Page 104 of When She Tempts (The Fallen)
So it’s just the big padlock keeping it in place. It looks pretty secure, but just to be sure, I reach over and give it a sharp tug.
The padlock falls open.
My brows rise up my forehead. Did whoever was here last forget to lock it, or is it just broken?
Well, no point in questioning my luck. I take the lock off and tug on the door. It’s a bit stuck, so it takes me a while to inch it open, and while I do, Sophia starts to whine.
“I’m just going to peek inside,” I tell her as I finally get the opening wide enough for me to squeeze in.
Sophia barges past my feet, and I follow her, careful not to get spider webs all over my hair.
Something crunches beneath my foot, but I have no idea what it is. It’s dark inside. Since the windows are boarded up, the only light comes from the open door behind me. A chill runs down my spine as I inhale the cool, stale air. God, this is creepy. While I try to get the flashlight working on my phone, Sophia does her own examination of the space, her paws pattering loudly against wood floor.
Finally, I get the light on and point it at a wall.
My jaw drops.
Oh my God, this place is completely trashed.
It’s as if someone has dropped a sledgehammer onto every surface, shattering windows, destroying the art hanging on the walls, and upturning furniture.
“Sophia, come here,” I say urgently, pulling on her leash. The floor is littered with shards of glass and splintered wood. I don’t want her paws to get cut.
She obeys me, coming close to my side.
We move cautiously through the room, trying to avoid the debris underfoot. The table and chairs in the center of the room are upturned and broken, and the sofa lining is spitting out feathers. The walls are pockmarked with holes and scratches, as if someone took a knife to them in a fit of rage.
Goosebumps erupt over every square inch of my skin as I take a step closer to one of the scratched-up walls. The scratches look like…
My eyes widen.
They’re words.
I’m sorry.
My heart pounds out an uneven rhythm. Who wrote that, and what are they apologizing for? Is it for destroying this place?
Or for something else?
Fear wraps around me, making my blood run cold. I need to get out of this place. What if whoever did this is somewhere near?
If there was ever a time to listen to my instincts, it’s now.
Pulling Sophia along with me, I make my way outside. With one final look at the cottage, I break out into a run.
We follow the trail back to the castello, the descending sun casting long finger-like shadows across the ground. The thick foliage scratches and whips at my arms, but I can barely feel it with all the adrenaline pumping through me.
After what feels like hours, we finally cross the edge of the forest, and the sky opens up.
I’ve never been so happy to see that tower.
Sophia and I don’t stop running until I’m through the doors of the castello. I’m sweating, and the stitch in my side is unbearable. I practically collapse on the floor of the lobby, clutching my side and panting for breath. Sophia scurries around me, licking and sniffing at my body.
“Martina?”
I crane my neck and see Giorgio standing on the staircase, his expression drawn in concern. “Are you all right?”
“N-no.” I wipe my sweaty forehead with my forearm and realize that I’m trembling. “I just came back from the woods.”
