Page 17 (1/2)

She stares at uards, and they quickly walk off and close the door behind them

“No … you’re a woed to enthrall a very specialmy cheek, and the sudden shift in personality chokes me up for a moment “Tell me, what is it that you see in him?”

My cheeks flush “I don’t see any—”

“Of course you do, honey,” she barks “Why else would he be so infatuated with you?”

“I was his prisoner,” I say “Nothing more”

“Yet he’s been searching for you nonstop ever since you escaped his claws”

My eyes widen “Hoould you know?”

She cackles “You really are naïve, aren’t you? You think Marcello is the only one with eyes and ears all over the city?” She raises a brow “Or did you think one of uards just happened to stumble onto you, hmm?”

It’s getting too hot under“What do you want from me?”

“Tella strand of er “Why is he so interested in you?”

“I don’t know … I …”

“Think hard,” she ret what you tell me”

I gulp and think back to everything Marcello toldfiancée springs to mind “I think he said I reminded him of Alannah”

“Alannah?” Her pupils dilate, and her nostrils flare, but she instantly regains her co No wonder he took you in”

I don’t like where this is going She’s fishing for inforht Even if I once considered her my mother, I don’t think I can trust her Maybe I never could Theto talk I don’t want to betray hiuy too, he soht now

I straighten my back “I don’t understand why any of this ht?”

Her eyes narrow, and a tepid but dangerous s I want you to see”

She walks toward the door and says, “Unlock it”

The guards open the door and let her out, and she glances at aze I don’t think I should defy her Not now

So I s my fears and follow suit

She takes me downstairs and underneath, where there’s a hidden door that leads into a gri basement The walls are covered in webs, dust litters the floor, and the loe go, the harder it becomes to breathe Doesn’t feel like they air this place out very often

However, theentirely

There’s a man strapped to a chair, blindfolded with his arun to his head