The passage was gloomier than she'd assumed.
She looked over her shoulder before crossing the door. Of course, Tristan appeared asleep. Lithe form spread out over the couch and nimble legs crossed on the table.
Was he seriously not even concerned that she could escape?
Audrey didn't know whether that was a good or bad thing, but she gave herself no time to think about it.
Moving close to the wall, she hugged the cold hard surface and felt her way farther out. Her bare feet inching over the chilly floor which stabbed the soles of her feet like a million needles.
Why was it so dark? This was obviously a house where people lived. How could they survive in a place so cold, naked and dark?
How she longed for her cozy room in the small bungalow she shared with Marissa. Everywhere had a story to tell with how much filled up it was. Not like this!
On reaching what seemed like a landing, she groaned in pain as her toes collided with something hard, almost sending her toppling over the railing from the shock.
Tears stung her eyes from barely suppressed frustration. She refused to waddle in her misery, though. She had to get out of here. They had abducted her while unconscious. Now she was awake. It would take iron bars and chains to keep her.
The stairs, what she could make of it from the dim light filtering in through the thick veils of curtains over the windows, offered nothing of what waited for her down there.
Stilling herself, she listened for sounds of life. Other than the chirping of beetles outside and the whoosh of wind against trees, no other sounds peaked as interesting.
Could it be that the big, broody twin had gone out without his brother knowing?
This was her only chance to escape. With one asleep upstairs and the other away, there was no one around to stop her.
Hope renewed, she practically flew down the stairs and almost died from fright as something snagged the skirt of her wedding dress.
Heart thumping somewhere in her hips, she sighed in relief when she looked down to see it had only been the sharp point of a coat hanger. Or was that the branch of a plant? No idea.
She'd just freed herself when the atmosphere changed. Filled up with something wild.
Yes, the world around her was still gloomy. But the temperature went up a notch. Also, a familiar scent clouded every labored intake of breath she took.
It brought along thoughts of raging storm, of rich earth and woodsy trees. The tip of her tongue interpreted it as honey.
Audrey had never took notice of distinct scents of people until yesterday. Until them. Only the twin Alphas. What did that say about the whole mate controversy?
And this scent belonged to one person in the world.
Limbs trembling, she backed away until a wall stopped her. The heat inched closer, wilder until it burned like a furnace before her.
The heady scent struck sparks into her senses, becoming all she knew, all she wanted.
A tall, broad silhouette pulled free from the darkness, reaching out to place muscular arms on either side of her head, caging her in, flooring her completely from the intensity that its presence offered.
His eyes seemed to burn with a fire, a flame ready to be unleashed. As his head drew closer, his tantalizing breath sizzled warm over her face.
His sure silence, his controlled intensity, his obvious command were blows to her resolve. Her undoing.
His smooth cheek rubbed against her own, sending goosebumps all over her body. His nose caressed the fine skin of her neck, sniffing and exhaling. Setting off fireworks in her heart and down her core.
His broad shoulders were now down to her level. She couldn't stop herself from leaning closer, trying to get more of his fragrance, his heat and power.
"Do you have a death wish?"
Deckard's voice, husky and deep, vibrated through her as he spoke against her neck, his lips soft and full on her skin.
Her body trembled with mixture of excitement and fear. Warring emotions each fighting to get the upper hand.
"You should've stayed upstairs, Audrey."
His lips trailed across her collarbone, and up her neck.
A moan escaped her lips. She'd never felt anything like this before. Something wanted to explode out of her body. Her head was useless, her mind blank from all the sparks. Nothing but the man before her existed.
The kisses continued up to her neck and lapped at the lobe of her left ear before pulling away.
The intensity, the scent…Deckard disappeared just as quickly as he'd appeared.
She sagged against the wall, her chest rising and falling as if she'd just sprinted a mile.
The sparks lingered a few minutes before ebbing away, allowing her rational thoughts once again.
What the hell just happened to her?
She'd been escaping from this cruel house before he appeared. He'd done something to mess with her senses.
Yes, that was the only explanation. And no, she hadn't been disappointed when he pulled away. No, she'd not wanted those lips to touch her own, to break through the boundaries of her.
"I am leaving!"
She called into the darkness.
Nothing replied. No sound at all.
"Please, I just want to return to my life. I don't know how but you seem to have made a mistake." She inhaled. "I am not your mate."
Still no reply. How frustrating. Unnerving because she knew he was still in here. Hiding somewhere. Watching her every move.
She grinded her teeth. "Don't try to stop me again."
Well, if he wasn't going to say anything, she might as well take her leave.
Somehow, she managed to find her way out of the room without impaling herself on anything or further encounters with the big bad brother.
She raced across the hallway and turned the handle of the front door. It twisted. She pulled at it hard, hope fueling her muscles.
The cold air of twilight embraced her. The sun had long gone down and night was happily taking over the sky.
Her feet propelled her across some sort of wide patio before sinking into raw earth.
There were trees everywhere. Tall and shady ones stretched on as far as she could see.
Looking back, she discovered that the house stood higher than even the tallest tree. More a manor than anything else. A sprawling mansion of marble walls, graceful windows and regality. It had victorian written all over it.
This was the kind of house that held maidens against their will. That hosted terrible beasts with cold hearts and ancient histories so dark that none dared disturbed them.
Audrey saw no other option.
Bunching up the skirt of her wedding dress, she ran into the woods.