Page 35 of Twisted

“How do you not get bored?”

“Who says I don’t?”He flashes a coy smile that sends a chill through me.“I find ways to stay entertained.”His head falls slightly to the side as he looks deep into my eyes for another moment.Then he takes my hand and pulls me to him.“Well, Mrs.Malus, we do need to get going.”

I swallow and nod, all too aware that he’s still holding my hand as we walk down the hall.It’s all so confusing.He’s treating me well but hasn’t pushed for any sort of intimacy.I’m supposed to pump out babies so they can continue the family line yet Devon seems like an actual decent human being.

And I’m being spoiled like crazy.But a golden cage is still a cage.

“Where are we going?”I ask as Xavier opens the passenger door of a white Aston Martin for me.

“Dinner,” he says and then speeds around, moving to the other side of the car in just a second.

“You don’t eat.”The seat belt clicks into place.

“You do.”The engine revs to life.“I can’t speak from personal experience, but the Maple Leaf is supposed to be very good.”

“Ohh,” I say, unable to help myself.The Maple Leaf is a swanky restaurant in downtown Charlotte.I’ve heard of it but have never been there.It’s ridiculously expensive with a dress code and was something that was just not realistic for a hunter.“Are you, uh, gonna eat?”

He looks at me as he backs the car out of the garage.“I already did.”

I just nod, somehow knowing that drinking blood out of fancy glass cups isn’t Xavier’s style.

“Your heart is beating fast,” Xavier says after we’ve been driving for several minutes.

“I’m your prisoner.”

“You’re my wife.”

“How is that any different?I can’t leave.”

“Do you want to leave?”

I open my mouth to say yes, but nothing comes out.“Of course,” I force myself to say.

“Where would you like to go?”

“Away from you.”This time, there is no hesitating.

“What would you do?”he goes on, tone calm.

“Start a new life.Probably go back to Italy.See if I can find my family.”I can feel the flutter of anxiety in my chest as I speak and I know he heard my heart skipping a beat.

“And then what?”

I turn my head, narrowing my eyes.“You find this entertaining?”

“A bit,” he admits.“As you said, I’ve seen a lot.And that includes a lot of failed plans.Humans think short-term, probably because your lives are so short.”

“Short compared to your life, but trust me, the days feel fucking long.”I push my shoulders back and let out a breath as I watch the scenery go by.We’re driving really fucking fast.Safety isn’t as much of a concern when you heal in just seconds, I suppose.“And I do have a plan.”

“Yeah?”

"Voglio lavorare in un bar e guadagnare abbastanza per vivere.”

He takes his eyes off the road, looking at me for a concerningly long time yet doesn’t so much as swerve out of the lane.“I didn’t know you spoke Italian.”

"Non lo parlo molto bene."

He smiles."Possiamo fare pratica, se vuoi."