Hearing the sound again prompted her to get up and tie her robe about her waist. She was grateful that she’d had the foresight to braid her hair before taking to her bed, so it wasn’t a hindrance now.
She stood in silence, holding her breath, waiting until she heard it again.
Scratch… scratch… scratch…
Marlene spun around, sure that she was imagining things now, because it sounded as though it was coming from inside her room—behind the fireplace, to be exact.
Curious, she walked over and stood staring at the marble mantel and wondering how something could possibly be inside. What if Alaric had been wrong and Hector had found another way to manipulate her? She took a hesitant step backward. It would likely be best if she told Alaric what was happening, so that he could deduce if it was a threat or not.
Scratch… scratch… scratch…
This time the sound seemed to come from farther away. What if it disappeared completely and then she missed her chance to gain whatever she was meant to find?
Shoring up her courage, Marlene took a deep breath and made a decision.
She reached out and grasped the edge of the marble and pulled; it slid outward with a resounding scrape…
Alaric came awake with a start. There had been a strange disturbance of magic, and he knew something wasn’t right. He jumped out of bed as if the house itself was on fire, and donned his trousers and shirt, but didn’t bother with anything else as he closed his eyes and reopened them to find himself in Marlene’s chamber.
But he had yet to decide if it was friend—or foe.
Marlene was gone, but the entirety of the fireplace was askew. He blinked, never knowing that this room had a secret passage that led to anywhere. His heart was thumping as he walked forward, because there was definitely some sort of magic at work here.
Alaric stood in contemplation for a moment, but considering that Marlene was absent, he knew where she had gone. He glanced at the side table and was glad to see that she’d had the foresight to take the lantern with her.
The hallway before him was dark, but he waved his hand and a ball of light appeared to guide his way. He wasn’t sure what he might encounter as he made his way through the tunnel. He just prayed that it wasn’t Marlene’s prone form lying somewhere.
The very thought compelled him to move a bit faster.
His footsteps were the only sound that he made as he trod down the mysterious passage. He kept his focus at all times and looked for anything out of the ordinary that might suggest a trap. He had confidence that the sex magic spell had worked, but that didn’t mean Hector didn’t have other resources at his disposal.
He walked for what seemed to be miles before he finally spied a beacon of hope farther ahead. He exhaled in relief, knowing that it was Marlene. As he drew closer, he allowed the ball of light to collapse. He could see the white, flowing material of her nightdress and robe where she stood at a crossroads, apparently unsure about which path she ought to take. Now that he knew she was unharmed, he might very well throttle her for leading him on a merry chase with his heart lodged inside his throat.
“Do you mind telling me what you’re doing here?”
She spun toward him with a gasp, her hand at her throat. “Dear Heavens, you nearly startled me to death! You really shouldn’t sneak up on people like that.”
Alaric would have laughed if the situation wasn’t so precarious. “You dare to chide me when you embark on such a journey alone?” He snorted. “I should be scolding you for not being very wise.”
She lifted her pert little chin. “I was afraid I would miss my chance if I didn’t go then.”
He stilled. “What sort of chance are you referring to?”
She rolled her eyes, apparently impatient with his line of questioning. “I woke up to a strange noise. It sounded like something scratching on the wood. It sounded as if it came from behind the fireplace, and so I tried to pull on the mantel and it opened.”
He blinked. “And considering everything else that has happened, you thought it wise to follow this phantom? How do you know it wouldn’t lead you to certain death?”
“I didn’t feel as though it was malicious.”
He did laugh now. “And that is supposed to reassure me?”
She waved an impatient hand. “It doesn’t matter now. It seems to have disappeared, and I’m not sure which path I should take.” She narrowed her gaze to him. “I don’t suppose you know, do you?”
“Unfortunately, not,” he returned dryly. “I never knew this particular passage existed.”
“You didn’t? I find that difficult to believe. You grew up here, did you not? Surely there were some sort of family tales that spoke of such things.”
He sent her a tolerant look. “It’s not as if we sat about and spoke of witchcraft or what secrets our family might have held. For the most part, my parents instructed us not to speak of our abilities, to pretend as though they didn’t exist for the safety of us all.”
