Flark!
I spun and bolted down the hallway.Faster, Sera. Faster.Were those footsteps I heard or my pounding heart?
A corridor opened on my right. I winged around the corner, slammed into the wall, and raced off again. Howls and strange clacking noises chased me—inhuman, hungry. I sprinted, terror in my veins, my sense of direction slipping away.
Over the sounds of my panting, I registered the quiet and slowed. Had I lost them? I dared to glance behind me. Empty.
Praise the fates. Relief buckled my knees, and I caught myself against the wall, dragging in great gulps of air. Only then did I notice the paneled wood around me. It was a servant’s passage that led to the kitchen. A kitchen that had an exterior door for deliveries. Brilliant. That could work so long as the creatures hadn’t breached that room yet.
My legs trembled as I descended, a lone torch sputtering shadows across the narrow space. The heavy skirt with its obscene layers swished with every step, making stealth impossible. Halfway down, I froze. In the darkness at the bottom of the steps was an unmoving lump. What was that? A body?
“Hello?” I whispered, creeping closer. “Hey. Can you hear me?” A familiar uniform came into view. A footman. At least it wasn’t one of the monsters.
I shoved my ruffled skirts aside and nudged the fallen man with my toe. At my prodding, the body tilted onto its back. Breath caught in my lungs. His face was sunken, skin loose upon his skull. Where his top three buttons were torn, his collar bones were prominent. As if some creature had sucked the life out of him, leaving an empty shell.
“Blessed gods.” My blood ran cold. “What madness is this?”
“What madness indeed?”
Body jolting, I spun. “Master Mortis!” He stood across the kitchen, Cookie’s worktable between us. Abandoned dishesrested on the surface in various states of cleanliness, those who labored here having fled.
He stepped into the firelight. Crimson splatters stained his usually impeccable shirt. My stomach flipped. Was it his blood or someone else’s?
“Well, look at you.” Mortis’ voice was a blade slicing through bone. “The keep is under attack, and where do I find sweet Serafina but skulking about in stolen clothing and jewels.”
“What? No.” I stiffened, a cloak of indignation covering the panic clawing my ribs. “I’m no thief, but a decoy meant to lure the monsters away so the royal family can escape. Now, if you would kindly step aside, I can carry out Lady Richwell’s orders.” More or less.
His smile sharpened. “I think not.”
My patience snapped, reckless words spilling out. “Truly, Mortis. I do not have time for your games. Any moment one of those things could—”
“Time?” Flames from the hearth cast demonic shadows on his sneering face. “That is the problem, isn’t it? You never have time. Not for me. Even so, I’ve gone out of my way to make time for you.”
As he circled the table, I did as well, keeping the scarred oak between us. His boots clicked across the flagstones, steady and deliberate.
“You.” His gaze raked over me, disgusted yet hungry. “Look at you. A lowly slave with nothing to her name. Yet you dare to spurn me. To peer down your nose at all I can offer you.”
Several truths struck me as Mortis continued to block my escape. Rottbarry Manor was lost. The high ruler and his precious family fled while sending me to my death. In my mind, that meant my contract was null and void. Therefore, Mortis’ dominion over me had come to an end.
A bitter laugh rose in my throat. If not for the horde of flesh-eating monsters, this may have been the best day of my life.
I squared my shoulders and met his predatory stare. “I’ve no interest in being kept by any man, Mortis. Least of all you.” The words tasted better than pilfered sweets. For years, I dreamed of spitting them at the bastard.
His eye twitched, the muscle jumping as rage fractured his control. “So full of yourself. Prideful and stubborn despite your standing. Tell me, where did this misguided delusion of importance come from?”
“My heart. And there’s no changing that.” I thrust out my chin. “So you may as well give up on me. I’m a lost cause. Or so I’m told.”
“See, that’s where we disagree. Because I’m certain with the proper training, I could make you love me.”
Training. Ha! “Love isn’t something you can beat into someone, you fool.”
His nostrils flared. “And what would you know about love?”
Nothing. Absolutely nothing, since I’d never experienced it for myself. But I knew loyalty. I knew sacrifice. Knew the quiet devotion I had for Speck. Was that not love in its truest form? I steadied my breath. “I know more than a pathetic, power-hungry steward.”
His upper lip twisted, baring yellow teeth. “I’ve had about enough of your insolence. I believe it’s time for your first lesson.”
The maniacal glint in his eyes made my stomach pitch. He lunged, faster than I expected. As I bolted, my legs tangled in the layered dress. Arms like steel bands snapped around me, and I uttered a shout of outrage.
