Page 110 of The Monster of Hotel No. 7
My breath catches in my throat and I stand this time, legs shaky.
I want to run to Sullen, but I need to protect him, too. He’s at his most vulnerable right now, and he must trust me a little to even shower at all, knowing there’s only an unlocked door between us.
I swallow hard, taking one step forward on the soft gray carpeting, blinking as I focus on the light beneath the door, waiting to see if any movement occurs in the hallway.
They’ll find us here eventually, but I didn’t think it would be just yet.
I wait a minute, maybe more.
There’s no one out there. No more sounds.
But the flimsy lock set in the door suddenly doesn’t seem enough.
Fuck this.
I dart for the bookshelf, pivot to the side of it, then plant my palms against the wood, my soggy bandage catching on the hard surface. I dig my socked feet into the carpet andpush,my shoulder lancing in pain, but the narrow bookcase moves, sliding along the floor. Relief spears through me and I keep shifting it even as my shoulder throbs. I don’t stop until it’s directly in front of the door, covering the knob.
It won’t stop someone hellbent on murdering us, but it will slow them down. Besides, we’re only on the second floor. If we had to, we could open the window and… jump.
I step back, admiring my work and feeling kind of proud.
I can still see a sliver of space beneath the door since the bookcase doesn’t cover it completely. And I swear the lights in the hall flicker for a moment, plunging everything out there into darkness.
I step back, limbs shaky.
There are no lights on in here, but when I twist my head, I see the yellow glow is still there in the bathroom.
I’m drunk, I’m paranoid, I’m horny.
That’s all.
No one has found us yet.
Sullen didn’t know this place existed, so why would Stein come here so immediately? And I trust Maude and Cosmo and the rest to keep our secret, even if I shouldn’t.
Still… I don’t want to be in this space alone anymore.
Adrenaline is pumping too fast through my body, and I’m freaked out and I want to be nearhim.
I turn away from the door and stare at the bathroom instead, trying to imagine his broad, muscular body beneath the stream. How hot and fit he is, all those scars and injuries making him more beautiful as they map out the horrors of his life.
I curl my fingers into loose fists, holding onto the fantasy, attempting to calm myself and protect his boundaries both.
But I hear it again.
A creak from the hallway.
This time, when I dart a glance behind me,the lights in the hall are completely off.Pain lances down my shoulder with the sudden movement and I grit my teeth, but fuck this.
The lights don’t come back on.
I need to tell Sullen.
I stride over to the off-white bathroom door, the scent of soap reaching my nose. I take a deep breath, my chest rising and falling too fast. I think of the glowing green room. The rabbit slithering to the floor when I shattered the jar. The way Sullen pinned me down. How he injected a needle into my skin.
I shouldn’t go in here. He’s been warning me all along.
But I am shaking, especially as I look one more time, praying in my head the lights will be back on.
