Page 67 of Hell Storm

“Don’t,” a gruff voice warned. I wasn’t sure what she meant, until a tissue was dabbed into the corner of my eye. Apparently, I was beginning to tear up and the one who acted as the makeup artist wouldn’t have me ruining her work.

I got ahold of myself and refocused. Tonight was too important to let emotion cloud my judgment. Not when the likelihood of me having to makeseveralsplit-second decisions was extremely high.

Purple satin was slipped over my head after I was ordered to stand. With me on my feet, the loose waves that had been pinned to the top of my head were released, and the length of them fell down around my shoulders. There were a few more minutes of primping and preening before I was helped into a pair of black, strappy heels that took me from tall to towering over most of the girls like an amazon.

“Come.”

The same woman who yelled at me for nearly ruining my face snapped her fingers, and I guessed I was meant to follow her. We weaved those same hallways as before, but this time the stares had intensified. Men and women alike followed me with their gazes, until we disappeared in yet another stairwell, heading up three more flights.

A heavy door screeched open when she pushed it, and I nearly stopped in my tracks. It seemed that, with each floor we’d ascended, the accommodations improved.

Greatly.

This level was, clearly, where the most effort had been made. My high-heels clicked over freshly polished marble floors, in which I could see my reflection. The walls were covered in beautiful stonework, trimmed with colorful borders that brought a touch of life to the otherwise plain space. It was all so finely crafted. Not a dollar had been spared, not a detail overlooked.

Elaborate chandeliers hung at the centers of decorative, ceiling medallions, bathing the space in warm light. And at the end of the broad hallway, a door.

Standing at either side, two guards took their posts so seriously their faces were completely void of expression. My heart pounded, knowing who likely waited across the threshold.

My escort’s steps halted and I glanced toward her. Her gaze never met mine, but a simple gesture with her hand made it clear I was meant to move forward on my own from here.

I recalled the things I’d discussed with Levi, the failsafe he insisted I blurt if things became volatile. But I didn’t want to think about that. Right now, I needed to just charge forward and get this over with, so I could discover what more there was to know.

The sound of my own footsteps unnerved me, but I didn’t slow my pace. Making it to the double-doors, I waited as the guards parted them. I didn’t enter right away, just surveyed the large room that seemed more like living quarters. Maybe that’sexactlywhat it was—Aaric’s private residence.

My steps echoed again when I decided to move, and as soon as I cleared the doors, they were closed behind me. I lowered my arms from where I kept them folded across my chest, using the purple satin dress to dry my palms a bit.

Candles placed on nearly every surface was all that lit the space. The far wall was composed of one massive window, and with the cloudless sky beyond it, the moon glowed large and full.

“Thank you for joining me.”

My eyes darted from one corner of the room to another. I nearly jumped out of my skin when the depth of the sultry baritone touched my ears. The voice bore the same old-world intonations I’d grown accustomed to hearing spoken by Levi, but it was somehow a much darker sound coming fromthissource.

Searching, I finally found him.

Well … kind of.

I could only make out a silhouette seated at the far end of a lengthy dining table. I’d noticed the piece before, but wasn’t certain whether he’d been sitting there all along, or if he’d crept into the room while I gawked at his antiquities. A gold-plated telescope sat near the window. A beautiful grandfather clock stood beside the hearth, where a fire roared.

I did my best to peer through the darkness, but couldn’t make out any of his features—not the color or length of his hair, not the details of his face. It was as if I were about to dine with a ghost.

“Do you like the dress?”

My gaze fell down to it when he asked, bridling my tongue when a snide answer popped into my head.

“It’s … nice,” I sighed.

He stared in silence a moment.

“Will you sit with me?” Those velvety words fell from his lips as if I had a choice.

Again, stifling a rebuttal, I moved toward the table. Even without him saying the words himself, I knew he meant to keep distance between us. I dropped down into the seat at the opposite head of the table, beside a candle. Its glare blinded me from seeing him even more, but I wasn’t entirely certain that hadn’t been his intention.

“You’re a Doll,” he stated, no doubt observing the glaring mark on my shoulder that this dress didn’t conceal beneath its thin straps.

Nodding, I kept what Levi advised in mind.

‘Answer his questions, but be vague…’

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