Page 188 of The Sinner's Bargain

CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT

NAYA

I hadn’t explored the stairs in the opposite direction from my room since that first day. Thoran had mentioned a conservatory, but we hadn’t gotten around to taking our walks there yet; we hadn’t even finished the area beyond the office.

But following the silent figure moving quickly down the marble steps, the chamber at the bottom of the stairs dark and still, I wasn’t sure I wanted to be there.

“I don’t hear anything else. Maybe it’s over,” I offered, wincing when my voice carried into the entire cavern of space.

It could have been an old ballroom. The room expanded deep into the shadows despite an entire wall of French doors lining one whole side. Lace drapes protected the darkness from the hint of light on the other side. Our feet barely made a sound, yet still echoed into the abyss.

It was so dark.

So confining.

“I really ... can we please,” I tried, steps faltering when I spotted the arched doorway into even more nothingness.

My heart fumbled to remember Thoran would never allow anything to happen to me, and I was with someone he trusted. I was fine. I wasn’t alone.

“Don’t be ridiculous. It’s just a little further.” His large hands encased in a leather glove took my elbow. “This is what Thoran wants.”

After nearly getting him killed twice because I hadn’t listened, I didn’t argue. He was fighting Jarrett. He needed to stay focused. If I got him killed this time, they would have to kill me, too.

“What is this?” I asked, needing something to distract myself.

“This place was built with hundreds of secret passages that lead to every room in the house. They’re a great place to hide.”

I frowned. “Thoran never mentioned passageways.”

He didn’t speak for a long moment. We passed under the arch and an immediate bend that started down a circle of stairs into even more darkness.

The hand on my arm tightened when my feet faltered. He gave me a tug and I opened my mouth to tell him I didn’t want to go down there when a shuffle from behind me had hope rocketing in my chest. Hope that it was Thoran coming to get me.

But the barren room remained still. Dark. Except the faint outline of a woman behind the lace curtain.

My heart jumped in my chest, but I was already being dragged down.

“Wait,” I tried, but he moved faster.

I could barely keep up. My flats kept slipping on the sand lining the steps. I lost one, but he wouldn’t wait for me to grab it.

He was beginning to frighten me. His hold was too tight. His strides were too quick. He was breathing too hard, and he was no longer talking to me.

“Please, can we go back?” I begged softly.

We hit the bottom of the stairs and the faint glow from the dangling light was muffled by eons of cobwebs creating a thick mesh across the ceiling, but it was just enough to outline the door at the very end.

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