Chapter Eighteen
I FELT HIM ARRIVE BEFORE I SAW HIM.
Felt the way the air flexed with warning that a predator was on the prowl, prickling my nape with instinctual fear to hide.
I guessed the time was close to two in the morning.
I’d heard a scream an hour or so ago and wished sleep would take me away. However, if Lucien was visiting me at this time...perhaps he’d rethought his command of me serving him and had come to end me instead.
Two golden orbs appeared in the dark, eyeshine acting like glinting mirrors.
“Oh, it’s just you.” I exhaled and rolled over, facing the giant beast as he padded across the cream and white woven carpet, leapt onto the bed, stepped over me like I was a log, then flung himself down with a dramatic groan.
Flipping over to face the panther, I grinned. “Hello.”
Whisper yawned, giving me a close-up look at his scarily sharp teeth.
My heart quickened but it didn’t stop me from reaching out and sinking my fingers into his thick, luscious fur. The faintest whiff of sourness and briny copper tainted him, the scent rather strong thanks to Whisper’s warmth.
My nose wrinkled and fresh fear ensured sleep would once again remain elusive. “Did you two go hunting again?”
Almost as if he understood me, Whisper licked his giant paw where something had matted his silky coat—removing the evidence.
So Lucienhadkilled another girl.
Was she one of the hopeful assassins or eager concubines? How could I stop him from harming the women who were like me and had been dragged into this mess by accident?
My head pounded at the thought, but the pain was nowhere near as bad as before.
Rolling onto my back, I stared at the lofted ceiling while Whisper had a bath beside me. “You know, after your master left this morning, I hoped it was just a coincidence that I was feeling okay. I’ve had a few of those blackouts before and I always come around without intervention, even if I do feel absolutely awful afterward. However...” I glanced at Whisper. “I can’t lie to myself anymore.”
Sitting upright, I hugged my pillow and rested my chin on it. “All day I’ve felt...better. Not the usual wiped out exhaustion. My headache has faded considerably. The pressure behind my eyes has gone. My stomach isn’t threatening mutiny. And I haven’t been dizzy.”
Whisper continued bathing, his ears flicking as he listened.
“Why is that?” I asked quietly, almost as if Lucien was close by and eavesdropping. Which he could be for all I knew. He could have cameras and microphones in every room. Those drones flying overhead could all report to him.
Yet...something told me that the fortified walls, electrified fences, and buzzing drones were part of the design to keep himin.
“What the hell did his blood do to me? What’s so different about him compared to every other human on this planet?” Ifrowned. “And if it actuallydoeshave healing properties, then why did those men throw so many women in here all trying to kill him?” I scowled. “Didn’t Lucien say that if he dies, Brimstone Industries dies too?”
I pouted, wishing for the first time in a very long time that I could access the internet. I wanted to research who Lucien Ashfall was. I wanted to start piecing together this puzzle before the mystery made me go mad.
“What exactlyisBrimstone Industries?”
Whisper finished his bath and growled quietly.
“What?” I asked, reaching to scratch his neck. “Am I not allowed to ask questions?”
The soft burn of his eyes looked like smouldering coals. The faintest glint of red still lingered on his muzzle.
My stomach clenched, wondering which girl had died tonight.
“Your master’s a menace,” I murmured.
He chuffed and sprawled out, taking up most of the bed. His eyes closed and jealousy built. I was jealous of a panther as he slipped so quickly into dreams.
Snuggling down beside him, I tried to borrow his zen-like calm.
