Page 42 of His Darkest Desire

Hope sparked in her chest. Kinsley opened the bag and rummaged through its contents until she found her phone. She yanked it out, turned it toward her, and tapped the screen.

Nothing.

She pressed the power button, pressed it again, held it down. The screen remained black. It was dead.

“No…” she whispered, clutching the phone in both hands.

Just as swiftly as her hope had flared, it fled.

She closed her eyes against gathering tears of frustration and let her head drop back.

Kinsley was trapped here. There was no way to leave this place, no way to call for help. Though she’d agreed to Vex’s terms in desperation, she was bound by her oath. Even if the terms could not be fulfilled.

She was here to stay.

You need not spend your time here in suffering, Kinsley.

Though Vex wasn’t here, she could still smell him, could still feel the warmth of his fingers as he’d held her chin while speaking those words, could still feel the gentle brush of his thumb as he’d looked into her eyes, could still see the hint of sorrow in his red gaze.

No, she did not need to suffer while she was here. Apart from the stipulation about being stuck until she had Vex’s baby, wasn’t this exactly what she’d always dreamed of? A beautiful, magical cottage in the forest where faeries, goblins, and will-o’-the-wisps were real?

If only she had been able to tell her family that she was alive. That she was…safe.

Releasing a slow, calming breath, Kinsley opened her eyes and lifted her head. She could explore and learn, could make the most of this. She didn’t have to isolate herself in this bedroom. Vex hadn’t locked her in; she was free to roam. While she was restricted by the mystical fog, she wasn’t sealed in a dank prison cell.

It’s still a prison, Kinsley.

Yes, it was, but…

She didn’t need to treat it as such.

As she dropped her phone back into her purse, something else caught her eye. Kinsley lifted her bag off the clear container upon which it had been set. Her chest constricted. Vex had brought her scrapbooking supplies. She ran her finger over the crack in the plastic lid.

He hadn’t been obligated to bring any of her things, but he’d done so regardless. Maybe that was minimal effort on his part, but it was effort. It was more than she’d expected.

Having these things wouldn’t enable her to make her escape. Apart from a few items in her purse, they weren’t necessities. But having some of her belongings was a comfort she could not deny.

She’d left the States to start over, to figure out how to move on with her life. To…escape. What better place to do all that than a slice of magical woodland?

A woodland ruled over by a broody yet beautiful goblin.

But if she was going to embrace this place, if she was going to accept this latest twist of fate, she would do so on her own terms. She would not merely exist, she would live.

Kinsley walked to the wardrobe and studied the clothes Vex had provided her. She pinched the skirt of one of the dresses and lifted it. The sheer violet material was delicate, light, and so, so soft.

She opened the drawer beneath to find feminine underwear within. She plucked one out and let it dangle on her finger. Skimpy, lacey underwear.

Kinsley arched a brow. “So this is what he’d have me dressed in?”

Was this sort of clothing normal for goblins or fae?

If not, it’s definitely baby-making clothing.

She quickly rejected the idea of wearing anything so revealing. She wasn’t ashamed of her body and the extra cushion it carried, but she’d never worn anything like this before. Had never worn something so beautiful. And yet…

And yet, she wanted to. Kinsley had noticed the way Vex looked at her, had seen the heat in his eyes. What would it be like to have him want her for more than a baby?

What would it be like for him to crave her?