Chapter 11: The Castle

My eyes flash open, pulling me out of a terrifying dream of shadowy creatures with red, glowing eyes. I try to shake off the horrific images. I'm on a sofa or maybe a bed; something soft. I can hear whispering or maybe someone praying.

Mentally pushing away the layer of cobwebs from what feels like years of sleeping, I have to squint and refocus when I look to my right. The whispering is coming from Dominic, who is kneeling next to the bed. He looks up as if he knows I'm awake and nods once before taking a few steps back.

Did he just bow?

"How are you feeling?" he asks softly.

I'm not worried about my health as much as I'm curious where we are. The stone walls are at least two stories high, with windows reaching from floor to ceiling. Totally different than the cold, damp cave we just left.

"Where are we?" I ask, attempting to pull myself out of the bed.

"Do not try to get up. You must take it slowly," he says, coming a little closer.

My brows push together before he goes on. "You were treated for shock and have been asleep for almost ten hours."

Huh?

I let my head fall back onto a stack of pillows, shifting when something bright catches my eye. Blazing sparks fly from the biggest, most gorgeous fireplace I've ever seen. The dancing flames highlight panel after panel of heavy drapery hanging from the impossibly high ceiling, the light enhancing the rich tones of reds, golds, and purples. Between them are layers of thick rock, shining candelabras lighting up the room on either side. To my right, massively carved doors hint that there's way more beyond this.

My hands automatically spread over what looks and feels like pure silk, covering me to my waist. I'm not on just any bed or sofa. I'm in the most beautifully draped four-poster bed I've ever laid eyes on.

This is unbelievable.

I've never, ever seen anything like this and the more I think about it, the more I wonder how the hell we got to the freaking Ritz Carlton.

Dominic pulls back his hood. "You are safe but you still need rest."

"Where are we? Will I be sleeping here tonight?" I ask, watching the corners of his lips curl into a smile.

Um, did I say something funny?

He takes another step toward me and I'm captivated by his masculine stride, barely noticing that I'm holding my breath when he reaches for my hand. Even though I'm no longer frightened of him, he's still an enormous man. The warmth of his touch mixed with the smell of his skin piques an even deeper desire inside me. It's all I can do not to wrap my arms around his neck and pull him close.

"This is our home," he whispers.

Our home?

When he smiles again it hits me. Somehow, he knows what I'm thinking. Or at least he does right now. Didn't Zack say that the bond we share...?

Holy crap, can he actually read my thoughts or just feel my emotions?

I'm instantly embarrassed and have to look away, but Dominic takes my other hand and I automatically gaze up into his reddish-brown eyes.

"I am pleased that you desire me. I have waited so," he takes in a quick breath, "so very long for you..."

His intense stare practically drips with passion, making it clear that he means every word. I have to blink a few times to keep from getting dizzy. Zack was right. I can feel his emotions, too, and the growing pit in my stomach reminds me of it.

"Get some rest," he says, letting go of my hands.

Is he serious? I've been sleeping for hours.

"You're leaving?" I ask as calmly as I can, trying to mask how badly I want him to stay.

A small smile spreads across his lips again. "I will not be far. Your brother and I have a few things to take care of," he says in a low, hushed voice, nodding his head once before turning away.

My eyes follow his large, athletic frame as he walks out the gigantic wooden door, closing it behind him. I miss him already. It's like I have an insatiable thirst-no, hunger-for his touch. I want to be near him without interruption.

Jesus, get ahold of yourself, Kate.

An unexpected vibration from underneath me scatters my thoughts and I automatically reach for my back pocket.

No way...is that my phone?

I nearly drop it trying to get the screen to light up. Six missed calls and thirteen texts. Most of them from Aunt Kelly but a few from Skylar.

Without thinking, I hit the redial button and before it starts ringing, Aunt Kelly is on the line, already asking questions.

"Kate, where are you-are you okay?" The urgency in her voice is palpable. "Are you safe?"

"Yes, I'm okay but, I...I'm not sure." My eyes drift around the room again. Might as well tell her the truth. "I'm in some kind of fancy hotel that looks more like a freaking castle."

"Castle?" she says, and I can hear the tremor in her voice.

"What's going on? Aunt Kelly? Are you crying?" I ask, hoping I'm wrong. "I'm okay. Everything is okay."

She doesn't answer right away but I can hear her choke back tears. "It's-it's John," she finally says. "He left sometime during the night. I haven't been able to find him."

"How? What?" I blurt out. "He has second degree burns on his arm and leg and he can barely breathe without coughing." Stating the obvious doesn't actually help me try to work out this new development.

"I know," Aunt Kelly whispers in a more serious tone. "And earlier, when I took the bandages off to dress the wounds, they were..." She pauses for a second. "They were almost healed."

I try to swallow but there's a sudden lump in my throat. "That's impossible."

Something isn't right and she knows it too.

"Kate, come back, I need you," she begs, and the desperation in her voice is like a knife to my gut.

I have to go. I have to help her find him.

"Okay." I jump out of bed but have to steady myself against the bedpost to catch my balance. Dominic was right, I needed to do that way slower.

Crap.

Just the thought of him makes me desperate to stay...but I can't. Aunt Kelly needs me and has always been there when I needed her. I have no choice. I have to help her.

"Okay. I don't know how I'll get there but I'll be there as soon as I can." I hang up, trying to shake off the foreboding feeling in my chest.

The hallway is lit with torches all the way down in each direction, beautifully enhancing the gorgeous, evenly-spaced tapestries, one after the other. The dancing light gives them an almost magical appearance, landscapes and portraits of rolling hills with white doves and people I don't recognize. I'm mesmerized by their beauty and it takes a second to shake it off. I can't lose focus now. I need to find the way out, and fast-before anyone knows I'm missing. I rush down the hallway, trying to keep calm, when a strange feeling washes over me, almost warning me to stay, but it's gone so quickly I'm not sure if it was my nerves or something else.

I'll go with nerves for now.

Picking up the pace, I run on the balls of my feet, trying to stay as quiet as possible. The hallway seems to go on forever and I'm about to devise another plan when I get to a corner. I stop to peek around, my hand automatically going to my mouth to hush my breathing. I have to stay quiet. I can't get caught now. Trying again, I see two men sitting across from each other at a candlelit table. They're talking so quietly I can't make out what they're saying. Both are dressed in cloaks similar to Dominic's, though theirs are dark brown, not pure black like his-and neither of the two men are nearly as big in stature.

I hold my breath and dart past the door, sprinting as fast as I can until I finally get to an enormous archway at the end of the hallway. It's totally black and I can only see a few feet beyond.

This doesn't look good.

My mind races with thoughts of running back to my incredible bed and burying myself under those amazing silk covers. It wouldn't take long and I know the way back. If anyone asks, I'll just say I was looking around. They'll believe me...I'm the Queen, right? I can do whatever I want.

What am I thinking?

I have to get out of here. I told Aunt Kelly I was on my way. This isn't my place. I have a life, a family-shit, I have to graduate. 

Trying to gather every ounce of courage I have left, I take off in a dead run through the blackness, shivering as the air begins to change, growing thicker somehow. It's harder to take a breath and I have no choice but to slow down. The blackness surrounds me and I can't adjust my eyes enough to see anything. My heart is pounding too fast and I can feel the edges of panic creeping in. Something yanks me around the waist and before I know it, my feet are no longer on the ground. I struggle like hell to get free, twisting and turning, but it's no use. I'm trapped, uselessly gulping for air in the deafening blackness.

This can't be it-this can't be how I die...

We drop hard as light spills all around us, and I practically vacuum the oxygen into my lungs. I barely get a chance to see who's holding me before I'm lifted up into a standing position. We're back outside, on some kind of hill. I slowly look up, bracing myself for the worst. His brownish-red eyes glare down at me. I gasp, throwing a hand over my mouth.

Dominic.

Thank God.

I can't let him know how relieved I am to see him, relieved that it was him in the blackness and not some other scary something. But I can't fall under his spell or whatever this is between us. I can't stay here. I have to get to Aunt Kelly. I have to get back to my normal life.

"W-what the hell?" I scream, allowing my tone to seep with more hatred than I feel. "Are you to trying to save me or kill me?"

He backs away, fuming. I can tell he's beyond angry but he doesn't say a word. He just stands with his back to me, ten feet away and breathing like he just ran a marathon. Another few seconds go by before he turns around and locks eyes with me.

"You must never do that again," he shouts, still panting but not as hard as before.

"Okay, I'll never do it again," I repeat his words, not even trying to disguise my sarcasm because now I'm just pissed. He screwed up my chance to get away from this madness.

"You do not understand the severity of what just happened!"

"Severity?" I say, cocking my head as I roll my eyes.

His nostrils flare but his eyes stay glued to mine. I'm definitely striking a nerve, which is totally my intent. I don't want to sleep in a fancy room with some dude protecting me because I'm some kind of freaking Queen of the Seraphs or whatever bullshit this is. It's ridiculous, even crazy, and I'm getting the hell out of here.

"I allowed you to leave our room." His glare almost pierces through me. "I allowed you to look around, to find your bearings," he pauses for a second, "but when you ran for the Hall of Warriors..." His eyes close as if he's in physical pain. "You could have..."

He doesn't have to finish the sentence. I know the missing word.

"Well I didn't, so you can relax!" I bite out, hoping to keep him mad enough to let me go. "Look, I'm sure you can find another queen." I pause, wondering for a moment if provoking him is the best course of action. "Just Tell Zack, or whoever is in charge, that I got away-or tell the truth. I don't want to do this, any of it..."

"Another queen?" His gaze shifts from either side of me, as if checking to see if the coast is clear. "Come!" He yanks me by one arm, pulling me with such force it actually hurts.

"Ow! Stop!" I shout, but he puts his other hand over my mouth, walking me down the hill until I see the cemetery, the same familiar place I know very well.

"Do you see that gravestone?" he growls, pointing in the direction of Zack's resting place.

"Yeah. Why?" I say in my best bitch voice.

He turns me around to face him, his hands tight on my shoulders. "Because you'll be buried next to him if you do not listen to me carefully!" His words feel like they're cutting into my flesh.

He wants me to feel his anger.

"You are Seraph Queen, like it or not."

"I don't want it!" I yell, trying to stomp off, but his hands are faster and he yanks me back. "Dammit, Dominic, let me go! I can't do this! I want to go home!"

"It is not a matter of you wanting it. It is already done."

"Well, undo it!" I shout, locking eyes with him again.

"It is impossible," he says in a low, deep voice.

"Why?" My voice quivers as tears well up in my eyes. "I just don't understand. Why me?"

His face changes and his brows push together. His voice gets quieter, softer, like he knows I feel defeated. "Kate, it is your destiny, your duty." He stops, gently cupping my face in his hands as a warm sensation travels down between my legs. "As long as I still have breath left in me, I will never stop fighting for you."

I have to swallow to keep the knot from forming in my throat; I'm pretty sure he notices because his eyes drop to my mouth. I can feel his desire for me even without our unique bond. The gentle lust behind his eyes alone says it all. He wants me.

A single tear manages to escape down my cheek and his thumb catches it, wiping it away as he slowly leans down. After what seems like an eternity, he touches his lips to mine. They feel amazingly soft and warm and his tenderness takes me by surprise. My breath catches when he carefully slips an arm around my waist, pulling me closer. Without thinking, I reach around his neck as our mouths move in perfect unison. A flood of passion pulses through me. A slight hint of his gentle tongue nearly does me in and my legs begin to shake.

Or maybe it's the vibration in my back pocket.

I grab for my phone, feeling around until I touch to the top button to turn it off but he places his hand over mine.

"Someone is trying to get ahold of you," he says, his voice lazy and hushed.

"Ignore it," I whisper, kissing him again because I don't want this moment to end. It feels too good for me to care, no matter how much they try.

He draws his face back and releases his hold a little. "It must be important. That is the third time it has alerted you."

Oh shit! Aunt Kelly!

I yank out my phone and frantically scroll down. She's sent several new texts. It's hard to concentrate and I have to read them twice before they start making sense. Taking in a deep breath before I have to make any more excuses, I decide to tell Dominic the truth.

"It's my aunt." I pause, watching his expression become more serious. I can tell he's reading my emotions. "She called when I was in my, um, our room. She's worried about Uncle John..." I shake my head. "I mean, her husband. She can't find him. She was devastated and crying-and it's the reason I tried to leave. I said I would help find him." I study his face, expecting him to be pissed, and brace myself for another lecture on how dangerous my actions were, but that doesn't happen. He's not upset at all-in fact, he actually seems almost relieved. I don't have time to analyze it because there's one last message from her I haven't read yet:

Aunt Kelly: I found him thru his phone.

Aunt Kelly: He's at the cemetery.

Aunt Kelly: On my way.

My eyes go wide. She must be talking about this cemetery. I scan the area but there's no sign of him.

"What is it?" Dominic asks, his tone more alert as he pulls up his black hood.

He knows I'm confused-and I am.

Why would Uncle John come here? Is he looking for me? I know he's not here to see Zack; they sure as hell didn't get along. Uncle John doesn't get along with anyone except his gambling buddies.

Dominic reaches for my arm and pulls me to him. "Stay close," he whispers and I follow his gaze.

Uncle John makes his way toward us, looking completely healthy. Someone is by his side. Someone I don't recognize. He's definitely male and enormous, like Dominic, but there's something off about him. Maybe it's the way he walks, with a slightly hunched over back, that's throwing me off?

This can't be good. Dominic is preparing for something. I can feel the anticipation practically radiating from his body.

I need to tell him he can relax.

"It's just my uncle John," I whisper out of the side of my mouth, still watching as they approach. "I'm pretty sure we're safe."

"He is not the one I am concerned about..."