XX: Secrets

-Kira-

My eyes adjust to the dark and the smell of dampness, dust, and decay cause me to sneeze three times in a row and then cough. I don’t know where I am, and the chill in the air sends a shiver down my spine. I’m without the protection of my mother’s gem now, and without it, I feel so lost.

“When Arkyn would leave for days on end, I decided to explore the estate and found this wine cellar,” Jade says, looking back at me with a grin. “Alpha Fenriz really knows where to keep the good stuff.”

“And you’d sit here alone? The dust is causing my throat to be all scratchy,” I say, and cough for added measure. “Is there a reason you’ve brought me down here?”

“You’ll see,” she says just as we reach the end of the winding stone staircase and the interior of a vast wine cellar appears. There’s no dust or decay down here. In fact, it looks like an entertainment area with expensive furniture, crystal decanters on tall tables, and an extensive wine cellar off to the side.

My eyes widen. “Wow!”