too good.”
The words were followed by menacing laughter. I swung my head around and peered up toward the magic tree, shrieked when I saw Andrew’s loathsome face.
“You just made my night, sweetheart.”
Before I had time to think, he lunged from the tree, grabbed my ponytail and dragged me farther into the water. His cursed eyes were present, no sign of humanness in them. I didn’t bother fighting his hold on me. There was no hope for me now.
“You really think you can just stroll into the city of the undead and rescue your precious boyfriend?” He gave my head another hard yank as he stood behind me, his other arm clamped around my neck. We stood waist deep now, inches from the center of the swirling vortex.
“Please, don’t do this, Andrew, please—” I squirmed away from his fangs, felt his breath on the back of my neck.
“I’d love nothing more than to have you for dinner right now, but you’re good for more than just a meal at the moment, so you’re going to do me one last favor.”
“I can’t give you anything you want. I’m nothing to you.”
“No, you’re going to give me something I need.”
Trembling, I shut my eyes as he cupped his hand tightly over my mouth.
Jerking me forward, his body moved with mine as he plunged us into the fathomless abyss. Under water, I opened my eyes and to my surprise could see clearly; no muck or fog clouded my vision. Heavenly spirals of lucent magenta whirled around me, peaceful trails of bubbles floated toward the surface as spurts of air escaped my lips. The streams of vivid light brightened and the moon faded off into the distance, the surface of the water transforming into a bright, blinding white canvas as the earth shook beneath us. My feet were dragged toward the muddy, evolving floor, and the force pulled me farther and farther down, my body swept away like a rag doll. Wrapped in my attacker’s cocoon, I yielded to his perilous direction.
CHAPTER 15
Threshold
After plummeting down a narrow tunnel of dirt, soil, and roots of the earth, we crashed onto a cold black-and-white tile floor, struck it with a loud smack. I laid there drenched, puddles of water around me, unsure how long I’d been unconscious. We were in an underground passage of some sort, the ground above us low and threatening.
My head throbbed, and as I grabbed the back of it, I wondered if I’d broken any bones from the fall.
“Get up.” Andrew stood to his feet to jerk me to mine. Sore but able to stand, I quickly obeyed. Pulling me by the arm, he rushed me down the confined hall toward a set of stone steps in front of a jagged medieval-looking door made of wood and bones. I quivered at the gruesome sight, and distracted myself by looking at the cool rock walls and the archaic candelabra lanterns that hung eerily from them, dimly lighting the ancient path.
Andrew latched onto the crescent-shaped iron doorknob and gave it an aggressive tug, stepped back as a cloud of dust and dirt fumed around us. The heavy door creaked open and revealed an ashen sky and a vast perimeter of land that stretched toward a breathtaking imperial cathedral situated high on a hill. Directly in front of us, a dirt path led to the entrance of a gorgeous English garden, and an impressive maze of perfectly tidy trees.
“We won’t be needing this,” he said, pointed to the path. “Stay close, you wouldn’t want to wander off on your own around here. Much too dangerous.” He gave me a wink that sickened me.
“Where are you taking me?”
“I said the details aren’t important.”
“If you’re going to kill me, why not just get it over with?”
“Who said anything about killing you? Where’s the fun in that?” He turned to pick me up, then tossed me over his shoulder and leaped into the air, flew past the quaint maze entrance and over the vibrant green terrain toward the enormous castle.
I glanced at the lush grounds as they whizzed past us, mesmerized. The rich emerald hues popped against the pallid sky, and the incandescent scenery offered stark contrast to the dull, macabre skyline. It all made me shiver, knowing the fascination would be short lived. I was headed toward something sinister, and I didn’t need to look at Andrew as he carried me to be reminded of it. The classically beautiful architecture and landscape were exquisite, but far too beautiful