Page 52 of Mine

My eyes are red and I’m sure my face is flushed, but luckily I hadn’t allowed myself to cry—yet.

Cillian frowns at the headless doll in my hand, then at the sweater I’m wearing.

I shake the doll. “Do you know who left this in my room last night?”

“You shouldn’t have that.”

“No shit! I don’t want it! But someone put it here—along with pictures of Astor’s wife, and as if that’s not enough, I’ve been hearing whispers in the hallway.”

He is stoic, wholly unconcerned and unaffected by my current emotional state. “I don’t know why anyone would do that,” he says simply.

I snort, then bark out a maniacal laugh. “Okay, well, it must be the Stone Manor ghost, then.”

“Astor has requested your presence at dinner tonight. Seven o’clock.”

“Has he?”

“Yes. He also wanted me to inform you of the electric fence.”

“What electric fence?”

“The one that would have likely killed you if you’d made it to the top yesterday.”

“The fence is electric?”

“Only the top.”

I shake my head. “Bastard.”

“Most of the time, yes.”

“So, in other words, he told you to tell me not to even think about trying to escape like I did last night when I was supposed to be having dinner with him.”

“In a nutshell, yes.”

I cross my arms over my chest. “What else did he say?”

“My Catholic upbringing forbids me to repeat it.”

I snort, then fist my hands on my hips. “Well, what am I supposed to do until then? There are no televisions in this place, and I don’t have a phone or a computer.”

Cillian glances outside. “It’s going to be a nice day. Supposed to hit sixty degrees. Maybe go outside, take a walk. But stay away from?—”

“The electric fence. I got it, I got it.” I look over my shoulder and nod. “Maybe I’ll grab a book from the library and read by the lake.”

“Whatever.”

“Hey, Cillian,” I ask as he turns away. “What’s on the king of the castle’s agenda today?”

“He’ll be in his office all day. As usual.”

“Where is his office?”

“Adjacent to the library.”

“Is it protected by electricity too?”

“Depends on his mood.” He turns again.

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