Page 31 of Into the Woods

“Settle down. The last thing I’d ever do is hurt Truie.” He nods to Garrick, who steps out of the room, an amused smile pulling at his lips as he patiently waits for me to join him.

Whatever his reasons for attaching himself to her and sitting sentry outside her door, are something to think about as I lay in bed later, because I’ve officially been excused.

With my mind settled and my heart at ease knowing that Tru’s okay, I pay careful attention on the return to my suite. The mansion is massive, but the winding labyrinth of our earlier trip is actually a couple of turns and three doors from the last of those.

I feel pretty confident that I can find my way back…if the opportunity presents itself.

“What’s the plan for tomorrow?” I ask as Garrick ushers me into my sitting room.

His chuckle is soft, amused. “That, my dear, is up to Mr. Robicheaux. I don’t deign to guess at his designs for the future.” He moves through the rooms comfortably, clicking off lamps, pulling curtains closed, and ultimately turning down the covers on my bed. “If there’s nothing further?” he asks, pausing by the chair that’s been resituated in its original position.

“Thank you,” I say, and I find that I sincerely mean it. As bad as the past day has been here, if it wasn’t for Garrick’s gentle nature, it would have been so much worse.

“Not at all, miss. Rest well,” he says as if knowing that sleep isn’t a given for me. “Until tomorrow.”

I slump into the chair, my gaze settling on the glimmering silk of the window treatments. There’s a gap where the curtains weren’t pulled quite closed, and in the dark of the room, the moon casts a soft glow over the grounds.

The illusion of freedom pulls me from where I sit, and I find myself pushing through the curtains until I’m cocooned between the crisp silk and cool glass. I don’t doubt that there are guards out there, at the very least cameras securing the grounds, but at the edge of the manicured lawn is a darkness that can only be attributed to thickly grown trees.

The woods.

Our woods.

And just like that, I find a glimmer of hope. I have no desire to run to the home I grew up in; it’s never been a safe place. But it is familiar.

If I can find a way to get us out of here, I can get us home. And if I can get us home, freedom doesn’t seem quite so unattainable.

Chapter 14

Decadence

Christophe

Winnie stands wrappedin a cloak of silk curtains, lit by the moon as it streams through her window.

I don’t know what she’s staring at, if any of what’s out there looks at all familiar to her since she’s never been to my house. Would never come with me any of the times I asked her to follow me home from the woods. But the picture she makes stops my lungs, holding my breath hostage.

Her neck lengthens as she tilts her head to the side and unwinds the tight little twin buns. Waves glide down past the bottom of that tiny shirt, swinging against her back as she scrubs her fingers through the locks.

She arches, stretching her arms above her head, relieving tension that’s obviously settled deep in her bones. Hell, the fact that she hasn’t fallen apart is a testament to her strength.

I swirl my glass, ice clinking against the sides.

Last night, I sipped whiskey sweetened with her honey. The whiskey in my glass tonight falls sadly short.

I have work to do, emails to respond to, shit to take care of but none of that interests me. All I want is to sit here and stare at the picture of innocence bathed in silk and moonbeams.

That’s a lie. I want to do a lot more than stare at her.

Before Alain barged in uninvited, I was fine—no, I was okay with doing what needed to be done. Debts are not allowed to stand, and selling her at auction is really the only way to clear what’s owed.

After seeing the way he leered at her, hearing the way he wanted to use her, I was rethinking that plan.

The moment it clicked for him just exactly who it was perched on my thigh, my stomach dropped out my ass.

I didn’t want to know what he was thinking, the vile thoughts running through his mind, but there was no doubt in my mind what they consisted of.

The things he would do to her, she’d never survive. And begging for death would get her nowhere. I told her as much, but seeing the glint in his eye, yeah, that was too much.

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