34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

L ayla squinted as she looked in the distance. The sliding glass door to the balcony was locked, so she couldn't go out to look over the grounds, but there was a building she could see through the trees quite a distance away. Dense trees surrounded it; she wondered what sort of person would live there when wolves seemed to roam freely.

She hadn't heard or seen one since the first night, but that didn't mean they weren't still there. Maybe they only came out at night.

Like last night.

She shivered when she remembered the cold red eyes that had disappeared in the storm. She had just imagined that. It wasn't the first time she had imagined seeing a wolf. Her imagination had always been wild. As a child, she'd thought she'd seen wolves even behind their house regularly before the bank had repossessed it. And a few times at the trailer, too. It was often a sign that she was stressed; right now, she had plenty to be worried about.

Besides, whatever had flown over her had been too big to be a wolf.

She heard the door being unlocked and moved away from the windows quickly. The last thing she wanted was for Jackson to know she was still mapping out the place to make another escape plan.

Jackson walked in carrying a tray full of food. The scent made her mouth water. It had been days since she had eaten properly.

Jackson looked over to her straight away as if he had known that was where she would be. Was she predictable? His gaze went behind her, she assumed to check if the door was closed, and then only briefly met hers before he put the tray on a table.

Like the room she had been moved from, this one had a sitting area, though it was grander. The furniture was huge and comfortable. She supposed someone as big as Jackson had to have huge furniture so he fit in it.

Not once had she felt like a giant freak here. They were all tall. Perhaps that was the criteria needed to join the cult. ‘Must be this tall to ride'.

She snorted and then caught herself when Jackson looked back up at her.

"What?" he asked before taking some food containers from the tray.

"Nothing," she answered with a slight head shake.

"Something amused you. I haven't seen you smile since you got here," Jackson said.

She watched him set two plates on the coffee table and lay out some cutlery. Was he going to eat with her? Was he going to sit across from her as if he hadn't walked into the room with someone's blood all over his body?

"I haven't had much to smile about," she answered.

"Things got off on the wrong foot, and most of that was probably my fault," Jackson said as he straightened.

Most of it? All of it had been his fault.

He stuffed his hands in his pockets, stretching the material of his dark-coloured sweatpants. It should be illegal for men his size to wear sweatpants.

She looked away from him to the food on the table.

"How about we start afresh?" Jackson said. "Contrary to what you may believe, I want you to be comfortable here, and I don't want you and Britney in danger when you return to the city. I meant what I said that day. Our arrangement doesn't have to be a chore. I want to enjoy it, too, before... Well, before the baby comes."

Why did she feel he'd meant to say something else?

"Why don't we eat before our food gets cold," Jackson said. "We can go for a walk after."

Her eyes widened.

"A walk? As in outside?"

"Yes," he said as he sat on one of the leather sofas.

She sat opposite him quickly, eager to have the meal out of the way so she could see the whole place properly in the daylight. Even though all the residents scared the shit out of her, there was no other way around this. When she reached for one of the containers, Jackson put his hand over hers to stop her. It was a simple touch, yet it felt like he had touched her all over. She moved her hand and put it on her lap.

Jackson cleared his throat and opened the containers before putting food on their plates. She noticed he filled hers first before he put any on his. It looked a little strange watching him do that. He didn't look like the type to serve anyone, not with the way he liked ordering people around.

When he opened a bottle of water for her, he met her gaze again.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing. I just didn't expect you to do that," she said, nodding at her steaming plate.

"I need to feed you," Jackson said softly before he looked away and picked his cutlery up. He cleared his throat again, and his tone changed as he said, "I mean, we had a deal. You have to be healthy to carry a healthy child."

"You say that as if it's a given. I've never actually tried to get pregnant before. What if I can't."

"You can."

Bossy and cocky. She shook her head as she started to eat. The food was gorgeous. It was breakfast time, but someone had taken the trouble to cook her a substantial meal. Steaks, potatoes, vegetables... It tasted like a magician had made it, maybe because she'd been about to starve to death.

She didn't look at Jackson again until she had eaten everything off her plate. She would have probably licked the plate clean if Jackson hadn't been sitting with her.

"Would you like some more?"

Jackson was being courteous and a gentleman. For a second, she imagined this was a date, and he was a regular handsome man whisking her off her feet and saving her from her cruel life. But only for a moment. It was funny how a full stomach made everything seem okay, but she couldn't forget what he was.

She could play this game, though. Perhaps that was all she needed to do- pretend she was all in until he got comfortable and trusted her.

"No, thank you," she answered with a small smile. "That was possibly the best meal I've ever had."

"I'll pass your compliments to the chef," he said as he put his cutlery down and wiped his mouth on a napkin. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yes," she answered eagerly.

She stood the moment Jackson did but stopped when she saw how he looked at her.

"I know you won't understand how some things work around here, but I need you not to insult me in public this time," Jackson said. "Do what I ask without arguing."

She never insulted him the first time! But she bit her tongue and nodded. Jackson then walked ahead of her out of the bedroom. She was sure she would have to jog to keep up with him, but she was surprised that he waited for her and then walked slower than usual as they walked down the wide hall.

"Something happened today, so everyone is a little on edge. We won't be out for long," Jackson said as they descended the stairs.

Something happened? As in, somebody had been killed by the dangerous man with a god complex? Yeah, she imagined everyone would be a little on edge.

No one was in the lobby when they went downstairs, but she couldn't help looking over her shoulder even though she knew they wouldn't ambush her again while she was with Jackson. And then, for the first time in what felt like forever, she felt the sun on her face. She closed her eyes and lifted her face to feel the warm rays of the afternoon sun against her skin. The air smelled fresh after the horrendous storm- she took a good lungful and could almost see herself jogging around her block as she would have done at home on a day like this.

"Are you an outdoorsy person?" Jackson asked, pulling her from her thoughts.

"I don't normally get time to do much outside," she answered as she opened her eyes and started to walk. "I do like to run when I can, though."

"I noticed," Jackson said. "And you're going the wrong way."

She'd been hoping to see what she hadn't been able to see from Jackson's balcony, but she turned and started following Jackson the opposite way.

The place was stunning; she could admit that. The grounds were well kept but they still blended in with the nature around them. She could imagine a child spending hours exploring and running around. If it weren't for the psycho residents of this place, she wouldn't have minded having her child grow up here.

But that was a treacherous thought. She shoved it out of her head and walked quietly beside Jackson. It was funny how they hadn't met a single person. Were they purposely keeping out of their way?

"Where is everyone?"

"They had their duties. Most are probably at home right now," Jackson answered until he stopped suddenly.

She looked around but didn't see anything.

"I have to go. Something important came up. I'll take you back," Jackson said.

"We've just come outside—"

"Now, Layla," Jackson said through his teeth.

The cold bastard was back, and this time she had to jog to keep up with him as he returned to the house. How the hell had he even known that something was up?

"Wait here."

It was only after she closed the door behind her that she saw the doctor waiting in the lobby.