Content To Be Claimed (Beauty And The Beast #1)

Chapter 4

Yep.

I confirmed it when the silver Bentley pulled up in front of my house. I flew down the stairs, knowing that Dad and Dane were in the living room. Since I'd warned them about the impending outing - I would not call it a date - I called, "Looks like I was right."

"Only you wish you weren't," Dane teased without looking up from the sports channel.

"Shut up," I muttered, grabbing a jacket.

"Yeah, you don't have to know her so well," Keith grinned, then called, "Enjoy your date!"

"Both of you, mind your own business!" I called and slammed the door.

It was a chilly night, so I shoved my hands in my pockets and entered the freezing car. "Why is the heater off?"

Victor smiled and leaned over to activate it. "I usually break the rules." As he drove he said, "So I wanna conduct an experiment."

"Oh?"

"I wanna find out if all comic movies leave you in tears."

"We're going to the movies?" I grinned.

He grinned back. "Where else would I conduct this experiment successfully?"

I rolled my eyes and laughed. In the end, the outing was a huge success. I did cry - but that's because I was laughing too hard and couldn't help it - and Victor found me funnier than the movie. Afterwards, we had dinner in the same diner as the week before. Okay, I had dinner. On our way home Victor took us past the school.

"Ever been in a school at night?" he asked eerily, stopping the car.

I looked at the forbidding buildings, then at Victor. "You're not serious, are you?"

He grinned wolfishly. "Oh, come on! Where's your sense of adventure?"

"At home, in bed."

He laughed. "I promised to show you something. Don't ruin the fun."

I looked at the school and thought of all the danger that could be lurking there. A slow smile spread across my face. Maybe it was euphoria from the movie, maybe it was a spirit of adventure I never knew I possessed - or maybe I wasn't as sane as I imagined - but I found myself warming up to the idea.

"Oh, what the hell!" I exclaimed flippantly, stepping into the cool night air. Then I had to answer my phone.

"Annabelle, please do not enter that building."

Warren's voice shocked me into stillness. Somehow, the fact that he seemed to know exactly where I was scared me. "How do you know where I am? Where did you even get my number?"

"That is...unimportant."

I rolled my eyes. "Will you give me a reason then? Why I shouldn't do this?"

He was silent for a second. "Belle, I beg of you."

The tone of his voice tugged at my heartstrings and I wanted pack it in, to go home, to do as he said. And that's what made up my mind. I had never wanted to be liked as much as I wanted it from this boy, and that disconcerted me. I didn't want him to wield such power over me without knowing it, a power I couldn't explain.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, though I wasn't sure what for, and hung up.

"Problem?" Victor asked.

"No, I'm fine."

He studied me for a second, then ran a hand through his hair and said, "Come on. We'll go over the gate."

"We'll what?" I squeaked.