Both Octavian and Radven had known exactly who I was—had been expecting me, even—but there was only suspicion in Alastor’s gaze. His eyes were so dark I couldn’t even distinguish the pupils from the irises in this dim light.
“Well?” His voice was hard, like stone.
I tried to keep my eyes from dropping down to his bare chest, which was deliciously close to me at the moment. I could only imagine the muscles that Octavian and Radven had hiding beneath their suits, but Alastor’s were on full display, and honestly a little distracting. I could literally feel the heat radiating off him.
“Your brother brought me here,” I blurted, seeing no reason to hide the truth.
“My brother?”
“R—George.” I clarified, remembering my promise not to use his real name. “He locked me in. I wasn’t snooping or anything, I promise. Believe me, I’d rather be back at the party. I haven’t even gotten a chance to try the buffet yet. But he insisted.”
“I should have known.” He shook his head, and a handful of loose, dark curls peeked out around the edges of his mask.
“I’m happy to leave right now if the door is unlocked,” I said. “I really just want to get back to the party. That buffet is calling my name. I considered eating before I came tonight, but I was afraid I’d spill something on this dress before I was even out the door. And as you can imagine, that Nectar you guys are serving goes straight to your head when you’re on an empty stomach.”
Despite his obvious displeasure at my presence, he made no move to escort me to the door. In fact, he was now staring at me a little too closely, and I found myself thinking about that creepy anatomy book with the dissection diagrams.
“Please don’t murder me,” I said, my voice embarrassingly squeaky.
He blinked his dark eyes, straightening in surprise. “That isn’t my intention, I assure you.”
“Well, that’s a relief.” I wasn’t an expert—I’d only watched about a hundred serial killer documentaries over the course of my sad single-person Saturdays—but I was pretty sure that by the time a killer had you alone and locked in their basement lair they were usually fairly upfront about their intentions. “So will you let me go?”
Alastor was still staring at me, studying me with that same brutal purposefulness I’d noticed from the moment he’d stepped into the room. He struck me as the sort of man who never did anything frivolously, which made his attention that much more unsettling.
“I won’t hold you against your will,” he said finally. “That’s between you and my brother. As far as I’m concerned, you can leave.”
“What was he so afraid of?” I asked. “When the lights went out, I mean? Why did he think I was in danger?”
His pause felt as deliberate as everything else about him. “What did he tell you?”
“Nothing. Honestly, your brothers seem to enjoy being annoyingly vague. And refusing to answer questions.”
“You’ve met both of them, then.”
“Yes.” My lips tingled at the memory of Octavian’s kiss, but I figured that wasnotthe sort of thing I needed to reveal to Alastor. “And I still have no idea why I was even invited here in the first place. I’m not anyone important.”
“No, I don’t believe you are.”
Well, that settledthat, at least.
He straightened even further, looking more irritated by the second. “I told you you’re free to go. Aren’t you going to leave?”
Now that I was being handed the opportunity to escape, I was second-guessing myself.
“You’re sure there’s no reason I should be…worried?” It felt silly to even suggest it out loud, but Radven’s concern had been pretty convincing.
Alastor gave a resigned sigh, then pointed toward the table. “Sit.”
It wasn’t a suggestion. I could tell he was the sort of guy who expected to be obeyed, and while I wanted to resist for the sake of my pride, I saw no reason to refuse. Maybe this meant he was going to finally give me some answers.
And honestly, I wasn’t going to turn down the opportunity to give my poor feet a break. I didn’t often wear heels, and my feet were starting to protest.
“I don’t suppose you happen to have any snacks down here,” I said, settling down into one of the chairs and finding it surprisingly comfortable. I hadn’t been lying when I mentioned wanting to hit the buffet. Now that I’d finally paused for a moment, I realized I was starving.
Alastor just glowered at me, and I raised my hands in a placating gesture.
“I’m kidding,” I said, but no sooner had the words left my mouth than my stomach let out a humiliatingly loud rumble.
