“How did you...”

Drake held his finger to his lips. “Gage created a diversion to get the guard away from your door.”

“But, I thought you and Bianca ...”

Drake shook his head at me before I could even get the words out. “I brought you something.” He took some salve from his pocket and motioned for me to sit up. He continued kneeling beside my bed, his fingers gently putting the cooling ointment on the wounds around my neck. His touch was light; if I hadn’t felt the relief I wouldn’t have known he was touching me. I had become so accustomed to the burning sensation on my neck that the cool from the ointment was indescribable. As my body concluded it was Drake’s touch it felt, a new fire began to spread from his touch.

Once he had used his healing hands on my neck, he brought the full force of his stare on me. “I’ve missed you, Camille.” My senses went into overload: I could feel my hands trembling, my heart picking up speed, alone in a room with someone who not only wanted me, but was eager for my touch as well.

I reached my palm to his jaw. He closed his eyes, as if savoring the feeling. I felt the stubble on his cheek, the warmth of his skin, and felt my island oasis here in the flesh. Drake put his hand over mine, opened his eyes, and his stare held me motionless as I tried to find the words. He was the first to recover, “I’ve thought of you every day.” The hopefulness in his eyes wouldn’t let me go.

I knew I couldn’t take the heartache. I couldn’t profess feelings for someone I knew I could never have. Doing so would be the thing that actually broke my spirit – it would leave me a ghost of a person. I tried to speak but nothing would come out. I tried to look away, but my eyes refused. Instead I sat there, my hand remaining on his cheek, memorizing the feel of his skin, drinking in his scent, knowing this was the final farewell.

“I can’t read your mind, Camille. I won’t make you read mine.” Before I could protest, his lips were on mine and his arms pulled me tightly to his chest. My rapidly beating heart tried to lunge from my chest, and I couldn’t breathe. His breath was hot. I felt my whole body aching for his touch. His lips found their way to my ear as he whispered, “Run away with me. Tonight, right now. We’ll leave and never look back.”

I hadn’t uttered a word since he arrived, and I knew he was waiting for me to say something. My only answer, “Drake, we can’t.”

He wasn’t deterred, “Yes, we can. Gage set it up perfectly. He’s willing to take the heat. All we have to do is leave. Come with me, Camille.”

“I can’t. The necklace won’t let me leave.”

“Gage said he took care of it. He gave you permission to do anything you want tonight.” As he said the words, Drake’s hands found my flesh and began softly caressing the small of my back, sending goose bumps all over my body. Until he said it, I had been so wrapped up in Drake that it didn’t occur to me that kissing another man had to be some sort of crime for the necklace, yet nothing had happened. A small ray of hope emerged, and I thought for half a second that I might actually be able to run away.

“That was only part of it. I can’t leave.”

“I can take it off.” I knew he wouldn’t be able to, but the thought of running away, being free, overwhelmed the self-preservation side of my consciousness. As Drake’s fingers touched the clasps of the necklace, a powerful electric charge rocked us both and sent Drake flying into the wall and me back onto the floor. I could tell each electric charge continued to get stronger and shock me for longer periods of time. I didn’t scream out like before. I knew the “warnings” I had been given initially had been painful, but they were just that – warnings. This latest singed the barely healing skin around my neck, cut off my air and opened the scabbed wounds all over again. I wasn’t sure how many more warnings I would be afforded. The device could prove fatal if I didn’t follow its rules.

Drake ran back to me as soon as he had his bearings. “I’m so sorry! Are you okay? Camille, talk to me!”

“Keep your voice down. I’m fine,” I whispered. We both listened for the footsteps outside my door. I didn’t hear any and was able to take a breath.

Fresh blood trickled down my neck as I watched the revulsion on his face. “Does she know what that does to you?” He asked horrified at the results.

“Of course, she knows. She put it on my mother when she was supposed to marry Gage’s dad. She already told me it stays on my neck until I’m married.”

Drake held me tighter, his body pressed hard into mine, “Camille, I can’t lose you. Not to Gage, not to anyone.” I stood up, clinging to Drake, absorbing his warmth, pulling all the comfort from him that I knew I’d need to survive another day. He said more to himself than to me, “We’ll figure something out. I promise.”

It was an empty promise. Zeus himself wouldn’t be able to deliver on this one. Drake spent the night holding me. I felt stronger in his arms and reveled in the dream that we could run away. But my reality kept reminding me — that dream was never to be.

As the dawn arrived, I wasn’t sure how we were going to get Drake out of my room. He must have noticed my increasing nervousness. Without releasing me from his hold, his lips found their way to the skin not scorched from my torturous device on my neck and my ear. He whispered, “I’ll be waiting for you in your closet tonight. Gage will keep you downstairs long enough for me to get into position.”

“You’re going to hide in my closet?”

“Unless you have a better idea. Gage can’t come up with a distraction every night; it would cause too much suspicion.”

“So, Gage, he doesn’t mind?”

“Are you nuts? Gage knows how I feel about you. So does Bianca.”

I could hear my heart pounding in my chest, scared that I might ruin the moment, but more fearful of not knowing the answer, “How do you feel about me?”

Drake gave me the strangest look. Sarcasm oozed from his voice when he said, “I’m fascinated by your threshold for pain. How do you think I feel about you?” His lips found mine in an aggressive and needy way. His hands clung to my flesh as if it would be the last time he would hold me for a lifetime. I didn’t know what would happen the rest of the day, and in that moment, the earth could have stopped spinning and I wouldn’t have given it a second thought.

I heard a light tapping on my door, “Darling, it’s Gage. Ready for breakfast?”

I looked wide eyed at Drake, and whispered, “Darling? Are you sure he’s okay with this?”

Drake rolled his eyes. “It’s an act, Love. He needs to be convincing or your lunatic grandmother will ban him until your wedding night, which means I’d have to go, too. Go spend the day with your fiancé. I’ll be waiting for you tonight.”

I called toward the door, “Gage, I just need five minutes to freshen up.”

“All right. I’m starving. Hurry up.”

Drake and I were both on our feet. The pangs of adrenaline started to grip me when I realized I’d be able to see Drake again tonight. I had just spit the last of my toothpaste into the sink and rinsed when Drake came up behind me. I looked at the reflection of us in the mirror. His arms wrapped around me as he seemed to be transfixed by the couple in the mirror, too.

His lips were at my ear, while his eyes were glued to the mirror. He confessed, “I started to believe I’d never hold you again.”

I couldn’t respond. I felt my welled-up desire for him begging to be released. I turned my body so that I faced him, slipped my hands up under the back of his shirt and rested my head on his chest. I felt his hands stroke my hair as he waited for me to say something. His lips kissed the top of my head as I confessed, “I never stopped thinking of you. I don’t want to wake up without you next to me. I don’t want fantasies anymore. I want you.”

Drake placed his hands gently on either side of my head and pulled my face away from his chest, so I was forced to look in his eyes. “I need you, Camille.” His lips were on mine: they weren’t gentle. Our bodies were tight against each other and our breaths were erratic. I lost myself in him again until I heard a tap at the door that brought me back to reality.

“Drake, I gotta go. Gage is waiting.” I didn’t want our moment to end, but knew I couldn’t take a chance on the guard coming in. “Get in the closet. I’ll see you tonight.”

Drake looked like he was in pain, “I can’t let you go, Camille.”

“You have to or we’ll get busted and there won’t be a tonight. Go!”

His lips found mine one last time before he dashed toward the closet. As soon as I’d seen the closet door closed, I opened the door to an awaiting Gage. Gage took my hand and walked me down the hallway with my guard in tow. As we hit the top step, he commented, “You look absolutely radiant this morning, Darling. Having the guard outside your room must have done wonders for you.” I looked at him as he wore an enormous smirk.

“It did. Thank you for speaking with Zandra on my behalf. I’ll need to give her my thanks as well.”

Zandra was waiting at the bottom of the steps and had heard our conversation. “Ah, it’s good to see you two getting along so well.”

Charm oozed from Gage when he said, “Who could not fall under the spell of such a beautiful creature?”

She smiled sweetly at Gage and asked me, “You slept well, Camille?”

I wanted to laugh but instead put on my most thankful expression and answered, “Yes, Grandmother, I did. Thank you for allowing me some privacy.” It was the first time I had referred to her as “Grandmother,” and I watched her reaction as I spoke.

She was pleased. “I’m glad you slept well, Camille. Are you ready for your lesson this morning?”

“Yes, Grandmother.”

Gage interrupted, “Miss Zandra. I was hoping we might be able to tour your estate this morning, that is, if you don’t mind.”

“With an escort?”

“I was hoping you might consider escorting us.”

Zandra looked surprised, “Me?”

“It would give us both a chance to get to know you better. Camille was telling me how much she will miss the beauty of your estate.” Okay, that was a little on the thick side, but Zandra seemed to physically soften in Gage’s presence. I had come to think of her estate as a prison and had no desire to ever set eyes on it again once I was paroled.

“I believe we could skip your lesson one more day, Camille. I’d love to show the two of you around.” Gage continued to play his role as my doting fiancé, perfectly. He opened doors for me, held my hand, smiled as Zandra told us about nearly every blade of grass. Thirty minutes into our tour, Bianca and Drake strolled hand-in-hand onto the expansive grounds and found us near a fountain depicting Aphrodite. As the five of us walked together, Drake purposely brushed his arm against mine then caught my eye for a fraction of a second. I nearly jumped out of my skin. He was like the forbidden fruit, daring me to take a bite.

Several hours later as our tour drew to an end, Bianca spoke up as we approached the front door to Zandra’s mansion. “Miss Zandra, thank you so much for giving us such a wonderful tour. Drake and I have some wedding plans to finalize. Do you have an escort you could provide us while we drive into town?” I felt the hairs on the back of my neck prickle.

“Don’t be silly, child. I’m sure Gage would love an opportunity to escort you two.”

Gage shook his head, “Miss Zandra, if you don’t mind, I’d like to spend the afternoon with Camille. I thought a dip in the pool might be fun.” I cringed when I thought of chlorine on my neck but found a way to force an adoring smile at Gage.

Zandra had transformed before my very eyes. No longer the hateful captor that I had loathed for weeks, she was now the accommodating host. “Very well then. I’ll have Camille’s guard escort you two into town. Gage, I’ll change and join the two of you by the pool. I would very much like to know how your family is doing.” The rest of the afternoon was a tremendous bore, but Gage really turned on the charm, and by dinner time Zandra was treating me as though I were her long lost granddaughter rather than a blemish on her otherwise noteworthy family tree.

Bianca and Drake returned early that evening. Zandra, having immensely enjoyed her time with Gage and me, politely asked them, “Did you two take care of all your arrangements?”

“We did. Thank you for the use of an escort, Miss Zandra,” Drake answered sweetly. “Bianca and I are excited to start our life together. I think we’re both regretting that we put the wedding off for so long. Watching Gage and Camille together makes me jealous that we’ll have to wait so long.”

Zandra raised her eyebrows. “Really? Well, you can always move the date forward.”

“You know, we might just do that.” Drake leaned over and kissed Bianca’s cheek, “I don’t believe I can wait much longer for you.” Bianca giggled, and I wanted to barf. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end, and I had trouble hiding my instant jealousy. Drake gave her another tender kiss on the cheek, while I dug my fingers into my knees.

Gage realized that I was at a low boil and leaned over to me, whispering only loud enough for me to hear, “It’s only an act, Darling.” Gage’s comment did little to soften my impending implosion.

“Bianca, I think I’ll turn in early tonight,” Drake announced with an adoring look at her.

Bianca took Drake’s hand in hers, “I’m a little worn out myself. Would you walk me to my room?”

The two excused themselves, which left Gage and me alone with Zandra, again. Having them out of the room did wonders for my self-control. Gage and I spent another hour with Zandra, Gage the perfect guest, and I, quiet but attentive. An hour after Bianca and Drake had gone upstairs, Gage looked my way, “Darling, you look exhausted. Are you tired?”

I hadn’t been paying attention to their conversation, but realized this was Gage’s “get-out-of-jail-free” card for me. I yawned, “It’s been a full day. I think I’ll turn in, too.”

“I need you well rested for our adventures tomorrow. Miss Zandra, will you keep me company or am I on my own this evening?” Zandra had always struck me as a wicked person, but super perceptive. I had to wonder if she’d see through all of Gage’s fake charm. So far she seemed to be soaking it up like a sponge, but I made a mental note to tell him he needed to tone it down a little.

“I’m an old woman, Gage. You get your rest. I’m sure Camille will be ready for an adventure with you tomorrow.” She looked at me with a warmer expression than I had seen her wear in the last two months, “Camille, I had a lovely day with you today.”

Her thoughtful comment nearly rendered me speechless; I was able to choke out, “I did, too, Grandmother. I look forward to our lesson tomorrow.” If Beau could see me now, he’d never again question my acting abilities.

She gave me a thoughtful smile. I was worried I may have put it on too thick, but she seemed genuinely pleased with me. “We may suspend your lessons for a while. Gage is an excellent influence on you, and I’m sure you’ll want to spend the day together. The weather should be exceptional. Get your rest.”

“Thank you, Grandmother. Goodnight.”

Gage held out his arm for me, and my guard followed in tow. We were halfway up the steps when Gage turned to the guard, “I need just a minute with my fiancé.” We stood in full view of the guard, but he was unable to hear Gage’s whisper. “There is nothing you could do or no action you could take that would be disobedient to me. Sleep well, Camille.” Gage pressed his lips to my forehead. I knew this was his way of reminding the necklace that my time with Drake was done with his blessing. Gage held my door for me as I slipped into the dark room. He shut the door behind me. From the shadows under the door, I could see that the guard had taken his position in the hallway directly outside my room.