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It really had only been water.
Nervously, I took another quick sip and set it back onto the table, padding across the worn carpeting, my hands extended on the walls. When I got to the door, I pressed my ear to the metal, listening closely for movements on the other side.
My nose twitched along with my ears. If I made myself small enough, could I squeeze through any of these cracks?
I turned to look around the room again, this time with a rational mind. To my surprise, I found myself staring at a bookshelf next to the bed, lined top to bottom with various titles. Another wave of apprehension snaked down my spine at the sight.
At least I won’t have to play tic-tac-toe with the roaches,I mused, pushing myself off the door, ambling toward yet another find.
I couldn’t believe I hadn’t seen the armoire immediately, but when I opened it, I was appalled to find a row of silk dresses hanging from the closet. A glance in the drawers showed lace lingerie, all a size too big for my tiny rabbit shifter frame. For a minute, all I could do was stare at them, wondering if they had been selected for me or if someone else had lived in that room before me.
Both questions made me sick to my stomach.
Shivering, I slammed the doors closed and hurried back toward the bed, determined to stop with my exploration for the moment. I didn’t like what my scrutiny was showing me, a place that filled me with far more questions than answers.
Closing my eyes, I rocked back and forth, concentrating on my breathing as my father had taught me since I was a little girl. One benefit of being a doctor’s child was learning how to overcome instances of anxiety, although Father had often been the cause of my anxious moments. But he had never quite trained me for a kidnapping situation.
Inhale for five seconds. Exhale for seven. The exhale is more important because it releases all the bad energy,I repeated in my own head, counting the breaths until my heart rate returned to a pace less than machinegun fire.
I opened my eyes, exhaling in a whoosh through my mouth—and the key turned in the door again, revealing the same guard as before. This time, he bore a silver tray laden with food.
“So much for yoga breathing,” I muttered.
His eyebrow rose curiously. “Pardon me?”
I shook my head and climbed off the bed, but he held out a hand to keep me in place.
“You can stay where you are,” he told me flatly. “I’ve only come to bring you food.”
I frowned, wondering what he thought I was going to try against him.
“Should I call you Jeeves, then?” I quipped.
He offered me another blank look, and I sighed, knowing my nervous jokes were landing flat. My biting sense of humor wasn’t going to help me.
“Is that how this is going to work? You bring me food and change my chamber pot?”
He glanced at the toilet. “Is the toilet not working?”
I grunted. “I mean, what else can I expect from you? What am I doing here?” I asked, frustration taking me over.
He eyed me. “You will be fed and sheltered,” he said, setting the tray down on the end table.
He kept his eyes locked on me, as if he expected me to shift and rip his throat out. Backing away, he retrieved the keys from his pocket.
“I guess I’m going to miss the season finale of Haunted Desert Island then, huh? No streaming services out here?”
The nameless dragon didn’t respond, and I groaned under my breath when he turned away.
Tough crowd.
“Can I know your name, at least?” I implored, hoping to connect with him. He was the only living contact I had with the outside. “Please! You probably know my name if you think you have the right person. It doesn’t seem fair that it’s so one-sided.”
Slowly, he turned, his ebony irises locking on mine, and I offered him a warm smile.
“You said I’m going to be here a while,” I added lightly. “It’s better if I call you something other than ‘hey, you.’ And you really don’t seem like a Jeeves. So, can you tell me your name?”
I mustered a smile I didn’t feel, stifling the fear that had settled at the base of my coccyx. I wanted to get him on my side, to make him feel comfortable with me. Maybe he wouldn’t help me escape, but at least he could answer some of my questions.
