Page 119 of Chain Me

“I can help her,” Dublin insisted. But his eyes were averted away from me, his voice cold. In silence, he retreated and the sight of his back lingered even after my vision blurred with tears.

A Dangerous Game

“You sold your soul to Raphael for more time than she could ever outlive.”

Mero’s return could have been a cruel nightmare, easily banished as I awoke in my bed to brilliant sunlight. The old Eleanor would have certainly taken that lifeline—ignorance.

Denial.

She would have pushed the terror to the back of her mind and merrily embraced her terminal cancer.

But I couldn’t. Ten years had never seemed so daunting a timespan. Or so little.

And if Raphael’s power could extend over Dublin the way his power had controlled Yulia, I didn’t have to try hard to imagine what awaited us both as soon as my pathetic hold on his soul came to an end.

Moving as stiffly as an old woman, I stood, cradling my belly with the flat of my hand. Tears burned behind my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. Instead, I wandered the manor in a daze, finding no one in the upstairs hall.

Though I’d sensed his presence in my room throughout the night, it was as though Dublin were intentionally avoiding me now. My sole company was Dmitri, who was lurking within the main drawing room, reading a book as I wandered past.

“Morning,” he groused, biting his lower lip. “Before you panic, your Dublin is nearby. In fact, he politely informed me that my services are no longer needed.” He did his best to parrot Dublin’s raspy baritone, but even then, his voice wasn’t anywhere near deep enough. “Alas, I am waiting for my jet to be refueled…” He trailed off and looked up from his book, eyeing my face with a raised eyebrow. “What is it, my dear?”

“I need a favor.” I crossed my arms, too exhausted to put effort to even attempt to intimidate him. So I improvised. “Deny me and I’ll tell Dublin you tried to touch me in my sleep.”

“Oh?” He set his book aside, his head cocked. “However can I help you?”

“Don’t pretend like you don’t already have a price in mind. Name it.”

He smirked. “You misunderstand me, my dear. I know when exactly my services will be repaid. Everything I’ve done hasn’t been foryou.” He eyed my stomach and reached out, boldly brushing his fingers against my abdomen. Even as I jerked beyond his reach, he kept his hand extended, chuckling. “It’s been forher. My, what an interesting creature she will be. I would think of myself as her godfather of sorts. I am sure she will repay me more than enough for all of my exertions.”

“What makes you think I wouldn’t kill you before you could ever touch her?” Both hands shielded my stomach now.

His smile widened further. “Of course, my dear. I have no doubt that you could… Now, what did you want?”

“I need a distraction,” I said hoarsely, choosing to overlook his assertion for now. “A very big distraction.”

“Ah. You wish to lure the wolf from his lamb.” His eyes narrowed, skeptical. “Ah, knowing his current mood, I suspect you plan to deceive him for good reason?”

“Can you do it or not?”

He frowned, betraying genuine unease for once. “There are antics I could perform that would draw him away from you. In fact, they all tend to carry an uncomfortably high risk of my death.” He brushed his fingers along his throat.

And I bared mine in response, a dare in my tone. “Well, I suppose that’s the risk you’ll have to take, isn’t it?”

“My my.” A slow smile unfurled over his lips and he clapped his hands. “Oh, I do love this side of you! All right, you’ve convinced me. I can buy you an hour.” He stood and approached the foyer. “But I will warn you that you should act quickly. And.” He grinned and nodded to his discarded book. “I’ve already taken the liberty of mapping out your destination should you require it. Call it a hunch.”

He wandered out of reach before I could demand an answer.

Not that I needed one.

This all felt like some twisted, unending game in which everyonebutme had a clear view of the gameboard.

The only way to win was to give in to the one impulse that had never steered me wrong—stubborn childishness.

If I couldn’t play on their terms, I would merely have to upend the entire damn table in defiance of it all.

* * *

Iwas in my room when I finally heard it: a door slamming below, betraying a figure racing through the manor so quickly that I barely scrambled down the stairs in time to catch him.