over the man’s forehead shook and he motioned to the marble door. “This is my place. The doorway to my world.”
He was darkness. I could feel it. I was certain he was responsible for the wind, what else was he capable of? He’d paralyzed my body, forced words out of my mouth and basically scared the crap out of me. What could we possibly do about him?
“You opened a forbidden gateway.” He said in a low rumble, practically a seductive purr.
“We didn’t know.” Robin’s usually loud voice was numbed.
“Yes, I see that. Now, you will have to come with me.”
I shook my head and noticed everyone else was too. “You can’t make us,” I said. It sounded feeble, even to me. Of course he could make us. We were helpless flies in honey.
The man in black laughed, actually threw his head back and laughed for several heartbeats. “If you stay, you’ll starve.” He swiped his hand as if he were decapitating all of us with his fingers. “I’ve given ample warning.”
Blinking away the numerous questions, I focused on one. “What warnings?”
Phoebe’s arms slapped to her sides. “Oh God.”
I thought she was going to mention the messages I had received, but instead she said. “I’m so sorry, I thought I was just imagining things…”
Read grabbed her shoulders, facing her before demanding. “Imagined what?”
“I thought…” Phoebe swallowed so hard I could hear it.
“When I got up here and shouted for you guys, I thought I saw myself, sitting in that chair.” she pointed to the one Cody had fallen in when we’d first arrived. “I was strapped in and there was blood.” She rubbed her forearms and hands. “And the writing on the wall…” her eyes shifted to me.
Read glanced at me before saying. “It’s ok, Phoebe, you didn’t know.” Turning his attention to the man in black he tried to take charge. “We didn’t know, alright? Just let us go, we’ll never come back, I promise. We’ll board up the room and never come back.”
Nodding in unison, our little group tightened together.
The hungry smirk on the beautiful man’s face gnawed at my insides.
“It’s too late for that,” he said. “Not only did I give a standard warning…”
“A standard warning?” Phoebe’s hands dropped from her mouth, her eyes filled with flames. “That was terrifying!”
Calmly, as if he hadn’t been interrupted, he continued. “A standard warning in accordance to the rules. Also, some of you sensed the doorway the minute you stepped into this room, my room.”
The dizziness and nausea…
I glanced at Cody who returned my pointed stare, affirming my suspicions.
“Then my grandpa didn’t write those words on the walls?” Aidan asked under his breath.
“Let me get this straight!” Phoebe’s demand overrode. “We opened a doorway to your world and now we have to go with you because of some rules we don’t know or even care about?” She paced the room but kept a safe distance from the shadow-man.
His eyes stalked Phoebe’s every step. “Because you opened the door you must face the Challenge.”
“A challenge?” Aidan repeated, strained.
The man in black nodded, his hair sweeping across his low brow as he did. “If you win, you can return home safe and sound. If you fail, you belong to me.”
“To you?” Aidan asked.
I twisted to see if Aidan was trying to piss him off. Instead I found myself staring at someone entirely different.
Aidan’s eyes were glassy. His mouth hung open and his already pallid skin had been drained of all conceivable color, including his lips.
“Yes, mine for eternity.”
“Yours?” Aidan’s echoed so soft that I barely heard him.
“Aidan?” My hand touched the top of his fingers and I prepared myself for the tingling sensation. When it didn’t happen, I curled my fingers around his hand, waiting for the sensation to shoot up my arm like before. I didn’t realize I was squeezing until he flinched and looked to me. Those
He was darkness. I could feel it. I was certain he was responsible for the wind, what else was he capable of? He’d paralyzed my body, forced words out of my mouth and basically scared the crap out of me. What could we possibly do about him?
“You opened a forbidden gateway.” He said in a low rumble, practically a seductive purr.
“We didn’t know.” Robin’s usually loud voice was numbed.
“Yes, I see that. Now, you will have to come with me.”
I shook my head and noticed everyone else was too. “You can’t make us,” I said. It sounded feeble, even to me. Of course he could make us. We were helpless flies in honey.
The man in black laughed, actually threw his head back and laughed for several heartbeats. “If you stay, you’ll starve.” He swiped his hand as if he were decapitating all of us with his fingers. “I’ve given ample warning.”
Blinking away the numerous questions, I focused on one. “What warnings?”
Phoebe’s arms slapped to her sides. “Oh God.”
I thought she was going to mention the messages I had received, but instead she said. “I’m so sorry, I thought I was just imagining things…”
Read grabbed her shoulders, facing her before demanding. “Imagined what?”
“I thought…” Phoebe swallowed so hard I could hear it.
“When I got up here and shouted for you guys, I thought I saw myself, sitting in that chair.” she pointed to the one Cody had fallen in when we’d first arrived. “I was strapped in and there was blood.” She rubbed her forearms and hands. “And the writing on the wall…” her eyes shifted to me.
Read glanced at me before saying. “It’s ok, Phoebe, you didn’t know.” Turning his attention to the man in black he tried to take charge. “We didn’t know, alright? Just let us go, we’ll never come back, I promise. We’ll board up the room and never come back.”
Nodding in unison, our little group tightened together.
The hungry smirk on the beautiful man’s face gnawed at my insides.
“It’s too late for that,” he said. “Not only did I give a standard warning…”
“A standard warning?” Phoebe’s hands dropped from her mouth, her eyes filled with flames. “That was terrifying!”
Calmly, as if he hadn’t been interrupted, he continued. “A standard warning in accordance to the rules. Also, some of you sensed the doorway the minute you stepped into this room, my room.”
The dizziness and nausea…
I glanced at Cody who returned my pointed stare, affirming my suspicions.
“Then my grandpa didn’t write those words on the walls?” Aidan asked under his breath.
“Let me get this straight!” Phoebe’s demand overrode. “We opened a doorway to your world and now we have to go with you because of some rules we don’t know or even care about?” She paced the room but kept a safe distance from the shadow-man.
His eyes stalked Phoebe’s every step. “Because you opened the door you must face the Challenge.”
“A challenge?” Aidan repeated, strained.
The man in black nodded, his hair sweeping across his low brow as he did. “If you win, you can return home safe and sound. If you fail, you belong to me.”
“To you?” Aidan asked.
I twisted to see if Aidan was trying to piss him off. Instead I found myself staring at someone entirely different.
Aidan’s eyes were glassy. His mouth hung open and his already pallid skin had been drained of all conceivable color, including his lips.
“Yes, mine for eternity.”
“Yours?” Aidan’s echoed so soft that I barely heard him.
“Aidan?” My hand touched the top of his fingers and I prepared myself for the tingling sensation. When it didn’t happen, I curled my fingers around his hand, waiting for the sensation to shoot up my arm like before. I didn’t realize I was squeezing until he flinched and looked to me. Those
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