“Oh, I just love that sound. Reminds me of the good days, doesn’t it?” Dr. Fisher sneers as I focus on controlling my breathing. “Do not be quiet for me now, darling. You know I love your noises.”
“Get your hands off me,” I sneer, gritting my teeth.
Using the pressure point on his wrist, I press hard enough for his grip to loosen. Moving quickly, I pull myself free and take a step back, catching the slight hiss of pain that slips from his mouth.
“You do not get to touch me anymore. Do I make myself clear?” I bark, with more confidence than I feel.
His dumbfounded expression drops, a predatory curl replacing it. His laugh prickles across my skin as nausea rises in my throat, so wrong that I feel like that little girl all over again.
“Oh darling, but that is where you are wrong. By the end of graduation, you will be all mine and there is nothing anyone cando about it.” He takes a step towards me as I freeze, paralysed by the memory of his hands.
“W… what are you going on about?” I stutter as he takes another step closer.
“You don’t know? Oh, baby.” He pretends to pout, his tone patronising as he closes the distance between us. “After graduation, you are all mine.”
“No.” I shake my head. “No, I’m going to the compound.”
Dr. Fisher tuts, shaking his head.
“No, sweet girl, after graduation, you are mine. I might not have been able to fuck you how I wanted back then, but I can soon,” his disgusting fingers trace a line down my cheek; my breath stutters as it sinks in what he means.
“I cannot wait to see what the university has taught you, darling. But unlike what you have learnt, there is no safe word with me… and you know I love to make you cry.”
He leans in like he is going to kiss me, but the door Roman went in bursts open. Dr. Fisher drops his hand and steps back, but not quickly enough. A vein pulses in Roman’s temple, his fists clenching, knuckles turning white.
“What the fuck do you think you are doing?!” Roman barks, storming towards me and pulling me behind him, using himself like a shield.
“ANSWER ME!” he roars at the now snivelling Dr. Fisher.
Hierarchy is everything in The Company. You cannot get much higher than Roman and his family. Regardless of whether Dr. Fisher is initiated, he is beneath Roman and he knows it.
“We were just having a friendly talk, weren’t we, Fae?” Dr. Fisher snivels.
Roman spins back to me, gripping my chin and forcing me to look at him. His breathing is uneven, sharp, and I have never seen him this worked up before.
“Yes,” I say. He knows I am lying. I grip his shirt anyway, pleading with my eyes. “Let’s go home,” I whisper.
Whatever he sees on my face says enough as he closes his eyes. I count to ten in my head, barely breathing from the tension. When he opens them again, the rage isn’t as strong, but it’s still there. Something else shifts in his expression; I don’t have a name for it, but it’s enough. He gives me a slight nod before tucking me under his left arm, keeping himself between me and Dr. Fisher.
“Stay away from her,” Roman demands, marching us out of this hell hole and towards our cars.
CHAPTER 10
ROMAN
The rage hits again, as always when it comes to her. My hand flexes at my side, the need to act not quite gone. I don’t know what Dr Fisher did, not precisely, but I saw enough. The way Fae’s body pulled inward, the tightness around her mouth, the instinctive recoil she could not hide from me.
I need to know what he said to her, but I am going to have to be careful about it. If there is one thing I know about Tinkerbell, it is that she is a flight risk. Fae’s strength is what first drew me in, but after watching her for these three years, I realised it was never quite what it seemed. She is strong, yes, but underneath it all is a lost little girl desperate for somebody to save her. I might be a monster to most, but to her, I have only ever wanted to be a hero.
Keeping her trembling body close to mine, I escort her out of her Father’s mansion. The further we get away from Dr Fisher, the more my anger dissipates but I will be damned if I do not leave today with some answers.
“Keys,” I state, putting my hand out towards Fae as we reach her car.
“Where’s your car?” she questions, screwing up her cute button nose.
“I took a cab here.” I open and close my palm in front of her face to show I still want the keys. “There was no way you were driving home. As it is, I should punish you for driving and taking an unnecessary journey without me, but we have more important things to discuss.”
Fae breathes deeply, lifting her face up into the sky like a cat basking in the sunlight. I count to ten in my head, mimicking the habit she has whenever she is stressed and wait for her to look back at me. I don’t think she realises that I know. I mean, sure, the first few times I saw her annoyed, I thought she was just using the silent treatment as a response. It wasn’t until much later that I noticed it was a pattern. Whenever she closes her eyes or tilts her face to the sky and takes those slow breaths, I know it’s going to take her ten seconds to respond. It’s kind of cute, if you think about it.