“I-I don’t.” He stepped around me and started for the front door again, leaving me to trail him. “You should go. As you said, I have a ton of work to do.”
“Okay, but Christophe.” No sooner than I laid my hand on his arm, I gasped and pulled it back as if I touched a hot flame. The image of Christophe holding a gun to Chael’s temple burned across my brain. It was so vivid that my eyes watered, and pain filled my chest.
I took a step away from Christophe, who looked at me with a wrinkle on his forehead.
“Are you alright?” he asked and moved closer.
That eerie feeling from a few minutes ago returned. I tried to hurry around him to get to the door, but he sidestepped, getting between me and the door.
“Yep. You know, it’s like you said. You have work to do. I should probably leave you alone.” I peered over his shoulder at the door, my heart thundering in my chest.
“I’ll get going now.”
“What did you see?” Christophe asked, his voice sterner than it’d been in the ten minutes since I’d been in his home.
“Nothing,” I answered with a shake of my head. “I’m just going to head home. Ms. Elsie tried to get me to take a nap earlier. I should follow her advice.”
“You won’t be doing that at all.”
I stilled as my entire body filled with dread. The dream from that morning came rushing back at the sound of the nasal voice behind me. Goose bumps dotted the skin of my arms. I spun around and came face-to-face with the man in the mask—the one from Dr. Pines’s basement.
But this time, he wasn’t wearing a mask. I didn’t recognize the thin, pale man with dark eyes. His beady eyes narrowed on me.
“You’re…” I trailed off, the sinking feeling in my gut becoming too overwhelming. I peered back at Christophe, who only stood there with his head lowered.
“I’m an invited guest,” the man said, staring at Christophe. “Unlike you.”
“Like I told Christophe. I was leaving.” I turned and tried to make it to the door, only for Christophe to remain in place, blocking my exit. The drawn-in eyebrows and deep frown on his face told me all I needed to know.
“That won’t be happening,” the man behind me said.
I kept my attention on Christophe and shook my head. “What are you doing? Who is this man?”
His eyes lowered to the floor. He almost looked ashamed.
“You failed to tell me your brother’s mate is a seer,” the man behind me said. I could hear him drawing closer. “We might have use for her.”
Christophe’s eyes rose when the strange man’s hand landed on my shoulder.
I snatched it away from his hold. “Don’t touch me,” I yelled while Christophe simultaneously said, “Rufus, don’t hurt her.”
“Rufus?” I turned to Christophe, confused.
He didn’t say anything, but the older man did.
“Rufus Dalton,” he introduced with a smirk on his face. “The pleasure is all yours.”
It took me much too long to recognize that he had something in his hand. But a moment later, I felt a pinch in my right arm.
“What the hell?” I yelped and tried to get around Christophe to make it out of that house. I knew my chances of surviving depended on my getting outside. There were pack members all around. I was safe with them. I knew they would hear me yell, and all would come running.
When Christophe held me by my shoulders, preventing my escape, I went to scream. A hand clamped over my mouth, forcing the plea for help back down my throat.
“Good,” Rufus Dalton said. “The more you struggle, the faster the sedative I just injected you with will work.”
I wanted to claw his eyes out. At the same time, I fought to remember where I’d heard that name before.
Rufus Dalton.
