Page 107 of Chain Me
Warily, I took the flask. One inhale of the liquid contained within and I forgot my doubt. It smelled like him—spice, ice and winter. After a hesitant sip revealed nothing alarming, I downed it entirely. Before I’d even finished swallowing the last drop, the flask fell from my grip.
I staggered, too sluggish to catch it. My eyelids were heavy as well, my body weighed down.
And before I knew it, I fell into oblivion.
She who Dares to Question…
Reality reasserted its presence with the aid of a million unnerving sounds. Wood creaking. Fabric swishing. A man pointedly clearing his throat.
“The drug should have worn off an hour ago,” he remarked, sounding somewhere between bored and concerned. “So either you’re ignoring my attempts to wake you or you’re really in mortal peril and require some lifesaving remedy. Either way, your lover will threaten to kill me if you don’t show signs of life soon.”
Ice fluttered across my cheek. A finger?
“I can hear your pulse racing,” its owner taunted. “Do hurry. I would hate for you to miss the show.”
I peeled my eyes open. As I blinked, my vision quickly adjusted, focusing on the beautiful creature watching me from a seated position nearby. Dmitri, his eyes flickering with mischief. Propped on his lap was a newspaper he was pretending to read while the two other occupants of the room argued nearby.
One of them I instantly recognized, his voice a growl. Dublin. He was standing near a wood-paneled wall at the back of a small, modestly decorated sitting room.
“I don’t want to fight with you,” he warned. Even in anger he seemed to be trying his best to refute the figure standing opposite him without shouting.
“You had no right!” the woman hissed, her musical accent beautiful even while shaking with rage. “How dare you even—” She broke off and flashed a strained but friendly smile in my direction. “Oh, hello, Eleanor. I’m glad you’re awake.” A heartbeat later, she rounded on Dublin again. “How dare you?” Raw pain sucked away some of the youth conveyed by her features. She looked old, aged overnight in a demure gray dress devoid of her usual flair. Her hair hung loosely around her face, swinging through the air as her hand lashed out and collided with Dublin’s jaw. “You hadnoright. And I don’t even get the courtesy of a full explanation—”
“I’m trying to explain now,” Dublin insisted. “If you would just listen—”
“Listen?” Yulia threw her head back and cackled. “What? Are you going to exert your ownership of me again?” Her tone was ice. “I have always trusted you with my life. You have never given me a reason not to. But if you ever yank me around like this again, you will no longer have a loyal servant to do your bidding. Goodbye,Eleanor.” With one last genuine smile in my direction, she stormed off through a nearby doorway.
“What happened?” I struggled to pull myself upright, staring after her.
“I happened,” Dmitri mused without looking up from the current page of his paper. “Dearest Yuliana seems to be unwilling to let bygones be bygones. Even if her beloved new master puts his boot to her backside.”
“Don’t.”
I shivered at the warning lacing Dublin’s tone and my gaze flickered to him. He was Mr. Contractor once again, reinforcing his ownership over a soul in his possession.
“Remember what I told you?”
“Yes,” Dmitri sighed, rustling his paper. His bright-teal suit diminished his attempts at seeming modest, however. As did his ever-present smirk. “No looking. No touching. No thinking—”
“And don’t you dare say her name, either—” Dublin broke off, finally seeming to notice me. He took a step toward me, his hand outstretched. “How do you feel?”
“Fine,” I croaked, still staring after Yulia. I sensed that her anger had something to do with the snippets of conversation I remembered before I’d drunk the drugged liquid.Smuggling,Dmitri had said.
I glanced down, noticing my surroundings for the first time. No longer were we in Raphael’s lair. There were windows, for one, revealing a view of emerald trees and blue sky. The décor lacked any serpentine accents, instead consisting of dark, muted colors and simplistic furniture. I lay outstretched on a leather couch matching the style of the chair Dmitri was occupying.
And from here, furious footsteps were audible, storming deeper within the structure.
“Is she all right—”
“She’s fine,” Dublin snapped.
“She’s upset. Is it because you made her help you take me from Raphael’s?”
“No,” Dublin admitted. “It’s a bit more complicated than that.”
“Complicated?” Dmitri folded up his paper and flashed a beautiful, chilling smile. “No, my dear. It wasn’t making her ‘escort’ you with her poor, old master. It wasorderingher to, utilizing the power of her contract. Even if she wanted to—which she very much did—she couldn’t resist a direct command. All to ensure that dear Eleanor Gray remained safe and sound. I suppose that’s the only reason why she hasn’t snuck a curse into your suit jacket yet,” he added, stroking the collar of his flamboyant jacket. “Nasty stuff. I know firsthand how devious her little brain can be—”
“Enough.” Teeth bared, Dublin shot him a withering glance. “Do I need to remind you again of your boundary?”
