My fingers tighten against her shoulders again, and my mind is completely blank as I draw her even closer to me.
I have no choice now except to obey my body. It’s the only truth I know.
Suddenly, immense pressure hits me in the chest, and I feel strong ropes wrapping around my upper arms as I’m jerked backwards and pinned against the wall of the house. It’s so sudden and shocking, I actually scream as I’m yanked away from Grace.
She stands calmly, watching me struggle. I look around frantically and see that I’m being held by vines that are curling around my biceps, tightening slowly as they keep me pinned.
It’s the vines she grew all over the house! Holy shit.
Grace takes her time composing herself, smoothing her hair back, and adjusting her clothes before she walks over to me. She tilts her head, and the vines tighten, squeezing my arms until they leave bruises.
“I am not your property,” she says, her voice harsh with emotion. “You can’t tell me what to do, or touch me however you like. Do you understand?”
I nod, fighting against the fear rising in me as well as the vines themselves. They are stronger than ropes, thick, heavy, and unmistakably alive.
And controlled by her.
“I understand,” I gasp, struggling again as the vines tighten on me.
“Good,” she says, and turns away from me to walk into the house. The moment she’s back inside, the vines release me, and I fall to the ground, gasping for breath.
That was the most terrifying event of my whole entire life.
At first, my thoughts just crash around in my mind, driven by panic.
I don’t want to go in there. How can I share a house with her?
Slowly, I get to my feet, making a conscious effort to slow my breathing. As I go inside, I listen to her moving around upstairs and relax a little, hoping we won’t have any more confrontations tonight.
Yeah, I can save that for the morning and slowly build up my anxiety until then.
I go straight into the living room to the couch and stretch out, trying to relax. My thoughts finally begin to settle, and that’s when I realize I still have no idea why she was gone so long.
She was definitely hiding something from me. Does it have anything to do with the incident this morning?
A splinter of fear pierces my chest as suspicion grows in my mind. It seems ridiculous, but I can’t ignore the possibility.
Could she be working with the snake?
Chapter 12 - Grace
I bolt through the house so fast, I barely even notice the stairs and corners. It almost seems like I teleported—one second, I was facing Dan, where he was strapped to the wall; the next, I was in the bedroom slamming the door and pressing my back against it.
Through the searing panic, I search with a light touch of magic to make sure I’ve released the vines. I can feel them relaxing as they return to their natural positions on the wall, and then I hear Dan moving downstairs.
That’s a relief. I wouldn’t want to leave him strapped to the wall.
Before I can stop it, the image of him pinned rises in my mind. When he strained against the vines, his muscles bulged, and his whole body rippled with fierce, irrepressible strength.
Maybe I would like him strapped to the wall…
I close my eyes, my tongue caressing my top lip as I think about his hands on me, the strong grip on my shoulders, and the heat of his body making me literally melt. When our lips came close together, I completely lost my reason.
And that’s when I called the vines. To protect me, to save me. But from what?
Desperate emotion rises in my chest, something I can’t immediately define, but it makes me want to scream and cry. I wrap my arms around myself and shiver, trying to get my emotions under control.
First, I had to have that talk with Kyra, another wound to my soul, confirmation that I’ll never be able to go to themand live with my sisters. Then I have to deal with him the second I get back!
