Love's Predator (Love's Predator Trilogy Book 1) (30 page)

“There’s no escape,” Kyle smirked.

There was a loud snap and Lindsey looked down. Her vision was blurry as she stared at strong metal restraints, which had snapped together to capture her hands and legs. All her limbs were now bound to the wheelchair.

Lindsey glared up at Kyle and she watched, paralyzed, as he leant in towards her. His forehead pressed against hers, their eyes were locked on each other. He chuckl
ed lightly before he violated her lips with his.

Chapter Thirty Eight

              Lindsey threw herself upright and placed her hand on her chest. She took deep breaths as she slowly regained full consciousness.

             
She was safe, she told herself silently. Kyle was somewhere else entirely and he couldn’t find her, no matter how hard he tried.

             
Frowning, Lindsey ran a hand through her long, silky hair and she considered that having her memories back could be more troubling than she had first assumed. At least when she was conscious she could lock them away and get on with her life with Lord Shade. But when she was sleeping, her mind worked against her relentlessly.

There was nothing Lindsey could do.

Deciding not to go back to sleep, Lindsey tried to put the nightmare aside and coaxed herself out of bed. She tip toed over to the white wardrobe and was able to see just enough that she picked out a cream, light dressing gown for her to wear over her nightdress. She then left the room, secretly hoping that Lord Shade was still there.

B
ut what Lindsey found when she left the room was a far cry from the dream palace Lindsey was hoping to see.

There was no hallway, no staircase or chandelier. The palace was gone. Instead there was a black starry sky which seemed to form the walls and ceilings of a dim room. But one wall was white and seemed to flicker ever few seconds as if it were breathing.

Lindsey carefully stepped forwards, using her big toe to check that the night sky floor was safe to stand on, and to her surprise it was solid like marble. She padded along in her bare feet, gingerly examining the room.

Lindsey spied the three mirrors at the end of the room. She had almost forgotten about their existence, which she could now blame on Lord Shade stealing her memory. But there was no activity in the two mirrors at the sides of her
swirling red mirror. They had been smashed and their reflective shards glistened on the floor around the chair that sat before them, which now resembled a dark, tall throne rather than the delicate seat from before.

              Silently, Lindsey turned to look around again, but this time she saw something black and hairy crouched down on the floor not too far from the white, flickering wall. The thing looked like a large dog from the back and it seemed too consumed in what it appeared to be holding than to take notice of Lindsey.

             
Nervously, Lindsey considered going back to her bedroom and she made her way back to the door, but was careful not to have her back to the creature.

             
Just then a strange smell flooded Lindsey’s senses, making her want to gag. She held her breath and looked around once more, her eyes desperately searching for Lord Shade, but he was nowhere to be seen.

             
“Lindsey?” A voice called out. “Lindsey, is that you?”

             
It was Lord Shade’s voice. But where was he?

Lindsey’s eyes widened as the creature swiftly turned to face her. It struck her with its mismatched eyes, which seemed to glow as it looked her up and down.

              Lindsey tried to speak but couldn’t. Her attention had turned from the large, vicious wolf creature to what it grasped in its claws.

             
It was a body, her mother’s body.

Chapter Thirty Nine

             
“Lindsey,” the creature said in Lord Shade’s voice. “You are meant to be sleeping.”

             
Lindsey’s mouth was wide open as she stared at her mother’s pale, limp body. “Oh, God,” she uttered quietly. Her voice was trembling, almost breaking. “Oh, God,” she repeated.

             
The creature stood on its hind legs, dropping her mother’s lifeless corpse heartlessly on the floor. The creature left Lindsey’s mother there and stepped forward.

             
“Don’t come any closer!” Lindsey shouted. “Stay right there!”

             
The creature stopped. Its mismatched eyes burned into her, one red and one misty.

             
“This is my true form Lindsey, in all its cursed ugliness,” Lord Shade said softly.

             
Lindsey could swear her heart was beating so fast that she could no longer feel it beating in her chest.

             
“What have you done to my parents?” Lindsey questioned sharply. Tears were forming in her eyes but she bit them back forcefully. “You monster!”

             
Lord Shade’s true eyes glistened darkly.

             
“I devoured their souls,” he replied.

             
Lindsey looked to her mother’s body once more and took a deep breath. She knew they had done wrong, but they had still been her parents and they were still people. Lord Shade had no right to take their lives.

             
“I owned their souls, which they sold to me for money,” Lord Shade went on coldly. “And so I devoured them to give me the power I need to keep this world beautiful for you.”

He stepped forward, making Lindsey cry out in panic as she flinched. Frowning, Lord Shade stopped and a mist appeared around him.

              Lindsey stared as he transformed into the dazzling man she knew as Lord Shade. He tried to step forward again, but this time Lindsey grew defensive.

“Is that what you’ll do to me when you become bored of me?” She spat hatefully. “Devour my soul to power your fantasy?”

             
Lord Shade sighed in distain and shook his head lightly. “No, my dearest soul,” he said softly. “I would never do that to you; I do all of this for you.”

             
He came towards Lindsey swiftly and was soon only feet away from his most precious possession. He eyed her carefully before putting on a gentle smile. “Come Lindsey, I can make it all again for you, now I have the power I need.”

             
He offered Lindsey his hand, but she pulled back in horror.

             
“Please, my dearest one,” he cooed softly. “Let me make this all better.”

             
He tried to take her hand himself, but Lindsey barked for him to leave her alone.

             
Lindsey ran her hands through her hair and forced herself to take deep breaths as she tried her best to clear her mind and decide what to do, but deep down Lindsey knew exactly what she wanted to do. She wanted to run.

             
She looked around the room once more, hunting for the doors, but she couldn’t find them anywhere. Her eyes fell upon the wall.

             
Lord Shade followed her gaze and he smiled as he gestured to the white wall. “Your curiosity will get the better of you in the end, my dear child,” he told her softly.

             
Lindsey cast him a cold glare.

             
“It already has,” she said bitterly.

             
Lord Shade cast her remark aside and gestured to the wall. “Would you like to know what they are?” He asked her enthusiastically.

             
“They?” Lindsey enquired.

Her voice was still sharp; Lindsey would not lower her defences.

“Take my hand and I will show you,” Lord Shade commanded gently.

But Lindsey could see past the sweet, charming smile and through to the cunning glitter in his eyes. Again she refused his hand and made her way over to the wall by herself. Now that Lindsey was close to the wall she saw that it was not a white wall; it was blanketed with white moths and the flickering was their wings moving gently.

              “Are these the former butterflies?” Lindsey asked him. “What are they really?”

             
Lord Shade laughed in amusement. He came up behind Lindsey and tried to wrap his arms around her waist, but Lindsey swiftly moved away.

             
“What are they really, Shade?” She questioned.

             
Her eyes were blazing hot as she glared at him, yet this seemed to have no effect on the cool and calculated Lord Shade. He merely smiled at her.

             
“They are the part of the soul I can’t harvest,” he told her. His eyes examined her closely the entire time, never leaving her pale face.

             
Lindsey felt uneasy under his gaze. How could he look at her that way after he had murdered her mother moments earlier?

             
“Are my mother and father there?” Lindsey asked quietly.

             
Lord Shade nodded in response and just as soon as Lindsey’s eyes turned back to the moths, he reached out and wrapped his arms around her waist, successfully encasing her in her warmth. He quietly breathed in her scent and sighed contently.

             
Lindsey was still.

             
“Well, now you know Lindsey,” Lord Shade said simply. “These are all the souls I have used for power. It takes quite a few to travel, to create and of course to keep other demons out for your safety.”

“Well you won’t have to kill on my account ever again,” Lindsey hissed hatefully.

             
“Oh?” Lord Shade smirked. His grip around Lindsey tightened and he placed his head upon hers. “Why might that be?” He asked her with a playful grin. “Do you plan on going somewhere?”

             
Lindsey’s eyes urgently searched the room, hoping to find a door, but all she could see was the starry walls.

             
“Yes!” She finally retorted. “I am leaving. You said I could leave any time and I want to leave now.”

             
Lord Shade laughed musically and Lindsey’s breath was drawn from her as he ran his long, pale fingers through her long hair.

             
“You forget, my dearest, that was before you gave your soul to me,” Lord Shade said with an arrogant smirk. “You belong to me.”

             
Lindsey swallowed heavily and tried to keep calm, but she couldn’t see a way out this time. She had made a deal with a demon, not knowing the full truth. Now she was stuck in it. She was eternally bonded to a murderous demon and there was nothing she could do.

             
Or was there?

             
Lindsey glanced at the red swirling mirror, her mirror, and a thought came to her, which formulated into a plan. Yes it was a risk, but what else did Lindsey have? There had to be a way out.

             
“You’re right,” Lindsey whispered.

Lord Shade moved Lindsey’s hair to one side and gently kissed her soft, tender skin on her neck. “Of course I am, my dearest soul,” he said assertively. “You’ll be with me forever
. I will never let anyone harm you again.”