At ten-thirty in the morning, I had already run out of ideas for planning my escape. Being stuck in the house was suffocating me, especially since I had no idea how Tracy and the others were coping. I opened the door, and peered out. It was either now or never. I ran a hand over my hair, feeling unsure of myself and hating it. The house was still silent as I slipped into the hall down the stairs, finally able to look at the house. It had the tallest ceiling I had ever seen, decorated by the most gorgeous crown moulding. Walking down the spiral staircase, I noticed another one to my right. They both led up to the second floor and met in the middle in an imperial staircase style. I held onto the wooden barrister and felt how smooth it was against my fingers. The mansion was immaculate with white sparkling marbles. I swallowed deeply. Everything was so large, large and expensive. Overwhelmed beyond relief, I considered going back to the room. There was a big Venetian-st

An hour later, and I had already run out of ideas for entertaining myself. Being stuck in a house wasn't fun, especially for someone like me who was always busy. Either at school, or at the orphanage. At the church choir or at the convent with the sisters. Unfortunately aside from a visit from the rude lady, I had been confined to the room. I needed to get outside, get a little fresh air, try to move beyond the circumstances I were in. Not easy to do when the circumstances never seemed to change. After nearly a week of being distanced from everyone, people were no closer to finding me. Which meant, of course, that they were no closer to finding father Reed's murderer. Things had been so quiet for the past few days, I was beginning to wonder if I'd actually been abducted. If not for the constant nightmares as a reminder and the fading bruises on my neck, I could almost believe there wasn't one. I sighed, shoving my hands into the black shirt I'd found in the closet and pulling

"Would you rather I make you?" I held my breath as her feminine scent was too much to take in. My eyes travelled down her slender neck to the gaping shirt, the swell of her breasts had me itching with the crazy need to mark her and make her mine. I turned my head before I lost all control. She was something else. Something off limits. "No, please." Her voice had a husky tone to it, like a siren to it called to my erection. "Why not?" I frowned, feeling quite frustrated with my reaction to her. "Are you scared? Of me?" To my surprise, Lydia nodded with vigor as she moved back again. But my resolve was already hardened. "Good. You should be." I walked farther towards her. She had unknowingly fuelled the beast in me; sparked the desire I'd never felt in a long time and I'd be damned if I let her go now. I slowly stood far too close behind her. Close enough that my shirt brushed her back and the scent of her wafted around me. She smelled like flowers, the scent feminine

I hesitated with my hand raised to knock on the closed door of the room Damien was using. Knowing him, it was also locked. I wanted to knock and talk with him but I didn't think he'd appreciate it. He hadn't seemed to want to see me, hadn't wanted to talk to me. He'd been away for thirty-six hours, and he was tired and ill. Ryan had said he'd been running a 103-degree fever, and that he was tired. All those things needed to be dealt with, but first I had to get home. That's where I'd wanted to go. Straight back to the convent. But no one was letting me go, they'd bluntly refused to let me leave. The next thing I had known, I was still stuck in the middle of nowhere. I touched the door, remembering what had happened the last time I'd stepped foot in there. I couldn't stop thinking about the events that played out. Pulling my spine straight, I rapped my knuckles on the door. It took longer than expected, but finally the door cracked opened. My heart jumped as I raised my

Damien took me to another store which was specific for exotic night wears and offers all the best brands under one roof. I moved to the racks to find some inner wears my size. Selected a black laced lingerie and getting into a changing room, I was about stripping when Damien walked in too. "Get out," I muttered under my breath, glaring daggers at him through the mirror in front of me. He had on a devilish smile on his face as he leaned to the wall behind. The changing room wasn't big like the one I had been to earlier, and with him inside it was more congested. I knew he wouldn't go out, and I didn't want to create attention from people outside. I stripped out of my clothes and slipped into the lingerie. Looking at the mirror the whole time, my cheeks blazed red as he looked at me without blinking an eye. I expected him to pass a comment like, try something else. But he moved close to me, his body closer to mine. "What do you see?" I gripped the surface. The ple