by A. J. Locke
“I’m not taking any chances with you, Selene. I am no fool. You do not really want me, and any weak effort you tried to show to the contrary was just that; a show. Done in order to stop me from becoming an anchored beastie like the one you are so anxious to try and stop.”
I didn’t know what to say that wouldn’t come out as an incomprehensible scream of rage so I kept quiet. Andrew had Micah prisoner, and I was certain he had used as heavy a hand as possible to beat him into submission. I felt sick all over again.
“So what now, Andrew? Are you taking me to the airport so we can hop on a plane and fly out to St. Tropez? Gonna leave Micah to starve to death in your apartment?”
Andrew chuckled. “You think me that cruel?”
“I think you’re worse than I ever imagined.” It was all I could do not to spit on him.
“Oh, Selene. You think me cruel, yet this is all your doing.”
“What?” My yell did not faze him.
“When I was alive, and we were enjoying our little affair, I made no secret that I had a soft spot for you, didn’t I? I let you know what you meant to me.”
“You mean when you tried to force yourself on me?” That wasn’t a memory I would soon forget.
Andrew sighed.
“I do regret that. It was never my intention to scare you.”
“You more disgusted me than scared me.”
“I was going to leave Cecilia for you.”
“I knew that when she came to my door and slapped me.” I shook my head, why was I rehashing this with Andrew? “Look, Andrew, whatever you want with me, I need you to let Micah go.”
“Now why would I do that when imprisoning the man you love is the only way I can have the woman I love?”
“You’re sick. Your mind is twisted. Do you even hear yourself? I am in love with someone else, and I am completely disgusted by you. Why are you so stuck on me?”
“You got under my skin a long time ago, my sweet Selene.” His voice was almost a whisper. “And not even death could get you out. I do this because I have no choice. You are the one who drove me to this.”
“I will not take the blame for this, asshole.” I realized that we were in fact heading to his loft. That meant I would get to see Micah, though I could not bear the thought of seeing the condition Andrew had him in. Hopefully I would be able to figure out a way to get both of us away from Andrew. I knew that likely meant that Andrew had to die…again.
“You are so loyal to Micah, aren’t you? So loyal that you desire to save him even after finding out what he did to save you. Did that not disgust you too?”
“Nothing Micah could ever do will make me loathe him more than I loathe you.” True, Micah and I had not come to an understanding regarding what he did to save me from the Rot, but I still loved him. And I had to save him.
“What a strong bond you two have. I hope to one day have an even stronger bond with you.”
I gave a bark of laughter at that.
“It may take some time, but I am a very patient man.”
“Clearly.” My sarcasm was thick. We were here. Andrew pulled into his building’s private parking lot. He opened the glove compartment and pulled out an energy rune, which he slipped around his neck.
“For appearances,” he said, although I had already figured that out. He got out of the car and started to walk over to my side, but I got out before he could open the door for me. This was far from a situation that called for a man opening a door for me.
“Shall we head inside?”
Like there was a choice. I followed Andrew into the building where he chatted with the concierge like there was nothing dastardly going on as we waited for the elevator. Every part of me wanted to scream for help but I had to keep in mind that Micah’s life was at stake. I didn’t want to think about what Andrew would do to Micah before any help arrived.
When Andrew opened his apartment door the first thing I saw was Micah. He was blindfolded and tied to chair in the middle of the room. His body visibly clenched when he heard the door open. I started to move toward him but Andrew yanked me back. Looking at what he’d done to Micah, I was more enraged than I was during the car ride. Micah’s clothes were torn and bloody. His face was a swollen, bruised up mess, and there were cuts up and down his arms. No doubt they were made by the knife that was lying on the floor nearby. I pulled away from Andrew and turned on him, pounding my fists against his chest.
“You fucking son of a bitch! Was this really necessary? Did you have to hurt him this much?”
Andrew clamped his hands around my wrists to stop my assault. The smile on his face made me want to throw up all over again.
“Necessary? Maybe not. But was it fun to hurt the man you chose over me? Oh yes.”
“I didn’t choose him over you because there was no choice to be made you psycho!”
“Selene? Is that you?”
I turned at the sound of Micah’s voice. I wanted to run over to him but Andrew still had a hold on me.
“I’m here, Micah. I’m so sorry he did this to you.”
“No, I’m the one who is sorry. For so much…God, Selene, there was so much I did not know, I’m so sorry…” His voice was distraught.
“That’s enough of that.” Andrew pulled me along as he retrieved the knife. I was standing only a few feet away from Micah but there might as well have been oceans between us. Andrew let me go but pointed the knife at Micah the moment I took a step forward.
“Try to get to him again, and I start slicing. So far he just has shallow wounds. You would not want me to cut deeper. Just do what I want and lover boy will live.”
I stood there taking slow, deep breaths, trying to quell my anger because if I did anything rash it would only result in Micah being hurt more. My hands were balled into fists and my body shook. I badly wanted to take that knife and slam it into Andrew’s chest. I was tired of dealing with him, in life, death, and life again.
“What do you want?” I said through gritted teeth. I really did not want to know.
“To have a nice evening with you,” Andrew said. That infuriating smile was once again on his lips. “If you go into the bedroom you will see that I have lain out an outfit for you. I would like you to get freshened up then rejoin me.”
“Are you fucking kidding me? You want me to go get dressed up so we can have a nice evening while you leave Micah tied up and bleeding here?”
“Oh, we aren’t leaving him,” Andrew said. “Our evening will be happening right here. I can’t leave my collateral behind, can I?” He took a step toward me and the smile vanished. Now the look on his face was completely terrifying. To look into his eyes was to see that Andrew was gone farther than I had thought. His mind had become twisted and it wasn’t hard to see how that could have happened with his death, then rising as an anchored beastie with only me on the brain. He was gone beyond redemption.
“Now, go do what I say and do it without bitching or Micah pays the price. If you resist me or try to be the hero, Micah dies. Do you understand me?”
I said nothing, just met his steely gaze with one of my own for a few moments, then turned around and headed to the bedroom. When I saw what was lying on the bed I wanted to run back out and slap Andrew in the face. Instead, I stood with my back pressed against the door, took slow breaths, and counted to ten several times. It didn’t help. I released a sigh and walked toward the bed and the black lingerie set that was laid out for me. It consisted of a bustier bra, lacy panties that I could at least be thankful were not a thong, thigh highs, garters, and a pair of strappy, red high heels. I snatched everything up and headed to the bathroom. The only good part about this was that I could take a shower. Afterwards, I reluctantly put on the lingerie and heels. It was a sexy outfit that I would have loved to wear for Micah. Right now I could not even stand to look at myself in the mirror. Andrew had a physical body and wanted me to wear lingerie. The thought of his hands and lips on me, especially in front of Micah, was one I could not bear to thin
k.
With dread in every step I finally left the bedroom. I had taken a long shower and put the lingerie on as slowly as possible, but I couldn’t stall too long because I didn’t want Andrew to come looking for me or use his knife on Micah if he thought I wasn’t doing as he said. When I came back out I stopped short because Andrew had taken the blindfold off Micah and his eyes were glued to me. Andrew was behind the bar making drinks, but he looked up when I entered the room. I quickly looked away from the lascivious smile on his face.
Of course he would make Micah watch. There had to be a stronger phrase other than “sick son of a bitch” that I could use right now but my brain was too much of a mess to think of one. Micah looked scared, angry, and heartbroken all at once. I fought against every instinct to run to him.
“You look ravishing.” Andrew came forward and offered me a drink. He then walked us closer to Micah.
“Have a sip.”
It wasn’t a suggestion so I took a sip. It was strong. Andrew held my hand up.
“Do a turn, won’t you?”
I pressed my lips tightly together and turned as he held my arm in the air. Andrew gave a low whistle.
“You are more breathtaking than I could have ever imagined. Shall we?” He gestured behind him, and I saw that he had two plates of food set up on the bar. He walked us over and pulled my stool out for me. Ever the gentleman. The roasted chicken, grilled asparagus, and red potatoes looked and smelled delicious, but I wasn’t sure I could eat anything and keep it down. Andrew obviously wasn’t going to eat alone. He looked at me until I picked up the fork, then he smiled and picked up his own.
“You have no idea how amazing it feels to be able to eat food again.” He momentarily closed his eyes as he chewed. “I was only a ghost for a few months but I did not realize how many human things I missed.” He opened his eyes and trailed them up and down my body. “So many things I missed.” His voice was soft, and the thrill that went over my body was not a good one. I turned away and focused on using my fork to deliver food to my mouth like it was a task that required all the concentration in the world. My skin crawled. Actually, it felt more like it was trying to crawl off me so it could get away from Andrew’s touch.
“How’s your meal?”
“Delicious.” So far I was doing a good job of not throwing up, but I didn’t even taste what I put in my mouth. All I could think about was how to get Micah and me away from Andrew. But getting us away would not be enough. Andrew had to be stopped. He was out of his mind and in a human body again. I did not relish the idea of committing murder, but what other option was there? I chanced a quick look at Micah. His eyes were still on me. I wanted to say so much to him but right now I had to focus on getting us out of this situation. Unfortunately, no solutions were forthcoming.
“Don’t fill up too much, there’s also dessert.” Andrew got off his stool and walked away, then looked back. “Don’t move. And don’t speak.” He disappeared into the kitchen, and I sat there tensely. I didn’t see the knife, which meant he had it on him. What else could I use? I could hit him over the head with a stool or bottle of liquor, but how much time would that buy me to get Micah out of here? Micah was injured so he wouldn’t be moving quickly. No, anything I did to Andrew would have to be permanent. I swallowed hard. I could use a broken bottle to…
“Tiramisu.” Andrew was back, carrying two plates of tiramisu. He set one down in front of me and took his seat. I had missed my window, although I wasn’t sure I would have been successful had I tried something. I had to be more calculated because I would only have one shot at escaping. If I was unsuccessful, Andrew would not hesitate to kill Micah. If he did that he was definitely going to die at my hands.
Once again I forced food down my throat. I might as well have been eating cardboard for all I could taste what I was putting in my mouth. I could see Micah in my peripheral and it was driving me crazy that I could do nothing while he sat there bound and injured.
Andrew cleaned his plate like that tiramisu was the best thing he had ever eaten. I had barely gotten halfway through my piece.
“It wasn’t good? I made it from scratch for you. I know how much you love dessert.”
“Yes well, it’s hard to want to fill up when you’re wearing skimpy lingerie. Don’t want to bloat.” I couldn’t care less if I looked bloated, but I figured that was a safer response than spitting in his face and cursing at him. Andrew smiled.
“You are perfectly beautiful, Selene. As I said before, ravishing.”
I could hardly believe there had once been a time when Andrew looking at me with heat in his eyes would have turned me on.
“Now what?” The meal was over, and I was sitting around in lingerie. I didn’t really want to know what was next but asking was better than spontaneously finding out.
“Now we do something I have wanted to do with you for a long time.” He got up and my stomach clenched so hard it almost doubled me over. There was no way I was going to let Andrew touch me. In front of Micah, no less. It looked like it was about time for me to snatch up a liquor bottle and take my chances.
To my surprise though, Andrew walked over to his antique record player and turned on some classical music. I was never a fan of classical music but Andrew loved it. He walked back over to me and offered his hand.
“Now we dance.”
Of course we did. I put on lingerie, we ate, and now it was time to dance. Hell, worked for me, it was better than Andrew trying to force himself on me.
I took his hand, and he led me to the middle of the room. We were only a few feet away from Micah, and I couldn’t help but look at him. Now it felt like my heart was clenching. He looked tired and completely beaten into submission. Andrew’s fingers on my cheek none too gently pushed my face back toward him.
“Pay more attention to him than me? Not a good idea.” His ability to switch from laid back, smiling, and charming to menacing was disturbing. I swallowed hard and forced myself not to look at Micah again. Couldn’t forget that Andrew had that knife. Would be great if I could find it so I could ram it into his neck.
Moments later Andrew’s smile returned and we started dancing. By no means did I know how to dance to classical music. The only dancing I was inclined to do involved top forty and some seedy dance club on a Saturday night. Andrew knew what he was doing, but I mostly stumbled along as he attempted to twirl me about. The stripper-approved high heels didn’t help. I could only hope I didn’t break an ankle.
“This feels great,” Andrew whispered. I guess he took note of my horrible dancing because he pulled me close and we just swayed from side to side. Which was repulsing because I was half naked and pressed up against him. I really wanted to go back to stumbling around. His mouth was close to my ear and his breath tickling across my neck made my ever present nausea roil.
“More than great,” he continued. “It feels perfect. Doesn’t it?”
I didn’t answer.
“This is how it should be. You and me, Selene. We could dance across the most extravagant dance floors all over the world.”
“This kind of dancing isn’t really my thing.” I couldn’t help myself. Andrew was attempting to build a future for us.
He chuckled.
“You will learn to love it as I do.”
What an arrogant bastard.
“But of course there’s more to do on our travels than just dance. So many sights to see. Not to mention shopping. There is nothing I would deny you.”
Except my and Micah’s freedom? I almost said it but bit my tongue.
“Do you like the beach? Perhaps St. Tropez should be the first place we visit. We could rent a yacht.”
Yeah, we’ll sunbathe while Micah stayed tied up below deck. Because I was sure he would bring his collateral wherever he dragged me.
“Sounds great.” There was no emotion to my voice. Andrew seemed to think the world of that statement because his hold on me tightened. He was excited, and I didn’t just mean in an emotional w
ay.
The song ended and Andrew pulled back enough to cup my cheeks and look into my eyes. He leaned his forehead against mine and exhaled. “My Selene. You are finally mine. As it should have always been.”
Before I knew it he’d pressed his lips to mine and it was all I could do not to twist away or attempt to bite off his tongue. Micah made an angry sound in his throat. Andrew pulled back, took my hand, and walked to the bedroom. He was ready to make use of that erection.
“Don’t touch her!” Micah’s yell was so loud and full of emotion that we both stopped abruptly and turned around. Andrew dropped my hand, stalked over to him, and punched him in the face. I screamed and ran forward, but Andrew procured the knife from his waistband. He didn’t hesitate with slashing Micah across the chest, which made both he and I scream.
“One more word out of you and my next cut will be much deeper,” he snarled. He stuck the knife in the floor so it was standing straight up. Damn it, I’d hoped he’d put it back in his waistband. He looked at Micah, who was slumped to the side as much as his restraints would let him. His nose bled. My eyes filled with tears but my body shook with rage.
“I toyed with the idea of letting you watch me take her,” Andrew said. “But I think at least the first time I want her all to myself. The night is young though, and there is more space out here.” A nasty smile curled his lips. “It’s a very good stage for a show.”
Oh I felt, sick, sick, sick. He moved toward the bedroom again and didn’t seem to care that I kept my eyes on Micah until we were in the room and he closed the door. He pushed me toward the bed, and I lost my balance and fell onto my back. He started undressing, all the while roving his eyes all over my body. When his shirt was off, he crawled onto the bed, and I immediately crawled off. He turned around and looked at me in amusement.
“Do I have to remind you what playing hard to get will do for your lover boy out there?”