standing in the doorway.
“How long have you been standing there?” she asked incredulously. I smirked.
“Long enough to know you’re nervous about something,” I replied. Jaden glared
at me as I rounded the table. “Do you have something to be nervous about,
princess?”
Her mouth formed into a tight line at her pet name. I loved that she hated it so
much.
“I’m just curious as to how Holly is,” she replied carefully.
“And what did you do to Holly?” I asked her.
She immediately narrowed her eyes at me. “Don’t act like you don’t know,” she
said with a tone far too strong for one in her position.
I raised an eyebrow at her. “I didn’t say I didn’t know. I said for you to tell me
what you did to her. Or do you need more clarification?”
Jaden’s scowl came back full force, and I met it with my own, daring her to start
shit with me. She instantly softened.
“I think I accidentally broke her nose,” she said regrettably. It almost sounded
like an apology.
“You’d be correct.”
“Shit,” she said under her breath, turning back around in her chair.
I pulled my chair out and sat down. “Why did you hit her?”
“I told you, it was an accident,” she replied harshly.
“And how did the accident happen?”
“I had a bad dream, and she woke me up. I reacted; I couldn’t help it.”
I furrowed my brows at her. “What were you dreaming about?” She glanced at
me.
“It doesn’t matter,” she replied, placing her elbows on the table and resting her
head in her hands.
“It does when I’m the one who’s asking,” I replied sternly.
She looked back over to me, her head still in her hands. She didn’t want to
answer, but she couldn’t lie either. She’d learned that much, at least. “I dreamt
about our reunion in the jail cell after I got away,” she said gently.
I felt my fist tighten and my blood heat. I didn’t like the sound of that. “Not my
fondest of memories.”
“Nor mine,” Jaden said quietly, and I narrowed my eyes at her.
“I trust it won’t need to happen again,” I said, unable to subside the venom in
my voice.
She flinched and looked away, like that might somehow hide the memories
flashing in front of her. I’d been brutal then, furious and unforgiving. In a way, I
regretted it because I hadn’t just clipped Jaden’s wings, I’d fucking torn them from
her body. She would never escape me again, and if that meant she’d have to learn
to walk in her cage instead of fly, then so be it. Even though I hated it, I wanted that
memory to last. I wanted her to remember how cruel I could be so she could learn to
appreciate the times when I wasn’t.
“Jaden,” I warned her; I was still waiting for her answer. She flinched just the
tiniest of a fraction, but it was noticeable to my eyes.
“No, Darren,” she said, hiding her mouth behind her folded hands. “It won’t.”
Her eyes found mine as she said it like a vow—sharply and surrounded with
conviction. She was angry with me, but she would have to get over it. Truthfully, I
never wanted to hurt her like that again. I wanted her strong and durable, but if my
princess needed a reminder of her place, that there was no escape from me, then I
would do what was necessary to ensure that.
“Good,” I said, finalizing that conversation.
A few short moments later, our dinner was brought out, and I decided to
entertain a new conversation.
“Tell me about your day with Holly,” I ordered as I began cutting into my steak.
Jaden finished chewing on her steamed carrots before she finally answered.
“She’s annoying as hell,” she answered, and it almost made me laugh. I agreed
one hundred percent. “But she is someone to talk to so …”
So Jaden was lonely, after all. I knew I hadn’t been around much, but I was far
too busy to keep flying back to the island to spend time with her, no matter how
much I wanted to. Not to mention time away from me meant she could focus on
herself, but that didn’t seem to be going so well. I hoped Holly would change that.
“I trust I don’t need to remind you to watch what you say to her,” I warned.
Jaden scowled at me but softened it quickly when I caught her eye.
“Of course, although I’ve never seen someone tiptoe so well around someone’s
past before in my life. Tell me, what lies did you give Holly about me to ensure her
discretion?”
My mouth formed a tight line while my jaw instantly clenched. She was pushing
me again, and I was only too happy to shove back.
“Holly is under the impression that you were in a car accident and that you lost
your mother and younger brothers in it. It was obviously a traumatic experience for
you and should never, under any circumstances, ever be discussed.” She nodded in
acknowledgment. “I don’t think I need to remind you of what will happen to Holly
should those conversations reach their limit.”
Jaden gulped back her water, swallowing like she had a lump in her throat before
she answered. “No reminder necessary,” she replied grimly without looking at me.
“Good girl,” I said and went back to my dinner. Jaden silently worked on her
own. To my surprise, she actually finished her entire plate, and when she was done,
she relaxed into her chair, clearly lost in thought. I had a feeling
