Chained (Caged #2)(5)

Sighing, I languidly stretched my arms above my head.

My brain kicked into gear and yesterday came filtering back in.

“I don’t have any choice, Kloe. I need to end this. To watch the horror roll over his face when I snub out your life before him. To take from him what he always wanted.”

Fear clogged my throat and I shot upright, pressing my hand to my chest in an attempt to settle the vacuum taking my breath.

“It’s okay, you’re safe.”

Anderson’s voice broke through the blackness around me and I turned to him. “Safe? You’re joking, right?”

He chuckled, enraging me further. “Well, yes. Perhaps that was a poor choice of words.”

Ignoring him, I fell out of the bed and stormed across the room. The door refused to budge when I tugged on the handle.

“Let me go, Anderson.”

“You know I can’t do that, Kloe. Especially now you know why you’re here.”

A feral growl tore out of my mouth as I tugged at the door, my futile attempt at freedom angering me further.

“Did you just growl?” Anderson laughed. “Sweet little Kloe is a wolf underneath all that…”

His hand shot out and he grabbed my wrist when I flung my hand towards him. Nothing but darkness cloaked the room but my anger aided me in seeking out shadows.

“That’s not a good idea, little wolf.”

“Fuck you!” I hissed, yanking my arm away from him.

Another chuckle in the dark, but I refused to rise to it.

“So, what?” I seethed. “You’re just going to hold me here again? Repeat history.” I laughed with as much bitterness as I could muster. “That’s a little boring for you, isn’t it? Even if it does tend to run in your family!”

I blinked when a soft light filtered into the room from the overhead light, the dark shade overshadowing the brightness of the bulb. Anderson grinned at me from where he stood beside the light switch. “On the contrary, Kloe. Nothing with you is ever boring. And as far as family tradition goes, I’m sure you’ll understand.”

“Understand?” I scoffed, exhaustion riding my anger and seeing me drop to the bed. “I’ll never understand you, Anderson. You wanted me to, for so long. I yield, okay? I give in. I failed you. I don’t understand. Any of it.”

He stared at me, the fierceness of his eyes penetrating their way through my tired gaze.

When I thought he was just going to stand and stare at me all night, he sighed. Slipping a key from his trouser pocket, he turned and unlocked the door. “Come.”

My eyes widened at his blunt order. However, before I could retort, he had disappeared through the previously locked door, and the sound of his soft footfalls on the stairs faded the more he descended.

The quiet left behind brought reality to my mind and the sting of pity burned the back of my eyes. Staring at the carpet, silent tears fell down my face, and my heart, hidden under the skin and bone of my broken body, splintered into tiny, unforgiving pieces. Pain ruptured every part of me, the invisible agony devastating my soul into surrender.

He wouldn’t ever leave me in peace. To him, I was his enemy. The one who had taken from him. I had taken his trust, I had taken his hope, and I had taken the love of his father. He was wrong, of course. But I knew he wouldn’t ever see it any other way. His own father had thrown him away like rotting garbage, but had held onto me like a prized possession. Anderson wouldn’t ever see the sin and sickness that bound me to his father. He would only ever hear a story that was narrated with lies and false words, the revolting truths never murmured in his ear, or his heart.

“Come on, little wolf!”

His stupid pet name had me clenching my teeth, another growl vibrating in my chest.

Giving in, I slowly made my way down to him. He was in the lounge and he turned to me when I entered. “Sit.”

“You’re not my master, Anderson. Stop ordering me around.”

Rolling his eyes, he huffed. “Please take a seat, Kloe.”

Waiting a moment just to make my point, I finally lowered into the chair opposite him. A coffee table sat between us and I glanced down. Fire caught my breath and singed my lungs.

“It’s time for you to understand.”

Photos and documents littered the black glass table, papers and different objects scattered in any order across the four-foot expanse. A box sat tossed aside, the lid thrown on the floor. A bottle of whisky, half empty, and two crystal glasses finished the ensemble.

“Understand?” I whispered, unable to raise my voice any higher.

His eyes blazed with green fire as he captured my stare. “Understand why. Understand who I really am. Understand who you are. And understand why I have to do this.”

“What… what is this?” I asked, dropping my eyes to the table.

Anderson leaned forward and poured a measure of whisky into each glass. “This…” Emotion flowed through his voice and his words came out raspy and full of defeat. “…This is my story. My life.” Once again his eyes lifted to mine, and he passed me a glass. “And the sanction for your death.”





I PLACED THE FIRST PAPER down in the top left corner of the table. “My birth certificate. The only thing I have of Judd Asher.”

“Where did you get it?”