Page 18 of A Twisted Gift

“This way.”

Raina follows me into a small mudroom, nervous energy radiating off her. “Erik?”

I pause, my coat halfway off.

“Your family moved, right?” she asks, and something in her voice tells me she suspects that’s not the case.

“It’s late. I can answer your questions tomorrow.”

Raina nods, looking a little uneasy, but she doesn’t protest. She sheds her outerwear and shoes, and I kick myself for not having her change first. That pathetic excuse for a dress that her father paraded her around in is the only thing she’s wearing, aside from her robe.

“I have some clothes for you. They’re upstairs in your room.”

“Is that where you’d like me to go?”

I want her by my side. To sleep in my bed. But after what she’s been through tonight, I’d never force that on her.

My mind recalls the lock on her door—on the outside, so she couldn’t reach it. I don’t want her scared that I’ll banish her to her room. “No. Not until you want to. For now, how about I show you around so you can get familiar with the place?”

She narrows her eyes at me, like she can tell that I’m hiding something, but then nods slowly. “All right.”

Chapter seven

Raina

The small room we’re in opens into a kitchen. It’s dark until Erik flips a light on, revealing wooden cabinets that look hand-carved. It’s much more beautiful than the kitchen at home. Ours is for the staff to use, but this feels too pretty to hide away.

On the counter in the center of the room is a bowl of apples. They’re red and shiny, and they look sogood.

“Can I…” I reach for the fruit even though I know I shouldn’t take it without Erik’s permission. I’m just so hungry. It’s been over a day since I’ve eaten, minus the candy cane I took from my stash when I realized Father wasn’t going to let me have any food today.

“You’re shaking,” Erik says, taking my hand in his. “Am I scaring you that much?”

“Just hungry,” I mumble. “I usually get like this when I haven’t eaten. It goes away after a while, especially if I sleep.”

“Haven’t eaten? You didn’t have dinner?”

“Or lunch.” I stare at the apples longingly. “Or breakfast. Father wasn’t happy when he caught Marissa trying to help me leave.”

“What? Fuck.Fuck.”

My body goes rigid, and I pull back. The only time Father swears is when he’s angry. It usually comes along with yelling and sometimes throwing things at me from across the room.

Panic swells in my throat, and I stumble away from Erik. He’s upset. I can see it on his face, hear it in his voice. His jaw is clenched, and the fury burning in his eyes looks unquenchable.

“I—I’m sorry,” I manage, scampering away when he steps toward me.

This was a mistake. He’s not any different than them. That’s why he was at the auction, not to help me. I should’ve tried to run. I should’ve—

“Raina.” Erik reaches for me, but I jump back.

Tears blur my vision, and for once, I’m grateful for them. I don’t want to see the look of disappointment on his face, or the anger that always makes my hair stand on end. It’s so obvious now, what a naive decision coming with him was. Only a fool would believe someone would appear, almost out of thin air, to save her.

You’ll be going from one cage to another.

It’s exactly as Amelia said. I’ve traded one angry, violent man for another. Except this time, there’s no auction to keep me alive for.

My chest tightens, making it difficult to breathe. This room is so large, yet it feels like it’s shrinking, suffocating me. Not a cage. A coffin. A final place to rest, to not have to live anymore.

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