15. Lena

15

LENA

SEVENTEEN

Two months later…

I creep down the hallway, my heart pounding as I approach the living room. The muffled voices of the Wilsons drift out from behind the closed door, their words laced with disdain.

“That boy is nothing but trouble. An absolute disgrace covered in tattoos. He’s twenty-one now, and it’s time he gets out of here.” Mr. Wilson’s gruff tone sends a chill down my spine.

“I don’t know how long we can keep him under control,” Mrs. Wilson replies. “He’s becoming more and more unhinged.”

My stomach twists with fear. They can’t send Talon away. Not when I’ve finally started to see him in a different light. I need to do something. Sighing heavily, I turn and head toward Talon’s room.

I take a deep breath and push open the door, stepping into Talon’s dimly lit room.

He sits on the edge of his bed, his gaze fixed on the floor. At the sound of my footsteps, he lifts his head, piercing blue eyes locking onto mine.

“Lena,” he murmurs, his voice low and rough. “What are you doing here?”

I swallow hard, suddenly acutely aware of how his muscles ripple beneath his shirt. Ever since our kiss, I can hardly look at him without my pussy getting wet. “I heard the Wilsons talking. They want to kick you out, Talon.”

He arches one dark brow. “And so what if they do?”

I take a step closer, my fingers twisting nervously in the hem of my shirt. “I don’t want them to send you away. I—” My voice trails off, the words catching in my throat.

Talon rises from the bed, his movements fluid and graceful. He towers over me, his presence filling the small space. “You what, Lena? Can’t stop thinking about our kiss?” he questions.

The air crackles with tension, and I find myself captivated by the intensity of his gaze. “I... I want you to stay. We made a deal. Once I’m eighteen,” I whisper.

Talon’s lips curl into a slow smile. “We did. But if they kick me out before, it won’t change a thing.” He takes a step closer, and the warmth of his body radiates towards me. “They can’t keep us apart, princess.”

I stand there, paralyzed by his closeness, his intensity. A part of me wants to shrink away, to put distance between us. But another part, a deeper, darker part, longs to lean in closer, to lose myself in the depths of his eyes.

“Do you promise?” I stammer, hating how my voice trembles with uncertainty.

Talon reaches out, his calloused fingers brushing a stray lock of hair from my face. “I swear to you that nothing on this earth can keep me away from you.”

I fight against the dizzying effect of his touch. “Talon,” I breathe his name, almost moan it.

He takes another step closer, backing me up against the wall. “Yes, princess?” he murmurs, his lips almost brushing mine. “What do you want?”

Heat floods my cheeks as I meet his piercing gaze. “Kiss me again, please,” I demand.

His jaw clenches. “Lena,” he says my name in a warning tone, but I’m so needy for him. I wake most mornings panting his name. And if he doesn’t kiss me again soon, it feels like I’ll combust.

“Please,” I push.

His lips brush against mine barely as he shuts his eyes and growls softly. “This is a bad idea. Do you know how fucking close I am to snapping?”

I lick my lips, wanting him to snap and give me what I want.

“No, Lena,” he says, pushing away from me. “We made a deal. You stick to it. Got it?”

His refusal hurts, even though I know he doesn’t want to touch me until I’m eighteen. Talon must see the hurt in my eyes because his expression softens slightly. “I won’t risk it until you’re eighteen. The age of consent may be sixteen, but you know how much sway Mr. Wilson has in this town. He’s got a buddy at the precinct, and if Mr. Wilson told him I touched you when you were seventeen, he’d try to say I groomed you or something.”

He’s right. The Wilson family has a lot of connections in Salem, and I know it’s the kind of thing Mr. Wilson would do. “You’re right,” I admit.

His jaw clenches. “I overheard them also.”

Confusion washes over me as I stare at him. “Overheard them saying what?”

He draws in a deep breath. “I overheard the Wilsons talking to the Collins family about you and David’s engagement.”

Engaged? To David Collins?

I’ve gone on a few dates with him since the movie theatre because Mrs. Wilson insisted. And thankfully, I’ve been able to ward off his continued sexual advances. But I assumed I’d be free of him when I left for college since I secured a full-ride scholarship to MIT.

“That can’t be right,” I stammer. “I would never agree to that.”

Talon laughs. “You really think they care what you want, Lena?” He grabs my hips hard, the sensation sending a bolt of lightning to my core.

I know they don’t care. Mrs. Wilson wouldn’t care if I told her how David always tries to make a move on me, even when I say no.

“Once I’ve graduated high school, I’ve aged out of the system and don’t have to answer to them. How do they expect to force me to marry David?”

Talon’s gaze hardens. “I don’t know exactly,” he admits. “But I know the Wilsons, and they will have some way of making you do what they want. Maybe they’ll find a way to use your scholarship at MIT against you.”

I open my mouth to protest, but Talon speaks first.

“Don’t try to tell me they wouldn’t do that,” he says. “I heard it with my own ears. Your future is sealed.”

Tears spill down my cheeks as the weight of his words settles over me. Trapped. That’s what I am. A prisoner in my own life, with no say in my own future.

Talon’s expression softens ever so slightly as he takes in my distress. “Hey,” he murmurs, brushing the tears from my cheeks. “It’s not too late. I told you I’ll take you away once I’ve saved enough. I’m in line for assistant manager at JJ’s, so I’ll earn more.”

I blink up at him, my heart fluttering with fear and hope. “You want me to leave with you still?”

The corner of Talon’s mouth curves upward in a crooked smile. “Of course. We can start over somewhere new, somewhere they can’t control us.” He pauses, his gaze boring into mine. “Just you and me, Lena. Together.”

I stare at him, unblinking. Leave everything behind? With Talon? The idea is equally terrifying and exhilarating, and I am drawn to his promise of freedom.

Before I can respond, Talon leans in closer, his lips a breath away from mine. “I want you by my side, Lena,” he whispers, his voice sending a shiver of anticipation through me.

And with that, he pulls away, leaving me trembling and utterly confused, torn between the life I’ve grown comfortable with and the tantalizing promise of something new, something dangerous...something with Talon.

I stare at Talon, my heart racing as I process his words. Should I leave everything behind? Should I start a new life with him?

But as much as I long for freedom, for a chance to escape the suffocating control of the Wilsons, I can’t just run away. I’m going to MIT. I have my whole future in front of me.

“It depends when you leave,” I whisper, my voice trembling as I force the words out. “I can’t leave everything behind before finishing high school.”

Talon’s eyes flicker with anger. “So even if they kick me out before then, you’ll stay?” he growls. “If you stay here, they’ll only use you.”

“I... I know,” I whisper, my voice barely audible. “But I need...I need time to think. To figure out what I want.”

Talon scoffs. “You’re a fool, Lena,” he spits, his words cutting deep. “You think you have a choice in any of this? You think they’ll ever let you be free?”

I swallow hard. “I have to believe that there’s another way. I can find a path that doesn’t involve running away or giving in to their demands.”

Talon stares at me for a long moment, his eyes boring into mine. “Fine,” he says. “Have it your way. But don’t come crying to me when they break you. When you realize the only way out is the one I offered you.”

With that, he strides out of his own room, leaving me alone with my heart aching. I know he’s right on some level. Staying here means subjecting myself to the Wilsons’ control for a future I never wanted.

But I can’t bring myself to take the leap, to abandon everything I’ve worked for. Not yet. Not until I’ve exhausted every other option.

With a heavy sigh, I return to my room, my mind whirling with the implications of Talon’s revelation and the weight of the choice that lies before me.