I grabbed her arm before she could leave. “You’re not staying?” My voice quivered with repressed fear. The thought of facing my kidnapper sent a chill down my spine. I still didn’t know why they took me or what they planned to do with me. Fran’s treatment of me should have put me partially at ease, but something still didn’t feel right.
Fran gave me a soft smile before removing my hand from her arm, clasping it in her own cool grip. “You will be fine. The master wouldn’t have brought you home to us if he meant to harm you in any way.”
With those words, she released me, leaving me standing before the door alone.
Wringing my hands in front of me, I stared at the door.
A part of me said to go blazing in, demanding answers. Why did you take me? What do you want? When can I go back to the factory?
The other part feared meeting the master of the castle. Clearly, they weren’t in their right mind if the place was this broken down. Fran was the only living soul I’d come across and, for all I knew, it was just me and her here along with this mysterious master.
Unfortunately, I didn’t have a choice in the matter. The tug at my center threw me forward, my hands bracing against the surface of the door. Clearly, Rumple wanted me to meet this master since he was the only one who could open the door and let me leave.
Scowling, I pushed away from the door and took a moment to get a grip on my fear.
Come on, Mara. You can’t just stand here forever. You can do this.
I sucked in a deep breath, my fingers curling around the brass door handle before I pulled it open with a whoosh of air.
My feet hesitated at the deep darkness before me. A fire in the fireplace was the only light in the dark. The tug in my stomach forced my feet forward, refusing to let me quiver in the doorway for long.
Each step was stilted and forced. My boots scuffed against the carpet that made a path toward the light in the fireplace. A single high-backed chair sat to one side. Someone moved in the seat, and I sucked in a shuddering breath.
My head darted from left to right as I frantically searched the room. The darkness of the room hid whatever might be hiding in the shadows. I had no way of knowing if we were alone or if something was waiting in the wings for me.
I squeezed my eyes shut, forcing myself to breathe slowly in and out. Nothing good would happen if I passed out right now. I had to get back to the factory. Not only for myself, but for the others that relied on me to keep Rumple at bay.
The faces of the children flashed through my mind, giving me the courage to keep moving forward.
When my feet reached where the fireplace light touched the carpet, I paused. “Hello?” My voice came out a tiny squeak. That wouldn’t do. Clearing my throat, I tried again, this time sounding like myself. “Fran said you were the one who took me. I don’t know why, and I honestly don’t care. But you must return me to the factory now.”
There was no answer to my demands, only the chair creaking as the figure shifted in place.
My feet felt like they were full of lead as I moved the few feet forward, standing just behind the high-backed chair.
“Please. You don’t know what will happen to me if you don’t return me now.” The last words trembled out of me as the figure stood from his chair.
I stumbled a step back, the tall looming figure unrecognizable in the shadow of the fireplace. Still wearing the cloak from last night, he stepped forward with purpose, a hand reached out to me.
I flinched away, and he dropped his hand.
His head canted to the side for a brief moment before his hands lifted to pull the hood down. He turned slightly so the fireplace light reflected off his face. “I won’t harm you.”
I blinked into the dim fire light, my eyes settling on the lounging figure. Recognition flared through me.
“It’s you!”
Chapter 6
Without being covered in fudge, I was able to make out the dark hair that was swept away from face. His features were sharp with a pointing nose and thin lips. The pale color of his skin was unnaturally pink, leading me to wonder if that was from his vampirism or some other reason.
Irritation almost overrode my fear completely at the sight of the vampire I’d saved in the Candy Forest a few days ago. One of the major reasons I’d gotten caught by Rumple and ended up in the bin for so long.
My bleeding heart had done it again. This was why I shouldn’t help strangers. Every time I went out of my way to help someone else, I ended up being the one who paid for it. Usually with time in the bin, but this time was much much worse.
“Why did you take me?” I choked out the words through my frustrations, tears burning my eyes. “I save you, and this is how you repay me?”
His lips twisted to the side, head still canted like a cat trying to assess me. “You saved me, so I returned the favor. Are you not happy?”
