The Devil's Bargain

The East Wing

Sleep was elusive that night. Kristina lay in the massive bed, staring at the ceiling as shadows danced across it, twisting into shapes her mind couldn’t explain. She could still hear the faint whisper of her name echoing in her head, like a distant melody she couldn’t shake. The more she thought about it, the more it gnawed at her.

The east wing.

Blake’s warning played over and over in her mind, but she wasn’t sure if it was a cautionary tale or an invitation. There was something about this house—about blake—that stirred something dark and restless inside her. The air felt heavy, thick with secrets waiting to be unraveled.

By the time dawn broke, her decision was made.

Kristina threw back the covers and got dressed quickly, pulling on a thick sweater to fight off the chill that had settled into her bones. The mansion was eerily quiet as she stepped into the hallway, the heavy silence pressing in on her like an unwelcome companion. Every creak of the floor beneath her feet felt amplified in the stillness, each step carrying her closer to the one place she had been told to avoid.

Her heart pounded as she neared the entrance to the east wing. The corridor grew darker the farther she walked, as if the light itself refused to touch this part of the house. She stopped in front of a heavy oak door, its surface scarred and worn, but the doorknob gleamed as though someone had recently touched it. A chill ran down her spine.

Kristina hesitated, the weight of blake’s warning hanging over her like a storm cloud. She glanced over her shoulder, half-expecting him to appear behind her, but the hallway was empty.

This is crazy, she thought. But curiosity had already sunk its claws into her.

She reached for the doorknob, her hand trembling as she turned it. The door creaked open, the sound echoing through the empty halls like a scream. She stepped inside, holding her breath, and found herself in a long, narrow hallway lit by only a few flickering sconces. Dust hung thick in the air, and the scent of decay and neglect was overwhelming.

Kristina took a tentative step forward. The hallway stretched on for what felt like miles, its walls lined with old portraits of people she didn’t recognize. Their eyes seemed to follow her as she moved, cold and unblinking. She shivered but pressed on, driven by something she couldn’t explain.

At the end of the corridor, another door loomed. It was smaller than the others, almost hidden in the shadows, and something about it felt different—like it didn’t belong in the mansion. She swallowed hard and reached for the handle, the metal cold beneath her fingertips.

Before she could turn the knob, a hand clamped down on her shoulder.

Kristina gasped, spinning around, her heart hammering in her chest. Blake stood behind her, his eyes dark and stormy, his grip firm and unyielding.

“What the hell are you doing?” His voice was low, dangerous, but there was something else in his eyes—fear, maybe? Or was it something darker?

Kristina opened her mouth, but no words came out. Her mind raced, trying to find an excuse, an explanation for why she had ignored his warning, but nothing seemed right. She could feel the tension radiating off him, the anger simmering just beneath the surface.

“I told you,” blake growled, his voice tight, “to stay out of the east wing.”

“I—I’m sorry,” she stammered. “I just—there was this sound, and I thought—”

“There is nothing here for you,” Blake to interrupted, his grip tightening on her arm. His touch was cold, his fingers digging into her skin just enough to make her wince.

For a moment, Kristina thought he might drag her back to her room, but instead, he released her, his eyes softening ever so slightly. He stepped back, running a hand through his disheveled hair, his jaw tense.

“Listen to me,” he said, his voice calmer now, but still laced with an edge of something dangerous. “This house... it’s not like other places. There are things here you don’t understand, things you can’t understand.”

Kristina frowned, confusion and fear swirling inside her. “What do you mean? What’s in the east wing, blake?”

He hesitated, his gaze flicking toward the door she had been about to open. For a moment, she thought he might tell her, but then his expression hardened, and the wall between them went back up.

“You don’t want to know,” he said, his tone final. “Stay out of it.”

He turned on his heel and walked away, leaving Kristina standing in the dim corridor, her heart still pounding in her chest. She watched him go, frustration bubbling up inside her. What was he hiding? What was so dangerous about the east wing?

And why, despite his warnings, did she feel an overwhelming urge to find out?

With a shaky breath, Kristina turned back toward the door. She could still feel blake’s presence lingering behind her, like a shadow she couldn’t shake. His words echoed in her mind, but instead of scaring her off, they only fueled her curiosity.

She wasn’t going to let this go.

Whatever secrets this mansion held, she was going to uncover them. No matter the cost.