Ruin (Rhodes #1) - Rina Kent Page 0,44
his voice curt. “I will be out in a minute. Stop pestering me.” Then he hangs up.
Aaron’s eyes aren’t lifeless. The sight of their softness calms me against all logic.
“I’m a busy man, little mouse.” His hand brushes against my back and propels me forward.
Click.
The first thing I’m glad for is the large window from which sunlight beams to submerge the room.
No darkness anymore.
The space is filled with elegant, antique furnishing. Like in some Victorian painting. The bed sheets and the curtains, pulled from the window, have beige and caramel patterns. My feet move to the console at the opposite side of the bed. Plush mocha carpets swallow my feet. I remove the slippers and sigh when softness meets my flesh. This is heaven compared to the cold ground of the dungeons.
When I stand in front of the full-length mirror, I scowl. My face is a carnival of tear lines, my hair a tangled mess, and Aaron’s clothes swallow me, making me look homeless. I’m becoming an ugly creature both inside and out.
Ripping my gaze from the reflection, I turn to the window. My fingers latch around the handle to open the forged glass. It doesn’t move. After a few futile tries, I release it with a long sigh.
There’s no way to escape this. Not that I can jump from whatever floor this is.
Rays of sun heat my face, and I close my eyes, enjoying the exposure. When I open them again, I’m greeted by tall trees in the distance. I edge closer until my face glues to the glass. Is this a forest or something?
Down, what seems to be a back entrance of sorts. The undulant pavement of grey stones, outlined by bright grass, stretching for as long as my sight can go. More gigantic trees in the far distance.
Seriously. What is this place? Judging from the huge sub-terrain corridors and the imposing architecture above, this is either a manor or a palace. A fortress? I’m bad with differentiating those things.
Three black figures move at the faraway path. I squint to identify what they are. Once they get close, shapes of hands and legs come into view.
People!
“Help!” I scream at the top of my lungs, banging on the solid glass with both hands. “Help—”
My shouts are interrupted when the door to my room clicks open then shut.
“Please stop doing that, Miss.”
My head cranes to the monotonous voice of a man. He stands by the closed door, his bulk swallowing the frame. The palest blue eyes consider me with an apparent softness.
“Who are you?” I ask the first human being I’ve encountered since I came to this place. Aaron doesn’t count. He’s not human.
“My name is Kane.” Despite his neutral voice, nothing about it is threatening. “I’m here to take care of your needs per His Lordship’s orders.”
His Lordship? Am I really subjugated to an aristocrat?
One with no nobility whatsoever.
“That’s it, I’m doomed.”
“I beg your pardon?” he asks.
Looking into his welcoming features, I relax a little. “What’s Aaron’s exact title? An earl? A lord? Is his father a duke?”
“I cannot answer any of your questions, Miss. I’ll order your meal. Is there anything specific you want?”
“I want to get out of here,” I plead. “He kidnapped me, Kane. He snatched me from my loving family and friends. I’m losing myself little by little in this place. If you don’t help me, he’ll kill me.”
I don’t know why I’m telling a stranger all this. Maybe because of the sympathetic look in his gaze, but most likely it’s because the fact that he’s my only hope to regain my freedom.
His eyes ease further. “I’m afraid I can’t do that, Miss. I’m only a servant.”
My shoulders sag, long breaths leave my lips. Another option out of the window. Kane seems too loyal to His psycho Lordship.
He turns to leave but stops at the door. “And miss, the men you called for help are His Lordship’s guards. When he finds out about this incident, it won’t please him. I suggest you don’t entice his anger.”
Oh. Great.
I just angered Aaron.
Chapter Thirteen
Aaron
The directors’ board meeting sucked my soul into a cycle of infuriating boredom.
I have an hour for lunch before the afternoon’s briefing with foreign partners. Spending my break with Tristan and Dylan is not an option. I’m already