Page 10 of The Beast of Ashwood Manor

When we came to the door of the room I had been in before, I pushed against him to break his firm grip, dropping my bag as I did.

“Stop!” I yelled, pulling away from him.

He turned on me, his eyes bulging. “What the hell were you thinking? Itoldyou not to go outside the manor!”

“I had to know if this was a dream!” I retorted.

Gil growled. Taking my arms in his hands, he turned them up. “Is this enough proof for you?”

I glanced down to see the pricks and cuts that had bled all over the place—all along my arms, my hands, into my shirt.

My heart slowing, I now felt the stings, thepainof such a thing, throbbing against the warm air. The only pain I had ever experienced in my dreams was emotional. Shaking, I looked up at Gil. “This is real,” I whispered.

His eyes softened. “Yes,” he replied. “As real as you and me. Now, please come in here.”

“My lord, shall I fetch clean water?” Annie’s voice came from the doorway.

“Yes, and a new shirt,” Gil said.

“Of course, my lord.” Her footsteps faded down the hall.

“Mary, thank you for informing me of his leave,” Gil said, nodding at her. “You may go back to bed.”

“Yes, my lord.” She bowed her head at him, glancing at me briefly before turning for her room down the hall.

Gil took up my suitcase, and I followed him back to my room.

“Let’s take this off,” he said, tugging at my shirt.

I took in a deep breath and moved away from him. “Why?” I asked.

Gil raised an eyebrow. “To be washed. You’ve bled all over it. Unless you wish to sleep in it?”

Trembling, I pulled my shirt out of my trousers and unbuttoned it enough to draw over my head. The cold air sent goosebumps along my arms. I looked away from him, feeling modest. Thankfully, Annie returned with a bowl of water and a shirt so I didn’t have to be alone with him like this.

“Build up a fire, Annie,” Gil told her, his voice gentle. “Please.”

I glanced from Gil to Annie. He was demanding with those he said weren’t servants, but then he’d add kind words or ask them nicely to do something instead.

Gil nodded at me. “Sit down, and I’ll wash your arms.”

“I don’t need help.”

“I want to talk to you about what happened.”

Sighing, I sat in one of the chairs near the fireplace. Gil sat in the other, and I spread my arms across an end table between us. Taking the bowl, he dipped the rag in and wrung it out before taking my hand in his. I jumped slightly at how cold his fingers were, then I winced as he dabbed along my arm, wiping away the blood. Most of it had only been drips from the scratches the birds had made with their talons and beaks, but some of them had been deep enough for the skin to come off and remain red in places.

“This is why you never leave the manor, Cale,” Gil told me. “If you think those birds are the worst you’ll come across, you’re wrong. Ashwood is a nightmarish place, full of monsters more evil than that. They won’t take mercy on you.” He dabbed along my other arm. “They will kill you. Understand?”

My eyes found his, and I nodded. Finding myself slumping, I straightened up, feeling stiff as he wiped my hand.

He heaved a sigh. “Gotta say, I didn’t think you’d be brave enough to go into those woods alone at night. Or maybe you were just foolish.”

My jaw tightened, and I looked down, my cheeks going hot. I glanced over at Annie, who’d finished getting the fire up. The orange flames began to warm the room.

“As much as I don’t want to stay in here all night, I feel I have no choice.” Gil got to his feet and made his way to the hearth.

“I don’t need a babysitter,” I said.

---