Chapter 31

• I paced back and forth in my room, my eyes glued to the door. There had to be a way out. I couldn’t stay here, trapped in this mansion, trapped with him. Each time I thought about running, something inside me pushed back, whispering to stay, whispering his name. ‘Alaric.’ I shook my head, trying to clear it. I couldn’t let him control my thoughts like this.
• The bond between us was growing stronger every day. I felt it tugging at my very core, an invisible thread that seemed to tighten each time he was near. No matter how hard I tried to ignore it, to convince myself that I didn’t need him, the truth always crept back in: I was drawn to him, in ways that terrified me. I had to get out.
• I glanced toward the window.