Chapter 2 Devil's Bargain

The stranger’s presence sucked the oxygen out of the room.

I pressed my back against the cold wall, my survival instincts screaming at me to run. "You know my mother?" I asked, my voice barely steady.

"We go way back," Kane replied smoothly. He walked further into the room, moving with a fluid, predatory grace that seemed out of place in the sterile hospital environment.

He stopped at the foot of my mother’s bed, looking down at her with an expression that was hard to read. Was it pity? Disgust? Triumph?

"Rachel," he said softly.

My mother tried to sit up, panic contorting her features. The machines beeped erratically, mirroring her distress.

"Evelyn... run..." she gasped, reaching a trembling hand toward me. "Don't let him..."

"Mrs. Howard, please rest," Kane interrupted.

His voice changed. It wasn't just a request; it was a command. The words seemed to vibrate in the air, carrying a weight that hit me in the chest.

To my horror, my mother’s body instantly went slack. She didn't faint; she just... obeyed.

Her head fell back onto the pillow, her eyes half-closing, though the terror remained frozen in her gaze.

"How did you do that?" I breathed, staring at him. "What did you do to her?"

Kane turned his attention back to me. "I simply suggested she conserve her energy. She’s dying, Evelyn. She doesn't have the strength to fight."

He was right, and I hated him for it.

"Who are you?" I demanded. "And why are you here?"

"I’m here to offer a solution." He gestured vaguely to the doctors, who had stepped back, giving him space as if they sensed his authority.

"These doctors are competent, but they are limited by conventional medicine. Your mother’s condition... it requires a specialist."

"We can't afford a specialist," I said bitterly. "So, unless you're here to pay the bill, please leave."

Kane chuckled, a low, dark sound. "Money is not an issue for me, Evelyn. I own the facility that can save her life. Silverwood Private Care."

I froze. The doctor had mentioned Silverwood. The place that costs fifty thousand dollars just for admission.

"You own it?"

"My family does. We specialize in... unusual cases. Like Rachel’s." He took a step toward me, closing the distance.

I could smell him now, a scent of rain, cedar, and something sharp, like ozone before a storm. It was intoxicating and terrifying all at once.

"I can have her transferred there within the hour," Kane said. "The best doctors. Experimental treatments. She would live, Evelyn. She would recover."

Hope flared in my chest, hot and painful. "You would do that? For an old friend?"

"I’m a businessman," Kane corrected, his eyes locking onto mine. They were dark, endless pools that seemed to see right through my skin to the secrets I didn't even know I had.

"I don't do charity. I believe in trades."

My stomach dropped. "I have no money. I have nothing."

"You have something I need," he said softly.

He stepped closer, invading my personal space. The air crackled between us. I should have pushed him away, but I was paralyzed, pinned in place by the sheer intensity of his gaze.

"What?" I whispered.

"I need a wife."

The words hung in the air, absurd and terrifying. I blinked, certain I had misheard. "What?"

"Marriage, Evelyn. A legally binding  partnership." His face was stone cold, no hint of romance or humor.

"I have certain... requirements for my inheritance. I need a wife who is discreet, loyal, and available immediately. You fit the profile."

"You're insane," I choked out. "I don't even know you."

"Does that matter?" He gestured to my mother, who was wheezing softly on the bed.

"Look at her. She has hours, maybe less. If she stays here, she dies tonight. If you marry me, she lives."

"This is blackmail."

"This is a negotiation," he countered coolly. "I get a wife to secure my position. You get the resources to save your mother. It’s a transaction."

"And what happens to me?" I asked, my voice trembling. "After I marry you? What do you want from me?"

Kane leaned down, his lips brushing against the shell of my ear. The heat radiating from him made me shiver.

"You belong to me," he whispered. "You live in my house. You wear my ring. You warm my bed when I require it."

I recoiled, horror washing over me. "No."

Kane pulled back, his expression hardening. He checked his expensive gold watch. "Dr. Reeves is waiting for my call. The ambulance is ready. But if the answer is no..."

He turned to walk away. "Good luck with the funeral arrangements, Evelyn."

"Wait!"

The scream tore from my throat. I looked at my mother. The blood on her lips. The grey pallor of her skin. She was the only person in the world who loved me. The only family I had.

I couldn't let her die. Not if I could stop it.

"If I do this..." I said, my voice breaking. "If I marry you... You promise she gets the best care? For as long as she needs it?"

"limitless care," Kane promised. "I will pay for everything. She will live like a queen in recovery."

I closed my eyes, feeling the trap snap shut around me. I was selling myself to a stranger. A man who radiated danger, a man my mother was terrified of.

But I had no choice. Fate had cornered me.

"Okay," I whispered, tears leaking from my eyes. "I'll do it. I'll marry you."

Kane smiled then. It was a wolf's smile, sharp, victorious, and terrifying.

"Excellent choice," he said. He pulled a cell phone from his pocket and dialed a number, his eyes never leaving my face.

"Prepare the suite. We’re moving her. And call the judge. I’m getting married tonight."

He hung up and reached out, his hand grasping my chin to tilt my face up to his.

"Welcome to the family, Mrs. Hellboud."

The touch of his skin burned mine. As the nurses rushed in to prep my mother for transport, I stood frozen, realizing too late that I hadn't just made a deal for money.

I had just sold my soul to the devil, and I had no idea what he planned to do with it.