aving Alina in the suffocati

ulse hammering against her ribs. She had won-this time.

d strik

question

o stay calm. He wants you afraid. He

at the door m

n eyes sweeping over the untouched p

ake things easy for

hough it felt hollow. "

ng her head. "You t

t the table. "No. But I won't

ng unreadable passing through her gaze. Then

her few minutes, her bod

she

of waiting around f

d to unde

know the house-his world,

fight back, she n

That

il the mansion f

day locked in her room, no s

ugh to think he had forg

the door handle, her pu

also expected Lucia to leave someth

ly thing she ha

r. It had been subtle, but Alina had always been observant. And when L

e key in the lock

art po

en terrified. Mayb

y, she fe

eering down the dimly lit ha

teppe

ut, she had to be careful. She moved swiftly, keeping to t

ircase leading downstai

derstand him, she had

eep breath a

nt she reach

rabbed h

as firm, unyielding. She barely had time to re

r voice rumbled

ong it would take befo

omach

nt

is presence suffocati

ard, lifting her

sound. "Oh, wife," he murmured, hi

ake the rule