Chained - Zara Novak Page 0,4

the sound of water had in fact been tires on gravel. We were standing at the top of a huge driveway, in the shadow of a huge gothic castle that loomed over us like a sleeping giant.

“This is your house?” I gasped. I knew that crime paid well, but I couldn’t have expected anything like this. Countless stories and windows stretched out before me. Towers and spires forked into the night sky, looking like a castle from some gothic fairy tale. It was impossible to say where we were because I had blacked out, but judging from the sprawling forest and mountains surrounding us, I was very far from home.

“Come,” he said, while still holding my hand. We started across the gravel, made our way up a tall set of stone stairs and through an open set of dark wooden doors. Breath left me as we stepped inside. We were standing in a huge hall lined with hundreds of candles. I looked up and saw an arched ceiling above us, which had to be easily thirty feet above me.

The interior was gloomy, in a way that was both dramatic and intriguing. Gothic detailing covered the dark stone ceiling and walls. A huge iron candelabra hung from the center of the ceiling. It alone had to have hundreds of candles. Checkered marble tiles stretched out across the floor, making me feel like a piece on a large chessboard.

Did I have any way of winning this game?

Vincent didn’t pause to let me take in the scenery. He held my hand firmly as we walked the length of the hallway. We had nearly reached the doors at the far end when he turned and took me down one of the many branching corridors. I followed him up stone staircases and through a weaving labyrinth of hallways.

Just how big was this place?

My vampire captor led further up into the castle, leading me deeper into the dark maze that was going to hold me. I couldn’t have memorized the way even if I wanted to, there were so many twists and turns it would be impossible to find my way out of here.

Our journey finally ended at a large black wooden door with small iron studs running across the surface. Vincent pulled out a long grey key and opened the door. The hinges creaked as he pushed the door open. We stepped inside and were met with a blank stone room.

The room was completely empty except for a torch sitting in a sconce beside the door. Vincent snapped his fingers and the torch ignited, throwing light across the room, further highlighting how empty it was.

“This is your new home,” he said, gesturing across the room with his hand. My heart dropped as he said the words. He couldn’t really be serious. Could he? I had to look at the surroundings again and really take in the space now that I knew I would be living here.

Although it was a good size, there was nothing homely about this space. The blank stone floor and walls were more like a prison cell than a bedroom. It looked like there had once been windows in the room, but they had been boarded up with black wood and nailed shut.

“You’re kidding,” I said, my own words misting on the air from the room’s lack of warmth. I was still wearing the same clothes from my apartment, a strap top and a knee-length skirt. My skin was already covered in goosebumps from the castle’s cool atmosphere.

He turned towards me, a dark expression surrounding those blazing red eyes. “Don’t forget why you’re here,” he said calmly, though his voice sounded like a faint growl. “You betrayed me, and you will now pay the price. If you didn’t have a use, you would already be gone. Don’t forget that.”

Vincent then turned and started for the door, leaving me alone in the cell. I called after him before he could leave.

“What is my use?” I called after him. “Making you an heir? Why me? I’ve never even had a child. I don’t know if I can. You could use any woman for that.”

He stopped mid-step, his body spinning around on the spot in a movement that looked supernatural and wholly impossible. He moved forward across the stone, his legs staying completely still, looking like they were gliding over ice.

His hand closed around my throat and he pushed me up against the cold wall, lifting me off the floor. “Don’t presume to tell me