Flawed: (A Psychological Dark Romance) (The Dark Necessities Prequels Book 1)

by Felicity Brandon

  “You’re really scaring me,” she admitted.

  Ethan gazed down into those large green eyes. On some level he could sympathize with Lily’s predicament. He felt compassion—for Lily anyhow—but Ethan had enough experience with these things to know what real fear looked like, and that wasn’t what he saw flashing in her beautiful gaze now. Real, unadulterated fear was a physiological response to danger, and he’d seen it often enough before to recognize the look of it. Hell, Ethan practically knew its scent, and he didn’t think Lily was experiencing it now. More likely, she was in shock and confused by his behavior, and he bet that smart mind was racing about, trying to determine what he was going to do with her next.

  Which was interesting, because he still hadn’t decided himself.

  “Please, just take me home,” she begged in a quiet tone, presumably designed to placate him.

  “No.” His response was curt and immediate. “That’s not an option now. I’m going to need you to make a call home to your parents.” He was giving instructions as he went now, his mind having no time to plan the words in advance. “Call them, and tell them you’re staying at Jody’s tonight. That you’ll be back tomorrow.”

  Lily began to pant. “They won’t believe me, Ethan,” she replied, twisting her head to meet his gaze again. “They’ll call Jody’s parents to check. They have their number.”

  That much might be true. Ethan wasn’t sure, and the fact he couldn’t tie off that potential loose end grated more than was reasonable.

  “Then you’ll just have to be bloody persuasive,” he told her in a low tone. “Convince them that there’s nothing to worry about. That you’re just having fun at Jody’s. You’ve stayed there before, so it’s not an issue. Make them believe it, Lily.”

  She swallowed, and he could see the first shoots of real fear beginning to grow in her eyes. “Please,” she whimpered. “Please, Ethan. Please, don’t make me do this.”

  Ethan sighed. “There are two ways for this to go,” he explained softly. “You can cooperate and be my good girl. If you choose that route, I’ll be easy on you, and I will reward you for your compliance.”

  “And if I don’t?” she squeaked in a barely audible voice. “What happens if I don’t comply?”

  His gaze narrowed at the question. “If you choose the other path, then your life is going to get pretty difficult in the short term, beautiful. I can’t have you going home and overthinking what I’ve told you. I can’t have you losing it, and talking to anyone else. I won’t let that happen.”

  Lily was trembling now, her limbs actually shaking as his message hit home.

  “I won’t do that,” she assured him in a tiny voice. “I still, l—love you, Ethan. I can’t help it. I won’t talk. I won’t tell anyone.”

  Ethan wanted to smile at that. “I know you won’t,” he assured her. “And I’m very pleased to hear you say so, but truly, there’s no need to worry on that score. I’m not going to let you mess this up, Lily.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  The question flew from her lips like a hiss.

  “Right now, it’s not about what I’m going to do,” he told her in an absurdly calm voice.

  For some reason he couldn’t put his finger on, Ethan realized he was almost enjoying this. He had never had a chance to really assert his authority over Lily before—she was always too young, too naïve, too short on time—and even her recent submission had been safe and consensual. But this unraveling of circumstances, disturbing though it was on some level, had presented him with the chance to do that. Now, he could show her the other side of him, the side she’d never really known before, and now he could see for himself how his little Lily would cope when he demanded her surrender.

  “What then?”

  “I told you already,” he murmured. “It’s about what you’re going to do, and right now, that means calling home. You know the number I assume?”

  Those green orbs flashed at him, and for just a split second, Ethan saw her contemplate lying about that answer, but the thought was only fleeting. By the time her lips moved again, he could see the resignation in her gaze.

  “Yes,” she whispered. “I know it.”

  He nodded, but was already moving, shifting both of their bodies toward the edge of the couch. “Good,” he answered. “Then, let’s go to the phone in the hall. I want nice, slow movements. You’ll hold my hand and do exactly as you’re told.”

  Lily bit her lip in response, but her head moved in concurrence. “Okay,” she replied, though she sounded as though she was on the brink of tears.

  “Up you get,” he told her, still gripping onto the middle of her body as they both rose to their feet at the same time. “Good, now give me your right hand.”

  She gazed up at him as she obeyed, offering him her small, cold hand. Ethan’s palm slipped over her flesh, encasing it in his hot hand, and forcing his fingers between her digits as he guided her toward the door. They were only a few inches from the door when he gave the warning.

  “Oh, and Lily.” His voice was little more than an errant purr, and she gasped, turning to meet his gaze out of instinct.

  “Don’t even think about doing something stupid, beautiful,” he told her. “No funny tricks on the phone, and no running. All the exits are locked, and you’ll never outrun me.”

  His free hand shifted to her face, hooking her chin in place as he delivered the message. “You know that, don’t you?”

  Her brow furrowed at his words, and in the forests of her eyes, Ethan could see night was coming. “Yes, Ethan.” Lily’s voice was laced with fear, but there was still a lot of the old woman in it, too. He could hear the insolence and indignation rising to the surface, and he was pleased. Now wasn’t the time for her terror, and anyway, he wanted the impertinence from Lily. He fully intended to make her pay for it.

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Lily’s head was numb, and it was the strangest feeling. Things were happening around her, like the scenes of an American movie, or something from a theatrical production, but somehow, Lily couldn’t associate any of them with her actual life. It wasn’t possible that her boyfriend was a killer, and it certainly wasn’t possible that he now posed an imminent threat to her life. And because those things weren’t real, it also wasn’t possible that he was now leading her out into the hall of his house to make a telephone call to her parents against her will.

  It just wasn’t true.

  It couldn’t be.

  As they reached the small table in the cream colored hallway, her gaze fell over the telephone, and distantly, Lily pondered how on earth she could make the call he wanted, and actually persuade her parents not to worry. It was like a moment of brief lucidity—casting light on the true extent of her predicament—and then it was gone. In its place, Lily saw flashes of the passion she and Ethan had created, only a short while ago. She saw the hard lines of his body, and remembered the weight of his legs against her back when she’d been his impromptu footrest, and just how much that treatment had turned her on, and how fucking good the sex had been.

  Where had that gone? Where was the passion now, and where was the man who had inspired it?

  She glanced right to Ethan’s face, and found his hard, blue stare already fixed on her. The look in his gaze made her want to dissolve, but even in this moment of peril, she couldn’t say for sure that response was only due to her apprehension. Even now, there was still a need burning inside of her. A need for him. A need that only Ethan could fill.

  “Ready to make the call?”

  He posed it as a question, but she already knew it wasn’t one. It was a statement, because Lily had no choice and she knew it. What could she say? How could she refuse? And what the hell was he going to do with her once it was done, and she’d bought him another twenty or so hours? Her belly knotted at that last question, sending the threat of nausea rising north, and her free hand—the one he wasn’t grasping—rose to her mouth to halt its progress.

&nbs
p; Ethan’s expression faltered. The hard exterior was still there, but just below it, Lily could see the concern for her, and it threw her a lifeline—the only one she had right now. Ethan still loved her. As crazy and messed up as that now seemed, she knew it was true, and she clung onto it like a dingy in a flood, because Lily was smart enough to know if she was going to get out of this thing alive, she’d need to wring every ounce of that love from him.

  “Do you need to be sick?”

  His tone was hard, but there was a softer edge to it than previously.

  Lily inhaled through her fingers. “Can I have some water?” she asked. “Please, sir?”

  She threw the final word in for good measure, effectively flinging herself on his mercy as she appealed to the man who had already mastered her. The one who had captured her heart, and the one she’d given her virginity to. Lily had no idea how Ethan would respond to the use of the word, but right now, she figured she didn’t have that much to lose.

  “After the call,” he replied, but Ethan’s voice was even more gentle than before, and in that instant Lily knew the gamble had been worth it.

  He had responded positively to her plea.

  “If you can hold out?”

  She nodded, swallowing back on the nauseous feeling. “I’ll try,” she whispered.

  Ethan smiled, though somehow the expression didn’t reach those deep blue eyes. Lifting the receiver with his free hand, he gestured toward her. “Dial the number,” he commanded. “Let’s get this over with.”

  Lily moved closer to the phone, trying to ignore the pounding of her heart as she pulled her fingers through the circular dial. As she waited for the mechanism to connect, her mind was racing, trying to prepare her for what she had to do. Who would answer the phone? Probably her mother, she decided. It was nearly always her mother who reacted when it rang. Her dad still seemed to look at the thing with some suspicion, as though he expected it to explode at any moment.

  She closed her eyes as Ethan handed the receiver to her, and pressing it to her ear, the sound of the dialing tone reverberated through her head.

  Keep calm, she told herself. Keep calm, but sound happy. You’re with Jody, and you’re happy, remember?

  Inhaling deeply, Lily tried to focus on everything she had to remember, and how she should sound. She heard it ring for the fourth time before the call finally connected, and for a split second, her heart stopped beating.

  “Mum?” Her voice sounded weak and croaky, and inwardly, Lily admonished herself.

  “Lily?” It was her mother alright, and she sounded tired. “Is that you? What’s wrong, dear?”

  Lily swallowed, feigning her very best happy voice. “Hi, Mum, yes, it’s me, and nothing’s wrong.” There was a small pause as she took a breath, and in her peripheral vision she saw Ethan inch closer toward her body. “Jody wants me to spend the night again, Mum—we’re having such a good time! You don’t mind, do you?”

  He moved into her line of sight, squeezing the hand still trapped in his large palm as that brow of his arched at her question. Lily shook her head at him. Ethan didn’t understand. She had to ask for permission. She didn’t have the sort of parents who readily allowed her to stay out at night, and they would want to feel as though it was their choice. Not hers, and certainly not Ethan’s.

  “I don’t know, dear,” her mother was replying. “It seems very late notice to change your plans.”

  “What’s that, Jean?”

  Lily could hear her father’s voice in the background, and the knot in her belly tightened. In the end, all of this would boil down to him. If her father agreed, then she knew her mother would begrudgingly do so, too, but as she waited on his verdict, Lily couldn’t decide what she wanted her father’s answer to be. On the one hand, she wanted her parents to acquiesce. A part of her still believed that she could talk Ethan out of whatever scheme he had in mind—if she had enough time—and that part of her still couldn’t believe that he would really hurt her. But, another part of her head, the part that had heard his confession, and felt the intensity of his hand across her mouth, just wanted her father to refuse. It wanted her parents to create a fuss, threaten to go to Jody’s and force Ethan into letting her go home. Even though she knew it meant the end of everything she had come to know and love about him, Lily’s self-preservation instincts had kicked in, and on some level, she just wanted to get out of here.

  Alive.

  She pushed that last word away, though not before it had provoked the pit of nausea in her tummy again.

  “We suppose it’s okay.” Her mother’s voice crashed through her spiraling thoughts, making the muscles in her belly cramp. “So long as you’re home for dinner tomorrow. I assume you’ll have whatever you need at Jody’s, or can borrow it from her?”

  “Yes.” Her voice sounded hoarse all of a sudden. “Thanks, Mum.”

  “And I really wish you’d come back to church with me again soon, love,” she replied, a hint of resignation resounding in her voice. “We miss you there.”

  Lily swallowed at that. She hadn’t been to church for weeks, and she hadn’t missed it one iota, but somehow, the sound of the notion made her ache for her mother, and for home. “I will soon,” she promised weakly. “I’m sorry.”

  And she meant that, because Lily was sorry. Sorry she’d lied to them for weeks, sorry that she was still lying now, and sorry that she might never get to see them again—she might never get to say goodbye.

  “Don’t be sorry,” her mother retorted in that way that had always riled Lily so much. “Just come along. Are you sure you’re okay, dear, you sound a little anxious?”

  Lily wasn’t sure how much of the conversation Ethan was able to hear from beside her, but his free hand rose into her line of sight at her mother’s question, and he motioned for her to wrap things up. Meeting his eye briefly, she nodded her head in acknowledgement.

  “I’m fine, thanks, Mum,” she replied as meaningfully as she could. “I have to go, but I love you.”

  The last thing Lily heard before Ethan snatched the receiver from her hand was the sound of mother replying in that same warm tone she had always taken for granted. “We love you too, Lily. Take care of yourself.”

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Pressing the receiver back into the cradle, Ethan surveyed the woman he was clutching. Lily had done a good job with her parents. He was proud of her, but that didn’t change what had to happen now.

  “Let’s get you that water,” he told her, intentionally keeping his voice soft as he guided her from the phone, past the sitting room doorway, and into the light and airy kitchen.

  “Sit,” he commanded, gesturing toward the round wooden table to the left. “And remember what I told you. Don’t do anything stupid.”

  Lily appraised him with wide eyes as she took his advice and approached the table with shaky legs. “What happens now?”

  Her voice was back to being a croaky whisper again, and he could tell she was worried. Based on the news he had just delivered, he supposed Lily had every right to be.

  Ethan reached into the cupboard, taking his eyes from her for just a second as he grabbed a tall glass and twisted on the tap at the sink below him. He filled the glass with cold water quickly, before he turned back to Lily, relieved to see that she had at least decided to do as she was told, and was now sitting as requested. Striding over to where she was, Ethan presented her with the glass of water. Her attention shifted from the back door as he leaned over the top of the nearest chair, considering her question. He wanted to shake his head. He didn’t have to read her mind to know what little Lily was thinking about.

  “You can’t get out that way,” he told her in a dry tone. “Only I have the key, and the door is locked. Want to try and see for yourself?’

  She flushed, shaking her head as she met his eye. “No,” she murmured, taking the glass from him. “No, I believe you.”

  Ethan couldn’t help but smile at that.

  “I have to get y
ou out of here,” he concluded before his brain had even had time to catch up with where his mouth was going.

  “What?” she countered, gripping onto the glass with so much force that he half expected it to smash between her fingers. “Where? I mean, I don’t have anything with me, and I’m still only half dressed!”

  He smirked at that, his eyes running over her undressed state appreciatively. “Finish the water and get dressed,” he told her firmly. “I can buy you new things when we get there.”

  When we get there? Ethan wanted to shake his head at his own words. When we get there—what was he thinking? Was he thinking, at all? Had he thought through any of the shit he’d pulled tonight? What the hell had he been doing telling Lily the truth right now? What part of his fucked-up mind had thought that would be a grand idea?

  Fuck.

  Lowering his gaze, he pulled back his right foot and slammed it hard into the leg of the chair in front of him. The impact sent the wood creaking against the kitchen tiles, and made Lily jump from her seat.

  “Sorry,” he mumbled, acknowledging the wide-eyed stare she was giving him. “Just drink up.”

  Lily lifted the glass to her lips, but her chest was still rising and falling so fast that she could barely catch her breath enough to take a drink, and all the while, Ethan’s mind was racing. He’d done it—he’d really done it. While there had never been a definite plan for how to break the news to Lily, this had absolutely not been on the agenda. It was so unlike him to be this impulsive. Usually everything he did was planned and controlled, so the fact he was now having to think on the fly made the whole situation feel even worse. But still, whatever else he was, Ethan was a pragmatist. He might have fucked up, but he couldn’t change that now. What he had to do now was get Lily out of here, and in his heart, he knew there was only one place they could go.

  “Ethan.”

  The sound of her small voice tore through his internal monologue, and he lifted his chin to find her glass empty, and those wide, green eyes waiting on his response.