Page 41 of Trapping His Angel

Time passed, I didn’t know how much, until the sounds wore down. There was no more shouting. I stayed underneath the bed. It reminded me of the crypt, but I tried to keep the rest of those memories buried. What I’d found was enough.

I didn’t want to know more.

I heard footsteps and held my breath, wondering who was coming. They stopped at the foot of the bed. I covered my mouth, trying to quell my breathing.

“Isadora,” Benedikt groaned.

I dragged myself out from under the bed. Benedikt looked pristine in his suit, like he hadn’t gone hunting down the men who’d broken in.

“What is going on?” I whispered.

“Everything is taken care of for now. I need you to follow me.” He was so serious.

I didn’t ask him any further questions. Surely there was a meeting about how to keep the mansion safe. Benedikt would make sure that this didn’t happen again.

I could trust in that, even if I didn’t believe in anything else.

We walked into an office and I looked around, confused.

“What’s going on? Why are we here?” I spun, trying to figure out the puzzle in front of me.

“Nothing for you to worry about. Just say yes, and then you can go back upstairs to rest,” he said.

Yes, to what?I wondered, but I didn’t voice it out loud.

A man came into the room wearing a priest’s robe. I barely looked at his face, as I was entranced, because someone of the cloth was there. I didn’t understand. It wasn’t until Benedikt and I were standing, hand in hand, in front of him as he said our vows, that I realized I was getting married.

Covered in dirt. I had leaves in my hair. But Benedikt didn’t care. He was determined to get it done. I signed my name on the paper, noting the last name, and wondering how Benedikt knew what my last name was.

I wanted to find out more about my family, but maybe there was a reason I didn’t remember them.

Benedikt escorted me back to the stairs, and I was dazed.

“W-why did you marry me? I thought we had time. I don’t understand what’s happening,” I mumbled numbly.

“Shh, there’s nothing to worry about,” Benedikt murmured.

He helped me into the bed. I watched drowsily as he tucked me in, after removing most of my clothes. I didn’t understand why I felt like this. During the ceremony, there was a brief stingon my finger. I’d looked down, and saw a prick where my ring must’ve caught on my digit, and since Benedikt hadn’t looked alarmed, neither did I.

I thought it was some kind of blood oath, but maybe I was wrong.

Benedikt stumbled away from the bed, and I watched from lidded eyes as he walked away. He looked like he had the entire world on his shoulders, and his patch needed cleaning, since it was covered with dust.

Strange that he seemed so put together.

I blinked for a long time, and then I couldn’t remember what else I was thinking about. My thoughts drifted to nothingness, and I knew no more.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

The Venezuelans were fucking with the wrong man. I paced my office and waited for Makari to show up. He needed to work harder on finding the rat, and if that meant he didn’t leave the compound until it was done, then so be it.

A knock sounded on my door a short while later.

“Enter,” I commanded.

Makari stumbled in, his shaggy hair in his face. His pale skin looked almost sickly. He spent so much time inside his house that he rarely saw the sun.

“Why have you called me here?” He rasped.