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Groping, I found the whiskey glass I’d left beside my bed. It was heavy in my hand, still half full. The contents sloshed onto me as I pulled back my arm and whipped it at her, the way Severin had taught me to throw a ball. The glass sailed, unseen, into the dark, thunking loudly against a wall. I reached out again, found the lamp, then switched it on.
Gone.
That’s what I got for sleeping on a mattress and with the lights off. That’s what I got for trying to prove to myself that I wasn’t a coward.
I got up and cleaned the mess I’d made, blotting every drop of whiskey I could find, unable to leave it until morning, even though I tried to force myself to.
Sleeping in a bed always gave me nightmares, but it was time and more than time. I was too old—too human—to sleep on the floor. Jack kept reminding me of that, but it was difficult to acclimate to.
I ran a whiskey-damp hand through my hair, then tugged on a hoodie and opened the hidden stairwell. Down, down.
The basement in my empty house was chilly, but not humid like home had been. I took the heavy key down off the peg and turned it in the lock. The click wasn’t quite right, but it would suffice.
The carpenter hadn’t liked working for me even though we’d rarely spoken. People could tell what I was—although in this instance maybe the man disapproved of what he’d been commissioned to build. He’d probably thought I was some deviant who planned to kidnap girls and keep them in my basement. I was probably on an FBI watchlist now.
The kennel was perfect. Even if it wasn’t in an outbuilding like at home, it looked almost the same. Same dimensions. Straw on the floor.
The whole thing still smelled new, though, and too fresh. It didn’t smell like fear or blood or pain. There was no bucket in the corner.
Under my fingertips the bars were icy. For the first few months touching them had made me feel like I was going to piss myself.
I went inside, forcing past the dread, sitting in the straw, clutching the key. Forcing my breathing to slow, I stared at the open door, willing Martine to swing it shut. If she was real—even as a ghost—she would do it.
Beneath Martine’s lovely façade was the quiet kind of evil no one spoke of. If she’d been cruel to me in a fit of pique or passion, I could have forgiven it. I doubted I’d ever inspired strong enough emotion in her for that.
Now, I might be free, but I was all wrong.
The real cage was gone, yet it lived on in my head.
Chapter Two: Tarryn
Pirates were scarce in the area, so my second guess was vampire. Whatever the man was, he was the most beautiful person I'd ever seen, and considering who was in the club tonight, that was a bold statement. Or, it would be a bold statement, if there was anyone around to make it to.
Longish, messy black hair, sensual lips, silver hoops in his ears. If that wasn’t bad enough, he was wearing leather pants, a faux-fur vest with no shirt, and what looked like biker boots. He had the kind of big dick energy that was impossible to miss.
I wasn't the kind of woman who drooled over people I didn't know, but the man made my brain glitch.
From across the club, I saw my husband clock him seconds after I had.
“Let me guess…that one?” Valor asked as I reached his side. He brushed his fingertips along my back where my new dress left it bare. I shivered. When he held out his hand, I put my neatly folded panties in it, which he then tucked into my clutch. He hadn’t wanted me to wear them at all tonight, but he’d agreed to let me keep them on for an hour.
“Do you seriously think a man like that would look at me twice?”
“Absolutely—unless he’s not into women.”
I gave himan affectionate shove with my shoulder. “Are you sure we want to do this?” I hoped I didn’t sound like a prude. He was far more adventurous than I was, but I usually enjoyed his games—whatever they were—when I got used to the idea. “This might be our last chance to back out.”
“I don’t think I’m as jealous as I used to be.”
He didn’tthinkhe was?
That wasn’t reassuring.
But…tonight was his fantasy, not mine. I’d finally agreed to let him have this, but I’d secretly hoped he’d back out
I smiled up at him, then continued to watch the man on the dance floor. It was a packed house tonight, and it seemed as if all of the most beautiful people on the planet were here. Sure, I was pretty, but I felt out of my league—especially if Valor had his heart set on this specific guy.
Who was he? No one even knew about this club unless they had money—musicians, actors, rich business people. We were only allowed in because my husband had business connections that opened some doors. My acting career was decent enough, but I was one of the little fish here.
