I nod and swallow, and he releases my hand. It suddenly feels cold and bare. He turns around and walks off, and I follow him, unsure what else I should or can do. A part of me wants to run and hide, but an assistant or guard is standing by at every corner.
Do they all work for Eli? And is this Eli’s home? Or is there more to this than I can see with my own naked eyes?
I notice Eli has already gone up ahead into the dining room, so I stop gaping around and rush to the door, terrified of more consequences. But the minute I step inside, I pause, and my lungs constrict to the point of making it impossible to breathe.
There he is, situated at the head of the table, two men right beside him, both looking at me as if I’m the star of the show.
We’re not alone.
Chapter 12
Amelia
Three men sit upon their throne, gazing up at me as though they own this room and everything in it … including me. But they sit on a throne of lies.
Who are these men? Eli never told me there were more involved. How far do his schemes go, and what do they plan on doing with me?
Eli beckons me. “Come.”
I take a deep breath and step forward, every step I make reverberating against the tiled floors to the same rhythm as my thrumming heart. Each step is another one closer into the clutches of these men. But there is no turning around, no going back.
This beautiful house is my prison now, whether I like it or not, and I have no choice but to play their game and hope I get out unscathed. But at what cost?
“Sit,” Eli says, but he doesn’t point at any chair, and there are many.
Which one do I pick? Is this a trick? A game I need to win?
My mind can’t stop thinking of all the possible options, all the things that he could do to me if I pick the wrong one, and for some reason, a flash of excitement flushes through me.
I swallow hard as the three men look at me while I approach one of the chairs.
One of them has a laid-back look on his scruffy face with his dark brown hair cut short at the top, but a darkness hides in those pristine blue eyes. The other guy at the table looks away as though he’s annoyed by my mere presence. With that blond beard and undercut ponytail, he looks like a goddamn Viking. But that might just be my imagination running away with me.
Eli taps his fingers on the table, clearly impatient, and I grab the chair and scoot it back. It’s farthest away from them all, on the side of the guy with the long hair. I figured I had better chances of not being gaped at by sitting here, but I’m not sure it’s doing me any good. Eli’s watchful gaze is still upon me, and now I’m starting to wonder if I picked the right chair.
“Interesting,” he murmurs. “You chose a seat farthest away from the three of us.” He adds a possessive smile, one that reminds me of that time he came into my room and plucked me off the bed and peeled away my clothes to put me in the tub, one that makes goose bumps scatter on my skin.
The guy with the blue eyes sighs. “Eli, enough with the games.”
Eli lifts his finger, and the guy promptly shuts his mouth. Eli must be the one in charge then.
I don’t respond. Not even as the stares and silence get awkward.
“We should introduce ourselves.” He glances over at the men at his right-hand side and then his left. “Go on.”
The blue-eyed guy raises his brows at me. “Name’s Tobias.”
“And who are you?” I ask, raising a brow too.
He sports a smile. “I am Eli’s advisor.”
I lean back in my chair and fold my arms. “Advisor to what, exactly? Eli’s little games?”
His tongue briefly darts out to wet his lips. “I see you’ve already been acquainted.”
“So you know what he did to me, right?” I ask, full-on staring at him now. “That he stole me right out of the library and locked me up in here like I’m some kind of prisoner?”
Tobias doesn’t reply. He just stares right back at me, so I roll my eyes and sigh. “Thought so.”
Eli clears his throat and nods at the blond-haired guy. “That’s Soren.”
“He can’t tell me himself?” I ask.
Eli blinks slowly. “He speaks only when needed.”
“Why is that?” I ask.
Eli narrows his eyes at me, and the whole room suddenly feels tense as hell.
Did I overstep?
“Enough questions. Let’s just start with breakfast, shall we?” Tobias says.
“Right. Where are my manners?” Eli muses.
He claps his hands, and out pour waiters with plates of food that smell delicious and make my mouth water. Each plate is filled with copious amounts of fruit, various types of bread, some butter, a glass of milk and coffee, as well as some eggs and a few strips of bacon. It’s more than I could possibly eat even though I’m famished.