My Wife, My Rules – 35. chapter

The sky had not yet paled. It was gray. The chamber lay in complete silence. Aiden slept, but he held Tess in his arms. He had drawn her deep into his hold as he drifted off, right after loosening every bond. His chest rose behind her back, steady and calm. One arm lay beneath her head, the other wrapped around her waist. Tess’s eyes were open. They had been for a long time.

She listened for a while to be sure he truly slept, then tried to slip free. Carefully, she lifted herself onto one elbow and raised her hip slightly. The moment her body left his chest, his hand moved. Not sharply. It only wrapped more firmly around her waist and pulled her back to him. He said nothing. He did not open his eyes. Tess froze and held her breath.

She waited. Perhaps a quarter of an hour. When nothing changed and his breathing stayed even and calm, she tried again. Slower this time. She drew her knees up a few inches. Shifted her hips back a little. She tried to make it seem as though she were only turning over.

Aiden’s hand moved a second time. Again, he drew her closer. Gently. But unerringly.

“One can’t help admiring your persistence,” he murmured from half-sleep. “You really believe you’ll slip away from me?”

In defeat, she rolled onto her back and watched as he lifted himself and propped his head in his hand, elbow braced on the pillow. He looked at her as one looks at a small child who keeps stumbling over her own feet.

“You got away from me because I didn’t expect it. But now I expect it, and I’m keeping watch over you. You won’t disappear on me a second time.”

“Aiden, I can’t be here. I don’t want to.”

“You can. And you do.”

She shook her head in despair when a knock sounded at the door, followed by Viktoria’s voice.

“My dear?”

Tess jerked in fright. Aiden scowled in disgust.

“What do you want?!” he shouted, hostile.

“You vanished yesterday. I don’t even know when. I didn’t see you again. We should talk it over together. Breakfast is already set.”

Wanting her gone as quickly as possible, Aiden shouted back,

“I’ll be down shortly.”

Tess’s eyes were wide with panic. She barely breathed. It pained him. He didn’t move at once. He only watched her for a moment. Then he reached for one of the cords that had bound her the night before. He caught her wrists and began tying them to the head of the bed.

“I’ll get rid of her and bring you something to eat.”

“Aiden,” terrible fear filled her voice. “You can’t throw her out.”

He finished the knots and checked their strength.

“You can BET I can,” he said, rising sharply to dress.

“She’ll hurt you!”

“I’m not afraid of some mad bitch.”

“Please! Do whatever she wants, please.”

He gave her a disapproving look.

“The only one entitled to MY obedience is my wife. And I don’t grant you much of it either.”

“Please. You have to do what she wants. And you must not throw her out!”

He smirked.

“Then watch!”

He turned toward the door.

“Aiden, please! Please!”

He stopped. His hand lingered on the handle, his gaze lowered to the floor. He hated it when she begged. It made him feel utterly incapable, as though he couldn’t simply take care of her and keep her content. As though he was doing something absolutely wrong if his own wife had to plead with him like this. He watched his hand and thought. When he’d pushed her to tears of desperation before, he couldn’t yield. But now he could. He didn’t like it, but he could. He let out a deep, dissatisfied breath and turned back to her.

“I won’t throw her out.”

Bound to the bed by him, in this absurd situation, she almost smiled.

“For now!” he added.

She nodded, grateful all the same.

He pulled the key from the lock and, when he closed the chamber door behind him, locked it from the outside. Tess was bound, but he didn’t want anyone getting to her.

As he went down the stairs, he slowly admitted that his vision of how he’d have her back and return everything to his ideal version of normal was utterly wrong. Tess feared Viktoria. And she wouldn’t stop until she was certain Viktoria couldn’t harm them anymore. But how was he supposed to arrange that?!

Viktoria already sat in the dining hall, smoothing the edge of her sleeves, eyes fixed on the door.

“My dear,” she said sweetly, “we really must talk. It’s time to set rules.”

Aiden stopped in the doorway and leaned against the frame.

“That sounds like you intend to dictate them.”

“No. I just want you to understand that if we’re to pretend I’m your wife, you can’t avoid me like this.”

“You’re right,” he nodded slowly. “I can’t. But I can end the pretense entirely.”

She frowned.

“I’m serious.”

“I can imagine. Especially since it serves your interests.”

Viktoria rose from the table, circled him, and leaned closer than propriety allowed.

“We both know it could be worse for you,” she whispered.

“And you could be better off,” he replied without hesitation. “Yet you haven’t managed it.”

He glanced at the set table. Without another word, he took a plate of bread and a cup of tea.

“I’ll eat upstairs,” he said calmly.

“There’s something important I want to tell you,” she protested.

“You can write it down. Or you can keep it to yourself. The result will be the same.”

He turned and left.

Viktoria remained standing, lips pressed tight. She’d thought to draw him closer. If not by touch, then by tone. But no. He slipped away again. Without argument. Without effort. And with a plate.

Aiden returned to the chamber. He unlocked the door, stepped inside, and locked it again behind him. The lock clicked softly, precisely as always. The assurance that between her and the world only he would now stand. He set the plate on the small table by the bed. Tess still lay there, eyes fixed on the ceiling, hands bound above her head.

Without a word, he approached and untied her. Tess sat up and rubbed her wrists.

“Eat something, little cat,” he said quietly.

She moved slowly. Took a piece of bread, but ate with great care. As if she expected something worse than hunger.

Aiden stood silently by the window. He didn’t look at her, nor at the plate. Only when she set aside the tea did he draw a light breath, as though to speak. At that moment, from downstairs came a knock, followed by a maid’s voice.

“My lord, you have a visitor.”

Tess looked at Aiden. His expression turned irritated.

“I’ll be there shortly,” he called back.

“It’ll just be some matter of work. I’ll settle it quickly,” he said as he reached for the cord. “Lie down.”

She blinked.

“No.”

“Lie down, Tess.”

She raised her hands to her chest and shifted toward the end of the bed.

“Forget it! Not again!”

“I’m not asking, little cat.”

She sprang to her feet, sharply and clumsily, and tried to go around the bed. But he knew. He’d known she would try. He stopped her with a single step, caught her elbow, and pulled her back. Tess tried to tear free. She jerked hard, but Aiden forced her onto her back on the bed without effort. She tried to rise, but he was already kneeling over her, pinning her wrists above her head.

“Stop! Let me go at once!”

With one hand he held both wrists above her head. With the other, he began wrapping the cord around them. Tess fought harder than before. She writhed beneath him, kicked, lifted her hips, but he already had her.

“You can’t do this! Do you understand?! YOU CAN’T!”

“Shhhhh.” His breath rested against her cheek. Quietly. Calmly. “This will be safer. For you. And for me.”

He pressed her wrists to the headboard and bound her swiftly and precisely. He didn’t hold her roughly, but with such certainty that she had nowhere to move.

“And this is what you want to do for the rest of your life?!”

He paused by her ear.

“Only for as long as you need it.”

She growled in fury. Aiden stepped back.

“I’ll be right back.”

He didn’t forget to lock the door behind him.