Page 116 of In My Heart
No. Not a house. A horror movie set. An extensive gothic style manor rose from the countryside, built in dark stone, with towering spires. Massive arched windows reflected pale moonlight. Ivy crawled over parts of the exterior like veins. Portions of the building looked centuries old, the architecture heavy with history, wealth, and secrets.Violent, bloody, murderous secrets, I was sure. It was the kind of place people disappeared from without a trace. I was pretty sure that was going to be my end.
The SUV rolled to a stop beneath a covered entrance supported by thick stone columns.
“Out,” one of the men barked as he opened my door.
I stepped onto the gravel with shaky legs and stared up at the manor house while cold wind whipped through my hair. Every instinct I had screamed at me to run, but there was nowhere to go.
Inside, the house was warm and incredibly grand. Black-and-white marble floors stretched beneath glittering chandeliers. Oil paintings lined the walls in heavy gold frames. The air smelled faintly of cedarwood and cleaning products.Probably masking the blood that coated all of this luxury, I reminded myself.
The front doors shut behind me with a heavy boom that echoed through the entrance hall, and I found myself right in the middle of a nightmarish horror movie. And yes, I was the stupidly naïve girl who had pretty much just walked herself right in there.
A man descended the staircase ahead. There was no hurry about him as he moved. He strolled, like he had all of the time in the world. He was tall and elegant. Controlled. Daniel, I assumed, though he didn’t look at all like the thug I was expecting.
He wore a perfectly tailored charcoal suit that fit his lean frame like it had been made around him. He had olive skin, dark eyes, and dark hair, combed neatly back withouta strand out of place. I figured he was around Cal’s age, maybe a year or two older. He was undeniably handsome, but there was nothing warm in him.
His face was composed with almost surgical precision, every movement measured and calm. He stopped several feet away from me and seemed to appraise me like a car he was considering buying.
“Cara.”
The sound of my name in his mouth made my stomach knot. This was it. There was no going back now. I was in the lion’s den, and I needed to be careful if I ever wanted to make it back out again.
“I want to see Dante,” I told him immediately. I refused to be cowed. I would stand my ground. I was stronger than they ever expected me to be.
Daniel regarded me silently for a moment.
“No.”
The answer landed like ice water. I had expected an argument. Maybe a threat. I had hoped I’d be able to negotiate. Adamian had given me his word.
“You said he’d be released.”
“I said nothing.” His voice remained smooth and even. “Your father negotiated this arrangement.”
“He promised me…gave his word…”
“Then you were foolish enough to believe him.”
The words struck harder than if he’d shouted. I had been an idiot and I knew it for sure now. Anger flared through my fear.
“I came here, didn’t I? I kept my part of the deal.”
“And now you will continue to do so.” Daniel descended the final stair. “You will go to your room and remain there until tomorrow’s ceremony.”
“I want proof that Dante’s alive.”
His gaze sharpened slightly then, cold intelligence flickering beneath the calm.
“You are in no position to make demands.”
I hated how steady he sounded. How utterly unsurprised he was by any of this. Calm. Cold. Controlled. It was little wonder Adamian had chosen him to take over the family. He may be young, but Daniel was also terrifying.
“Adamian said after the wedding I’d be released. Dante too,” I tried, my voice not quite as resolved as it had been before.
One corner of Daniel’s mouth moved faintly. Not a smile. Something harsher; almost mocking. He saw me as the inexperienced fool I had been that night.
“Your father is dying, Cara. Time is valuable.” He paused. “And you are painfully naive.”
Ice spread through me as those words sunk in. It had all been lies? Was Dante even alive? They obviously didn’t plan to let us go.
