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I shook my head, swallowing thickly as the terrible jokes kept threatening to spill from my lips.
“Jeeves—like a butler? He wouldn’t tell me his name, so I had to guess,” I explained, making even less sense. I pulled the blanket back toward me, covering my nightgown as I turned my attention toward Draven. “But I guess I know your name now, don’t I?”
Draven scowled, but he didn’t respond. Instantly, I looked back toward the stranger, my pulse racing as I studied him closer. He was staring at me like I shocked him.
“Why are you staring at me like that? Do I have something in my teeth?” I joked.
“You’re smaller than I expected,” the demon explained.
What did that mean?
“And you’re more of a demon than I expected in my kidnappers,” I replied lightly.
He scowled and glanced at Draven.
“You can leave us,” he told the guard.
“I don’t think that’s safe, sir.”
The demon bared his even white teeth at Draven, and the guard immediately backed away, bowing his head.
“As you wish,” he mumbled, seeing himself to the door.
I snickered. “I didn’t know it was that easy. Next time I want him gone, I will try it myself.”
He turned back to me, unsmiling. “Do you know who I am?”
My heart fluttered again, his handsomeness shocking me.
My nerves are shot. I’m having a nervous reaction because I’m having a nervous breakdown,I reasoned, inhaling his timbered scent. It overwhelmed me and drew my body closer toward him.
“The head chef?” I guessed. “Or the janitor!”
His frown deepened. “Briar, this isn’t a joke,” he informed me.
I drew in a sharp, panicked breath at the fact that he knew my name. This wasn’t a mistake. He had me for a reason.
“No? I thought this was the world’s worst escape room,” I mumbled.
His clear eyes darkened, and I realized I was pushing his patience, but it was impossible for me to stop. I was too shell-shocked after all that had happened, and cracking jokes was my best defense mechanism.
It was only that or going crazy.
“I’m trying to explain the situation to you,” he tried again. “Do you want to hear it or not?”
I bit on the insides of my cheeks hard to stop myself from making another crack and nodded. I really wanted to know what was happening, but if I kept at this, I would only drive him away and be left in the dark again.
“My name is Ash,” he told me evenly. “As you guessed, I’m a demon, and you’ll be in my charge for the next three weeks at least.”
“Oh! So, you’re not the chef or the janitor. You’re the governess!”
Anger washed over his face, a flash of red undulating over his skin, and I immediately wished I could withdraw the comment. Was I out of my mind? I was being held hostage by a demon, and I was mocking him—but I couldn’t stop myself. It was my defensive mechanism, my way of deflecting my mounting panic in this unbelievable situation.
“I’m sorry,” I squeaked, dropping my eyes. “What happens after three weeks?”
He ground his perfect teeth so loudly, I heard them, but he continued.
“That depends,” he explained. “You may be going home at that point, or you may not.”
