Tainted Innocence

C H A P T E R 1 7

Leilani

Elias.

Elias.

Elias.

I couldn't get him out of my mind after that dinner. More specifically, the conversation we had after that very intense dinner. His words haunted me andhe will be on my mind more than I want to admit.

He promised he would look out for me but it was something off about how he phrased it. As if it was a favor and not much of a choice.He knew too much, saw too much.

But it also made me feel safe.

In a weird totally, toxic way.

And I hated how much I liked it.

It's been a month since then. Since I've seen those piercing hazel eyes.

A month since Alexei started being extra protective, hovering over me like a damn helicopter.

A month since Ms. Kuznetsov became quiet.

Too quiet.

But in this instance, her actions spoke louder than her words. The labor doubled. The rules became even tighter. And her eyes... they followed me everywhere. Calculating my every move as if she was measuring something.

Waiting for something.

I was hauling feed to the stables when I felt it.

That familiar weight in my chest.

The kind that you get when something bad is about to happen. The same weight I felt when my parents dragged me here.

A black car rolled through the iron gates.

Slow.

Sleek.

It looked out of place among the more rural scenery of this place.

My heart dropped to my stomach.

I didn't need to see who stepped out.

I already knew.

Hazel eyes instantly scanned the yard before finally landing on my own pair of eyes.

Elias Devereux had came back.

And this time... he wasn't smiling.

The noise around me seemed to stop as he took steps closer to me. The only sound that could be heard was the crunch of the leaves underneath his boots.

Each step he took felt deliberate. Heavy. Dangerous even. As if he was carrying as storm with him.

"Leilani," his voice seemed to echo around me until it consumed. He sounded soft. Controlled. Familiar.

I swallowed hard, "Mr. Devereux," I said weakly.

He made a tutting sound before correcting me, "You don't have to call me that," he said quietly.

Everything about our interactions felt so intimate. Intense. And although I loved the passion it was becoming quite uncomfortable the more we stared at each other in silence.

"You're back," my soft voice broke the silence between us. He raised his eyebrow as if he wasn't expecting it.

"I told you, I'd keep my word." My stomach jumped slightly at his remark.

"You said that you would look out for me," I said.

"And I am," he fired back raising a brow. The way he said it though sent shivers down my spine. And not the good kind that warmed your soul, but the scary shivers that made the hairs on the back of your neck spike up.

"But you disappeared," I fidgeted with my fingers as I said this. It was a childish conversation to have but it was true. I did not like feeling abandoned. "For a month."

I spat out that last part before I could stop myself.

His gaze darkened, if we weren't up close I would've missed it, "Some things require patience, Leilani."

"Well I've never really been a patient person and that's not an answer," I fired back.
"No," he admitted. "It isn't."

I didn't have any smart rebuttals as awkward silence swept over us again. I started fidgeting with my fingers once more. His eyes tracked the motion.

His jaw clenched as he reached for my hands, "She's still working you like this," he said with a low voice.

I nodded my head softly.

"Speak Leilani."

I shrugged my shoulders and slightly pulled my hands away, "It's nothing."

His eyes snapped back to mine. "It is something don't lie."

I took in the appearance of my hands. Yes they were a little battered and bruised but Ms. Kuznetsov said that's what happens when you're a hard worker, it's normal.

Before I could answer him I heard foot steps rushing behind me. Alexei.

I didn't have to turn around to know it was him. I felt the tension rolling off him in waves.

"Step away from her Elias," Alexei said.

Elias didn't even look at him as he flicked the dirt from under his fingernail, "She isn't property."

Alexei moved beside me. Protective. Rigid. Angry.

"She's under our roof."

"So?" Elias replied this time meeting Alexei eyes.

It seemed as if they were having a silent argument. Both glaring at each other getting angrier by the minute.

"So you need to leave her the fuck alone," Alexei shot back.

"That'll be hard considering she's under my protection."

This time Alexei eyes shot to mine, shock written all over his face.

"What does that even mean?" I asked exasperated at this whole alpha macho man thing they had going.

"It means," he said softly, "no one touches you again."

The tone of his voice disturbed me.

It wasn't in anger. Or punishment.

But somehow, his promise felt more terrifying than comforting.

***