Page 23 of Tall, Dark & Horny

After setting down his fork and knife, Adan prodded, “I want to know more about you and your world.”

I hesitated, unsure where to start. But something about the quiet, steady way he looked at me made it easier to speak.

“My mom raised me alone. She had me after a one-night stand. Said she never even got the guy’s last name. Just that he was gorgeous and mysterious, and she was young and reckless.”

Adan’s expression didn’t shift, but the way his fingers stilled around his coffee mug told me he was listening intently.

“She was amazing, though. Did her best. We didn’t have much, but I never really felt like I was missing anything until she got sick.”

His hand came to rest gently on my knee, grounding me.

“She died two years ago. Cancer. It was fast. I stayed with her until the end.”

Adan didn’t speak, just let the silence stretch gently around us. I hated talking about my mom, but I felt safe here, like I didn’t have to fill the air with words unless I wanted to.

“When she was gone, I had this moment where I realized nothing was holding me in place. No reason to follow a normal path, go to college, settle down somewhere. It felt like the world had cracked open, and I could go anywhere. So I did.”

He wrapped his arm around my shoulders, his voice low. “You don’t have to keep running anymore, Calliope. Not unless you want to.”

Something shifted in my chest. Like the hollow places in me weren’t so empty anymore. I didn’t know if The Abyss would become my new home, but I was starting to believe it was possible.

After I took one last bite of quiche, I slipped out of bed and padded toward the bathroom. A quick shower and a fresh change of clothes later, I felt a little more like myself. Or at least, the version of who I was before I walked into The Abyss.

Adan waited near the door, fully dressed again and watching me with a gaze that said he was more interested in climbing back into bed.

“You keep looking at me like that, and we’ll never leave this suite.”

“Don’t tempt me,” he growled but offered his hand. “Come on. There’s more I want to show you.”

He led me through hallways I hadn’t seen the night before. A conservatory lit by a glowing orb overhead, casting a warm, sunlike glow over the flowers below. Including deep purple lilies—one of which he plucked and tucked behind my ear. A library with books that hummed faintly, as though they were whispering secrets. A vaulted lounge with floating lanterns drifting lazily beneath a skylit ceiling.

“I’m beginning to think this place is one giant illusion,” I teased as we paused outside a gilded gallery room.

Before he could respond, a faint chime echoed through the air. Adan’s expression shifted.

“I need to check something at the front desk.” He brushed a kiss against my cheek. “I’ll come find you as soon as I can.”

I stayed in the same general corridor, letting my fingers trail over the carved stone as I walked. The hotel was quieter now, the soft echo of my sandals barely carrying over the distant hum of magic in the walls.

I hadn’t planned to wander far, but something tugged at me. The gentle pull wasn’t physical. It was more like the flicker of a thought I couldn’t shake.

I turned a corner I didn’t recognize, then another. And that’s when I saw it. The black door.

I stopped short, my breath catching in my throat.

This wasn’t the same hallway we’d visited last night. I was sure of it. Yet there it was. A chill slid down my spine.

I should’ve turned around. Walked in the other direction and waited for Adan to find me far, far away from the door he’d warned me about. But my feet didn’t move. Not the right way, at least.

I stepped closer, barely breathing. My fingers lifted before I could stop them. I pressed my palm flat against the black surface…and it swung open.

11

ADAN

The moment the wards shrieked in my blood with that specific frequency, I knew exactly which door had opened.

I didn’t wait. Didn’t speak. Barely breathed.

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