Defaced: A Dark Romance Novel by Marissa Farrar Page B

in the same situation, she often felt like the people who normally read the stories did so with pity in their hearts and relief it wasn’t them or one of their children who had to deal with such a stark disfigurement.
    Those must have been the places where he’d found her name.
    “Yes,” said Tudor. “Things will change now, but if you try anything stupid, you will regret it. He is a very powerful man and he doesn’t take betrayal lightly.”
    I’d have to be loyal to him first to be able to betray him, she thought but didn’t say.
    She nodded. “I understand.”
    “He’ll be back shortly. Don’t do anything stupid in the meantime.”
    The man she now knew was called Tudor left her alone once more.
    Her insides quivered with nerves and excitement. Was she finally going to be allowed out of this room? Her mind spun at the thought of being allowed into another part of the house. Would there be windows? Would she be allowed to see outside? How much that meant to her was unfathomable. To be able to see the sunlight again, or even the moon. To just get an idea of the time of day, to be able to put her mind straight on that simple, fundamental part of life felt so important. Would she even be able to get an idea of what country she’d been brought to? She didn’t know, but hope swelled up inside her like a balloon.
    Impatient, she paced around the room, chewing on her already blunt fingernails. She sat down on the edge of the bed, her knee bopping up and down with nerves, and then she got up again and resumed her pacing.
    Finally, footsteps came from outside and she recognized from the exact weight and gait that they belonged to Monster. She froze, staring at the door. For the first time, he was going to enter without first handcuffing and blindfolding her. Did that mean he trusted her now? If so, he gave his trust too easily.
    The door opened and he stepped into the room.
    The sight of his face blew her away; it was like a physical punch to the chest. His eyes were the deepest brown, thick dark lashes framing them. High cheekbones and a strong but finely chiseled nose. Full lips and a square jaw. Yet, she couldn’t take her eyes off the black, raised mark which covered half of his face. Nature was a cruel bitch. He could have been an actor or a model—hell, he could have been whatever he wanted to be—but instead he was here, with her.
    “Are you ready?” he asked her again.
    This time she nodded. “I’m ready.”
    “Then come with me.”
    Lily trembled, taking steps toward him on shaky legs. “Where are we going?”
    “I’m taking you to the treatment room.”
    “You have your own treatment room? Your own laser?”
    “Of course.” A hint of a smile played on his lips. “There wouldn’t be much point in bringing you here if I didn’t also have the correct equipment.”
    “Oh, right.”
    Had she been hoping he might need to take her from the building in order for her to perform the treatments to his face? Yes, though she’d not wanted to build false hope on the possibility. She’d thought he’d take her to a private hospital, or clinic. She didn’t think he’d have bought his own. She hoped he’d not bought the type of handheld laser that could be purchased for home use over the internet. Those kinds of lasers would make no difference to his face. He needed a top of the range, professional cosmetic laser—the best money could buy—but that would put him back tens of thousands of dollars.
    Lily followed Monster out of the room and into the long, wide hallway. Corniced ceilings and white paneled walls combined with dark wood floors. Her eyes sought daylight, hoping for a window positioned somewhere along the wall, but there was none. Where was this place? What was this place? If she hadn’t thought it crazy, she’d have started to believe she was in some kind of underground bunker.
    “Will you tell me something?” she asked as she followed his broad back down the hallway.
    He glanced over