Page 77 of Gilded Curses

She ran her hands over the walls before returning to ensure the button hadn’t popped out again. When she pressed it once more, she ran back to Orin’s room to continue her search.

Running low on patience and fighting against hopelessness, she pulled open his closet doors and froze when she spotted a small crack in the back wall. That wasn’t there before.

Her mouth parted on a breath, and unexpected tears of triumph filled her eyes. While she gazed at the small sliver of light, the door swung silently closed again.

CHAPTER SIXTY-FIVE

Like a tiger on the prowl, Orin stalked his prey through the hallways. Desmond and Sheree didn’t talk or touch as they strolled ahead of their guards.

He smiled as he realized these fuckers had no idea how close they were to death. If he couldn’t convince Sheree to tell him where the stones were, he’d still ensure they never saw another sunrise.

Maybe it wouldn’t send the rest of the Elites into the chaos he hoped it would, but even if it didn’t, it was time to start taking out the enemy. He couldn’t wait to get started.

Desmond stopped outside a closed door. “Good night, Sheree. Sleep well.”

“You also, Desmond,” Sheree replied.

Orin carefully maneuvered toward the wall when the guards shifted, and half of them broke away to remain standing outside Desmond’s door. They lined the wall with their shoulders back and chins high.

Orin almost followed Desmond but decided against it. Sheree was the real evil here and the only one who knew the location of the stones; she was the one he wanted.

Slipping around the guards, he managed to get within a foot of Sheree when she stopped outside the next closed door. One of the guards opened it for her, and when it finished swinging inward, she strode inside.

Orin slid around the corner and, keeping his back to the wall, inched along as he entered her room. She had no idea he was there when the guard shut the door behind her, but she would soon.

Orin kept himself against the wall as she clasped her hands before her while walking further into the room. Dim lights burned from the sconces on the walls, and from the lamps beside the sprawling, white sofa in the sunken sitting area twenty feet away. Two steps descended into the space.

Lamps of various sizes and colors were scattered around the main room. Most were floor lamps, but a few sat on the white tables. They all had multihued shades or stained glass that reflected a rainbow around the room.

They provided the most color he’d seen in this castle since arriving here. It was momentarily disorienting, as were the dozens of paintings on the walls.

The paintings covered almost every inch of the available wall space. They were all assorted sizes but bore the same subject… a young girl.

In each painting, she was doing different things like playing in a garden, holding a puppy, smiling on Sheree’s lap, or shaking a rattle. The ages varied, but it was easy to see the similarities between the baby and the child.

There was no rhyme or reason as to how she’d organized the paintings. They didn’t go from oldest to youngest or vice versa, but none aged the child past six or seven.

Sheree walked down the steps to the sunken living room and crossed to the balcony doors. When she opened them and walked outside, Orin descended into the living room and waited for her to return.

According to the grandfather clock in the corner, nearly ten minutes passed before she returned, closed the door, and started toward the doorway on the other side of the room. Orin had no intention of letting her go any further.

Slipping up behind her, he wrapped his handless arm around her throat and yanked back. Pulled off her feet, Sheree released a startled gasp before he choked off her air supply.

He resisted the impulse to drive his blade repeatedly through her heart as he carved away small slices of her and shoved them down her throat. He’d never been a bloodthirsty man; he killed because it was necessary, not because he enjoyed it.

But he was going to relish every second of this bitch’s death.

CHAPTER SIXTY-SIX

“Where are the Augmentation Stones?” he demanded.

When she stiffened a little, he knew he’d struck a nerve. She hadn’t expected him to know about the stones.

Her fingers shredded the flesh of his arm, but it was nothing compared to the pain of losing a hand or everything else they’d endured throughout this shithole of a realm. He chuckled at her weak attempt to free herself.

“Now, it’s time to play my game,” he whispered in her ear. “Where are the stones?”

This time, he loosened his arm enough for her to speak. When he did, the room suddenly blurred, and a strange whomping sound reverberated in his ears as the room tilted.