Chapter 44 I WANT TO BE WITH HIM
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
SAMANTHA’S POV
The sound of the gates opening dragged me out of sleep.
I did not check the time immediately. I knew it was really late when Kane left the house. Eyes burned as I forced them open, my body protesting, my mind foggy
Then I heard it again.
I reached for my phone.
2:07 a.m.
A car was pulling in.
I sighed and turned on my side, already preparing to sleep again. Kane was coming back. That was nothing new. He always returned at odd hours, always quiet, always unreadable. I had learned not to care. Or at least, I pretended I had.
I was about to close my eyes when something felt wrong.
I sat up.
The headlights lingered longer than usual. The car door opened, then another. Voices followed, low and strained. Not the usual calm exchange. There was urgency in the movement outside, something rushed, something off.
Curiosity pushed sleep away.
I moved closer to the window and parted the curtain just enough to look out.
Kane was not walking on his own.
Someone had his arm thrown over their shoulder, holding him up. His head was bowed, his steps uneven. Even from a distance, I could see it. His shirt was dark in places it should not have been. His body looked heavier.
My chest tightened.
I did not think. I did not hesitate.
I pulled on a robe, slipped my feet into slippers, and rushed out of my room. The corridor felt too long, the walls closing in as I ran. By the time I reached the entrance, the door to the house had already opened.
That was when I saw him properly.
Blood.
It was the first thing that hit me. Not fresh splashes, but stains. Dried and wet, mixed together. Cuts lined his arms. His shirt clung to him, torn in places, soaked through. His face was pale, his jaw clenched like he was holding back pain through sheer will.
I froze.
What happened?? came out of my mouth without permission, my voice breaking as tears rushed up immediately.
The man supporting him did not answer me. He did not even look at me. He focused on getting Kane inside, his movements practiced, controlled, as if this was not the first time he had done this.
They headed straight for Kane’s room.
I followed.
Have you called the doctor I asked, panic climbing fast.
Master would not want a doctor, the man said calmly as he laid Kane down on the bed, carefully positioning him on his stomach.
My heart started pounding harder.
What do you mean he would not want it I snapped. Call the doctor. He is bleeding. He is dying.
The man finally turned to look at me. His eyes were sharp, accusing.
You think you are innocent in all this he said coldly.
The words hit harder than I expected.
Before I could respond, he grabbed my wrist and pulled me closer to the bed.
Come here.
He lifted Kane’s shirt.
I stopped breathing.
His back was ruined.
There was no other word for it. Cuts ran across his skin in different directions, some deep, some shallow, all angry and red. Blood covered him, dried in some places, fresh in others. The skin around the wounds looked swollen and raw, like it had been torn open repeatedly.
I clamped my hand over my mouth to stop myself from screaming.
What he had endured was written all over his body.
What happened I whispered, my voice trembling.
The man laughed, but there was no humor in it.
Keep asking questions instead of using your head.
Is he going to be alright I asked desperately. Please. Let us call a doctor or something.
Before he could answer, his phone rang.
“Are you ready he said into it. Sure. I am coming.”
He ended the call and moved to lift Kane.
He struggled.
Kane groaned faintly, his body barely responding. The man cursed under his breath, trying again, but Kane’s weight pulled him down.
Let me help you I said quickly, stepping forward.
“No” he started.
But I was already there
.
I slid my arms under Kane’s, bracing myself as we lifted him together. His body felt limp, heavy with pain. He smelled like blood and iron and something else I could not place.
We walked out of the room.
I did not know where we were going.
Just outside his room, the man pressed his palm against the wall.
It moved.
The wall shifted inward, silently giving way.
I gasped.
Behind it was a passage I had never seen before.
The door closed behind us, and the wall sealed itself again.
We stepped inside, and the floor beneath us began to change. The smooth surface reformed into steps, spiraling downward like an illusion coming to life.
I clutched Kane tighter, fear curling in my stomach..
We descended slowly.
It was another world beneath the house.
Paintings lined the walls, some old, some modern. Sculptures stood in corners, detailed and expensive. Soft lighting illuminated everything, casting shadows that danced along the floor. It was beautiful.
I did not care.
All I could see was Kane.
We entered a room at the far end.
Lie him down, a man said.
He was already waiting.
A doctor.??
We placed Kane on the bed in the center of the room.
“You might want to leave” the doctor said calmly, glancing at me.
“No” I said immediately. “I am not leaving.”
He studied me for a moment.
Who is she he asked.
“Is she the one”.. he paused, then looked at the man assisting Kane.
The man nodded
She is persistent, he said. She will not leave. And this is not about what she wants. It is about what Master wants.
The doctor sighed and turned his attention to Kane.
He cut open what remained of Kane’s shirt.
I shivered.
Seeing the full extent of the damage made my stomach twist. The wounds were worse under the light. Some cuts were deep enough that I could see flesh beneath the torn skin.
The doctor’s face hardened.
He cleaned the wounds carefully, his movements precise. As he worked, I saw it clearly. Long slices from sharp blades. Multiple strikes. Deliberate. Punishing.
This was not an accident.
This was intentional.
The doctor stitched where necessary, applied medicine, worked silently. Abel assisted him, holding tools, steadying Kane when his body reacted to the pain even in his unconscious state.
I stood there the entire time.
Terrified. Helpless. Angry.
And despite everything, unwilling to leave him.
When it was over, Kane lay still, bandaged, breathing shallow but steady.
He will live, the doctor finally said.
Relief crashed over me so hard my knees almost gave out.
But whatever he went through tonight will not leave him easily.
I looked at Kane.