Chapter Nineteen

I didn't wake up alone. Inanis wasn't in bed with me, nor was he anywhere in the room. Frankly, I don't remember ever hearing him get up and leave.

But the crippling feeling of regret accompanied me like an old friend.

I should not have done that last night. I really should not have done that last night.

It was the biggest mistake I have ever made, and I knew I was going to get hell for it from Inanis.

He was never going to let me live it down, and for once, I don't blame him.

God, I wish I could go back to sleep and never wake up.

I pulled myself out of bed, and noticed Leech was also not in the room. I groaned, angry at Inanis for once again taking my dog. Angry at him for kissing me. Angry at myself for kissing back.

Endless slumber sounded like a dream.

I walked over to the closet and pulled out a random short sleeve grey dress with a dull white trim. The perfect colors to express my mood today.

I didn't bother with makeup, as I ran my hand through my hair a couple times before giving up and exiting the room.

Today, I just didn't care.

I walked through the hall and down the stairs of the oddly quiet house, where I found Mr. and Mrs. Lancaster sitting in the dining room. Inanis was glaring at Mrs. Lancaster, and she was glaring right back at him.

Mr. Lancaster looked at me, and I swear I've never seen such a large man look so relieved. "Ahh, Mirea." He said, and both Inanis, and Mrs. Lancaster turned their attention to me as I entered the room. "Good morning!"

"Good morning Mr. Lancaster." I forced a smile, "I hope I didn't miss anything too obstructive." I shot a threatening look at Inanis who gave me a smug grin in return.

"Of course not." Mr. Lancaster said, clearing his throat, "My wife seems to forget that this is a professional business meeting." He glared at her, and then returned to me with a broad smile, "I apologize for her misbehavior."

"No, no." I tell him, pulling a chair from across Inanis and sitting at the table, "I should apologize for my husband's attitude, I would say he's not a morning person, but he's not really a day person or a night person, really he's just awful always."

Inanis casually leaned back in his chair, "You know what the best part of being married is?" He said to nobody in particular, "Having a little barking rat nag at you every two seconds. It's really quite the life I've always fantasized."

I frowned, "Well, this little rat would gladly plague you with a lethal disease if it wasn't considered voluntary manslaughter."

He took a deep breath, "I do love the sound of your pitiful threats this early in the morning, they really do brighten my day," He leaned closer, mock enthusiasm shown on his face, "give me more."

"Go to hell."

"Take me there."

We glared at each other, I had almost completely forgotten that Mr. and Mrs. Lancaster were in the same room with us, if it were not for Mrs. Lancaster purposely clinging her mug of coffee against the table.

I turned back to the Lancasters, upset with myself for stooping to Inanis's level, and throwing insults in the middle of breakfast with guests.

I apologized to them, and gladly took the cup of coffee that was given to me by one of the kitchen staff. Anything to distract myself from Inanis's burning presence was welcome.

"Well," Inanis stood without even touching the plate of food in front of him, "This has been very fun, but I best be on my way."

"Again?" Mr. Lancaster said, defeat lacing his tone, "If you would only consider listening to our opportunity-"

"You see?" Inanis cut him off, "Even now I'm growing terribly bored, I'm envisioning gutting you like a pig. It's just impossible for me to give a shit."

Mr. Lancaster grew white, and Mrs. Lancaster snorted, "I told you Morgan." She said matter-of-factly to her husband, "He's nothing more than a child with an attractive title."

I almost choked on my coffee, as Inanis's eyes narrowed. By the look of pure hatred on his face, I understood as immediately as Mr. Lancaster did that Inanis was not going to show mercy.

I stood so quickly my cup of coffee on the table tipped over. Mr. Lancaster also stood as he tried to make his way over his wife, who was glaring daggers at my darling husband.

My darling husband who was reaching for the knife beside his plate.

"Inanis don't you dare." I threaten him, and his eyes flicked to mine. Though my gaze was locked on his, out of the corner of my eye, I saw him grip the knife.

I moved.

I didn't think about what I was going to do, my only goal was to distract Inanis long enough for Mr. Lancaster to drag his wife out of the house.

I locked my arm around his and reached for the knife in his hand. He spun around, facing me and attempted to pull back but I refused to let my grip on him go.

"This is terribly rude of you." He said, holding the knife high enough in the air where I couldn't reach. "I was only going to show her how childish I really could be."

"I think you've done enough, don't you?"

"I don't think I've even started."

The Lancasters were gone by now, and only me and Inanis were left in the room. We held eye-contact for a few moments longer before I let his arm go and stepped away. He wiped the sleeve I had held onto, as if I had left invisible dirt on him that only he could see. Like I was disgusting.

As if his hands weren't all over my body last night.

Asshole.

I turned from him and walked out of the room before he decided to say anything else.

I was not in the mood for him today. Not because he's insufferable and toxic as always, but because my guilt was eating away at my common sense and patience.

As if I couldn't regret kissing him even more, I found myself wanting to punch something just to release the built-up rage I had conjured from my mistake.

I walked into the living room where Leech was busy chewing on the leg of the sofa which I didn't stop him from doing, since it was incredibly ugly, and because it looked like something Inanis picked out which meant I hated it solely for that fact.

He could tear it to shreds if his little heart desired it.

I paced the room, realizing there was nothing I could do today but sit around and feel sorry for myself. Apparently, I wasn't allowed to leave the house unless Inanis was with me, which was just another bullshit way of him controlling everything in my life.

I crossed my arms over my chest and stared out the large window that showed the front of the house. I could see the gate was closed, and the same man from yesterday guarding it like this was a prison.

Hell, it is a prison.

"Have you finished sulking this morning?" Inanis came waltzing in the room with his typical black dress coat on and shining black gloves. I didn't fail to notice the shadows in his eyes, as if he weren't in his typical childish mood today. Something was bothering him, and I hoped it was me.

"Don't act like you aren't the reason for my misery." I waved him off like he were a mere dog, "I have no patience for you today."

"Well then it's a good thing your patience isn't what I'm asking for." Before I could react he threw a bundle of heavy fabric on me. I grabbed the fabric, and held it out, examining it.

"What the hell is this?"

"Your attire for the night."

I narrowed, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means you dress like a woman who works minimum wage, and I don't like it."

Smoothing out the wrinkles I noticed, it was, in fact, a very dramatically short dress. It looked tight, small, but still expensive. It screamed royalty, and royalty was not what I am.

I threw the dress on the floor near his feet. "No."

Inanis didn't look surprised, in fact, he seemed to expect my refusal. "Right, well, I find it amusing you think you have a choice."

"Don't I?"

"No." He kicked the dress over to me with his foot, "Be ready by three, tonight we will be dining the governor of Missouri along with that repugnant redhead he had an affair with. I have obvious reasons to believe he may just be our next puppet on stage this month, and he knows that, which is why he's trying to get on my good side it's comical, really." He waved his hand casually, "but who knows, maybe some other politician will improperly touch a child before then."

I scoffed, "You say that as if you want it to happen."

"It's not my fault politicians are uncivilized, I just deal with the aftermath."

"You're sick."

He rolled his eyes, clearly bored of the conversation, "Yes, yes, I'm the sick one for punishing the bad guys. It's not like I'm the one touching my children for pleasure."

"My father wasn't a bad man, he wasn't one of the bad guys."

"And thus, he is living to this day."

I angrily grabbed the dress off the floor, "Only because I intervened."

"Let's not pretend you had any say in the matter." He turned his back to me, and began walking out of the room, "I prefer quiet rats over squealing ones." He called over his shoulder before he left.

I bit my lip, clenching the dress in my hands until my knuckles turned white, I was so angry. So angry just because Inanis existed. Seeing him breathe, stand, be, only infuriated me more and more and more.

It didn't help that my mind kept going back to last night. His lips on mine, his hands on my body. His personality may be cold, but the warmth of his body against mine was all I could think about.

I hate him.

I trudged up the stairs to the guest bedroom where I will be sleeping tonight, and if Inanis refuses, then I will sleep on the goddamn floor.

I slipped off the bland dress I was wearing and struggled to fit into the tiny black one Inanis gave me. Another awful thing about being married to Inanis was that I had to keep my figure in check at all times. If I gained even a pound, Inanis would find a way to notice. If I lost too much weight, Inanis would never let me hear the end of it. The man barely ate, and probably weighed as much as a fourteen-year-old boy. Still, part of me wondered what would happen if I purposely starved myself just out of spite.

I smiled at the thought.

After I got dressed, I walked back down the stairs. The dress was uncomfortable, and I really didn't feel like suffering through another meal with Inanis and a corrupt politician. Still, the thought of getting out of the house was a bit of a relief.

I passed by the dinging room, while on my way back to Leech who was probably still chewing up the sofa but stopped when I heard Inanis's voice. I leaned against the wall and peeked my head into the dining room where I spotted him pacing the room while his mother sat at the table.

My heart sunk when I saw her. I had no idea she was even here, if I had known, I would have stayed in the bedroom.

"You should take it, Vita." She said, taking a sip of her tea. "You can't keep suffering-"

"I am not suffering."

"I am only saying; your medication is to help you. Isn't it beneficial to not have to worry about your constant thoughts? You have a dinner tonight, you must not look bad, people will question. You're getting worse, I've noticed, you can't hide things from your mother."

"I can handle it."

She placed the cup on the table, "No, you can't."

I could hear the frustration in his tone. "I am not a child, I can deal with this myself."

"Then take your pills like the adult you are."

He stopped and stared at his mother, I've never seen such a hopeless look on his face before. I admit, it didn't suit him.

He looked lost.

"I'm done with this conversation."

"You have a dinner tonight, what are you going to do? Sit there and let your mind talk talk talk? Don't be stupid."

Inanis took a deep breath and sighed as an attempt to calm himself. He looked directly at his mother and put on a neutral mask. "Mother." He said calmly, but there was obvious threat in his tone, "If you don't stop trying to control me, I will shove the pills down your throat and watch as you try and fail to guzzle down the foamy spit that will certainly suffocate you in a mere matter of seconds."

Her eyes narrowed at her son, but she said nothing more.

Inanis glanced up and spotted me. Our eyes locked, and the neutral expression on his face melted to false amusement. "It seems we have a rat."

I frowned, as I forced myself to stand taller, and walk in with false confidence. "Stop calling me a rat."

"A rat who wishes it were a dog." Inanis's mother snorted into her cup, "A joke."

"The only joke I see here is a four-hundred-pound woman and her diminutive puppet, oh," my eyes shifted to Inanis, "I mean son."

The grin on his face widened, "What a joke it really must be, to be the toy of the puppet then, isn't that right wife?"

I shot him a smug look and he cocked his head to the side, a light in his eyes that wasn't there before. Sometimes I wonder if my insults actually make him happier.

"I'm ready." I tell him beckoning to the dress I was wearing.

"Then I would hate to keep my pet waiting." He disregarded his mother like she wasn't even in the room. "Let's be off."