Page 123 of Unorthodox
Before I fell asleep, the door was shut and locked from the outside by the new guard.
But now the door…it’s open.
The nightmare.
It had been Uncle Cade. Danik.
Pine.
I inhale again, focusing.
I can smell it. Probably from the floor outside, in the hall. The scent hasn’t been completely removed from this house, and I know Mamie likes to clean with it. Max forbade it from being used in my room, but the rest of the house is coated in it.
And if my door is open…
Slowly, silently, I fling off my covers.
Careful to distribute my weight evenly on the wooden floors, I take quiet steps toward the door. In the dark, I can see nothing beyond it. But there should be a guard.
There should be a guard.
My heart thumps wildly in my chest, and I hold my breath as I reach the door.
For some reason, the image of Max with a gun to his head flashes in my mind. I think about how it hurt, seeing his finger on the trigger. How, despite knowing what he is, I wanted nothing more than for him to lower that gun.
A sense of foreboding tightens in my gut.
I try to push those memories away.
Stupid, stupid girl.
A few days later, he left me.
Blamed me for it.
Let someone hurt me.
But then he killed him for me.
And he came as close to crying as he probably ever does, his head in his hands.
I shove it all aside even as my fingers drift to my face, down my throat, over the faded bruises. Dropping my hand, I reach for the knob of my door, and I stand in the darkness, listening.
Waiting.
The only sound is the too-fast beat of my heart.
I pull the door open completely, staring out into the dark hallway.
Letting go of the doorknob, taking one cautious step after another, I come out into the corridor, where my guard should be.
The scent of pine is stronger here, but I force myself not to think about it. Just like I won’t think about Max.
A soft blue light flicks on with my movement. My father had those—motion activated lights.
Looking to the left, I see nothing.
But when I turn to the right, I almost scream again.
