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Wherever he is.
I’m really starting to think he’s not home and that I’m completely alone.
But I don’t know how I feel about that either.
Do I want to be completely alone in a world full of unknowns and bloodthirsty monsters? Or would I rather be trapped with the scariest monster I can imagine who might be able to protect me should worse come to worst.
If he doesn’t toss me into the yard as monster food first.
The third floor of the mansion is the smallest. The hallway up here is much shorter than the second floor, and there are only three doors. One to my left, one to my right, and one straight ahead at the end of the hall.
My heart gallops in my chest, thundering against my ribs, and every tiny noise in the silence is suddenly deafening. Every breath I take is like a scream. My pulse, which I can feel in every limb of my body, beats like a war drum.
I want to know what’s inside each of these rooms, but I’m also not willing to risk my life for that knowledge. If Rafe is home, he’s more than likely in one of them. Probably sleeping or participating in some form of debauchery.
I would piss him off by interrupting.
A single knock nearby makes me jump, and I cling to the handrail to steady myself. An uneasy hitch forms in my chest, and I feel like someone is watching me, even though there is no one else in sight. Frantically, I glance back over my shoulder toward the stairs. Nothing.
But I can’t shake the unsettling feeling pumping through me, and it’s getting worse by the second.
I glance back at the doors ahead of me, making sure they’re all closed tight. They are.
Time to go.
I spin on my heal, ready to dart toward the stairs, but my path is blocked by a cloud of black smoke that’s steadily materializing before my eyes. A head with forward-curling horns, followed by a broad set of shoulders. A shirtless, tattoo-covered chest, followed by a pair of black pants. In the few seconds it takes me to register what’s happening, Rafe is standing at the top of the stairs blocking my way.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
“What do you think you’re doing?” he asks, his voice sharp. His red eyes zero in on my face, making my blood run cold, and I can’t make my tongue work.
“Just… looking…” I choke out. My body is paralyzed by fear—or it could be some kind of magic hold he has on me—and I can’t move. I’m rooted to the spot, arms stiff at my sides.
“And did you find what you were looking for?” He takes a step closer, towering over me with his enormous frame.
I stumble backward, my legs finally deciding to cooperate, and smack into the wall. The lantern closest to me rattles, and I place my hands beside me automatically, making myself as flat as possible. Not that it’ll help, but it’s as far away from Rafe as I can get. He takes a step toward me, and I suck in a sharp breath, curious what his next move will be.
Does he want to play with me before he kills me?
Or does he want it over and done with?
He cocks his head and moves closer, all the while my body screams in protest. Being this close to him feels wrong, vile. I know what kind of monster he is. I’ve heard the stories. I’ve seen it in action.
“Did you?” His voice comes out as a low, guttural growl that makes even my bones quake.
He’s so close I can feel the warmth radiating off his skin, and my eyes are still caught in the web of his gaze, unable to break eye contact. I’m entranced, my body acting of its own accord. Almost indiscernibly, I shake my head.
Faster than I can process, he slams his left hand beside my head on the wall, making me whimper, and leans in so close that our faces are almost touching. His right hand slips up to my throat, and he squeezes his fingers against the sides of my neck. Warmth flushes my body, and the edges of my vision darken a little.
His voice is deep and commanding when he speaks. “Do not come up here again unless you want to be bound, bruised, and brutally punished. Do you understand?”
I can barely process what he’s said because my entire body is alight with adrenaline, fear, and for some unexplainable reason, lust. After an extra few seconds, it finally sinks in.
Bound.
Bruised.
Punished.
