Page 5 of Entranced By the Immortal

I barely had time to cock the shotgun and line up my aim again before one of the figures lunged, flying at me through the air. Reflexively, I stepped back and shot. It crumpled to the ground at my feet, and I stared down in horror. Pale human fingers stuck out from beneath the fabric, turning my stomach, but I didn’t have time to dwell on it because the last shadow slammed into me, knocking me backwards.

I hit the ground hard enough to knock the wind out of me, and the shotgun was wrenched out of my hand. The last thing I saw was the butt of the gun flying toward my head, cracking me in the temple.

Then, everything went dark.

CHAPTER 3

EVER

Apiercing headache was the first thing I became aware of, followed by my inability to move. The smell of dusty air told me I was no longer in the woods, and somewhere in the distance, a piano played faintly.

Mind foggy, I pried my eyes open, squinting through the dim light, trying to make sense of what I was seeing. By the looks of it, I was in some kind of formal sitting room that looked straight out of the 1800s.

There was ornate furniture, a chandelier hanging in the middle of the room, a grand fireplace in the wall to my left, and a few life-sized paintings occupying most of the wall space. Everything was opulent, excessive, and looked like it belonged in a museum.

I tried to move again, unsuccessfully, and a glance down told me why: I was chained to the most extravagant wood-carved chair I’d ever seen.

What the fuck?

I blinked again, clenching my jaw against the pain in my temple. It had to be where I was struck with the shotgun, which was nowhere in sight. My backpack was also long gone, along with the beanie I’d worn into the woods. Whoever knocked me out had probably dragged me here, to the place I could only assume was Dupont Manor, and they were holding me prisoner.

But why?

The soft piano melody continued to drift through the air, and I fought against the chain binding me, trying to get an arm free, but it was impossible. It was too tight.

“Hello?” I called out, my voice hoarse. My throat was dry and scratchy, probably from the stale air suffocating me, but I tried again, a little louder. “Hello? Is anyone there?”

The piano stopped abruptly, making my stomach drop. My eyes shifted to the open door across the room that led to a brighter hallway. Outside the sitting room, I could make out more opulence, more excessive, antique decorations. A second later footsteps approached, clicking against the hardwood, nearly in time with my heartbeat, and I held my breath.

The wait was excruciating, but finally, a woman stepped through the doorway. She wore a pale blue, floor-length dress with antique beaded details, and her waist-length red hair was curled and pinned away from her face. Her porcelain skin and dark eyes gave her a haunted look, like a ghost cursed to wander the ancient rooms of the manor forever.

“You’re awake,” she said, a forced smile curling her lips. She made her way slowly across the room, stopping a few feet away. As she looked me over, her head cocked to the side. “What a surprise.”

“Where am I?”

“You were looking for the manor, were you not?” She didn’t wait for me to answer. “Congratulations, you found it.”

“I-I was,” I said, wishing more than ever I had water to soothe my scratchy throat. My foggy thoughts were racing, making it hard to focus. “How did you know?”

She scoffed a laugh and folded her hands in front of her. “You don’t think you’re the first person to come looking for it, do you?”

No, I didn’t. In fact, I knew I wasn’t the first to search for it, but I’d never heard of anyone making it to the manor before. If others had gotten to this point, what happened to them after? Why didn’t they return to town?

“Why am I tied up? I didn’t see ‘no trespassing’ signs,” I said, jerking unsuccessfully against the chains again. “Is it against the law to explore these woods?”

“No.” Her jaw hardened, her kind expression turning into something darker. “You’re here because you killed two of the Lord’s servants. He will decide what your punishment should be.”

Icy fear clung to my spine, spreading slowly through my limbs. “They followed me. Theyattackedme. What was I supposed to do?”

“Stay out of the woods,” she snapped, her voice laced with venom. “That’swhat you were supposed to do, now here you are. The Lord will wake shortly, then he’ll decide what to do with you.”

Wake?

My gaze traveled involuntarily to the closest window where the rich orange light of sunset seeped in through the split in the curtains. Who the hell slept so late in the day? What would they do to me when they arrived? Would they let me go? Or would they have something sinister planned?

My mind spun, but the only thing I could focus on was getting out of the fucking chains.

“Can you at least loosen them?” I asked, my arm starting to ache from the metal digging in. “I promise I won’t run.”

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