Chapter 321: Easily Deceived

I lifted my hand and brought the knife down with everything I had.At the exact same time, Yael moved.

The blade didn’t hit him.

It sliced through a moth that had drifted too close to the light.

One wing tore clean, and the tiny body fluttered in panic, helpless and crooked. It was such a small thing, but watching it struggle made my stomach twist. It looked like fate still fighting, even when the ending was already decided.

I swallowed hard and forced my face to soften. I looked up at him like I was embarrassed, not terrified.

"Sorry," I said quickly. "I thought it was a cockroach. You startled me."

For a second, something cold flashed across his face. It vanished so fast I almost doubted I saw it, but my skin still prickled like a warning.

He had been testing me.

If I had truly tried to stab him, he would’ve stopped me like it was nothing. And then what? He would’ve torn apart every promise I made about staying. He would’ve seen my lie for what it was.

And I knew exactly where liars ended up in this world.

Locked away.

Forgotten.

I kept my breathing steady and my hands still. My instincts screamed at me to run, but my body knew better. Not here. Not with him.

Yael reached over, took the knife from my hand, and twirled it casually between his fingers like it was a toy.

The sound of metal brushing skin made my heart jump.

"You’re scared of cockroaches?" he asked.

"Who isn’t?" I forced a smile that felt stiff on my face. "Snakes, cockroaches, slugs... all of them."

He tucked the knife away like he’d just taken a pen from a child. Then he patted my head light, almost gentle.

"Sorry," he said. "Didn’t mean to scare you."

"Scare me?" I tried to sound annoyed, like this was normal. "I keep dreaming of snakes chasing me."

I wasn’t even acting much. The island had burned that fear into my bones.

Without warning, he pulled me into his arms.

I froze.

My body went tight, every muscle ready to fight, ready to bolt. His scent hit me clean, sharp, and strange. It didn’t soothe me. It only made me more aware of how close he was.

Was this another test?

Then he spoke, quiet against my hair. "How about I take you away from here?"

I blinked, caught off guard.

"Really?" The word slipped out before I could stop it.

"You already made your offering to my family," he said calmly. "We can leave now."

My throat tightened. "You’re not making me into a sculpture?"

He tapped my nose, almost playful. "I can do that anywhere. Stone doesn’t get finished in a day."

So from the beginning, he’d been playing with me.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

He looked at me like he was deciding how much truth I deserved.

"My brother’s bonding ceremony," he said. "I planned to leave you here, but you’re too scared. So I changed my mind." His thumb brushed my cheek, slow and deliberate. "You’ll stay by my side. If you try to get Lewis’s attention... I’ll make sure you stay with me. My way."

My stomach dropped.

Then his voice turned softer, like he was giving advice instead of a threat. "The one who wants you dead... she’s still out there. If she finds out you’re alive, she’ll finish what she started. Even I won’t be able to stop her. You’re smart, Elena. You know what you need to do."

I nodded fast.

Not because I trusted him.

Because I needed this.

Even if I couldn’t reach Lewis, even one glance at him would steady me. The bond between us wasn’t something you could bury with a fake death. It lived under my skin, pulling, aching.

"I understand," I said.

"Good girl." His smile returned. "I think I’m starting to like you more."

In that moment, something became clear.

Yael wasn’t looking at me the way Vito looked at Whitney. There was no heat in it. No hunger.

It was something else. Like a boy clinging to the only warmth he remembered. Like gratitude that had grown sharp edges over time.

He remembered me because I stayed with him in the rain.

It wasn’t love.

It was attachment.

And attachment, in a man like him, could still ruin a life.

"When do we go back?" I asked.

"The sea’s too rough tonight," he said. "We leave when the wind calms."

"Okay." I hesitated, then added, "Do you have anything to eat? I’m starving."

"Yeah," he said simply. "I’ll make something."

He tied an apron around his waist and went into the kitchen like we were normal people in a normal house. Like he hadn’t trapped me on an island full of vipers.

I leaned against the doorway and watched him chop vegetables.

Trying to sound casual, I said, "You know... the first time we met, you said your mom hit you and you sat under a tree like you couldn’t move. Now look at you. You’ve grown up so much."

His knife paused for a second.

"You remember that?" he asked, voice careful.

"I just thought of it," I said. "But... what about your mom? You never talk about her."

His shoulders stiffened. "She wasn’t a good mother," he said flatly. "Let’s not get into it."

I swallowed, then tried again. "Then tell me why Amber wanted to kill me. She’s not even a Blackwell. Why would she hate me that much?"

He let out a dry, bitter laugh. "Maybe she’s just messed up."

But I heard the way he said it distant. Like he was talking about someone he couldn’t afford to name properly.

Something about his connection to Amber felt wrong.

Like a knot he refused to touch.

He didn’t say more, and I didn’t push. Not yet.

At three in the morning, after three days of hunger and fear, he finally put a hot meal in front of me.

The warmth made my eyes sting, and I hated myself for it.

"Elena," he said, almost apologetic, "I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you were that hungry."

I glared at him.

"Of course I’m hungry," I snapped. "Try kneeling on an empty stomach for a whole day and see how you feel."

He didn’t get offended. He just smiled, weirdly bright, like my anger pleased him.

"Sorry," he said. "It won’t happen again. As long as you stay with me, I’ll take care of you."

There was something childlike in him that didn’t belong in a grown man. Like he’d never been loved right, never learned what love was supposed to look like.

As the storm eased and the first light bled into the sky, we finally left.

The speedboat cut over rough water. Waves slapped my face, cold and sharp, but I didn’t flinch.

I wasn’t afraid of the sea.

I was afraid of what was waiting on land.

And I was desperate to know what Lewis’s life looked like without me.

When we reached the mainland, we still had a long drive ahead. Somewhere along the way, Yael told me to change into a dress and sit still while he worked.

He did my makeup with steady hands, careful and practiced. Too practiced.

When he was done, I barely recognized myself in the mirror.

No wonder people like him could slip through cracks nobody noticed.

"All right," he said, stepping back. "You’re going to pretend to be someone from our circle. Keep your head down. Eyes lowered. Act humble. You’ll pass."

I nodded. "Got it."

Then he handed me a small red pill.

"And this," he said.

I stared at it. "What is it?"

"It changes your voice," he replied. "Your real voice is too easy to recognize. Not just her my brother would pick you out right away."

My fingers tightened around the pill. "Side effects?"

His gaze turned sharp. "Elena. I’ve had plenty of chances to manipulate you. Do you really think I’d waste time with this if I didn’t need it? My brother will be here soon. If you expose us, I won’t be able to protect you."

I hated him for making it sound like protection.

But I swallowed the pill anyway.

Almost immediately, my throat started itching, like tiny claws scratching from the inside. I opened my mouth, trying to speak trying to ask what the pill was really doing

Nothing.

No sound.

Not even a broken whisper.

My eyes widened in panic. I grabbed my throat, forcing air out again.

Still nothing.

Yael smiled, calm and satisfied, like he’d just proven a point.

"Elena," he murmured, stroking my cheek like I was something he owned, "you’re so easy to trick."

My breath hitched as he leaned closer.

"Once you take that, you can’t speak," he said softly. "Sorry, but I’m not giving you any chance to contact Lewis."

My stomach dropped so hard it felt like I was falling.

His fingers lingered on my face, gentle in the way a cage can be gentle when it knows you can’t escape.

"You’re mine," he whispered. "Only mine."