Page 28 of Tell Me Why
“Giddy,” I say flatly, opening the door. I gesture impatiently for her to walk out, and she watches me closely as she steps out into the dark hallway. When she reaches the main staircase, she pauses and waits for me.
Good girl. She’s learning.
I descend the main staircase with her more delicate footsteps trailing behind me. Once I reach the bottom, I’m forced to turn and watch her descend the rest of the way.
I shouldn’t have.
The robe billows around her shapely legs with every step, trailing behind her like mist. She’s watching her feet, chewing her bottom lip in concentration, feathery ribbons of dark hair brushing against her flushed cheeks…
The T-shirt was better. At least it hid that insane body.
When she reaches the bottom, I give her my back and lead her to the ballroom, opening the door to let her walk in ahead of me. Just two steps in, she gasps and reels back, slamming that juicy ass into my thighs. Her soft coconut scent wafts into the air around me, causing the blood in my veins to thicken.
The room is filled with rowdy guys, all Burning Crown members, all wearing the same thing—black t-shirt, black slacks, and a black mask that covers their faces, making each guy indistinguishable from the other.
Jackson and Ash are already waiting on the dias.
Stepping up, I instruct Eve to stand beside me. She’s glancing around nervously, and she looks like she wants to bolt, but wisely stays put.
Restless energy ripples through the room.
Eve shifts closer to me, but I’m not giving her sanctuary. Not yet. Stepping aside, I place my hand on the small of her back and push her forward.
Electrified anticipation fills the silence.
“Gentlemen!” I call out. “Good evening. Thank you for coming on such short notice. I’d like you to meet tonight’s prey—Eve Savano, our peace offering from Shadow and Ash.”
Cheers echo off the walls of the cavernous room.
“There are quite a few of you who would like a taste of her, but we do have to send her back in one piece, so the Sacred Sons have decided to host this Fox Hunt as a way of keeping the peace…”
More cheers, coupled with excited barks and howls. It’s been a while since we’ve had a hunt like this, and the excitement that ripples through the room is palpable. It’s an energy like no other.
I grab her face. “The hound that hunts down this pretty little fox gets to keep her—” The barks of excitement drown out my words, and I’m forced to raise my voice so I can be heard over the commotion. “Yo! Shut the fuck up,” I yell and the room instantly quiets down. “The winner gets to keep her until it’s time to send her back to Shadow and Ash, all used up and filled…with love for the Burning Crown…”
She says something, but it’s drowned out by the cheers that ricochet off the walls. I glance down at her, pleased to see the horror on her face. Maybe it’s cruel, but it’s also necessary.
“We’ll give you thirty seconds to hide,” I say to her. “Upstairs is off limits.”
“Thirty seconds? This house is huge. I can’t even get down the hallway in thirty seconds.”
I glance out at the mass of guys. “What do you think? Should we give her more time?”
There’s a collective cheer that quickly quiets down.
“Okay,” I say with a shrug. “Three minutes.”
She opens her mouth—to argue for more time, I’m sure—but I release her face and pull out my phone to start the timer. “Your time has started,” I tell her. “You’d better get going.”
Spinning on her heel, she darts down the dias steps in a cloud of lacy fabric, her long, shapely legs carrying her across the marble floor and out the side door that leads to the hallway. She may try to leave the house, but we have security stationed at every exit, so she won’t get far—and the failed attempt would eat away at her three precious minutes. So, win-win.
With Eve gone, I text Austin, whom I’ve already installed in the laundry room at the back of the house.
In two minutes, shut it down.
Got it.
Jackson and Ash pull their masks off.
