His expression softened somewhat, the animal in his eyes retreating.
“I’m just trying to keep you safe,” he said.
“From what? Whatever made that woman scream?”
He shook his head. “That was just some idiot being dramatic.”
“Then what did you need to protect me from? A blackout? Were you worried I’d get trampled by a stampede of wild ball gowns?”
His face had gone very rigid. “That might not have been a blackout.”
“Well, it’s your house. I guess you’d know better than me.”Why won’t he give me a straight answer?“That still doesn’t explain why you dragged me here.”
He let out a frustrated sigh and shook his head again. “There isn’t the time to explain this now. I need to get you somewhere secure so Oak and I can investigate this.”
Who the hell is Oak?I wondered. But before I could ask him—not that I honestly expected him to answer, since he’d dodged all of my other questions—he tried to grab my arm again.
This time, though, I managed to twist out of the way.
“Please,” he said, “there isn’t time for this. The less you know, the safer you are.” From someone else, that might have sounded like begging. But there was an edge to Radven’s desperation.
“And if I refuse to go with you?” I asked.
His eyes sharpened, the wolf returning. “Then I have no qualms about throwing you over my shoulder and carrying you.”
I didn’t even have to consult my body to know he was telling the truth. And despite the alarm bells blaring in my head about this entire situation, I absolutely believed that he saw a threat somewhere, and that he absolutely believed he was saving me right now.
Fromwhat, I wasn’t sure I wanted to know.
“Okay,” I told him. “I’ll come with you willingly.”
Apparently that was enough. Without a word he spun back around and gestured for me to follow him, then hurried down the hallway.
I had to practically jog to keep up with him. Which was a shame, because I really wanted to get a closer look at the house around us. The walls of the hallway were just as white as those in the huge room we’d left behind, but there was less art here. I would almost have described them asstarkly bare, but elaborate chandeliers above cast pebbled patterns of light on either side, keeping the place from feeling completely austere. Right now the lights were relatively dim, and between that and the complete absence of windows, it felt more like we were moving through a tunnel than walking along a clifftop.
Radven stopped abruptly, turning toward a door that was as plain and white as all the others. He slipped a key out of his pocket and undid the lock, opening the door just wide enough for me to slip through.
“In here.”
I only hesitated a moment, long enough to remember that I didn’t have my phone, that if I made the wrong decision I might be trapped without any means of calling for help. But I had no doubt that Radven would make good on his word and throw me inside if he had to, and I decided to be obedient for the moment—if for no other reason than I’d have the element of surprise on my side if I decided to bash him over the head later.
I stepped through the doorway—and found myself at the top of a flight of stairs leading downward.
“Where does—” Before I could even get the words out, the door slammed shut behind me, and I heard the telltaleclickof the key turning in the lock.
Instinctively, I grabbed for the door handle, but there wasn’t any way to unlock the door on this side without a key.
“It’s for your safety,” he growled through the door.
“Then why does it feel like a prison?” I countered, but either he ignored me or he was already gone again.
Isaac is never going to let me live it down if he finds out George Crestwood locked me up.In that moment, though, I would have given anything to be able to call my friend.As well as the police, obviously.
Turning back around, I looked down the staircase leading below. There was just enough light for me to see that there was a door at the bottom.
I might as well explore if I’m trapped here, I told myself.Maybe I’ll discover that sex dungeon Esmer was talking about.
Allowing myself a little humor made me a feel braver, and I made my way slowly but deliberately down the stairs.
