Contractually Yours Alpha (Riley)

Chapter Ninety Four

Chapter

Ninety Four

I couldn't bring myself to sleep; Thane clouded my thoughts.

"Still thinking about him?" Daemon asked. We both knew who he was referring to.

""No." I lied.

"I can tell when you are lying."

"What difference does it make? It's not like you will let me go to him."

"And what if I can?"

"Vox wouldn't let you." I stated.

"You know, I have never truly been a 'free' creature. Every time I feel as though I've achieved it, I realize I am still in servitude."

"It had been from Jade to Bruce and then... Vox." I said to him, and he nodded in agreement.

"I want to ask you a question, and I need a genuine answer from you. When I was gone with Jade, you knew what was going to happen to me. Did you at any moment regret your decision? Did you ever think about me?" I was silent for a long while. "Daemon, I..."

"Just answer the question."

"You want an answer, then it's 'No:. I never regretted my decision; I never thought about you-at least not in the way you think."

"Do you hate me, Riley?"

"I sometimes believe I do. When you become that monster, I do hate you, but then you change, and you act completely different. I want to hate you, Daemon, for everything you've done to me. I really want to, and yet..."

"You don't," he completed.

I couldn't give a response.

"When you betrayed me 'once again,' I made up my mind that I was going to make you pay for it. I spent hours and hours thinking about how you were going to suffer, ways I would put you in pain, but then... I saw you. The monster you hate-that's me, the real me, but anytime I am with you, I want to be something else; I want to become someone you wouldn't look at with disgust or hatred. I am not supposed to care about what you think of me, and yet I do."

-

"When you warned me not to anger Vox, it was because you wanted me alive?"

"Yes. I do, despite everything; I still need to be reminded of a reason to kill you. But so many things will change, Riley; I will have to make decisions that will make you very pissed. I will do everything Vox orders me to do, and you will hate me all over again... But before, let this be the one good thing I have ever done."

He rose from the bed, and I watched him curiously. "What are you doing?"

"You may want to grab some food; we are going to see Thane."

I didn't believe it, even as I packed up the food the maids had brought with shaky hands into the bag; I didn't believe Daemon would do it, but I kept silent.

1/2

Chapter Ninety Four

"Ready?" he asked, and I nodded.

He took out a blindfold and wrapped it around my eyes. "I wouldn't want you having a single clue of where we are going to."

I nodded; I didn't really care; all I wanted to do was see him again. He held me close; I could feel his hand settle at the small of my back, a possessive hold, and then the chill wind blew through my hair. It felt like only a few seconds had passed by, but even from the smell of the place, I knew we were no longer in our room.

The place had this pleasant natural smell of wet soil.

I lifted my hand to the blindfold.

"Not yet," Daemon said.

He placed what I assume to be a jacket over my nightgown. It was indeed cold here.

After about thirty minutes of walking, he came to a stop and took off my blindfold.