Captive to the Dark by Alaska Angelini Page B

The depths she was willing to go to get my sister back had me embracing her so hard I was sure she would snap in two. “Thank you.” My mouth pressed against her temple and I didn’t bother untying her. I clutched to her like an anchor while I raced for my bedroom.
    Whatever she wanted, I was ready to give it to her. All she had to do was say the words and I’d make it happen. As long as it wasn’t freedom. That I wasn’t willing to grant. Anything else, yes.
    My door slammed into the wall and I pushed it shut behind us. “Name something. Anything. It’s yours.”
    Mary’s eyebrows drew in. “You know what I want.”
    “Not going to happen. Name something else.”
    A grunt left her mouth and she hopped to the bed, doing one last jump to land herself on the mattress. “I don’t want anything.” Her arms adjusted behind her and I walked over, undoing the ropes.
    Maybe it was guilt, for the first time, but I wasn’t letting her get out of this. “You have to name something. I won’t take no for an answer.” The rope landed at the far end of the bed at my toss. Intrigue lit up her face. I knew something had entered her mind, but she shook her head.
    “Sorry, I don’t want anything.”
    “You lie. You’re very good at that.”
    Mary reached for her feet and began undoing the rope. “What do you expect? I learned from the best.” While she unraveled it, I leaned against the wall, content to watch my name move with every motion of her body.
    “Enlighten me. I know something came to your mind while I was asking.”
    The hemp fell to the floor and she straightened her back, almost proudly. “Fine. You want to know, I’ll tell you. My apartment. I can’t afford to keep it when I leave and I won’t allow my father to take care of me anymore. If you can take care of the rent until I finish school, I’ll pay you back after I get on my feet. And, I will pay you back.”
    Pay me back? I should have known she was going to say a ridiculous statement like that. In my mind, I figured she was dreaming of some fancy car or even jewelry. I was way off. Mary wasn’t flashy like the women of my past. I’d have to learn to stop comparing her.
    And just rent? No fancy penthouse or apartment in Paris? It made me sigh. It didn’t matter. As far as I was concerned, she wasn’t going anywhere anyway. Real estate was always good to have. Maybe I’d convince her to lease it out while she stayed here, or maybe the peace of mind would help her overall. That was only better for me.
    “Rent isn’t going to work. I’ll buy it and put it in your name so you know no one can ever take it from you. It’s my gift. Don’t you dare deny it either.”
    The way her lips parted in surprise made me happy. I could tell she didn’t necessarily like what I’d said, but she wasn’t arguing.  It was settled. Now I didn’t feel like such a bastard for taking her, not that I really had to begin with. Only a little. But it had to be done. Maybe with her dramatics, Victor would search in earnest. Hell, maybe they’d actually locate Lily. I’d given up all hope, knowing I had to do this as my last shot, but what if they could really find her? For the first time in over two months, hope sparked, and I hated it. If she didn’t come home, nothing would be different. My mourning would be the same. Now that I’d let her become alive in my heart again, the all too familiar need for vengeance was renewed. God, help me.
    “How are you? Did you eat enough dinner?”
    Mary stood and narrowed her eyes, walking around me like she wasn’t sure what to think of my question.
    “I’m fine. You’re acting different.”
    “Different?” Well, maybe a little. I couldn’t get the way she’d broken down out of my head. The need to protect her from reaching pain of that magnitude ever again nearly made me sick. No one would hurt her. Not even myself. Not like that.
    The tip of her tongue traced over her lips while she continued to stare. It drew my