Page 62 of Dance with Death

“Oh.Oh.Yes. Actually…” Leo brushes past and gestures for the group to follow where he leads.

Vigo grabs Anya by the elbow, dragging her along beside him roughly, and I seethe as I follow behind Nikolai. Turning right from the alcove, we walk in the opposite direction of the ballroom. We turn left into a room two doors down.

It looks like a home office space, though it’s rather small considering the size of the estate.

Leo crosses the room, dodging furniture in close quarters, and moves behind the wooden desk that rests in the center. He bends to reach beneath it and the bookcase beside us suddenly swings open—a hidden door.

“We can put them down there. No need for supervision.”

“Show us.” Nikolai waves a hand, waiting for Leo to lead the way.

Leo gives a quick nod then rushes around toward us. He pulls the hidden door open wide, crosses the threshold, and we follow.

We’re cloaked in darkness just a few steps past the hidden entrance. When we come upon light again, it’s from a lantern-style fixture on the wall, lighting a path down a cement spiral staircase.

It’s like we’ve stepped back in time and entered a medieval fucking torture chamber. Coming off the staircase is literally like walking into a dungeon. It’s a wide square room with concrete walls and floors all around us.

Leo moves across the room and bends, picking up two large metal cuffs, much larger than the ankle cuffs in the bedrooms.

“These go around the neck safely,” Leo explains. “Will that do?”

Vigo puts his hand between Anya’s shoulder blades and shoves her forward, stepping after her as she stumbles. “Yes.”

“Don’t fucking put that on her,” I practically growl.

Nikolai pushes me forward after her. “Shut up.”

Anya is quiet and still, her tears and her blood slowing to a trickle as Leo positions the metal cuff. He closes it around her neck and secures it with a padlock in the front. A long, heavy chain dangles from the back, attached to a hook in the floor. It’s at least as long as she is tall.

Her hands come up to touch the metal collar, her fingers gripping around it, trying to slip in from the top and bottom—it looks like there’s at least some give and she won’t be strangled by it.

That grants me one small reason for relief, but it’s short lived to see how far she’s fallen into resignation. She doesn’t fight or complain. She just backs up against the wall and slumps, slowly sliding down the wall until she sits on the floor.

She’s given up and it fucking kills me.

I won’t fucking let her go through this alone.

I don’t fight, I don’t stall, I don’t argue.

I step forward, take the cuff from Leo, and put it around my own damn neck. I let him secure it with the padlock and immediately lower to sit beside my blue-eyed girl.

Fuck everyone.

“In a few hours, after we’ve taken care of business and decided collectively upon the appropriate measure, we will return to deliver Anya’s punishment.”

I wave my hand dismissively toward the staircase. “Fine. Fuck.Go.”

Vigo turns and stalks up the staircase without another beat. But Nikolai hesitates, looking at the both of us. My hand is twitching, aching to cross the two inches of space between us to touch her, hold her, hug her, kiss her.

But I won’t until they’re gone.

I won’t put her at risk like that.

Nikolai’s eyes narrow, flicking back and forth between us. There’s a contemplative look there that I don’t think he knows he’s sharing, but I see it.

He’s lost in the stare for a few moments before he finally shakes off the look. He turns away slowly and heads back up the spiral staircase. Leo finally follows after. I wait until I hear the hidden door at the top of the staircase click shut, and when I hear it, the lights lower to a faded dimness. They remain on, just faint, and Anya looks like a shadow beside me.

I reach my hand out to touch her, but she beats me to it. She falls sideways, leaning heavily against my shoulder. I feel heavier and lighter all at once. The air rushes out of my lungs as I angle toward her, wrapping my arms around her and pulling her close.

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