16. Dolly

16

DOLLY

W e'd stayed outside for hours, and I even found myself lying on the blanket Lars brought for our picnic and just looking at the sky. I was pretty sure I even fell asleep, but when I opened my eyes, I was still in the same spot, staring at the white clouds drifting across the baby blue canvas which was only broken up by the dark branches overhead.

Lars never rushed me. In fact, it was when the weather changed—the wind becoming chillier and the sky darkening—that we finally headed back to the cabin.

It seemed surreal that I voluntarily went back into the place I was being held captive, but here I was, sitting in the living room and staring at the fire as it roared before me.

The sounds of the forest didn't fade but changed as darkness settled in, filling the interior of the cabin with quiet nocturnal noises that mixed with the crackle and pop of the flames licking over the logs. I'd taken a bath already, Lars giving me privacy as I soaked in the warm water. My body wash still lingered on my skin, reminding me of where I was when I bought it just days ago.

When I was free.

I knew that every minute spent in this place was another minute I'd crawl deeper into his trap and under his control. And with every second, I was unsure of where I stood in my life and in this world.

Although Lars had said little of anything since we stepped out of the cabin just this morning, his presence was very commanding, and I'd felt him watching me at every second.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and tightly pulled the cardigan around me that I'd put on after my bath. The fire was crackling wildly, casting flickering shadows across the worn stone hearth and wooden walls. Lars came into my peripheral vision, holding two mugs and handing me one of them. I said nothing as I took the offered cup and focused on him as he took a seat across from me in the other tattered and worn armchair.

His gaze was forever fixed on me, dark and always unreadable.

"It's just tea," he said, his voice soft but holding that same weight it always did when he saw me eyeing the light amber-colored liquid. He took a sip from his cup, then set it on the small table beside him, steam rising from it in white tendrils.

I hesitated for a moment before taking a sip from my mug. My hands curled around the warm porcelain as if I had no control over them, my fingers trembling.

We sat in silence, my eyes on the fire, yet I felt his focus was on me. I stared into the flames, my mind racing with questions I'd been too afraid to ask before tonight. Now, though, the fear and the faux freedom he'd given me today wasn't enough to keep me quiet.

"Why did you take me?" I asked softly, something I had questioned once before, my voice barely above a whisper but feeling so thick, like oil on my tongue. And although I spoke quietly, it felt like a scream in the small interior.

When Lars didn't respond right away, I glanced at him. He leaned back in his chair, his eyes still on me, his expression impossible to read. He always wore this stoic mask, one that made me feel like I was staring into the face of a psychopath.

"Because I wanted you," he said simply, the same response he'd given me that first day, as if that explained everything. His voice was calm, almost gentle, but there was darkness in the undertone.

He's a predator waiting to pounce .

I frowned, confusion knotting my brow. The answer was so simple, but it was the most complicated thing I'd ever heard. "But…" I shook my head. "I don't understand why. Why me? I'm nobody special." I felt tears well in my eyes but held them back.

Lars tilted his head slightly, as if considering my words.

"What do you want with me?" The question spilled out before I could stop it, my desperation for answers overpowering my need to be tactful. I had to know what the endgame was, what my future was going to be like.

"You ask a lot of questions, Dolly." He picked up his cup and took another sip. "But you already know the answer to some. Isn't that right?"

His tone was maddeningly calm, and I wanted to scream at him, to punch and hit and fight him until I was too tired to think about it anymore.

"Plus, that's a fucking lie," he added, and I was taken back by his statement, not sure what he meant, and he must've seen that in my expression. "Thinking you're not special." He set the cup back down and leaned forward, resting his forearms on his thighs as his dark and piercing eyes held me hostage. "I've never met or seen anyone or anything more special than you, little darling."

I audibly gasped at his words. I felt they were the God's honest truth. I shook my head. "None of this makes sense. You can't… you can't just take someone because you want them." I licked my lips and set the mug down, my anxiety so high that I couldn't even think about consuming anything right now. "That's not how the world works."

A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips, though it didn't reach his eyes. He thought what I said was… humorous? "It's not how your world works, Dolly. True. But my world? That's exactly how my fucking world works."

God, he sounded like everything and everyone bent to his will. He was a male used to getting what he wanted, no matter the cost.

I stared at him, frustrated. "What does that even mean? Who are you , Lars?" It was the first time I'd ever said his name out loud, and I could see it affected him on a physical, visceral level.

His breathing changed. His pupils dilated. And I was pretty sure he wasn't even aware he growled low, like a beast who just sampled what he wanted.

All because of his name.

"The world doesn't work like that for anyone. I want to know what you really want with me." I didn't keep the demanding tone from my voice.

His face was illuminated by the firelight, which cast shadows that made him seem more devilish and unyielding. And the sight of him made my heart race for other reasons, ones I wouldn't try to dissect.

But I couldn't ignore that he was a handsome man, that he had this dangerous aura about him that attracted me.

I'm so fucked up.

"I'll tell you what I want, Dolly, because it's the simplest thing in the world." He was silent for a second, letting those words sink in. "I want you to understand that you belong here with me. It's the simplest answer, Dolly. There is nothing out there for you. There never really was. Isn't that right?"

I tried to swallow, but I had no saliva to complete the nervous action. I didn't want to agree that he spoke the truth.

"And because of that fact, you don't need to fight this or me." He leaned back and took on a relaxed stance. "All you have to do is accept this is your fate, and your life will be perfect."

A fat tear slid down my cheek, but it wasn't from fear. It was from the truths he was speaking.

"You'll be my queen, little darling. I'll take care of you like you've never been taken care of before. I have no other purpose in this life but to live for you ."

Another tear skated down my cheek, and I wiped it away.

My heart hammered in my chest, but there was something about the way he spoke, the honesty in his words, that made my breath catch. Because I could see how genuinely he meant what he said.

He was obsessed. Crazed by his need to take care of me. He looked at me like I was the be all end all. I was his world. His composure was unsettling, laced with a twisted concern for my well-being that terrified me even more… but had me yearning for what he promised.

Because I've never had that.

"And if I don't… belong here?" I whispered, forcing the words out, because my throat was so tight from my tear-welled eyes.

His expression hardened after I spoke. It was clear that what I said pissed him off. "You're so fucking wrong, Dolly. You do belong here. With me. Whether you accept it or not, you're mine now. I'm not letting you go."

I was staring at the fire before he finished talking, unable to wrap my head around everything he said.

"I'll take care of you, little darling."

"Why do you call me that?" I murmured, watching the charred logs slowly die.

"Because that's what you are to me. My little darling who I'll keep safe."

I looked at him then, holding his gaze, refusing to turn away as I felt my anger rise right away with my confusion.

"But there's no leaving, Dolly. No running. If you try, you know I'll find you. I've told you as much, but in your heart, you know there's no escape."

I felt my face heat. "I know," I pushed out through my gritted teeth. A shiver ran down my spine. It was a combination of every emotion a human could feel.

"And if you run and I catch you, you'll regret it, Dolly."

Lars wasn't threatening me in the traditional sense. I knew that. I felt it. But his words were a promise in a cold and calculating way. Lars stood then and was right in front of me before I could react.

He reached out, and I was too frozen to do anything but let him touch me. He brushed his hand against my cheek, his fingers warm from where he'd just been holding his tea mug, the contents hot and heating his skin.

I was afraid, obviously, but his touch was surprisingly soft, and the look in his eyes ensnared me. It kept me in place as if he were claiming me with just that gentle press of his palm against my face and the emotions displayed clearly in his eyes.

"Say you're mine," he murmured, staring at my lips. "I need to hear you say it like I need my next breath."

I was panting so hard, and I felt sweat beading my brow from… feelings I didn't want to explore. I pulled strength from the deepest, darkest ones consuming me, and I just reacted. My hand moved on its own, and then my palm connected with his face.

The crack was instant, and although he was huge and muscular, I knew I took him off guard because his head cocked to the side from the impact. I used his surprise to push him back, my palms on his wide, rock-hard chest shoving him away with all my strength.

I used the small gap between us to stand, and I struck him again, then dragged my nails down his arm where his shirt sleeve was pushed up, so I connected with bare skin. His hiss broke through the sound of my rapid breathing, my racing pulse in my ears, and the crackling of the fire.

We stood there for long seconds just staring at each other, and I flicked my gaze down to his forearm to see four red welts forming on his skin from my nails.

Hellfire crackled between us, but all I could feel was the oppressive sense that no matter how much I resisted, I was already too far gone.

And because of that, I was going to fight until this all-consuming feeling inside me finally took over against my will, when fighting was no longer an option.

And God help me when I finally submitted.