knew you’d leave the clan, but eventually you’d come back and when you did, you’d find David. It’s why I knew you could do it if you trusted yourself. If you didn’t run, Frank…” She shook her head.
“Frank what? Would have killed me?” She expected that. Actually, she always wondered why she had lived as long as she had. What Frank wanted, he always got. At least until her.
“Let’s not bring up unpleasant memories.”
“Memories.” She couldn’t stop the deep chuckle. “Memories are something you can shove into a box and forget about it, like pictures from a long forgotten day. What Frank did to me, what he wanted me for, and all the suffering he caused…none of it can ever be forgotten. It’s the demon in the closet. There’s only so long you can hold him off before it haunts you again. Something you see might spark a memory, or a familiar smell might bring it all back. Or worse, those nights when it haunts your dreams until you’d rather stay awake and die from exhaustion than sleep for even one more second. Now, whatever you were going to say couldn’t be worse than the nightmares that haunt me, so why don’t you just say what you were going to and we can get it out in the open?”
Mira glanced toward where Reece stood at the other door across the room before she nodded and strolled back to the table. “Very well.”
Victoria waited as Mira sat back down across from her but even after that, the silence stretched on until it became slightly uncomfortable. Part of her wanted to demand that she just come out with whatever she was going to say, while another part screamed for her to forget it. Frank was dead, so what did it matter?
“Inside David’s closet, behind the back wall, there’s a hidden door.”
“So?” She wasn’t surprised that there was a hidey hole they didn’t know about. Frank had been a secretive person, so maybe it was his escape or a better place for him to watch the clan. Whatever it was, she didn’t understand why it mattered now.
“Didn’t you ever wonder where Frank kept his mate before he killed her?” Before she could answer, Mira continued. “Hidden away from all of us because she wouldn’t listen to him. She wasn’t submissive enough, and so he punished her. Though, his version of punishment was much different than most. His was torture. He wanted to put you there and do the same things to you. If you wouldn’t have ran, you’d have found yourself there.”
“My family wouldn’t have…” She wanted to say allow it, but that wasn’t the truth. Her parents had been submissive enough they’d have let him do what they wanted as long as he didn’t come after them.
“He had plans to deal with your family before any issues could arise.” Mira pushed her own tea mug aside and leaned in closer. “He had planned to make it look like you and your family left when actually you were hidden away and your parents were dead.”
This information sat in her stomach like a lead brick. If she had stayed, she’d have been even more of a prisoner. She’d have also put her family in danger. Had Frank killed them and made it look like they had left? It would have been the perfect way to get back at her. If David had found her and dragged her back, Frank could have used it against her, that he’d killed her family because she tried to escape.
“Catnip,” Styx called from the open door by Theodore. “The rooms are ready.”
Mira nodded and stood. “Victoria, for what it’s worth, I’m glad your back. I knew you’d return and make things right here. My brother needs someone like you by his side.”
She wasn’t sure what to say, but David stepped through the door beside him and suddenly she didn’t care about the past or even the future. All she cared about was the man strolling toward her. Some said that being in love wasn’t the same thing as mating. What flowed through her at the moment seemed so much more than just her body reacting to a
“Frank what? Would have killed me?” She expected that. Actually, she always wondered why she had lived as long as she had. What Frank wanted, he always got. At least until her.
“Let’s not bring up unpleasant memories.”
“Memories.” She couldn’t stop the deep chuckle. “Memories are something you can shove into a box and forget about it, like pictures from a long forgotten day. What Frank did to me, what he wanted me for, and all the suffering he caused…none of it can ever be forgotten. It’s the demon in the closet. There’s only so long you can hold him off before it haunts you again. Something you see might spark a memory, or a familiar smell might bring it all back. Or worse, those nights when it haunts your dreams until you’d rather stay awake and die from exhaustion than sleep for even one more second. Now, whatever you were going to say couldn’t be worse than the nightmares that haunt me, so why don’t you just say what you were going to and we can get it out in the open?”
Mira glanced toward where Reece stood at the other door across the room before she nodded and strolled back to the table. “Very well.”
Victoria waited as Mira sat back down across from her but even after that, the silence stretched on until it became slightly uncomfortable. Part of her wanted to demand that she just come out with whatever she was going to say, while another part screamed for her to forget it. Frank was dead, so what did it matter?
“Inside David’s closet, behind the back wall, there’s a hidden door.”
“So?” She wasn’t surprised that there was a hidey hole they didn’t know about. Frank had been a secretive person, so maybe it was his escape or a better place for him to watch the clan. Whatever it was, she didn’t understand why it mattered now.
“Didn’t you ever wonder where Frank kept his mate before he killed her?” Before she could answer, Mira continued. “Hidden away from all of us because she wouldn’t listen to him. She wasn’t submissive enough, and so he punished her. Though, his version of punishment was much different than most. His was torture. He wanted to put you there and do the same things to you. If you wouldn’t have ran, you’d have found yourself there.”
“My family wouldn’t have…” She wanted to say allow it, but that wasn’t the truth. Her parents had been submissive enough they’d have let him do what they wanted as long as he didn’t come after them.
“He had plans to deal with your family before any issues could arise.” Mira pushed her own tea mug aside and leaned in closer. “He had planned to make it look like you and your family left when actually you were hidden away and your parents were dead.”
This information sat in her stomach like a lead brick. If she had stayed, she’d have been even more of a prisoner. She’d have also put her family in danger. Had Frank killed them and made it look like they had left? It would have been the perfect way to get back at her. If David had found her and dragged her back, Frank could have used it against her, that he’d killed her family because she tried to escape.
“Catnip,” Styx called from the open door by Theodore. “The rooms are ready.”
Mira nodded and stood. “Victoria, for what it’s worth, I’m glad your back. I knew you’d return and make things right here. My brother needs someone like you by his side.”
She wasn’t sure what to say, but David stepped through the door beside him and suddenly she didn’t care about the past or even the future. All she cared about was the man strolling toward her. Some said that being in love wasn’t the same thing as mating. What flowed through her at the moment seemed so much more than just her body reacting to a
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