Chapter 46

Zander

Not being with Piper as Henry put his hands on her sliced me to pieces. Hearing him knock on the door, drawing me out, I hadn't been able to stop the beast.

I wasn't sure what that meant in terms of her parents. It would have scared the shit out of a normal person.

I woke the next morning to silence. Part of me expected William to be standing over me, a frown on his brooding face, bringing news that they'd dragged her out of the castle the night before.

But I'd take silence as compliance.

The door to my room opened, and a barefoot Piper snuck inside. Her dark hair was down her shoulders, and her eyes were unreadable. She sank down to her knees in front of me, not making eye contact, drawing my nerves up my spine.

The chains fell to the floor, and she leaned forward, pulling me into a hug. I cradled her to my chest and brought her to my lap. "What happened?" I whispered.

She sniffled. "They tried to get me to leave. They think I'm crazy."

"They heard the beast?" I asked.

"Yes," she said breathlessly. "I told them a beast haunts the bayou. I'm not sure if they bought it or not. It sounded very close."

"Because it was," I whispered, stroking her hair. "Did you sleep well?"

"No," she admitted, tracing his fingertips against my skin. "I was worried my parents would put me in a burlap sack and drag me out of my room."

I smiled. "I'm happy that didn't happen."

"Me, too."

Silence enveloped us. I listened to the sound of her heartbeat for several minutes. "Are you ready to get dressed, and get breakfast?"

"Will you make them leave?" she whispered.

I smiled. "Do you really want me to kick your family out, Little One? They are just worried about you, which I don't blame them for. We'll see if we can calm them down this morning. Come on," I said, standing up with her in my arms. "We'll go check on breakfast. Let me get dressed. I'm sure your parents wouldn't appreciate me eating naked."

Piper chuckled when I sat her down. "Maybe it'll make them uncomfortable and they'll leave."

I got dressed, putting in more effort with jeans and a button-down rather than the sweats I'd grown to wear since Piper arrived. She stood by the banister of the staircase when I walked out, still in her pajamas. "You didn't want to get dressed, too?"

"Me dressing in a corset dress will raise even more questions, Zander."

"I knew I should have had William order you more clothes."

"I like the dresses," she admitted. "But they won't get them."

She interlaced her fingers with mine, and we walked toward the kitchen. I could almost taste the bacon in the air. And after the beast did his best on breaking free the night before, I was extra hungry.

We rounded the corner of the staircase, and that's when I saw them.

William stood at the front entrance with Piper's parents, Henry, and two police officers.

"What in the hell?" Piper barked out.

She took the words right out of my mouth. William glared at me with widened eyes. "What's going on?"

The taller officer stepped out between her parents and gave me a once-over. "Sir, we've been called here about a potential kidnapping situation."

My gaze shifted toward her father's angry face.

"Whom was I supposed to have kidnapped?" I asked, glancing down at his nametag. "Officer Tate?"

He cleared his throat and adjusted the collar of his uniform. "A Piper Sloane."

Piper mumbled under her breath. "That's me. The thirty-year-old, in front of you."

He looked back over his shoulder at The Sloanes. "This is your daughter?"

"Yes. She's the missing girl that's been all over the news. She got lost, this man found her, and now she refuses to leave."

The other officer pressed the button into his walkie-talkie. "10-22, disregard the last call. Do not send backup."

Mrs. Sloane cradled her face with her palms.

"Ma'am, your daughter is an adult, she seems unharmed, and I agree it's strange, but I think it could be much worse."

Henry's scoff from behind us sent anger up my spine. "I don't know what spell he's put over Piper, but besides that, I saw a child wandering the halls last night," Henry said.

Piper's gaze shifted upward toward mine. We both knew the only child was not a real one. "There are no children here," I said.

Henry walked around and glared at me. He looked tired as if someone kept him up all night. "I saw him. He was African American, covered in some kind of symbols. He disappeared, and I couldn't find him."

Officer Tate took off his hat and rubbed his palm over his balding head. "Did the child look in distress?"

"I don't know. It was 3 AM. I was attempting to sleep in that ice-cold room they had me in."

Priscilla had visited him.

I wasn't sure if that was a good thing for us, or not.

Officer Tate sighed. "I don't see anything out of place here. I'm sorry, maybe you should let the girl be with who makes her happy?"

Mrs. Sloane tried to reach forward and grab the officer's uniform, but Mr. Sloane stopped her. "Thank you for your time, Officers."

William walked them toward the door, leaving us in a deep silence. We hadn't heard anything out of Priscilla in days, and for her to show up when they did, didn't sit right.

Something like fear settled in my stomach.

Piper squeezed my hand. "What's wrong?"

I glanced around the room, seeing no one, but feeling her. I felt Priscilla more than I ever had. Tugging Piper closer to me, I cleared my throat. "Why don't we grab some breakfast? I can smell something good that Vivian's whipped up."

Henry tossed his arms into the air and dramatically slapped them against his thighs. "Right, because we're going to ignore the fact that your little girl toy's parents just called the cops on you—,"

"Stop it!" Piper hissed. "If you don't want to eat, leave, Henry. No one wants you here anyway—,"

"You never would have spoken to me this way before this happened, Piper. He's changing you into something you aren't."

Piper lunged forward, with the strength of a damn bull. I snagged her around her waist, her fist grazing the side of Henry's cheek. "Calm down, Piper," I said, putting myself between the two of them.

"I agree with, Piper. I think you should leave. If you can't sit down and enjoy breakfast, then leave."

Henry's face was red.

His body heaving.

He stormed out of the front door without a glance back. Piper sighed and rested her head against my chest. "Finally," she whispered.

I glanced at Mr. Sloane who had eagle eyes on me. I didn't let it deter me from comforting Piper. She seemed ten pounds lighter when she lifted her head. "You didn't think calling the cops would work, did you?" she asked. "I'm thirty years old, Mom."

"I don't understand," she said.

"Why don't we have breakfast and talk about it?" I suggested.

Mrs. Sloane looked more skeptical than Mr. Sloane did. They followed when I walked toward the kitchen and found Vivian nervously setting the last of the food out.

Piper slid into her usual place beside me, grabbing her glass of orange juice and downing it. They both sat down, neither of them touching the food as if we might have poisoned it.

"How did you two meet?" I asked abruptly.

Mrs. Sloane didn't glance up from her plate. Mr. Sloane cleared his throat. "We met in high school. We knew each other for years before we married."

"How did you know?"

He looked annoyingly at me. "Know what?"

"That you wanted to marry Mrs. Sloane?"

He lowered his head and chuckled. "If you think that's going to work, you're wrong. I knew her way longer than you've known Piper—,"

"But you knew," I said. "You knew without a doubt that you loved her, and she was meant to be with you? That is how I feel. No matter how you feel about my love for Piper. I know it's there. I know that I will always protect her. Care for her. I understand your hostility. In your eyes, I've kept her from you. That was never my intention. Things have been crazy around here since she arrived, and it's taken us all by storm. If Piper wants to leave, she can leave. I don't have her shackled. She's free to be with whom she wants to be with, and right now, I'm the lucky one that gets to call her mine."

Piper's fingers found mine on top of the table. Her hazel eyes were covered in tears, her bottom lip trembled and I stopped it with the tip of my finger.

"This is insane," Mr. Sloane said in a fit of humorless laughter. "I can't justify this, Piper. I would think after years of being with Henry, you would have learned not to trust someone so quickly."

"Being with Henry has taught me a lot of things. There were a few days when I thought I would forgive him. Where I almost went back to him. Then I realized I deserved to live. I deserved to feel loved and wanted. I've never felt that before. Not truly. I feel it now, and you're telling me it's not right. It doesn't matter what you think is right. I know this is right, and I'm not leaving, Dad. I'm staying here where I know I'll be taken care of and loved."

"What about your job," Mrs. Sloane piped in. "What about your life?"

She shrugged. "We'll figure it out, Mom. Zander isn't going to keep me from working if I want. It'll all come together in the end."

Amanda walked into the kitchen several seconds later, rubbing her eyes. "Why didn't anyone wake me up?"

"I tried," Piper said. "You told me to piss off."

She grinned. "Sounds about right. Do you have any coffee? I'm dying here."

I pointed toward the coffee pot. "Where is dickhead at?" she asked.

"Seriously, Amanda?" Mrs. Sloane mumbled.

"You all know it's true," she said, eyeing Vivian as she grabbed a coffee cup and poured it for her. "Thank you." She turned toward me. "Are you hiring?"

Mr. Sloane rubbed his forehead and abruptly stood up. "I don't agree with this. Any of it. But if you're happy and taken care of, I won't fight it. I think it's time to leave."

"I just got my coffee," Amanda complained, rubbing her unruly nest of hair.

He stopped beside her. "Get your things together, Amanda. We're leaving. Unless you want to stay and apply for a job."

He whisked out of the room, leaving Piper with a straight face, though I felt her sadness through our bond. "I'm sorry, Little One."

She smiled half-heartedly. "It's okay. He'll come around."

Mrs. Sloane stood slowly. "We love you, Piper."

"I love you, Momma."

She walked out of the room, leaving Amanda nursing her coffee in the corner of the kitchen. "Well, it could have gone worse," she said.

"You're right," I said, standing up. "It could have."

Amanda took another drink. "So, can I come to visit? I think I'm wearing your brother down."

"Doubt that," Piper mumbled.

Amanda swiped a piece of hair from her shoulder. "I have rizz."

A thunder of voices shouted from the front room. "What was that?" Piper asked, making her way toward the door.

I swept in behind her, hearing her father's voice growing louder and louder. William stood at the door, pulling at the handle with no luck.

"What's going on?" I asked.

Mr. Sloane glared at me. "I'm trying to get the hell out of here, and the door is locked. The windows are locked. What is going on?!" he shouted.

I knew the chill that raced down my spine wasn't a draft.

Priscilla was barricading us together.

I didn't know why, but I knew it wasn't for us to make amends.