mood, Heath."

"Your body is telling me something different," he states and sucks on my neck.

"I'm serious, Heath—please."

"Stop being such a tease." He curls his fingers inside me and fucks me harder. "You're going to come for me like a good girl."

His hand leaves my breast and comes up to wrap around my throat. At first, I can still breathe, but ever so slowly, his hand tightens. I start gasping for breath.

"If you want air, then come for me, baby."

Is he serious right now? He leaves me no choice when he completely cuts my air off. His hand works faster, and my body responds even more. I can't fight it—I'm running out of air. So, with no other choice, I relax and give myself over, letting Heath take me over the edge.

He releases my throat mid-orgasm, and I come the hardest I've ever come. As soon as I start to come down, he removes his fingers and jams them into my mouth, choking me with how deep he pushes them in.

"Take it, Lily. My cock is going to be doing the same thing in just a minute." Heath pushes them in even further.

Tears stream down my face as I try not to let the bile that's threatening to come up do so while his fingers are deep in my throat. I decide to remove myself, mentally, for the time being.

Heath takes what he wants from me and then leaves me here afterward to go work in his tiny office. I lay in bed for hours afterward, not caring if I ever got out of it. I can't help but ask myself—how did this become my life?

It took two more days of me having to endure being intimate with the guy that I once considered a friend.

My ex-foster brother is a monster for what he plans to do with me.

I never knew I was such a good actress, but I've been able to pull it off without a hitch.

Heath has no inkling that I'm about to bolt.

My chance comes after Heath gets a call from a friend supposedly needing help because they're having car troubles—so he says.

We're on the couch, watching a movie, when he receives the call.

I try not to laugh because he probably thinks I couldn't hear the person on the other end.

It was a female voice, and I heard nothing about car trouble.

Excitement fills me because I know I will soon be out of here, but I still play along. "Do you need me to come along and help?"

"Nah. There's no sense in both of us being dragged away from the movie," Heath says, leaning over to kiss me. "I'll be back in no time, baby."

"Okay, well, I'll be here waiting for your return."

Heath bites his lower lip as his eyes rove over my body. "In that case, I'll make sure I'm quick."

After kissing me once more, he grabs his keys and walks out of the apartment.

I don't waste any time. I jump from the couch and rush to the bedroom, collecting all the clothes that are not already in my luggage.

I pull on a pair of leggings and a sweatshirt, grab my bag with my cash and what little trinkets I have left of my parents, and leave the apartment.

Taking back alleyways and side streets, hoping I don't run into Heath, I head for the bus station. It's dangerous for a girl like me to walk these neighborhoods alone and in the dark, but it can't be helped.

My heart thuds rapidly all the way to the bus station, and the entire time, I hope and pray that there's a bus leaving soon. At this point, I don't care where it's going as long as it gets me out of Rushwood.

I see the sign up ahead and breathe a sigh of relief.

It's pretty dead at this time—less than twenty people total sitting around waiting for their bus.

Rushwood is a big city, but not too many people travel by bus anymore unless it's just across town.

It's perfectly fine to me. The fewer people who see me, the less chance of being found.

I'm sure Jarek has stopped searching for me by now, but Heath knew I was headed out of town when we ran into each other, so he will definitely check here first.

Here I am, assuming I am important enough for anybody to search for when, in reality, they're probably saying 'good riddance.

' I know Heath mentioned that I'd bring him a lot of money, and I shiver at the thought, so he may try and find me, but he will not go out of his way just to bring me back, right?

I step up to the window and see an older woman who looks as though she's been working here forever, the way her shoulders droop as she sits there, waiting for the next person in line. Her name tag reads Estelle, and she stares at me with a bored expression.

"Where to, Miss?"

"What's the furthest distance I can get from Rushwood—and the cheapest?" I ask, biting my lip.

Estelle's eyes study me, contemplating, before she turns to her computer. After typing on the keyboard, she states, "You can go to Augustine for two hundred and fifty dollars."

Augustine is less than forty-five minutes away from where I am now, and that's a hefty sum, but what choice do I have? Prices skyrocket every day—I don't know how anybody can afford to live anymore.

Sighing, I reach into my bag and reply, "I'll take it."

"I'll need to see some ID, too, Miss." The woman states .

"Okay," I say, moving my hand around inside the pocket where I stored my wallet, and retrieve it.

My heart stops when I open it up, and all the air leaves my lungs. My money—it's all gone. I flip through the other compartments inside it and find that my ID is gone, too. What the hell? I frantically search the rest of my bag, but my money and ID are nowhere to be found.

Heath …

I want to cry. That was all the money I had, and why would he take my ID?

Was he planning on keeping me with him this whole time?

I'm beginning to think it was his plan all along.

How na?ve can I be? I should have left when I had the chance.

Now I'm stuck here, penniless, and no place to stay.

I can't go back to Heath, I won't do what he has planned for me, and I'll be damned if I go back to the Mallards and beg to let me stay until I can get on my feet—Jarek will find me.

I leave the bus station defeated and head to the only place I know where I'll find some kind of roof over my head for the night—the homeless shelter.