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CHAPTER TEN
Christian could have been a mind reader for all she knew, but Olivia didn’t care. When he offered to take her on a tour around the castle, she felt like throwing her arms around him.Good thing I didn’t,she told herself as she got out of the van.That would have been awkward.
Olivia stayed close to the van and waited while Christian went over to talk to the keeper.What was name?she wondered.Mi-something. She’d been too preoccupied by the creepy feeling he gave her to bother with his name. But maybe she was just being judgmental. Obviously, whoever had hired him after the death of Andrei Rusu had confidence in him.
She watched Christian and the keeper talking from where she stood by the van and sighed with relief when Christian made his way back. The keeper disappeared into a small house attached to the outside wall of the castle, the yellow glow of his lamp trailing behind him.
“I told him not to bother about showing you around, that I could handle it,” he said as soon as he got back to the van.
“Thank you.”
He pulled out her luggage and shut the doors. “Just out of curiosity, did Elena mention anything about who Andrei left the castle to?” he asked, his eyes fixed on her.
Me.
Olivia stayed quiet. By now, she was certain that Christian didn’t know about her inheritance, and she didn’t want to tell him for some reason. Maybe she liked the fact that he treated her like a normal human being, which had become a rarity as of late.
Christian narrowed his eyes at her briefly, then grinned. “Anyways. It’s a magnificent place. I’m sure you’ll find the tour intriguing.”
“Intriguing,” she repeated under her breath. “Of course.”
He walked around the van toward her, carrying her luggage casually over his shoulder as if it weighed nothing at all.
“Still terrified?” he asked coyly.
“No. Well, maybe a little uncomfortable.”
Christian nodded. “It’s a bit intimidating, this castle and its woods.”
“I’ll manage,” she insisted, and he smiled.
“I guess we could put off the tour till tomorrow then.”
She held her breath and her throat twitched.
He laughed. “Just kidding!”
“That’s not funny,” Olivia protested and turned around.
He followed her. “But it was.”
She wasn’t sure why she was leading the way, so she slowed down as soon as they got to the steps leading up to the main doors. She analyzed the gigantic wooden gates of the castle and let her gaze wander off to the dark sky and the sudden flashes of lightning.
Climbing the wide, grey stone steps to the castle’s entrance, Christian turned around and announced: “I’m sure you’ll be the girl that survives for the sequel.”
She giggled and carefully climbed the first steps, peeking over her shoulder at the medieval looking courtyard. “This place is surreal.” She took another step and looked up to see Christian already standing by the door.
“Let’s make it fun, explore, shall we?”
She ran her hand over the human-sized lion statue next to the entrance gate. There were others like it towering on top of the massive walls—gargoyles. The statue felt cold and rough, and looked old. As a matter of fact, almost everything seemed ancient around here. She thought of the creepy vines crawling up the walls surrounding the castle she’d seen when they first drove in. They were dried up and brown with thorns sticking out, just like the ones in the Sleeping Beauty storybook she’d had as a little girl.
“Now brace yourself, my lady,” he said dramatically as they reached the front door. He pushed the door and it creaked without budging.
She grinned. “Well that ruined the moment. I was expecting the door to fling open with rays of light shooting out, followed by the loud humming of an angelic chorus.”
He turned around, smiling wide. “Me too! But now I look like an idiot. Let me redeem myself.” He went down the steps, leaving Olivia alone.
“Please hurry!” she shouted after him. The main doors had those circular ring-like handles. She stepped up to the door and ran a finger over the cold iron handle, feeling the granulated bits of rust. A fresh breeze from the woods carried the smell of trees and soil. She grasped the locket around her neck, which held the picture of her parents.
