I shrug. “The door opened, so . . .”
The boys all file through to the next room. I catch a glimpse of what looks like the inside of Dracula’s castle, but just as I’m about to follow, the door slams shut. The lights dim, and I try the button again, but the door doesn’t open.
Fuck.
A hidden door on the other side of the room opens, and Damon comes in wearing his mask. Even though his face is covered, I can tell he’s not happy about me using his secrets to get through this place.
His long strides carry him quickly across the room to me, and he corners me, filling my space. I’m enveloped in his scent, and I almost sigh at how comforting it is.
Damon has always made me feel safe, secure. Even after all this time, I know he would never hurt me.
His big hand is in my hair, tugging ever so slightly to make me look up at him.
“Do you know what happens to people who try to cheat their way through my house?” His deep voice rumbles through the modulator on his mask, and I almost moan at the way it practically vibrates through me.
“Wh-what happens?” I ask innocently, blinking up at him.
He steps into me further, pressing a strong thigh between my legs and tightening his grip on my hair—not enough to hurt, but enough to let me know he’s in charge here. “They get punished.”
“And what would my punishment be?” The same boldness from our first encounter in this house fills me again.
His sadistic chuckle tells me he likes it, and a subtle thrill runs through me at the thought.
“If you pull that shit again, I’ll tie up those idiots you came here with and fuck you in front of them.”
I swallow hard. Is that supposed to be a threat? Although, I suppose whatever repercussions I would have to face at home with Aaron are a pretty good deterrent.
“Do you understand?” he asks.
I nod, as much as I can with his hair still gripping my hair.
His free hand caresses my jaw. “I need your words, darling.”
“Yes. I understand.” I hold his gaze, letting him see I mean it.
“Good girl. Now, go enjoy the rest of the house.” He turns me and plants a light slap on my ass that makes a whimper slip out.
I get to hear his electronic chuckle one more time before the door to the next room opens and I come face-to-face with a very angry-looking Aaron.
“Violet, what the fuck happened?” His nostrils flare as he grabs my wrist and pulls me into the next room.
“S-sorry, the, uh, door closed before I could get through, and then it gave me another clue. This one was harder to figure out.”
“Well, you held up the whole fucking operation. We just got our next clue.” He turns and moves away from me to look for the clue. “Maybe if you weren’t so fucking dim, you would have figured it out faster.”
“I figured out the last one, didn’t I?” I snap.
His head whips back around to me, and he storms closer, clutching my bicep hard enough to bruise. “I’m not sure where this fucking attitude of yours has come from, but speak to me like that again, and you won’t like the consequences.” The look in his eyes tells me he’s right.
I look down at the floor. “Sorry.”
“I found it!” Zach’s excitement cuts through the tension as he picks up an ornate cross.
The next door opens, and Aaron pushes me ahead of him. “Not letting you fuck this up again.”
I swallow down a snarky remark as I step into a catacomb-themed room, complete with skulls lining the walls and a cold stone coffin.
Once we’re all in, the speakers give us a clue.
