Page 17 of The Haunting
When Drake returned and offered his explanation, everyone accepted it, but he appeared a little dazed. Lucian too. They explained that Vladimir had gone to his room to fetch an item. But I knew Drake. There was something off. He smiled for reassurance, but even that seemed forced.
“Did something happen you don’t want to frighten the others over?” I murmured as I leaned into his body. I stood between his muscular thighs as Drake drew me close.
“No, babe. To be honest, I think this whole building has me a little unnerved.”
“Are you sure? You can talk to me,” I pushed, and Drake smiled.
“Know I can, babe. But honestly, everything is fine. I’m just unsettled. Nobody can deny this doesn’t have a spooky feel.”
“Okay,” I replied, but I wasn’t satisfied.
“Shall we explore?” Kate asked.
“No, Jacques and Eden weren’t lying about the other side of the mansion. The floors and ceilings have huge holes, and the walls have partially collapsed. It’s not safe,” Vladimir said, entering the kitchen. His gaze swept the room, and relief crossed his face when he spotted Emmaline with Clio.
“Well, the stew will simmer and doesn’t need constant watching. Shall we try to find the sitting room?” Maggie asked.
“Sure!” Rosie agreed.
We headed into the entrance hall, and Vladimir led the way to the other door that Eden and Jacques had pointed out to us.
“Damn, it’s only half-past five. It feels like we’ve been here for hours,” Sabine murmured to Daniel, who nodded.
“Time seems to drag here,” he agreed.
A forked flash of lightning made us all jump. Its silver rays of light haunted the inside of the mansion with rays of unnatural-feeling light.
“That storm isn’t lessening. Shouldn’t it have moved on or blown itself out by now?” James asked.
“Yeah, I’d have thought so,” Inglorious replied, looking out of the window.
James opened the door to the room Vladimir waved at and entered. “Wow,” he said.
I was next in line, and I stood amazed at the scene before me. There was no dust, cobwebs or dirt present. The room was spotless, and a fire blazed merrily in the hearth.
“Warmth!” Maggie cried and hurried over to it, holding her hands out.
“Considering the state of the rest of the house, this is unexpected,” Lucian said as he sat down on a couch.
“This is a cheerful room. It seems wrong compared to what we’ve seen,” I said, sitting next to Clio.
“Maybe Jacques and Eden cleaned the rooms they’d be using?” Emmaline suggested as she sat near the fire.
“Possibly. I still don’t like those two. They’re hiding something,” Chance stated. He eyed Drake, who gazed steadily back. “Are you sure you found nothing odd?”
“Certain. The wind was blowing through a loose board over a window, and creating the howling noise,” Drake said.
I frowned. There was something off in his statement, but I couldn’t figure out what.
“What about the scream?” Rosie asked.
“Same again, honey, the wind,” Drake replied, offering a warm smile.
No, that made little sense. The penny dropped. How the hell would Drake know it was the wind when there had been no further howls after they left? For Drake to believe it was the wind, he’d have had to have heard or seen the wind blowing through the board. But as there’d been nothing but silence, how could Drake be so certain?
I opened my mouth to confront him and then shut it. Something really weird was happening in this house, and I’d no idea what. I didn’t need Drake getting agitated, plus it wasn’t my place to challenge him in public. Not if he was trying to protect everyone. Drake appeared relaxed, but I was unsure if that was on purpose to settle the others or if he really was.
We were discussing children and the antics they got up to when Inglorious, Nanci, and James volunteered to get the huge coffee pot we’d found. Moments after they left, a loud crash came from outside, and we jumped to our feet and rushed into the entrance hall.
