Chapter 3

Piper

Play dead. It was my first initial thought. We"d learned it at a young age in school. A predator—in this case, a devilishly handsome man-beast—will lose interest if the prey is already dead.

And I was definitely the prey in this situation. As if finding my fiancée in the shower with another woman, going on an impromptu trip to southern Louisiana, and getting lost hadn"t been enough. I"d been tracked, and for a very brief moment, I thought saved by a stranger, now I was being held captive in this gigantic castle with the beast and his brother.

Then there was the cook that was too scared to make eye contact with anyone. Sounded very Disney-ish to me, but this was real life, and the gothic mansion was in the middle of the bayou.

Surrounded by alligators, and slime. Things a person didn"t run out into in the middle of the night in an attempt at escaping. Perhaps I"d find something worse in the swampy bayou close by, but on the other hand, what was worse than a wolfish beast with glowing yellow eyes, and the inability to keep a straight form. Were you human? Or a beast.

Both scared the pee out of me.

"You"re not eating," he said quietly, slicing off another piece of steak. He seemed so refined, and well-mannered, nothing like the thing that tossed me on his bed moments before in an attempt to eat me alive.

Maybe I crashed. Yes, that was it.

I crashed my car, and I"m dreaming. I"d wake up from the nightmare at any moment, and laugh it off. I wouldn"t even care if I damaged my car. I had insurance. Hell, I worked in insurance.

Anything was better than this being a true moment in time.

"I"m not hungry," I lied. I"d been in hopes that my grandmother would have something home-cooked waiting for me.

His brother, I believe his name was William, cleared his throat, eyeing my plate in a silent plea for me to eat it. It looked delicious. Who didn"t love a good steak? Braving a glance at the man-beast, my heart thumped wildly while making eye contact with him.

His human form was beautiful. Auburn hair. Hazel eyes. A build any man would die for. But then there was something in the midst of those eyes that frightened me to my core.

Slowly, I sliced off a piece of steak and took it into my mouth.

His gaze lowered, watching as I chewed the tender meat between my teeth, and swallowed. He made a very low sound that warmed my belly. I hated myself for feeling anything other than hate for this man.

He just kidnapped me.

It was my loneliness. My heartache made me feel anything for him. An illusion. The little girl that rested inside, in desperate need of a relationship and to feel wanted.

Quickly, I glanced down at my plate and ate in silence. The chime of a grandfather clock rang out in the grand silence of the house. It was vastly quiet. The kind that made you feel so alone that it would swallow you up and eat you alive.

This castle reeked of loneliness.

I wasn"t sure if this man was lonely or not. He wasn"t alone, per se, but he seemed lonely. Hurt almost. I knew that feeling well before my ex cheated on me. We"d drifted apart, but I was too young and na?ve to see it.

The kitchen door swung open, and Vivian walked out with a tray of desserts. She took my plate, and I quietly eyed her, begging her to save me. Was she being held here against her will?

I wasn"t sure.

But when I ran, there was no doubt I would send those townspeople to save her. I didn"t care if they brought the pick forks and fire. This man needed to be burned. He looked like he"d crawled straight out of hell.

The man cleared his throat after almost inhaling his meal. He craned his neck to one side and closed his eyes, his hands curled around the edges of the table. I braced myself for the monster to rip from him, but he seemed to swallow him down.

When he opened his eyes, my mouth was open and the spoon rested on my bottom lip. He grinned, and it looked wolfish. Devilish. I silently put down my spoon and resisted the urge to finish my plate.

The man had told me I was his. His what? Next meal? His forced lover? The thought made my stomach turn. I didn"t want to be anything to this man but a houseguest for the night. A memory in his review mirror once I made it out alive. Because I would make it out alive.

"Very well, you ate enough, I guess," he said, pushing his desert plate back.

Vivian scurried from the corner of the room, gathered our plates, and ushered them out on the same tray. Both of the men watched me as I absently stared at the tablecloth. Sweat built against my hairline, and a single bead raced down the side of my face.

My clothes were torn and wrinkled from being carried around by him, but none of it mattered. No one would find me here. Even if someone noticed my car, why would they travel ten miles into the woods in search of me in this abandoned castle?

They wouldn"t.

Or if they didn"t, they would make it.

I needed to get out of here. I needed my cell phone. Maybe they had a phone I could get to while they slept. If they even slept. If, I think she called him Zander, was a beast. Could William be a vampire? Nothing seemed too unrealistic to me right now.

"I guess you"re probably wondering why you"re here?" Zander asked, sitting back, he interlaced his fingers over his flat stomach.

I bit my teeth together. "It"s crossed my mind," I said, with a plastic smile stretched across my face.

Zander"s eyes narrowed slightly at the corners, though he kept his smile, it didn"t reach his eyes. His nose was perfect, masculine though straight, and his jaw was drool-worthy. Everything about him was enticing and luring, and it made my heartbeat increase with each passing second.

Even his hair, after transforming into this giant beast, fell back into place like something out of a movie. "The fact of the matter is ... I smelled you through the bayou."

Smelled me? I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, eyeing William who stared daggers at me. Though he looked nicer than his brother, he didn"t seem kind.

"You smelled me?" I hissed. "Was your beastly friend hungry—,"

Zander slammed his fist onto the table, rattling the wine glasses in front of us, his eyes blazed yellow, and his voice dipped an octave. "You don"t speak of my beast, Little One. You don"t understand yet, but you will."

I nodded, trying to hide my fear, I swallowed and squared my shoulders. They may be stronger than me, but I wouldn"t go down without a fight. A fight from hell. "Well, then, Zander, please tell me how you smelled me across the bayou. I"m dying to know."

The sarcasm wasn"t wasted on him. He slowly sat down and slid his tongue over his straight pearly whites. "Because you"re my mate. It"s nature"s way of letting us know who we"re destined to be with."

Unable to stop myself, I snorted. Scoffed. What did this man know about mates? And who called it a mate? And who could smell them? What kind of sideshow crap had I landed in?

I crossed my arms, a defense mechanism, and sat back. "Really now? I don"t know what world you live in, but normal people, don"t smell their mates."

He abruptly stood, shoving his hands into the pockets of his slacks, he slowly walked around the table, eyeing me like the prey I assumed he chalked me up to be. "You"re right, Little One. Normal people don"t do that, do they?" He walked behind William, who sat uncharacteristically still. "But wolves do."

Wolves. Those ghostly intense eyes were wolfish.

But this man wasn"t a wolf, and neither was the beast he turned into. "What are you insinuating? That you"re part wolf, a beast, and a man? I"m sorry to say it but that beast looked less wolfish than you do."

Something traveled over his expression. Regret? Sadness? Either way, it was gone as soon as it appeared. "I"m telling you that what I am isn"t your business, nor how I got this way. What I"m telling you," he said, making his way around the table to lean against the seat next to mine. "Is that you"re here because we"re fated mates."

Hiding my panic, I gave him a sarcastic smile. I didn"t want him to know my fear, but I figured the beast inside of him smelled it. "Well, that"s sad for you, Zander. I"m not looking for a relationship—fated mate or not—I just found my ex-fiancée screwing another woman in our shower. I"m not going to jump into bed with some man that thinks his charms and good looks, and inability to control his temper, are going to woo me into believing that I am fated to him. This is ludicrous," I said, slamming my hands against the table, I stood, coming face to face with him.

That familiar scent baptized me, knocking me back a step. "I"m not staying here with either of you, I"m not your fated mate, and I"m not some na?ve little girl that is going to get bullied into Stockholm syndrome. Now," I said, squaring my shoulders. "Let. Me. Go."

The corner of Zander"s mouth tugged into a small smile, and he tilted his head to the side, giving me a once-over that was anything but casual. He took my clothes off, burned the scraps, and had me in ten different positions in that short ten seconds. "You"ll make a good Luna," he said. "You"re strong," he said. "Beautiful. Determined. You"re everything a good pack needs."

What in the hillbilly backwoods horse crap is he talking about? A pack? As in wolves? Where were they?

"We"re going around in circles here, Zander," I said, tucking a strand of dark hair behind my ear. "I am not your Luna, whatever that is, and I'm not your hostage. My family is going to come looking for me, and they can track my phone. They will find me here and take me away. Don"t get attached, even though you seemed to have already formed some kind of psychotic connection with me in your head, I won"t be here long for you to enjoy me."

He shoved from the table, stepping even closer to me. "You are not getting rescued, Little One. I"m the hero in the story," he smiled, his teeth twinkling in the low-hanging lights. "And I"m no hero. I guess that"s sad for you, isn"t it?" he said with a smile. "William will see you to your suite, and I will see you in the morning. There is no sense in running, you won"t make it. The beast has his sight on you, your scent engraved in his blood. You won"t make it. The forest will kill you if he doesn"t. We"ll continue this ... banter tomorrow. I"m tired."

He stalked away with long strides, leaving me in the dining hall with a very quiet and observant William. "Please," I said, slowly looking over at him. "Please let me go."

William"s eyes looked empathetic for a short moment. "I"m sorry, Mrs. Piper, but I can"t let you go. He may be a beast, but that"s not all he is, and ever was. He"s my brother, and things will make more sense soon. Please, don"t run. The beast will hunt you down," he said, eyeing the staircase, and walking around to offer me his arm. "Just come with me. I"ll show you to your room."

The darkness surrounding me swallowed me whole, leaving crumbs of my life scattered around its feet. I was stuck here in this twisted fairytale. I followed William up the grand staircase and down a long hallway, on the opposite side of Zander"s room.

I appreciated the space but wasn"t sure if it meant anything. The room was beautiful with elegant crown moldings, a beautiful engraved four-post bed, and lavish furniture. It matched the rest of the castle with old money and screamed elegance.

William pulled out a towel and washcloth from a hall closet. "Here you go. You have your own bathroom. It should have everything you need. If you think of something you need, write it down, and give it to Vivian. She"ll fetch it for you."

Vivian left the premises? Maybe I could hitch a ride out in the trunk. Surprise her. Take her down when she parked in the parking lot at the local supermarket and run for my life.

William stopped by the doorway. "There are plenty of clothes in the closet. Underwear. Everything." He looked back at me again, with pleading blue eyes. "Please, don"t try to run. Zander wasn"t lying. The forest will kill you before you make it out."

He shut the door, and the lock clicked behind him.

A soft sigh left my lips and a sob behind it.

I needed to get out, but part of me believed what they said. The forest seemed dense and murky, the bayou close by waiting to gulp up any strangers for dinner. Sliding off the bed, I walked toward the bathroom. It was just as fancy with gold faucets, a marble claw-foot tub, and soaps that smelled like money.

Sliding out of my clothes, I ran myself a bath and stepped inside the warmth. The water washed away the sweat that built on my hairline, and all the grime from the day. The silence grew so vast it made my stomach knot in fear.

I was taking a bath in a castle, in the middle of the woods, with some beast-man in the other room claiming me as his mate.

This had to be a dream.

A humorless chuckle left my chest. This was a bad dream. When I woke up, I would laugh about this. Grandmother would have supper ready, and I"d have a great time away from home and the past few weeks.

I slid further down into the water until it hit my chin, and I stared at the stained-glass window in the bathroom. Each room seemed to have them. Maybe I could wait for a storm, and break one, make my escape. Louisiana had its fair share of them.

Or maybe Vivian would have mercy on me.

If not, my family would find me. They had to.

A loud roar echoed from down the hallway, and I gasped, turning over onto my belly, I stared at the locked bathroom door from over the edge of the claw-foot tub.

That ... thing would eat me alive if the man inside let him.

Maybe pretending to be his friend wouldn"t hurt. At least until I could get the hell out of dodge.

The roar echoed again, this time it seemed pissed. I turned back over and closed my eyes, staring at the high vaulted ceiling.

If I didn"t know any better ... I"d fallen into my least favorite fairytale.

I"d much rather be picked up on a beach by a prince than be held hostage by a beast with a smart mouth.

Why couldn"t grandma have retired to Florida instead?