Bought By The Beast

heavy and warm hand fo

pushed it aw

e, as if he was giving me room to panic a

ut the win

llion dollars," I

on the dark road

n't understand. You came to tha

es

hy

lternative was

seemed to go on forever. Trees pressed close on both sides,

reetl

her h

and miles

dump the body. The thought should

here," Ca

er

st wh

om

o

call wherever we

estate rose from the night... all stone and sharp angles, more fortress than home. Gothic a

Thornhold,"

ouble doors that looked like

st, then offer

and climbed o

id

ravel. Fear, exhaustion, adrenaline... apparently my

me before I h

," he

m f

ear

d argue, the

ties, dressed in dark gray from throat to w

re the guest room. Something

s,

st

his

chest loosened

ad made of iron and glass. Everything about Thornhold was expensive, but none of it felt so

nd stayed at my lower back, stea

belonged in a palace. Upstairs, a long hallway stretched

e was so complete I cou

third door on the

you'll stay ton

already burning, floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking grounds swallowed by darkness, a bat

too p

hat unsett

he lu

read

ave you kno

oulder against the do

. "This already prepared room. The fire. The

hange, but something sh

eks," h

still.

auction network six weeks ago. Before that, I had p

him. "You

, I

ave shocked me more than it

me earlier, you let me

uld have moved you, hidden you, or sold you somewhere I couldn't reach in

ought me

es

proper

y move that k

cause he didn't dress them

the t

t part of m

tea, bread, fruit, and water. She set it down

d until the d

u look like you're

st happene

moved. It was not a smil

do. It was hot enough to sting my palms. Good. I welcomed

pens now?

, you st

tomor

start answer

ch

ing to put you on an auctio

the cup. "You already know i

ice dropped.

ed for

dn't

I don't understand," I said. "Maybe stop spea

you everything

like anothe

t

laugh. "At least you

cup in my hands, then

" he said. "And don't op

"Just you?

errible incident if

e bothered me more t

hink they'd m

e Marcus don't l

de to leave be

on mine... silver

make it pas

t in those words,

tea, buying myself

that s

not as much as what's

d toward

spi

pau

are

ed back

the room seemed to ho

answer to that ques

lready

readable cro

aid quietly

hone

and whatever had been in

said into

everal seconds, n

gaze sn

y he

bathroom and shut

he room, teacup still in m

l was happen

f, taken to a fortress in the middle of nowhere, and told to lock the

e wors

rt of me felt safer he

room doo

into the room, h

he said. "We

e air out of me. "Wh

ust put a fifty-million-d

I thought I'd

... mi

or a

ed around the teac

es

came out sharper than

didn't le

ice was flat now, dangerous in a

d have com

did

the large roo

u know tha

to check." Caspian crossed the room and took the cup

are we

down and turn

l me why Marcus Thorne wants yo

he took my arm and pu

. the fire, the untouched bread,

less than

Thornhold h

oor, and I followed him o