Chapter 13

Piper

With the smooth door shut behind me, I slid down to the floor and curled my knees to my chin. That wasn"t normal, not that I hadn"t felt like Alice in Wonderland since I got lost, or Little Red Riding Hood finding the big bad wolf in the woods, either way you put it, that had been an indescribable feeling.

The flood of white-hot fingers clawing at my skin, pouring lust and magic dust into my veins. I"d been kissed plenty of times in my life. From the first one in seventh grade, to the make-out sessions with my ex-fiancé on a daily basis, there had been plenty of in-betweens, but none, and I do repeat none, felt like Zander.

For a brief moment, I thought perhaps Zander wasn"t crazy, and the mate bond he spoke about was true. None of it was any worse than him turning into a beast, or William turning into a wolf.

I hadn"t woke up from the nightmare yet, so I figured I wasn"t dreaming. I"d really been dropped down a deranged rabbit hole. Standing up with the help of the door, I walked on wobbly legs toward the bathroom.

It was mid-day but I didn"t care. I needed a bath. I needed a head transplant. Stripping from my clothes, I tossed them into a neat pile in the center of the bathroom. The tub was huge, and I ran a warm bath, while staring at myself in the bathroom mirror.

My skin was still flushed from his hands, my heart rate had yet to slow down. It looked like I"d ran a marathon. "Crap on a cracker," I mumbled, rubbing my face before bending down to turn off the water.

A cool breeze skimmed my backside. I jumped up, turning to see the empty bathroom staring back at me. Now I was imagining things. Sighing, I pulled my hair into a bun on top of my head, and sank into the tub.

The warm water relaxed my body, and soothed my flaming skin. "What are you doing, Piper?" I mumbled to myself. "You"re stuck in a castle, with a beast and his posse, trying your hardest to fight him off; when in your sick twisted mind he"s had you seven different ways from Sunday."

Rolling my neck, I stared up at the high-vaulted ceiling. Henry had never made me feel like that, not in the beginning, the middle, or the end. Not in my wildest fantasies.

Biting my lip, I imagined it happening again and again. What would have happened if I hadn"t stopped him from moving us to my room? Would I be having the time of my life right now, not regretting getting lost? Doubtful. Most of the time guys were all talk.

He won"t be.

I jolted up to a sitting position, looking around the room as if it hadn"t been my own voice speaking back to me in my head.

I refused to answer any voice in my head, and leaned back once it subsided. The flame against my skin began to ease, lessening the need I had to go let Zander drag me to his room.

Sleep began to tingle against my skin, luring me into a nap that I felt I needed after such a degrading moment in the hallway. Just when my body began to slide into slumberland, something moved the water around me.

I jerked awake, the water sloshing over the edge of the tub and onto the floor. My heart raced at the tingles on my skin. What is going on?

"Hello?" I asked into the silence.

Of course no one answered.

I slowly stood up, and slid my leg over the edge of the bathtub, grabbing a towel from the rack in the corner. The feeling of someone watching me, hovered over me like an umbrella. It followed me all the way to the bedroom, and while I dressed.

I opened the door to my room and glanced out at the empty hallway. No one there. I locked my door, crawled into bed and grabbed my book from the nightstand. Maybe a good read would settle my nerves, transport me into a different world—one that made more sense than this one.

The whisper of my name floated in and out of the room, sliding along my skin like silk, luring me awake. I sat up quickly, rubbing the sleep from my eyes, and catching my book as it fell from my chest to the floor.

The lack of sun in the room told me that night had come, but no one had tried to wake me to eat. My stomach rumbled from hunger, so I swung my feet to the floor and tossed my book back into my bed.

Tip-toeing toward the door, I opened it slightly, hoping to make my way to the kitchen to grab something to eat. The silence that greeted me was surprising since it was night, and Zander"s beast normally dominated any chance of peace at this time.

Walking down the steps, I heard my name again, the familiar dark octave of Zander"s voice on the back of my neck. I swung around, coming face-to-face with no one.

"Not funny," I said loudly, tapping my toe against the stair I stalled on. "Where are you?"

"Here," it came from behind me.

I swung around, this time seeing him standing at the end of the staircase, leaned against the banister, staring at me with those hazel eyes. "Really funny," I said, lifting my chin and walking down the staircase to meet him.

"Is it funny, Mrs. Sloane?" he asked, stepping toward me.

I backtracked, hitting the wall behind me, and realizing I was trapped, but not caring that he moved closer. "You smell like me," he said, dropping his mouth toward my jawline.

Angling my neck for him, he quirked an eyebrow. "Desert?" he whispered. "For me?"

My body betrayed me, my back arched, drawing his attention to my cleavage in one of the stupid dresses he left for me. "For you," my traitorous mouth said.

He smiled, his canines showing from beneath his upper lip, his golden eyes flashed a dangerous warning sign. Run, Piper. But my body wouldn"t move. I wanted him to sink his teeth into me and leave one of those tacky marks on my neck. Like a teenager begging for a hickey from their boyfriend to show their friends.

"Please," I begged, reaching forward and meeting air. I stumbled forward, falling into a vast darkness that I woke up from screaming.

My reality slapped me in the face, as I came to, gasping for air. This time the sun still brightened my room from the window, and my book was laying on my chest, sliding off toward the floor.

I let it drop, and heard a deep laugh from the corner of the room.

Zander stepped out from the corner of the room, walking in the shadows of the wall, not meeting the direct sunlight. "Was it a good dream, Little One?"

I pressed my lips together in defiance.

He quirked a brow, and sild his thumb against his bottom lip. "It sure seemed like it. Tell me, what were you begging for?"

Oh the audacity ...

Slinging my feet toward the floor, I stood up, ignoring the weakness in my knees. "For you to free me," I lied.

Zander smiled, and I noticed a dimple dent the right side of his mouth, underneath a blanket of scruff on his face. "Sounds like a lie," he said, grabbing the door handle. "Dinner is ready. Vivian cooked chicken spaghetti, she said it"s comfort food and you need comfort." He opened the door, and glanced over his shoulder. "I told her I"d given you plenty already."

He shut the door with a chuckle, and I punched wildly into the air like a child throwing a tantrum. I wanted to be mad that he knew, but he did say it would be harder to push him away after that kiss.

Did he know I"d have dreams? Would they get more vivid? Would I feel him more clearly next time? Sighing, I walked out of my room and toward the dining table.

Vivian had everything sat out, and my stomach grumbled at the smell of the chicken. It smelled great, and my mother had made it growing up. Vivian looked excited that I was there.

"The food looks great, Vivian," I said, sitting down, avoiding Zander"s smug look at the opposite end of the table.

He was leaned back, one elbow propped against the arm of his chair, rubbing his bottom lip with his thumb, as if I needed a reminder that he"d kissed me earlier.

"Where is William?" I asked, looking at no one.

"Business," Zander said. "We"ve saved him a plate. Mrs. Sloane, would you like some wine?" he offered.

I shrugged. "Sure, why not," I said, waving my hand.

He got up, and poured me a glass himself. I stiffened at the smell of him, it was strong, unnaturally strong. It made my mouth water. The way his throat moved when he swallowed, the position of his hand on my wine glass.

Everything about him screamed touch me. Put your hands on me.

"Is something wrong, Mrs. Sloane?" he asked in that deep baritone.

I slowly shook my head, knowing I"d opened up something that I definitely couldn"t handle. Zander was going to haunt my dreams, and I knew then that escaping was going to be harder than I ever realized.

Because Zander was right. His wolf was calling to me, and my body was answering.