Falling For My Captor

Chapter Seven

-Kyle-

The impulse to punch something strummed through Kyle's muscles. How had she gotten an infection? He'd taken every measure to prevent it! He jerked open a kitchen drawer only to slam it shut. The silverware jingled inside from the force. Running his fingers through his dark hair, Kyle sunk down to the floor.

Infection would kill her if they didn't have the right antibiotics. And if it doesn't get treated soon, the infection could get into her bloodstream and cause sepsis. Kyle practiced a few deep breaths in his hands. He couldn't let Alice die. She was the only thing worth living for. If death came to claim her, he wished for it to take him, too.

Get up, sense ordered. You can't afford to be useless right now.

Useless. The word he so often heard from his father before his heart was silenced. Useless. Kyle hated that word more than he hated anything else. Everything he'd achieved this far in his life had been in the effort of being useful.

Going to college to get a degree to rescue animals. Then, starting a business to support himself by using those rescued animals. Teaching classes to students just like himself in the hope of nurturing helpful hearts. Lastly, saving Alice from the darkness of their fallen world. She was his greatest feat. He would never regret protecting one of the world's few angels.

Because that was exactly what Alice Sweet was: an angel.

So Kyle got up from the floor and marched across the kitchen to the medicine cabinet. Antibiotics were on the right side, filed neatly in alphabetic rows. He tried to recall which one he'd used on his dairy cow when she'd caught a bacterial infection in her udder.

A sense of victory washed over him when he recognized the bottle. After carefully pulling it out of its place, careful not to push aside any others, he closed the cabinet door and rushed back to his bedroom.

-Alice-

How far will I have to go? Alice kept wondering. She needed freedom. She needed to be able to see her parents and hang out with her friends. This life Kyle proposed to her was not a life she wanted. Not even if it had all the luxuries in the world.

But to what extent would she have to go to attain that freedom? Kyle made it clear he wouldn't willing let her go. Unless she somehow convinced him it would be better for their relationship. Chances were, however, she'd have to escape again. And, as noted from her first attempt, she wouldn't accomplish it without Kyle's truck.

The problem was Alice had no clue where the keys were or even how to drive the ancient vehicle. So she'd have to wait until he taught her. And, if he didn't trust her, that could take a long time. Earning trust would be a painstaking process in itself.

Thus, the question remained: How far will I have to go?

Kyle rushed back into the room roughly ten minutes after he'd left. Judging by the triumphant grin on his face, he'd found some hope. He tossed a clear medicine bottle in her direction, and she caught it.

"What's this?" she asked, studying the label.

"An antibiotic! I used it on one of the cows, so we need to give you like a fourth of the dosage, but it should work." Kyle took the bottle back when he reached her side and popped off the top. "It says the cow was supposed to take four, so you should take—"

"Wait," Alice interrupted him.

His mouth remained open, mid-sentence, as his blue eyes waited for her to continue.

"Kyle, this was made for a cow. Not a human." She took a deep breath. "What if it kills me?"

"It's not going to kill you," he promised, taking one of her hands.