I’d modified her cuffs to measure her heart rate, body temperature, exercising
habits, and even her sleep patterns. After a while, her pulse had slowed to a deep
calm, jumped again, and then relaxed again. I wanted to know what the fuck she
was doing out there, but I fought with myself to give her some privacy. Clive and
Owen wanted to argue and go after her, but angering myself even more, I denied
them. Sid told me this might happen, that she would run like this, even though she
knew not to. In a way, I’d expected it, too, though I was shocked to hear her bring
up my mother.
She’d compared herself to her more than once, but I didn’t want her thinking
she’d share the same fate as her. It would never happen. I would burn the world
first.
What pissed me off more was the fact that she thought she’d been testing me
before. I’d known what she was doing the entire fucking time. It’d be a cold day in
hell if ever she were a step ahead of me. I knew her too well, knew how the wheels
in her cute little head turned. She’d become too compliant to the point of
annoyance, and I knew she was doing it to make a point. I missed the fire, the
tension, the way she hated me with so much passion I could practically feel it claw
at my skin when I fucked her. Now, she was dull, unemotional, and irritatingly
robotic. And I knew it was my fault.
I liked control too much, needed it too much. Control was safe, reliable, and
brought with it every advantage possible. If I wasn’t in control, then someone else
was, and I’d be damned before I let that happen. In my world, you couldn’t afford to
look weak because the moment the sharks smelled blood in the water, there would
be nothing left but a throne to claim, and I’d already claimed so many as it was.
Jaden had yet to understand why I couldn’t yield. Eventually, she would. When
the darkness of my world revealed itself to her, she would. She would also learn
that playing games with me was never a smart idea, especially if she was trying to
undermine me.
At long last, I caught sight of the magnificent red shine of Jaden’s hair as she
walked out of the woods and toward the house, seeming calm and collected.
Unharmed. I couldn’t help but release a small breath of relief, but it was short lived
as the anger returned to replace it.
“Sir!” Clive yelled from the living room as he came to my side.
“I see her,” I said, my narrowed gaze never leaving her small form as she
trudged toward the house.
Following her every move, I stormed my way toward the door right as she walked
in. She stopped abruptly when I cornered her, and actually flinched like I was going
to hit her. She had good reason to. I wanted to smack some sense into her, but it
angered me for some reason that her first instinct was to flinch, rather than raise
her hands in defense as she normally would … because she was going to let me hit
her.
Fear washed over her beautiful face as her amber eyes landed on me. I knew I
was probably unconsciously glaring at her, but I was pissed and wanted an
explanation.
“Well?” I said, lifting an eyebrow and crossing my arms over my chest.
Jaden folded her lips and gulped back her trepidation before she finally spoke,
her eyes raised with determination and responsibility.
“I’m sorry for running. I didn’t mean to take off like that. I just sort of …
panicked. I just needed a moment to collect myself before I did something …
worse,” she said confidently.
“You were out there for three hours, princess. You missed your dinner, and you
worried the shit out of me,” I said sternly. I sounded like an angry parent,
chastising their child.
“I know. I’m sorry. I would have been back sooner, but I don’t exactly have a way
of telling time out there.”
“What did you even do out there?”
“Meditated mostly,” she murmured with a shrug. “Wandered for a while until I
calmed down. I know I messed up, and …” She sucked in a breath and eased out her
exhale before meeting me head-on. “I’m prepared to accept whatever punishment
I deserve for my behavior. I won’t complain, but you should at least know it was
more out of panic and frustration than it was defiance,” she stated.
I sighed. I should have known that therapy session with Sid was going to lead to
trouble. Forcing Jaden to talk about
