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Turning on my heel, I clenched my teeth together, annoyed I cared so much.
Liam had always acted weird around me. I could never tell if he was joking or playing the part of my fake boyfriend. He always made it feel real, and I suspected it wouldn’t be any different now. But Cas? He’d been openly antagonistic.
My feet were silent as I descended the stairs that curved over the main room to give me a good view of most of the ground floor, but Cassius was nowhere to be found.
There was a tray of bite-sized food on the kitchen island and a pitcher of ice water, almost like he’d set it up and then remembered something he had to do before coming to wake us up. I walked past the kitchen and grabbed one of the green grapes, popping it in my mouth as I scanned the main living area.
Maybe Cassius was in the study? My heat cycle may have put my life on pause, but the rest of the world was still moving forward and if Liam couldn’t manage Valor Enterprises as he normally would, then Cassius would have to do it.
Guilt pricked at me, and I chewed on my bottom lip as I peeked into the study. I’d torn it open pretty bad at the beginning of my heat, but the sore was already healed and I didn’t know what to think about that either. Two weeks was long enough, but not if they were constantly reopening the wound, and they had to have been if I could still taste blood on the back of my tongue.
I needed answers so where the fuck was Cassius?
He wasn’t in the study, but his scent was stronger in here. I stepped inside, crossing my arms over my chest as I examined everything. Nothing seemed out of place compared to the last time I’d seen this room and there wasn’t any sign that he’d been using his desk, so why was his scent so strong?
It smelled like he’d just been here.
Following that scent led me to one of the bookcases and I stared at it, wrinkling my nose as I tried to figure out why. The smell of green apples was strong and I leaned forward, wondering what he’d been doing over here for the scent to linger like this.
Then my gaze caught on a metal sculpture that glimmered when the light hit it just right – it was a gorgeous hawk with its wings spread wide and an ornate sword clutched in its talons. The symbol of Valor. I recognized it from the blueprints of their building downtown. This was the key to that secret elevator the Valor pack had used to escape enemies back in the day.
Would they really use the same thing in multiple buildings?
If I was right…
Pulling on it didn’t do anything, but twisting it unlocked something with a small click and the entire bookcase swung outward, revealing a narrow staircase leading down.
Okay…that was definitely not normal, right? Why would they have a secret escape route in the city? This wasn’t on pack land, and despite the corporate espionage and backstabbing, packs didn’t commit the same kind of violence against each other like they used to. But what else could it be?
And why would Cassius have gone down those stairs? Was his head finally clear enough to realize what he’d said and done during my heat? Had he decided to make a run for it just so he could avoid me? It would be the smart thing to do, but knowing that didn’t make it hurt any less.
I ignored my pounding heart as I stared into that dark abyss, trying to remind myself Cas wouldn’t leave Liam. He’d stay even if he didn’t want to just to make sure his legacy alpha was safe.
Breathing deeply, I filtered through the information my nose was giving me. Cas’s scent was even stronger now, which made me think he hadn’t left, but was lingering somewhere at the bottom of those stairs.
What was he doing down there?
Curiosity burned like a sickness through my mind and body.
I went down one step, and then another. If there was a light switch I couldn’t see one, but even if there was, I wouldn’t have used it. Whatever was down there…I didn’t want anyone to know I was coming.
How else was I going to get the truth?
Ever since I’d met them, Cassius and Liam had made my head spin. I couldn’t ignore how I was drawn to them anymore, but they also scared the shit out of me because I could feel just how different they were – how much they pretended to be what they thought the world wanted to see.
Just like me.
If they were pretending…what was it they didn’t want anyone to know?
My stomach roiled when it occurred to me that this moment felt familiar. I tried to shove those thoughts and memories down, but it was almost impossible. Not that it mattered. I needed to know what they were doing with a secret staircase behind a secret door.
I’d never been able to resist my burning curiosity and today was no different. It didn’t matter how much I’d regret knowing the answer later. I had to see what was down there.
Tugging on the hoodie until it hit my knees didn’t make me feel any less exposed. I should have put on pants and maybe shoes, but I hadn’t anticipated anything like this.
Maybe I should have.
When I got to the bottom, I held my breath and listened for any sign Cassius was down here and what he might be doing. It was quiet other than the hum of electricity and machinery, but the smell of Cas’s green apples and cedar was getting stronger. He had to be down here, which meant I needed to be careful.
