38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38

Layla had no idea how long she lay on the bed. Jackson had returned at some point and brought her some dinner before he disappeared again, but she hadn't touched it.

Was she losing her mind? The growl, the super strength those mean girls had had and the fact that she had been referred to as ‘human' a couple of times. And the blood on Jackson's body? She'd seen and heard all of that, hadn't she? That hadn't been an episode.

Had it?

She rolled over and punched a pillow. It hadn't happened in a few years. She'd almost forgotten how frustrating and terrifying it was to be stuck in her head like that. Jackson had already looked at her as if he knew something wasn't right when he'd brought her the food.

Not that she cared about that. It was probably better if he thought this was one of those ‘defects' the doctor had mentioned so he could forget about this deal and let her go. But her mind was sometimes a dark place to get lost in. It was always a downhill slope the moment she started seeing things.

But it was no good feeling sorry for herself now. She would likely get worse the longer she stayed here, but there was no way around it. She closed her eyes and tried to calm her thoughts, but she must have slept because when she opened them again, the room was dark, and Jackson was on the bed next to her, looking down at her face.

"You didn't eat," he stated as she tried to blink the sleep out of her eyes.

He was so close she felt his warm breath fan her face. Immediately, her mind calmed down. It would have been terrifying to think of why he had such a strong impact on her if it wasn't such a welcome relief. For hours her mind had been consumed with the worry that she was losing it, but now it was consumed with Jackson.

He was the lesser evil. Ironic.

"I must have been more tired than I thought," she lied.

"And that's all? There's nothing bothering you that you want to talk about?"

His gaze pierced through her, and for a moment, she imagined he could feel how messed up her head was. But she knew she was just being paranoid again. Just imagining things.

She pulled herself away from her thoughts again to look into Jackson's eyes.

"Nothing," she lied again.

Jackson studied her briefly before he nodded his head, but again, she felt he didn't believe her.

"I've brought you something else to eat. Just sandwiches because it's so late. Make sure you eat them."

He didn't take his eyes off her. He was leaning over her like a lover would, as if he had been watching her sleep for a while. Had he?

Her body started to tingle the way it had when he had taken her on the table. It wasn't just his touch anymore; it was his proximity. Whatever was happening to her was getting stronger, and she was terrified of how she would be if she stayed here too long. She didn't want to become like everyone else here. She didn't want to start to worship the ground he walked on and call him Alpha.

But another few days of this, and she wouldn't want to go anywhere. The tingles turned to flames, and her gaze lowered to his lips.

Jackson cleared his throat and looked away from her.

"I'm going to sleep in another room tonight so you can rest."

She wanted to protest but it was for the best. The less contact, the better.

"But this is your room," she said, lifting herself onto her elbows and unintentionally putting her face only inches from his. Or had it been intentional? She swallowed because her mouth had suddenly gone dry. If she moved just a little, her lips would be on his.

"I can go back to the room—"

"No. You belong here in my bed," Jackson cut in quickly.

Belonged? That was an odd thing to say about somebody he was paying to put a baby inside of. Unless he suspected that she was going to try to escape again. She had to work harder to gain his trust.

"Okay."

"You're being very agreeable all of a sudden," Jackson murmured, turning back to face her and cocking his head to the side.

"You told me that's what will keep me safe," she pointed out.

Her eyes were drawn to his lips again.

"You can be yourself in this room," Jackson said huskily. "I don't want you to hide yourself from me."

Jackson looked away again, and she sensed that he probably hadn't wanted to say that out loud.

But did he really think she would ever be herself here? She had seen how angry he could get. She'd seen him with blood on his body. Maybe. She was fifty per cent sure. Okay, maybe twenty-five per cent. But he was capable of killing people. She would never say anything to provoke his anger again.

"I'll be away on business tomorrow. I'll check on your sister while I'm in town."

Hearing that was like a knife through her heart. Her lust disappeared when she remembered what was at stake. Brit came above everything else, even the shit she had to deal with in her head.

"Can you take me with you?"

"No. Not until I know you won't try to run from me again," Jackson said.

He rolled over and got off the bed. He was fully dressed, but he'd changed his clothes again at some point. He seemed to change a lot.

"I just want to see if she's really okay."

"I'll take you to her when I don't have too much on my plate. You'll have to stay in this room until I get back."

Jackson walked towards the door without looking back at her. Her feelings really didn't matter here. But then again, her feelings had never really mattered to anyone.

She fell back onto the bed and looked away from the door.

"Diedre will check on you until I get back. You'll be safe."

She didn't bother to reply, and seconds later, she heard the door lock. It was that sound that made everything worse. Knowing she was trapped and couldn't do anything about it sank her further into the hole she had been trying to dig herself out of since that afternoon. But now, it was made worse by the thought of being in this place without Jackson, even though he was the worst among them. She knew she wasn't wanted or welcome here. And Diedre was in on whatever mess Jackson had put her into. She couldn't trust that woman any more than she could trust Jackson.

She stayed in the same position until sleep finally claimed her again and gave her a rest from her thoughts.