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29. Spellbound

I always hated being a light sleeper. The slightest sound can shake my slumber. But you see I’m stubborn and so, I try to ignore the sounds and sleep again.

I shuffle in the sheets, ignoring the creaking of the wooden floor under someone’s feet.

Wait… 

I open my eyes just a little, there’s no one in my line of sight. When my eyes move away a bit, they widen. I scramble away from the dark figure looming over me.

I open my mouth to scream the whole mansion down but a hand closes around it, the feel of it is oddly familiar.

I smell him before I can make out his features. The scent of coffee and pine trees.

“Don’t scream,” Luke crouches down so we’re on eye level

I shove his hand away and glare at him.

“You almost gave me a heart attack!” I say in a furious whisper

My eyes adjust to the dark and I see Luke raising an eyebrow. For some reason, his being here is bothering me. After ignoring me the whole day, he thinks he can just come to me in the dark of the night? When no one can see him talking to me?

“What do you want?” I cross my arms

For a moment Luke stares at me, face unreadable and eyes thoughtful, then he settles down on the mattress, forming a dip in it.

“Well?” I narrow my eyes

“Everette said they didn’t burn the luggage of every team they captured,” he says “That means there’s still a map here somewhere. If we ever want to get out, we need the map.”

I raise my brows at him. Everette, huh? Not ‘Oh my beautiful love’? and he does want to get out of here. Interesting, I thought he’d found himself a home.

I decide to be professional and think of what he just told me. Something clicks in my head.

“The warehouse,” I snap my fingers “Filipe told me that’s where they’re keeping stuff they took from other competitors.”

Luke nods, but the sudden hardness of his features doesn’t go unnoticed by me.

“And who is Filipe?”

Just as he says that, the devil himself comes to me and whispers in my ear; ‘Time for payback.’

I smile shyly and lower my face, making a great show of tracing my finger along the sheets.

“He helped me settle up here,” I say like the demure maiden I am “And he also gave me a tour around the mansion and the perimeter.”

I look up at Luke’s constipated face with innocent, big eyes and a smile.

“He’s really nice to me,” I say

Briskly, Luke stands from his seat “Good to know you find admirers everywhere.”

He walks towards the door on the floor “You’ll have to search the warehouse, I’ll keep Everette distracted. Tell me if you find the map.”

“What about everything else?” I ask “Food? Weapons?”

“I’ll take care of that,” Luke opens the door but doesn’t go down

“What is it?” I move out of bed and walk towards him

When I peek down, I realize what exactly it is. Two people in the hallway are practically devouring each other. Goddess, at least get a room you two.

“If they saw me, we’re damned.” Luke closes the door

“Maybe they wont notice?” I offer

Luke gives me a look. I spread out my hands and shrug, partial apology, partial confusion.

“You can just wait until they’re gone.” I say

“Everette said she’d come to ‘collect’ me for breakfast.” Luke gets up and goes towards the window “It’s almost dawn.”

He opens the tainted glass and I shudder a bit as the cold air whips inside.

“You cant possibly jump from here, can you?” I glance down at the earth far below

“Can’t I?” Luke says, his face calculating

“Well, even if you manage to have all of your limbs intact, what are you going to say to the guards near the front door?” I ask

“I’ll make something up,” Luke rolls his shoulders

I look away from him “Maybe you can say you went for a morning jog while they dozed off?”

From the corner of my eyes, I see a faint smile touch his lips “Not a bad idea.”

Something warm presses against my cheek, making breath hitch in my throat.

“Stay safe,” Luke’s lips brush against my skin

I dare to blink and he’s gone. I stick my head out of the window and stare down. Luke’s dusting off his clothes, perfectly fine. I let out a breath of relief.

My cheek still tingles when I close the window, my face too warm for my liking. Stay safe, he said.

I shake my head. Get a grip, Elise! That’s all the things he says! Stay focused, stay alert, stay safe. It’s nothing to overthink!

I eat breakfast in the kitchen with Martha and afterwards head towards the warehouse. Unluckily, there are too many people outside so I head back to the mansion. I don’t want to risk suspicion.

The day passes as blurr of talking to Filipe, trying to ignore just how much Luke and Rebecca flirt and helping Martha in the kitchen.

Thank moon I’m not going to be near when Luke finds his mate. I cant bare people flirting so openly.

People? Or just—

I cut off my train of thoughts. Nope. Not going to think stupid stuff.

Nearly at sunset, I head outside again, telling the guards I only want to take a walk around.

I casually walk towards the warehouse and take a moment to make sure no one is near. I push the big wooden door, thanking the moon its open. I close it behind me as I enter.

The warehouse resembles an old barn. Broken furniture, dry grass and dust covering everything and barrels of something I suspect to be grain. I look through the objects, narrowing my eyes to see better in the dim light.

I spot something in the farthest corner, behind an old settee with protruding springs. A few bags.

I hurriedly make my way towards them and start shuffling through. Men’s clothes, food that’s gone bad and sleeping bags. No weapons. No map.

“Damn it,” I shove back the shirt I had lifted

Something brushes against my hand as I do that. Something with a slight edge.

I pick it up again and fumble with the pocket, a tightly folded piece of paper comes in my hand. I quickly unfold it and a wave of relief crashes over me. A map.

I fold it again and shove it in the pocket of my shorts. When I stand up, ready to leave, the door opens. Biting my tongue not to curse, I crouch behind the settee again.

“Are you sure My Lady?” a male voice reaches me “Keeping the Lycans here can cause us trouble with the Alpha Supreme.”

“He wont mind,” a very familiar feminine voice says “He just needs them not to win, he’s getting that.”

“You know best, My Lady but,” there’s a moment of hesitation “Why keep them here anyways?”

A moment of thick silence passes before a deadly low, poisonously soft voice says;

“Hector, are you here to question me?”

“N-No, My Lady.”

“Luke is my guest,” Rebecca says “And after tonight, he’d be spellbound to be my guest forever.”

“What about the girl?”

“Once Luke is wrapped around my finger, we can get rid of her.”

I swallow hard. Spellbound? Is she planning on bewitching him? But magic doesn’t work on Luke. Will her spell work?

“Burn whatever we’d picked from the others,” Rebecca’s voice snaps me out of my thoughts “I don’t want any slip ups.”

“Yes, My Lady”

The sound of heels thumping on the earth progressively becomes quieter before it vanishes completely.

A sigh reaches my ears “Merlin, give than women some brains.”

I totally feel you, Hector.

Footsteps reach me again and I realize he’s coming here. To get rid of this stuff.

I swallow thickly. And maybe me too.

I look around, finding no way of escape in the tightly packed corner. The footsetsp become louder. Okay Elise, it’s now or never.

Instead of waiting for him to find me, I shoot to my feet and jump over the settee, coming face to face with a middle aged man with bright red hair and equally red eyes.

“Hi,” I smile at his shocked face

And I punch him square in the jaw. Hector stumbles back, his wand flying out of his hand.

“What the hell are you—

What he was about to say, I’ll never know because the next moment I pick up the broken leg of a chair and bring it down on his head. His eyes roll back and he sinks to the floor. I wince.

“Sorry,” I mumble to his unconscious form “It was nothing personal.”

For a moment, I consider simply leaving but then glance at Hector. He’s bound to wake up sooner or later and if he told Rebecca what I did, which he definitely will, I’m dead meat.

I take out the clothes from the bags I was going through a few minutes ago and shred them to bind and gag him. Goddess, forgive me. This Hunt is really making me do stuff I don’t want to.

“Sorry again,” I whisper as I turn around and go out the door, closing it behind

I quickly make my way towards the mansion and just as I enter the lounge, I see Rebecca basically lying atop Luke on the couch. His eyes meet mine and I give a minute nod before heading for the kitchen, ignoring the sour taste in my mouth.

A few moments later, Luke comes in the empty kitchen.

“Did you find it?” he asks in a hushed voice

“Yes,” I nod, watching his eyes gain a sparkle “But a man saw me. He’s temporarily… occupied. But we need to hurry.”

Luke nods “you’re room, tonight.”
“Luke, I think Rebecca—

Speak of the devil, she waltzes inside just then. Her eyes flicker from me to Luke.

“Dinner’s in our room,” She says, sliding her hand in his

Our room? Our room?!

Luke gives her a charming smile before he nods and they both walk out. But before she leaves, Rebecca turns around and smirks at me. It makes a cold feeling settle in my stomach.

After tonight, he’d be spellbound to be my guest forever

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