VIVI
Crunch.Crunch. Crunch.
The noise echoes through my head, making my brow furrow.
Crinkle.
Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.
My lips curl down. “Gaby?” I guess, barely awake. “Are you eating chips?” The question sounds groggy to my ears. I feel strange. Hungover, yet not.
And thirsty.
Verythirsty.
Peering toward my nightstand, I search for my usual bottle. Only… only my nightstand is notmynightstand. It’s an ornate piece of furniture that I’ve never seen before.
Except, no. That’s not true. It’s…
My eyes fly open as a gasp leaves my mouth.King Negru.
I’m in his castle.
In a guest suite.
And I’m alive.
I think, anyway.
My hands start roaming my body, searching for signs of death. But all I find is smooth skin.
Because I’m naked.
Very,verynaked.
I’m also not alone in the room.
Because that crunching sound hasn’t stopped, and neither has the crinkling.
Warily, I roll toward it, then gape at finding Marius lounging in a chair near the bed, his gaze on the windows. “Not Gaby,” he murmurs, then glances at me. “You ready to head back to Bra?ov?”
I blink at him. “What?”
“Tour’s over,” he says. “Ciprian told me to take you back to your hotel. So once you’re ready, we’ll hit the road.”
“Ciprian?” I echo, not sure who he’s talking about. “Does King Negru know about this?”
“King Negru is Ciprian.” Marius utters the words slowly, like he’s explaining something to a child. “And he told me to escort you out first thing, but I’m a gentleman. Which is why I let you sleep.” He checks his watch. “But we really should go before he realizes you’re still here.”
My brow furrows. “He wants me to leave?”
“That’s what I said, isn’t it?”
I sit up, then grasp for the sheets when I remember that I have nothing on, and glare at the male in my room. “Get out.”
“Excuse me?”
“Get. Out.” I enunciate the demand with acute precision, my tone flat. “And tellCiprianthat if he wants me to go, he can come say that to my face.”
