Hideaway Strath Up north’s getting cold soon

She could see a struggle play out inside him—she didn't know the details of the struggle, but she could see the evidence in his gaze as he watched her close the distance between them. Their relationship had always been complicated, and that was before he had kidnapped her and then claimed to care about her, and before the awakening of something dark inside her.

She considered his silence and the struggle she had seen in his gaze to mean that he was at least considering her condition, but when he spoke, she wasn't so sure. He didn't trust that she wouldn't leave, and honestly she didn't either. But the thought of sleeping somewhere almost normal for the night might be enough to persuade her to stay. That and the fact that she couldn't get far very fast even if she tried. 

He put her very thoughts into words, stating that she wouldn't be able to get very far if she tried to escape while he was asleep. She could see a shift in him—the suspicion changing into something softer, something that reminded her of Donovan. And finally he agreed. Relief washed over her, one of the first positive feelings she had felt since being brought here. Even the barest hint of a smile curved one side of her mouth, and her eyes brightened for a few moments. Thank you, she whispered. She held his gaze, her own a swirl of complicated emotions. 

Then with his warning, the moment was gone. She was reminded of who he was and what he had done to her. Her expression hardened, and she lifted her chin. And don't mistake my capitulation for acceptance, she told him. She was simply making the best of an impossible situation, giving in some so that she wasn't so miserable. I'm still not okay with how you've treated me. She looked at him a second longer and then limped on, expecting he would be at her side within seconds.