Page 14 of Slay Ride

“I don’t break promises.”

She thinks of a retort—I see the cunning in her eyes, the excitement at the prospect of a really good zinger—but her lips snap shut and she just says, “Follow me.”

Oh, this is going to be fun.

I’ll keep setting her up, and she’ll remain unable to knock anything down because she fears being called kitten. Why wasn’tthisactivity listed on the brochure? I’d participate every day.

She takes me to the kitchen first. Again, no expense was spared, as is evidenced by the gleam of silver no matter which direction I turn. Rich aromas greet my nose—lemon, dill, and braised meat. And judging by the scent, it isn’t human meat.

Chef Maurice stands by the stove, yelling at his subordinates for turning a stew into a soup. I didn’t know there was a difference.

“Let’s move on,” Cat says.

From there, she leads me to a library. “There’s a secret passageway in here,” Cat says as she takes a turn about the room. Her fingers light on a few book spines as she trails past. “I won’t tell you where, though.”

“Where does it lead?” I ask.

“Ask your brother if you want to know that badly,” she says. She gives me a sweet smile, then heads toward the door.

I stick out my lower lip in a faux pout. “Aw, come on. I’ve been nice so far. Can’t you show me which candlestick to pull to get the big hole to open up?”

There is so much content there, and she can’t use any of it. She can’t tell me to yank my own candlestick and see what happens. She can’t say the big hole is already open, and she’d love it if it closed. She can’t say any of it! All she can do is shake with the knowledge that her powers are useless here.

So she says nothing, turns with a huff, and hurries to the next room.

“This is the indoor pool.” She pushes a glass door and guides us into what may be the warmest room in the building—the natatorium. It’s like a sauna in here.

As I look around, I understand why. Tropical plants stretch toward artificial lighting, and I recognize those massive hibiscus leaves from the island. I guess Jim wanted a little bit of home here.

The large pool takes up most of the space, but a couple of hot tubs burble against a wall of windows that overlooks the snowy landscape. They likely add to the heat in the room. A bright purple light glows in each roiling tub.

“No sacrificial slab, huh?” I ask.

Cat shakes her head. “Not that I’ve seen.”

“While we’re here, why don’t we go for a dip?” I take off my shirt and drop it onto a small glass tabletop as her eyes widen.

She licks her lips and turns away. “I don’t have my swimsuit on, and...”

Her voice trails off because she can’t say what she wants.

“And? And you’d rather die than swim with me?” I prod. “You’d sooner drown yourself on dry land than share any body of water with the dirtyfruit fucker?”

“I take it you found Ezra’s note?” She tries to hide her smirk and does a horrible job. “He told me about it when you went to your room.”

I step closer to her, if for no other reason than to make her as uncomfortable as possible. I’m near enough that she should feel the heat radiating from my Florida-tanned skin.

“Oh, I found the note. Thank you for asking.”

When she turns and realizes we’re nearly touching, her features shift. She looks almost...scared. Her fingers quiver as she swipes a bead of sweat from her forehead.

“Personal space,” she whispers, but she doesn’t sound very sure of herself.

I step closer, and her fingers brush my chest. She lowers her hand and recoils as if she’s just jammed her fist into a roaring fireplace. Before she can dart away, I lean closer and brush away the hair that’s fallen over her forehead.

“My god, Cat,” I say as I lick my lips. “I never realized just how...”

She licks her lips, mimicking my action as she waits for me to finish the sentence.

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