Total pages in book: 37
Estimated words: 34588 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 173(@200wpm)___ 138(@250wpm)___ 115(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 34588 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 173(@200wpm)___ 138(@250wpm)___ 115(@300wpm)
I walk out of the control room and lock it. I step inside Tallulah’s bedroom, past the guards at the entrance.
“Get the fuck away from her,” I snarl at Antonio, who’s already moved closer to Tallulah’s bed. He takes a hesitant step back. “Get out.”
“She’s having another nightmare. Usually, I-“
“Are you deaf?” I hiss.
“No, I-“
“Would you like to be?” I aim a gun at his head. He shakes his head. “Get out. Don’t cross me again. I will not keep warning you.”
He scurries out of the room, not risking more of my wrath. I tuck my gun back into its holster and face Tallulah in her bed.
The dogs climb out from beside her and I feed them both treats I’d hidden in my pocket. They’ve started taking a liking to me and I think they will soon obey me over Tallulah. I need to keep her protected, which is why I got the damn mutts.
I get in bed next to Tallulah and pull her against me, gently stirring her from sleep.
“It’s okay,” I mutter. “You were having a nightmare. It’s okay now. I’m here to take care of you.”
“Again?” she groans as the stirs awake and locks eyes with me. “I’m getting so sick of these nightmares. Every single night, too...”
“Are they all about Bernardo?”
“Yes,” she mutters, averting her gaze. I don’t think she’s lying, but there must be more to what she’s willing to tell me. Perhaps Antonio is in her damn dreams, too. I’ll kill him for that alone. Maybe I’ll make it into a little birthday present for my Tallulah.
“What can I do to help?” I ask her gently. “Let me make you better.”
“Tell me a story.”
“A story?” I kiss her forehead, and she seems delighted at the rare display of affection. “What kind of story would you like, angel?”
“Anything to help me sleep,” she whispers, settling against my body and closing her eyes. “Please?”
I nod, and she cuddles closer. I cover her with a blanket and lean in to whisper what she wants to hear in her ear.
“Once upon a time, there were two princes,” I say. “But they lost their kingdom to a terrible thing. And they were doomed to a life of nothing.”
She’s already drifting off, so I have no problem continuing the story, knowing she won’t remember a thing.
“But then one prince got the opportunity to leave,” he goes on. “He said he’d be back for his brother, but he couldn’t be trusted. So the brother took his role, stepped into his place, and followed the path to a bright new future.”
She’s sleeping now, chest rising and falling slowly.
I kiss her forehead and slip away from her. I’ll spend the night away from her. Getting so close to her is fucking risky and I can’t afford to break this close to the finish line. I hope her dreams will be sweet and undisturbed tonight.
I return to the control room after forbidding Antonio from entering again until the morning. I watch his insolent face turn red, but he knows better than to disagree with me.
In the control room, I closely watch for the smallest disturbance on the screens. I will not let anybody hurt her.
That’s what I tell myself, but deep down I know I’m only doing it because I need an excuse to watch her and get my fill of my sweet angel. I’ve tried to resist for too damn long, and it’s getting damn near impossible to stay away from her.
The dogs followed me out of the room this time, finally proving to me they are loyal beasts who will obey me over their first chosen owner. It’s a fucking wonder what some treats will do to a dog’s mind. They betrayed her so fast. I scratch the dogs lovingly under their chins.
I watch the screens for a long time. Sleep evades me, my thoughts filled with Xander. As hard as I’ve tried to push him to the back of my mind, he always keeps coming back up, eager for my attention. The fucking prick is driving me insane. I know he’s threatening Tallulah, but he doesn’t know this is going to be his own damn funeral.
Anyone who threatens my angel is as good as fucking dead to me. And I’ll never allow him to actually hurt her. I’ll kill him myself if I have to. I hate to admit it, but there would be a certain satisfaction to ending the bastard’s life.
It’s hard not to imagine killing Xander for all the shit he’s done to me. But, I know I hit him first. That I deserve all this, the shit he’s putting me through, because I did it to him first.