Until I have nothing left to give.
He’s that type of intensity. The storm you only feel when it’s wrecking you from the inside.
Literally and figuratively.
So I have to try and stay away and put up defenses. It’ll drain me and I’ll probably hate myself for it, too, but that’s okay.
I can do this.
Slowly, I open the door and step outside barefoot while holding my flats in hand.
Once I’m a safe distance away, I put them on and head to where I remember the stairs to be.
I pass several rooms—definitely a lot more than four people need. This mansion could easily house an army.
Or maybe ghosts.
The gothic quality with its baroque wallpaper, somber furniture, and ancient-looking candelabras definitely give it the right atmosphere for underworld meetings.
The only light comes from the dim crystal chandeliers hanging over halls and above the circular stairs.
Eerie silence permeates the air and it doesn’t help that it’s four in the morning. I become super conscious of thethud, thud, thudof my heartbeat.
Calm down, me. It’s not like I’m doing something wrong. I’m just trying to leave.
Though maybe I can snoop around in case there’s something to uncover about Devlin.
I quickly shake that idea away. I’ll just get caught, whether by the guards or by Killian. And I really can’t afford to be held captive by that monster again after I finally managed to escape his destructive orbit.
Besides, Gareth and I have a deal. He already kissed me, got me in trouble with Killian, and used his part of the bargain to his heart’s content.
“What do you mean they’re in my territory?”
My feet come to a halt at the base of the stairs at what I’m sure is Jeremy’s voice.
There’s a distinguishable harshness in it, an edge that quietly simmers under the surface.
It’s late, but that obviously holds no importance to Jeremy since he sounds wide awake.
“It all adds up with the timeline.” Gareth’s voice echoes in the air with eternal calm.
I feel like a rookie spy as sweat trickles down my back, and I hold my breath until I struggle with inhaling oxygen.
From the sound of their voices, they’re in a downstairs room that’s not far from the stairs.
“Is it a snake we know?” Jeremy asks.
“Probably.”
“The cockroaches are getting bold if they think they can barge into my territory as they please.”
Snakes?
Do they mean the Serpents? As in, the other powerful secret club that’s a complete mystery to the public? I don’t think they do initiations like the Heathens or the Elites.
The only thing known about them is that the Serpents exist, and they make their presence known by acts of complete anarchy.
The moment the public starts to forget about them, arson, damage of property, and other crimes hit the headlines.