Love's Predator (Love's Predator Trilogy Book 1) (24 page)

Lindsey lightly clutched the light fabric of the dress as she examined it with wide eyes.

“I take good care of what belongs to me,” Lord Shade said to Lindsey. He was smirking, holding his head up high with a sinful amount of pride.

Lindsey looked up from the dress, feeling her amazement shatter around her when she realized
the harsh truth of her situation. She was no longer a being onto her own right, not even a prisoner, now she was a possession.
His possession
.

“Now we can move on from that charade of a wedding,” Lord Shade went on ruthlessly. He took Lindsey’s hand in his and guided her along through the ballroom again.

“Your home is truly breath-taking,” Lindsey complimented quietly. She hoped to charm the sharp edge away from his voice.

Lord Shade stopped once more and gazed back at her, his gentle smile returning once more onto his full, tempting lips. Lindsey couldn’t help but mimic a smile back at him.

His eyes seemed to sparkle seductively, and those pin point, black pupils in the light pools of his eyes suddenly enlarged.

Lindsey was captivated.

“I am glad you like it,” he said at last. “But you will like your gift even more. Now close your eyes, my precious.”

Lindsey obeyed.

As soon as Lindsey’s long, black lashes locked together, she felt the air change around her.
The warmth of the palace that had hugged her skin was replaced by empty air, as if all reality had sunk into itself around them, leaving neither warmth nor chill.

Lindsey’s eyes snapped open, revealing the
new scene that surrounded her. It was a far cry from the luxurious palace that Lord Shade had first brought her to. The glittering chandeliers were gone, the marble floors melted away and were replaced by the deep emptiness Lindsey felt deep within her.

Everything was white.

“What is this?” Lindsey asked quietly.

Her voice seem
ed to echo around the empty space, although it could not reflect off of anything. This astounded Lindsey, and yet she was beginning to become desensitized to the grandeur of Lord Shade’s world, or so she thought.

“Lindsey, this is my gift to you,” Lord Shade explained to her, his voice was lifted by a mi
xture of excitement and pride.

Lindsey’s eyebrow lifted and she looked upon the space once more. She could not figure out why Lord Shade was giving this to her. Was it a new world he had created for her? Perhaps it was somewhere he could put her as punishment or a sort of means for her to relax? Whatever it was, Lindsey did not feel at ease.

Gently, Lord Shade captured Lindsey’s free hand in his and he held
her close. “What is your favourite place?”

Lindsey smiled and opened her mouth to reply, but before she could breathe a word their surroundings were changing.
The emptiness was ripped away like a blanket of paper and light poured in, blinding Lindsey. She shut her eyes and covered her face until she heard a musical tweet from nearby.

Confused, Lindsey forced her eyes open and
over time they adjusted to the light. A gasp escaped her lips as she laid her eyes on the long green strands of grass, which danced around her feet, lightly licking her skin.

“Where?” Lindsey whispered, but she already knew the answer to her question.

She was home.

Overcome with childish excitement, Lindsey pulled her hands from Lord Shade, who willingly let her go, and she dashed through the lush grass, hurrying towards the tall willow tree, which stooped on a green hill. A wooden swing dangled from a tree branch, gently rocking in the summer breeze. She spent the best part of her childhood on that swing.

Lindsey continued running until she could gaze u
pon the slight beyond the hill, where she found a place she had never dreamed she would see again.

“Oh God…”

She reached out towards the country house with a pale arm and slowly curled up her fingers, trying to grasp. But all she caught in her hand was air.

“It’s…”

It was her childhood home.

“Not an illusion, my dear child
,” Lord Shade chuckled softly.

Lindsey glanced over her shoulder to find him close behind her. He cast her a gentle smile and gestured to the country house.

“Anywhere you wish to go, anything you wish to see will be here,” he told her.

Lindsey stared beyond the house, her eyes dazzled by the far stretching fields and blue horizon. Suddenly she felt his hands upon her shoulders, resting on her lightly.

“A world without boundaries is my gift to you,” he whispered into her ear.

Lindsey was enchanted by the gift, so much so that her worries for her soul seemed to be brushed to the side. With eager steps, she rushed down the hill as she had done many times before as a child, then she swept through the stepping stones, coming to the entry of the country house. To her delight, the door was already open, revealing the warm heart of the house.
The sweet scent of baking was cast over her.

Bright eyed with childhood memories, Lindsey rushed into the house without a second thought and began to look around, touching things and picking up small trinkets and memories from her childhood. It was perfect down to every detail; nothing was out of place or missing. This was her youth, her carefree days. This was home.

Lord Shade watched her with amusement from the doorway. He wore a slight smirk, but said nothing until Lindsey excitedly returned to his side after exploring the front room.

“It is perfect!” She beamed happily. “Thank you for this.”

“Don’t thank me; thank yourself,” Lord Shade replied coolly. “It is you that made everything you see before you. Anything you want to see will be.”

Lindsey cast him one last excited smile before disappearing into the living room.
With childlike delight she explored the cosy cottage, enjoying every room with great awe until she reached her bedroom. She paused outside, staring in at the made bed and porcelain doll leaning upon the pillows. Lindsey was aware that Lord Shade was behind her, watching eagerly as she made the most of his world.

And so she entered her childhood
bedroom and found that it was exactly as she remembered it; her light purple walls were cluttered with posters and pictures of animals both real and imaginary. Little plush toys littered cupboard tops and a mixture of action figures and fashion dolls sat side by side outside a pale purple dollhouse.

“You were a happy child,” Lord Shade stated quietly.

Smiling, Lindsey placed herself onto the bed, finding it was a lot smaller than she had once thought. She looked to the mysterious man in the doorway of her childhood sanctuary and nodded in response.

“
I was very happy here,” she agreed.

Gazing at her beloved possessions, Lindsey set her mind back and remembered how tears rolled down her eyes as the family car pulled away from the country cottage for the last time. Her little, white fingers pressed against the cool glass of the window screen, leaving trails as she tried to grasp hold of the memories she had made there, these memories she clutched dearly, but now they were more vivid than ever before. Her childhood was brought to life before her.

“Did you watch me then?” Lindsey asked suddenly, breaking herself out of the dreamy daze.

             
Lord Shade stepped closer, his eyes striking Lindsey’s like a hot steel rod. “Yes,” he told her. “I first saw you when you were on a school trip.”

             
Lindsey’s eyebrow arched with intrigue. She was desperate to know just how long she had been under Lord Shade’s gaze.

             
“You were alone,” Lord Shade said with a wistful smile. His eyes seemed to glisten with the memory. “You had wandered from the rest of your group, drawn away by your own curiosity.” He paused. A large grin creased his soft lips. “You women are so inquisitive, even as children!” He laughed playfully.

             
Lindsey blushed, looking down. She remembered that day faintly; it did not bear much significance in her life, that was until now. All she could recall was exploring the flourishing
woodland around an old walking path before joining the group to examine a meandering river with her geography class. She had no idea someone was watching her.

Lord Shade’s gentle h
and reached out but shrunk back. It was clear he longed to touch her hair, to run his fingers through its silken strands. But he settled for her shoulder.

              Lindsey’s eyes sparkled.

             
“You were wandering through the woods, far from the path you were meant to follow. And I watched as you ran, darting in and out the trees. You were like a glimmer of light in the darkness; so beautiful and pure.” Lord Shade’s eyes darkened. “Could you feel my glare upon you, Lindsey?” He questioned softly. “My eyes as they scorched your skin for the first time? I feared that they may steal your light.”

He moved in closer, his eyes striking hers.

Lindsey’s breath was drawn from her body and sensing this Lord Shade took his opportunity. He reached out once more for her, gathering Lindsey into his strong arms.

“I can give you anything you have ever wanted,” Lord Shade whispered. “Here, with me, you could have your own Heaven.”

“Heaven?” Lindsey smiled.

“Yes,” Lord Shade replied softly. “You will see Lindsey. This will be your paradise. You will forget the life you had before; there will be no more pain.”

Feeling too enthralled
by the demon’s promise to argue back, Lindsey simply smiled and gave a small nod. Yet at the same time Lindsey knew deep down that Lord Shade was not an Angel at all; he was a demon.

“Lindsey, is this not perfect?” Lord Shade pressed with a slight frown. He pulled away, taking Lindsey’s hands in his, squeezing lightly. “Is there something more you want? Say it and it will be yours!”

His eyes blazed with determination; he was desperate to please her, to amaze her.

“Well,” Lindsey said quietly. “I am a little hungry now,” she admitted.

“Of course, my dearest one,” Lord Shade grinned widely. “Let’s get back to the palace and you can eat whatever you may wish.”

Lord Shade led Lindsey out of the house and into the green fields again. Eventually everything began to fade away and the door appeared before them.

Lindsey frowned, finding
that the warm feeling within her had melted away with her childhood home. In her mind she knew that it was all an illusion, that it was not her real home, and yet it felt so realistic at the time, all it was missing were her family.

“Lindsey?” Lord Shade asked softly.

She looked up, her eyes flashing when she realised they were back in the dining room. It was going to take her a while to get used to transporting.

“After eating you should sleep,”
Lord Shade suggested to her. He took Lindsey gently by her upper arm, lightly holding her as he helped her into the chair.

Lindsey smiled up at him and noticed a delicious smell had engulfed the room; the food had appeared again on the table, more appetizing than ever before. Yet when Lindsey looked up she felt her hunger subside slightly when she saw how Lord Shade’s eyes glistened as he watched her.

“Can humans eat this food?” Lindsey asked him carefully.

Smiling, Lord Shade nodded.

“Oh,” Lindsey mused. She lifted up a ripe pomegranate, toying with it as she passed it from hand to hand.
“I’ve never had one of these.”

Lord Shade laughed musically and took the pomegranate from her. With one twist in his hands it was split into two and he placed it onto Lindsey’s plate. “Enjoy,” he smirked and strode to his own seat.

Lindsey watched him with fascination, finding her appetite slowly returning as she became more at ease. Lord Shade was happily eating the food from the table and this seemed to reassure Lindsey. Quietly, she began to eat, starting with the sweet pomegranate.

After a while Lord Shade’s eyes landed upon her. Lindsey could tell he had been trying not to watch her whilst she ate, which made her more comfortable as the dinner went on.

“I am glad you decided to dine with me,” he admitted with a smile. “If there is ever anything you want, just tell me Lindsey. I want you to be happy here.”

“Thank you,” Lindsey replied politely.
“But…” She stopped herself, not knowing how Lord Shade would react to her question.

“But?” He encouraged softly. “Is there something more you need?”

“Just one thing,” Lindsey said. She took a deep breath and laid down her knife and fork, indicating she was finished with the meal.

“Lindsey, name your desire.”

His eyes burned into her, desperate to know her wish.

Lindsey swallowed hard and pushed herself on, knowing this was a risk. “Well,” she said, awkward at first. “If I am to stay here with you then I would like to know your name.”

“My name?” Lord Shade laughed in amusement. “I haven’t gone by anything other than my title for a while now.”

“Then you do have a name!” Lindsey grinned. “Please, tell me.”

Lord Shade rolled his eyes. It must have seemed so trivial to him, for Lindsey to know his name. But if Lindsey were to have any sort of relationship with him she had to know. She wanted to make a connection; it was her best defence.

“
For some years Lindsey you have known me as Ile, Uncle Ile,” Lord Shade told her coolly. He watched her reaction with soft eyes and then gave a nod. “But I’d prefer you called me Shade.”

“You have been the mysterious Uncle all al
ong,” Lindsey mused quietly.  She paused, considering this for a moment. She wanted to know what his motive was. “Why?” Lindsey asked.

“
It is time for you to retire,” Lord Shade decided swiftly. “Today must have been a lot for you.”

Lindsey frowned slightly; disappointed he did not answer her question. But for the time being, Lindsey set her curiosity aside and feigned a smile. She knew she would unravel it all soon.

“It has been,” she agreed.

Lord Shade came to her chair and helped her up, taking her hand in his. “Tomorrow you will have completely free reign here,” he explained to her as they left the dining room.

Lindsey glanced up at the sky ceiling, still enchanted by its beauty. “Wait!” She said suddenly, her mind catching up on what Lord Shade had said. “Where will you be?” She questioned.

“Sadly I have something which I need to attend to, something which has unfortunately been the reason why you were in Kyle’s charge so long,” Lord Shade told her. “However I will be back for our evening meal.”