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I stand up and tap the desk, “I’ll be back; get to work on fixing this.” He nods, then I take Violet’s hand, and she follows me out the door.

I guide her down the hall, through a passageway, then into another, until we arrive at my room.

“Cain, what are we going to do?” She asks after I close and lock the door.

“I’m going to hide you until this is fixed.” Her head tilts a fraction, her brow pinches at the center.

“How?” She wraps her arms around her middle.

Fuck. I never wanted to use this.

There’s a reason backup plans aren’t plan A.

I walk over to the foot of my bed and lift the skirt, revealing the iron I forged into a perfect cage.

Designed for Violet.

Her chest rises and falls in deep heaves. I kneel, enter the combination into the lock, and open the square door.

“Cain… N-no.” Her eyes widen, her head shaking in pace with her frantic breaths. I stand, grab her face, and slam my lips to hers. I kiss her, confiscating her air until she’s breathing with me. Then I pull back, brushing my lips over hers with every word.

“Trust me, this is only temporary. I will fix this.” I hold her hand, then reach over and lift the skirt of the bed with the other. “Be a good girl, and get in.” She swallows, a tear streaming down her cheek. Then she takes a deep breath.

And crawls into the dark.

Into her protective prison.

Violet

Chapter 34

It’s been three days.

Three days spent mostly in the dark, with periodic breaks to be let out, eat, and use the restroom. My cage is large, so I can stretch and even sit up, but it’s nice to walk around the room.

We finally get a day out together, finally going on dates and holding hands down the street. And then I have to disappear.

Cain filled out a missing person’s report for me so he can get a little more time to negotiate with the Lazeroffs without me being in their custody. So far, they’re adamant about keeping me once I am “found.” The House of Powers and the House of Daily coming together is too much of a threat for them.

They haven’t said that, but it’s obvious that my uncle was telling the truth. Marcus has never been interested in me; we’ve hardly ever spoken. I’m nothing more than their insurance policy.

The public support for me since I’ve gone missing only solidifies this. There have been calls to bring the House of Daily “back to its proper appointment.” Cain says that the Lazeroffs are in too deep with some bad behavior, and that when Alistair is no longer in power, they will go down with him.

Click… It’s not Cain; he always announces himself in some way when he comes through the door.

Taking a few deep breaths, I silence myself. The door clicks shut, and soft footsteps approach the foot of the bed.

The bed skirt flies up, the light stinging my eyes for a beat. Dahlia sits opposite me through the bars, cross-legged, smiling. She’s far too happy to be finding someone in my position.

“Hey,” she says, tilting her head, “I heard you were missing... How are you?”

“I’ve been better. I’ve been worse.”

“Fair…” She scoots forward, takes hold of the lock, and starts entering numbers. “Damnit.” It stays locked, and she tries different numbers.

“Cain didn’t tell you to come let me out, did he?”

“No.” She narrows her eyes at the lock, biting the side of her lower lip. “Ggmm,” she grumbles.