Two Books in One - Ominous Love and Paradox - The Angels Are Here by Patricia Puddle Page A

As I watch him, I wonder how anyone so handsome can be so evil. I shudder, just thinking about what he’ll do next. Something cruel and horrible no doubt, but I can't let him know how terrified I am. Closing my eyes for a moment, I take a deep breath and try to relax.
    He feels my pulse with his thumb. “See how happy I make you when you let me.”
    I open my eyes. Far out. He thinks I liked his stupid massage. Yuck. I pull my hands away.
    He throws the rope on the rug, then looks back at me. As he swallows, his Adam's apple moves in his throat. Shoot. I don't like where this is going and there's no way I can escape, but I'll have to try. I glance at the door and wonder if it's locked.
    Leaning closer, he whispers, “If you try to escape, you'll pay the consequences, and believe me, you won't like them.”
    I flinch. “W … what do you mean?”
    His eyes glint with menace. “I will kill your precious Seal.”
    My stomach drops and all the blood drains from my face. “My seal? I don't have a seal. They’re protected animals.”
    “Don't play stupid games with me, Eloise, it's unbecoming. Do you prefer I kill him now?”
    “No!” I swallow a big lump in my throat. How does he know about Seal?
    “Did you have sex with him?”
    I shake my head.
    “So you're innocent?”
    Ignoring him, I fidget with my fingers.
    He grips my chin. “Answer me!”
    “Um … I guess.”
    “You guess?” he growls. “What the hell does that mean?”
    I flinch. “I guess I’m innocent.”
    He runs his thumb along my lips. “I told you not to lie to me, and you know what the punishment entails. But this time, I'll give you a chance to redeem yourself. Answer me again. You're not innocent, are you?”
    I tremble. “I don't know what you mean.”
    “You're shameless and lustful, aren’t you?”
    Staring at him, I blink. “Am not.”
    His eyes gleaming, he strokes my cheek. “Are you a virgin?”
    I jerk away from him. “Yes, I am, as if it's any of your damn business.”
    He inhales deeply, his nostrils flaring. “That's good, Eloise, it's important to me, and don't worry; I'll make it my business. You're not Seal's, you're not Tom's. You're mine.”
    Friggin hell. I should have told a lie and said I wasn't. I'm so not his. My stomach churns and I start to feel sick. Hopefully I'll throw up all over him. Poor Seal. Why would he want to hurt him? After all, he doesn't even want me. He's already taken. I breathe deeply and search for some strength. I think about the stranger in my dreams—the mystery boy. If only I could escape to one of my fantasy dreams and wake up back in my bed, back in my rickety old house, the one that I'll never complain about, ever again. I don't want to stay here and be ravished by a good-looking monster.
    Then I remember the strange silhouette in the storm and wonder if it was Devlin. Was he sneaking around our house and spying on me? If it was him, he would have seen Seal kissing me for sure. Maybe if I tell him Seal already has a girlfriend, he won't hurt him. I couldn't bare anything happening to him.
    “What are you up to, Eloise? Are you scheming and planning to escape?”
    “No, but I don't know why you're interested in Seal. He doesn't want me. He has a girlfriend he loves.”
    Devlin steeples his fingers and smirks at me. “Does he now? And what is the dear girl's name?”
    I shrug. “I don't know. He never told me. He's a very private person.”
    “Really?”
    “Yes, really.” I hold out my hands. “So you see, you don't need to kill him. He's no threat. I'll go out with you anyway and he won't give a rat's arse.”
    He raises a brow. “A rat's arse?”
    I roll my eyes. “It's just a saying. Where are you from, the moon?”
    “Oh, you think I'm from the moon?”
    “You're so weird, you probably are.”
    He snorts into his hand. “Well, I'm certainly not from the moon; it's much too cold a place for me. Plus there are no pretty girls like you up there. Would you like to see your new