Page 69 of Horror and Chill

“Really?” I mutter. “The human wall routine?”

“You’ll thank me if you try it,” he says.

I glare at him, heat crawling up my neck. He’s right. And I hate it.

Evander tilts his head toward the hall. “Come on.”

My heart stutters.They’re really going to let me out.

Corwin hops down from the bed, grinning wide. “This’ll be good.”

Garron moves just enough to let me through. My shoulder brushes his chest, solid and immovable. I keep going.

The hallway stretches narrow, wood-paneled, lined with family photos I don’t bother to study. The air smells like cedar and ash. My pulse thunders in my throat.

“Keep moving,” Evander says behind me.

I do. Down the stairs, into the main room. The cabin is bigger than I expected. A stone fireplace, couches with worn cushions, a table scattered with crumbs. My eyes dart to the windows. Covered. Every one of them.

“Test them if you want,” Corwin says. “Already locked.”

I don’t give him the satisfaction. I keep walking, memorizing. Every corner, every creak, every obstacle between me and the door.

And yet—there’s something else in the pit of my stomach. My chin tips higher, my eyes linger longer, like I’m not trapped but inspecting my new kingdom. Their eyes follow me—three sets, three storms—and for the first time I feel the power of that. Queens are not handed crowns. Queens take them.

“See?” Evander says. “She’s not running.”

“Yet,” Corwin mutters.

I turn to face them, arms crossed tight. “What’s the point of this? Some little trust exercise? Let the pet sniff the perimeter before you yank the leash again?”

Evander’s eyes meet mine, calm, steady. “To see what you’ll do with choice.”

I laugh, harshly. “And if I choose the door?”

Corwin’s grin flashes sharp. “Then we get to chase, and when we catch you, I might give you another new piercing.”

My pulse spikes, and a shiver rolls through my body. I want to spit at them. I want to run. I want to stay. I hate myself for all of it.

I draw a long breath and lift my chin. “Fine. You wanted me walking. I’ve walked. Now what?”

Evander’s lips curve, the smallest smirk. “Now you tell us what you want.”

27

Garron

She walksthe cabin like it belongs to her, bare feet moving across the boards, chin high, daring us to stop her. I don’t. None of us do. I watch instead. The set of her shoulders. The way her wrists are still red from the cuffs but she doesn’t rub them like she’s sore. She lets the marks show like proof. Strong. Fierce. Smarter than she wants us to believe.

Corwin lounges against the wall, arms crossed, grin wide, waiting for her to slip. Evander stays close, steady, but I can tell he’s guiding her, testing. That’s what he does best.

She pauses at the couch, then lowers herself onto it like a queen choosing a throne. Her smirk cuts sharp. “I want to know the rules.”

I raise a brow. “What do you mean, rules?”

She leans back, crosses one leg over the other, eyes bright with fire. “I mean you’re obviously not letting me leave here. But I have to get back to work. I can’t just not show up to school on Tuesday.”

The word hits. Tuesday. Not Monday. I see Corwin tilt his head. Evander’s eyes narrow just enough. She catches it instantly; her smile widening.