"She's a spoiled, noble girl, Sin. I do not see a point in you going with me," Andreas said, pulling his cloak around his shoulders. Sin leaned against the doorway of his room, her arms crossed over her chest as she scowled at him.
"So I'm supposed to what? Just wait here while you go off and have fun kidnapping and pillaging without me? What do you think I do for fun back home, eh? That's like saying you're going to a party, and not inviting me." There was almost a pout to her lips, and Andreas found her completely adorable. The corner of his mouth quirked up slightly.
"There will be no fun in this expedition. You seem to overestimate how long this will take. She's an Eleanor, the second most prominent noble family in the kingdom. They are so secured in their position, that there will hardly be an effort at all involved in this. I'll be gone and back in the blink of an eye." He walked closer, stopping right in front of her, almost touching his body to hers.
She pouted fully this time, looking up at him with a faint twinkle of amusement in her eyes. "Only because you cheat. It'd be a lot more fun if we actually had to break in."
He sighed. "You honestly want to waste time on breaking in, when there are much simpler methods of accomplishing our goal?"
She tapped her fingers against her arm, frowning petulantly. He reached out a hand to caress her cheek. "... it's your job," she muttered, leaning into his touch almost as if against her wishes.
"Tell you what, Djin. I'll let you torture her if she's uncooperative."
He suddenly had her attention, her eyes shining brightly with malice and mischief. "Deal." He leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her nose before disappearing from sight.
The room swam into focus nearly instantly. A large living space surrounded him--vaulted ceilings, large furniture done up in green velvet--all of it was large, opulent, just as he'd expect from such a family. He moved through the room, noting the strange flowers in a vase on the coffee table--roses, but one was black...--and the books lined neatly on a huge shelf against the brick wall. Portraits, a fireplace, thick carpets... it was wealth at its most sickening.
He strode through it quickly, brushing the images away from his mind to focus on the task at hand; an open space at one side of the room led to a hallway, and he stood there for a moment, studying its length. Pacing across the plush carpeting, ignoring the portraits and paintings on the walls, Andreas roamed through various rooms--all as opulent and large as the living space he'd flashed himself into--ignoring all the sights, one singular goal in mind. He had told Sin he wouldn't be long, after all.
Find the girl, and get out. It was simple enough.
He hadn't considered that it may take him some time to actually pinpoint her exact location.
Soon enough, he found himself facing a large, winding staircase. If the layout of this estate was anything like either Casian or Skylar's homes, the bedchambers of the family would be located on the second floor, and guests would be housed on the third. Most noble families tended to organize their homes in such a way, though Andreas didn't know why. Nor did he bother to care. He quickly made his way up the stairs, looking through every door he came across. Strange that he hadn't come across any servants yet.
As far as he knew, there was no major celebration going on in any of the nearby villages.... The people of the house should be here.
He continued walking to the end of the hall, where there was yet another, but smaller, staircase leading up into a tower. Without a second thought, he headed for the stairs, taking them two at a time. He had already wasted too much time searching for this girl.
YOU ARE READING
Shadowburn (2)
Romance~It's hard to tell in the dark, if you've lost your soul or lost your heart.~ "She didn't appear to believe him--but she hadn't pulled away, her legs still around his waist, her arms still around his neck. Thorn kissed her again, long and deep, befo...
