Snare (Delirious book 1) (10 page)

She grabs my arm and pulls me through the door.

My gaze lingers on the hallway through which the man in suit disappeared.

He’s gone.

Accompanying song:
“Once Upon a Dream” by Lana Del Rey

Providence, Rhode Island – April 20
th
, 2013

From behind a tree, I gaze at his house, cowering in my shoes. It’s a huge tower close to Burnside Park and the Providence River. Glimmering white and red, the building looks chic, certainly above any payroll I could ever achieve.

I wonder if this is really where he lives. Then again, the street sign does match what I found; 22 St. Paul’s Street. 613 must be very high up.

Tentatively, I walk inside; afraid I might be kicked out for just showing up here. I feel uneasy being in here, as if it’s against the rules. There is a guard sitting in front of the desk with a phone right in front of him. I don’t see any buttons on the wall, so I guess I’ll have to go to him to visit Sebastian. Except, I’m too afraid to even talk to him. Sweat trickles down my forehead as fear settles in my core. I hate this feeling like anything could go wrong at any minute. Before I was in the hospital, I never used to feel this way, but now I feel in danger at every corner. As if someone could snag me up, gag me, put a bag over my head, and drag me into a van any second.

Absurd.

And yet, it still crosses my mind.

In a moment of weakness, I turn my back on the guard who was staring at me, waiting for me to make a move. Instead, I hurry out of the building and walk to the alley on the other side. There, I break down in tears. Stop being so weak, Lillith. I repeat this mantra over and over in my head until I’m calm enough to think of a plan.

When I look up, I notice this alley isn’t exactly an alley. There’s a wall, but there’s also a window. Curiously gazing inside, I discover it’s a gym. There are people lifting weights, drinking water, working out.

There’s someone running on the treadmill facing me. His blond hair is tucked back into an elastic band, his forehead glistening, his lips parted, and sweat dripping down his chin. His jaw tightens, and his light blue eyes widen as he spots me. The machine comes to a stop. When our eyes meet, my world falls apart.

Sebastian is real.

And he’s seen me.

Whatever happens now will bring me either peace or pain. I’ll accept it all. For him.

I walk toward the glass and place my hand on it, gazing at him, waiting for him to make a move. Even from afar, I can tell his sculpted body is the most beautiful I’ve ever seen. When he throws his towel over his shoulder and steps off the device my eyes are glued to his half-naked body. His sweatpants hang loosely on his hips as he walks toward the dressing room and glances one last time at me. That one last time makes me shiver. His eyes aren’t sweet or gentle at all. They’re volatile; like he could murder someone. It’s a look I can’t ignore.

After a while, he comes outside. I’m already waiting in front of the door, longing to see him, longing to talk to him, longing to feel him.

He walks down the steps of the building in a hurry.

“Sebastian …” I whisper, the words coming out without much control.

Making a fist, he stops in his tracks right in front of me. My heart begins to pound.

When he opens his mouth, I lose what remains of my sanity.

“Who are you?”

Accompanying Song:
“The 2
nd
Law – Isolated System” by Muse

When the life you know and love falls apart, you cling to the things that keep you safe—the people who bring you warmth and comfort, the ones who take you out of danger and into the light.

As the world came crashing down upon me, I chose to let everything go. My mind wandered into darkness, leaving behind every trace of anguish. It was my mind’s way of saving what was left of my soul.

Holding onto him was the only thing that kept me going. Kept me alive.
He
became my anchor. Sebastian Brand—the man who pulled me from the darkness and brought me into the light.

I want him. I crave him. I desire him and devour him when he is near me.

However, I never imagined I’d be forced to let him claim my body. That I’d be captured and taken against my will.

That I would come to need this man more than my sanity.

As I hang from the ceiling like a strung-up doll, I feel free. His finger slides down my chest, between my breasts, and moves achingly close to my nipples before returning to my sternum. He traces a line to my stomach, leaving a trail of fire. All my senses come to life as he strokes me delicately, carefully, as if his finger is the baton and I am the instrument he’s conducting. Whimpers that must sound like music to his ears slip from my mouth. I’m a slave to his touch. This controlling man has me under his power, and I’m loving every shameful, immoral moment that we share.

He bends between my legs and presses his lips down upon my skin. A need so vile and pure grows inside me, and I give in to delirious, detrimental pleasure as his tongue strokes my inner thighs.

I am a captive, and yet I don’t feel like one.

At the mercy of a captivating, passionate man, I come to life.

In the hands of a cruel, vicious monster, my breath is stolen.

Even in the most dire of situations, trusting the wrong person could get you killed.

Trusting Sebastian Brand was the biggest mistake I ever made.

Accompanying song:
“West Coast” by Lana Del Rey

Providence, Rhode Island – April 20
th
, 2013

I freeze and let his words sink in. He doesn’t know me. Not even my name. What is going on here?

“It’s me,” I say, placing my hand on my chest. “Lillith.”

He frowns, his nose twitching in disgust. I hate that suspicious gaze in his eyes and the way his body is slightly slanted, as if I’m a lunatic approaching him for no reason.

“And I’m supposed to know you?” he says, raising an eyebrow.

My lip lowers, my heart strangled by tangling dismay. “How is this possible?”

“I’m sorry; I think you have me mistaken for someone else.” There’s a twinge in his voice, and it’s almost as if he’s in a hurry to speak the words. “Excuse me, Miss, but I have to get going now.”

He steps past me and walks down the sidewalk while I stare at him from behind. I’m baffled—completely shaken—from his blatant denial. This can’t be right. He knows me and I know him.

“Wait!” I call out, and I run after him, blinking my tears away.

“What do you want?” he grumbles.

“Why don’t you recognize me? You
know
you know me.”

“I’m sorry; I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Yes, you do. Stop denying it.”

“Miss, leave me alone, please.”

His ignorance hurts, but I won’t let it get to me. “No, I want to know why you’re denying that you know me. You know full well what we did in the hospital.”

He takes a big gulp of air but doesn’t exhale, which tell me he’s upset. Good, he should be. I am, too. I don’t understand any of this.

“Stop ignoring me.” I grab his jacket. He stops and looks back at me, his face so dark, so volatile; it scares the shit out of me. One jerk is all it takes to make me release him from my grasp.

“I don’t know what you want, but I suggest you leave before I call someone.”

“Like who, exactly?”

He starts rummaging in his pocket and takes out his wallet. “I don’t care, just leave me alone! Do you want money? Is that it? Here. Now go away!” He pushes something into my hand. Baffled, I gaze down at the hundred-dollar bill. No, no way.

“I don’t need your money,” I say as I follow him, crumpling it up so I can hand it back to him.

“Then what do I have to do to make you leave?” he says. “Call the cops? Is that what you want?”

“No, of course not.”

“Then why do you insist on following me? You don’t know me.”