Love's Predator (Love's Predator Trilogy Book 1) (4 page)

“I knew you would like it,” Kyle boasted as he took her plate. “Perhaps we can have it again on Christmas. We really need to find something we can both eat.”

Lindsey l
ooked up at him with wide eyes. She felt the world shift around her and her face pale as the blood in her veins ran dry. It came to her then, a sudden realisation she could be spending Christmas as his prisoner. That was, if, Kyle did not kill her.

“What do you want from me?” Lindsey blurted
out, regretting it as soon as she had spoken.

Kyle turned to her, smiling sweetly.

“Are you going to kill me? Torture me?
Rape me?” Lindsey questioned in quiet desperation. “Why did you take me?”

Secretly Lindsey scanned the room
as she spoke, trying to find some sort of weapon to use against Kyle. Perhaps there was a kitchen knife she could threaten him with? Or even a pair of scissors? She just knew that she had to get out of Kyle’s house. She wasn’t meant to be there. She couldn’t stay. Her blood began to pump fast, adrenaline was forced through her. She was beginning to panic now. She did not want to die.

“Darling,” Kyle said suddenly.
He placed his hands onto her shoulders, gently pushing her down in the chair. He then began to gently massage her, trying to calm her. It slowly began to work as he kneaded deeper into the tissue. Soon her body was limp.

“If you are worried about the coffin, please know it is
only there for your punishment or if something goes wrong,” Kyle went on.

“If I die…” Lindsey murmured.

She began to tighten again.

Kyle frowned.
He knelt down, speaking into her ear now. “But I won’t let that happen, not if you do as I say.”

“But what is it you want from me?” Lindsey
whimpered.

“For now, I want you to go and sit in the conservatory,” Kyle told her gently. “There are some chocolates on the table and I encourage you to help yourself until I join you.”

             
“Kyle,” Lindsey breathed.

             
He froze, his eyes flashing as his name was uttered from her lips. Now Lindsey knew she had his attention.

“Yes, my love?” He asked her softly.

“Please, can I call my parents?” Lindsey asked hopefully.

Kyle’s expression darkened.

“Please,” Lindsey begged, her eyes watering and her lip trembling. “I just want them to know I am safe. I could tell them I am at a friend’s, they wouldn’t need to know about you, Kyle.”

Kyle placed his hands on his head, scrunching them into his dark raven locks. He closed his eyes, hissing quietly and for a moment Lindsey began to panic. She had upset him. She opened her mouth, hoping to calm him down, but Kyle bet her to it.

“Don’t worry about them, Lindsey,” he told her through gritted teeth. He slicked his hands through his hair, brushing it back. “They are not worth your time, neither is Chase.”

             
Lindsey’s eyes widened; she was surprised Kyle would even mention Chase.

             
“Kyle,” Lindsey said in a whisper. “Are they safe?”

             
He placed his hands onto her shoulders and leant down once more, kissing her tenderly on the forehead. “Forget them, Lindsey,” he ordered lightly. “This is your life now.”

Lindsey looked away from Kyle, closing her eyes as she drew a sharp breath. “Do you have a family, Kyle?” She asked him quietly. Lindsey was trying her best to forge a connection with Kyle, to understand her captor.

              Kyle smiled, shaking his head. “No, my dear,” he replied, and Lindsey believed he was being honest. “But,” he added, his sad smile becoming hopeful. “I will.”

             
Lindsey felt his eyes upon her, gazing with want as he looked for her reaction. Lindsey gazed back at him, forcing a gentle smile to please her captor.

              “You will be my family,” Kyle said intensely. “And soon, you will be happy here with me.”

Kyle carefully helped her from the chair and guided Lindsey towards the door.
“You wouldn’t be happy with that Chase anyway Lindsey,” Kyle said as he gripped Lindsey’s hand, shepherding her from the kitchen into the conservatory, through the dark wooden door. Lindsey looked in, spotting the promised box of chocolates sitting upon the cherry wood table.

“Kyle,” Lindsey sighed.
“They’ll come looking for me.”

Kyle
gestured to a cream loveseat with red satin pillows and he smiled, ignoring Lindsey’s plea.

“Make
yourself at home,
my love
,” Kyle encouraged in a golden voice. “Now, no more talk of your parents or the boy. You are mine now, as you should be.”

With a fake smile, Lindsey nodded and took a seat upon the sofa. She watched Kyle disappear into the kitchen again and relished being alone once more. Kyle made her feel
odd, Lindsey assumed it was fear, but it felt different to how she would normally feel when she was afraid. Then again, this situation was entirely different to any other she had ever faced. She had never been so dominated before.

Lindsey stared out into the darkness surrounding the conservatory, surprised by how quickly the light of day had faded.
Winter was truly here.

She frowned to herself, wishing she was home and curled up in her own bed.
How she longed to be home again; to be safe.

The glass door of the conservatory beckoned Lindsey from the sofa. She gently bit down on her lip, taking slow, silent steps towards the door. She grasped the golden handle, holding it for a second before she tried to push down. However the door was locked; Kyl
e had already beaten her to it.

Lindsey was about to return to the sofa in defeat, but then something in the corner of her eye moved. She froze. Slowly Lindsey turned to look outside again, searching through
the darkness of the garden. Something…someone moved outside, coming closer to the glass until Lindsey could see their face. Had someone come to rescue her? She prayed that it was so.

However when Kyle’s pale face appeared at the window, Lindsey could feel her heart sinking in her chest. She looked away, taking in a deep sigh. Her hopes were dashed again.

Kyle dragged over the large barrel Lindsey had seen out the front of the house. He sat it a few meters away from the window, where Lindsey could watch closely. As she peered through the glass, Lindsey saw Kyle throw her clothes in the barrel. She had no idea what he was doing, not until he revealed a lighter from his pocket and was reaching into the barrel.

Lindsey’s mouth dropped open as flames began to dance from the barrel. She couldn’t believe it; Kyle was burning her clothes. She turned away, feeling true despair grip her stomach, clenching her guts tightly. Kyle had sent her a clear message by making her change and burning her o
wn clothes. The life she knew before was gone, that bridge was burned away, and now she belonged to him.

By the time
the clothes were ashes, Lindsey’s pale face had been soaked with hot, salty tears. She lay in a curled up ball on the hard wooden floor, cradling herself as she sobbed erratically. She was too busy consoling herself, that she did not notice Kyle making his entry by the kitchen.

He leant against the
doorframe, watching her with an unfaltering gaze as her chest rose and fell with deep breaths. Then her eyes caught his. Kyle smiled arrogantly.

“I hope you understand what I am trying to tell you, Lindsey,” he said in a low voice.

Lindsey was caught by his eyes, captivated by the authoritative power he held over her. He was commanding and strong, like no man she had ever met. He frightened Lindsey and yet at the same time she had never felt so alive in her life in his hands.

He strode to her side, taking a seat beside her. His eyes never left Lindsey, even when she finally looked away, settling her gaze on the floor.

“Well?” Kyle questioned. He reached out, snatching her face in his hand to gently force her to look at him once more. “Do you understand,
Lindsey Noble
?”

Her
full name sounded different on his lips. It was like he was mocking her by using it.

Finally Lindsey nodded in reply and met Kyle’s eyes with her own.

“Come with me, Lindsey,” Kyle said suddenly.

He grabbed her hand, pulling her from the conservatory. Lindsey went without a struggle, knowing that she could never fight him off anyway.
Lindsey was grateful when Kyle led her to the sofa in the living room and gestured to it, encouraging her to sit. She obeyed swiftly.

Smiling proudly, Kyle headed over to the piano and took his place on the stool. He glanced over at Lindsey and cast
her a look before his fingers gracefully stroked the piano keys and he began to play for her. Lindsey listened carefully, quietly and as she did so she looked around the room, noting in her head things she could use as weapons or clues that would give her greater insight to who Kyle was. But the entire living room seemed normal, aside from the pictures of Lindsey.

As Kyle played song after song, Lindsey began to feel herself relax in his presence. He even played some familiar music for her, like the classics her mother used to play. Eventually, Lindsey had curled into a small ball on the sofa and had closed her eyes as she listened, pretending she was safe at home. It wasn’t until Kyle spoke she snapped out of her dream.

“It’s time to retire,
my sweet
,” Kyle decided swiftly.

Lindsey stared down at the ground, trembling as Kyle came towards her, taking her fragile body. He grasped her arms, pulling her up gently so he could swing her legs over and
support her. Lindsey didn’t put up a fight.

“It’s been an eventful day,
my Flower
, and an early night is required” Kyle spoke softly, as if speaking to a tired child.

He carried Lindsey to the stairs before gently placing her down. Lindsey stood tall, trying to
shake off how relaxed she had become. She could not be relaxed around Kyle, she had to be aware.

Kyle managed a gentle smile and
he reached out, slowly running his long fingers through her dark curls; he cherished how soft they were.

“You go up first and change into somethin
g more comfortable,” he ordered. “I will join you soon.”

Lindsey glanced up at him, thankful that she did not have to get changed in front of him. She didn’t wait for him to change his mind.
She hurried upstairs, almost tripping over her own feet as she sped away from him. She appeared in the bedroom, closing the door behind her. She wished she could lock it.

Knowing Kyle would arrive soon, Lindsey
paced over to the closet, quickly picking out a long, white nightgown for her to wear. She had to change quickly, or in front of him.

Just as promised, Kyle appeared moments later,
wearing a pair of black boxer shorts. His smooth muscular chest and legs were completely exposed.

Lindsey
gazed at him, her eyes burning with a mixture of desire and fear. She couldn’t pull her eyes away; she was captivated. And yet she knew it was wrong to be attracted to Kyle or to even think of him in that way. But how could she not? That look he was giving her, that strong, seductive glare, made her tense inside like never before.

Kyle gestured to the bed and struck
her with a wide, dashing grin. “Make yourself comfortable,
my darling
,” he insisted.

Lindsey’s
heart began to race as Kyle moved past her, pulling the covers down. He patted the side closest to Lindsey and gave her a strange, suggestive smile.

“Come,” he demanded.

Lindsey swallowed heavily and did as she was told. She climbed into bed and was still as Kyle draped the heavy covers over her. She felt a glaze of sweat glisten across her forehead as Kyle switched off the bedroom lights. The bed lowered slightly, taking Kyle’s weight as he slipped in beside her. Lindsey turned away, closing her eyes tightly as she shuffled forward, but Kyle wouldn’t let her escape him.