Page 75 of Fanged Desire
“Keep your voice down,” I muttered, scanning the room for Addison. My pulse pounded in my ears, a new kind of panic surging through me. “We need to find Addison – now. This batch they’re talking about? It could include her sister.”
Ethan’s face went pale under his mask, and he clutched my elbow like it was a lifeline. “You don’t think they…”
“Not yet.” I cut him off, though I wasn’t sure who I was trying to convince. “They haven’t served anything yet. But we need to move, fast.”
Before I could take another step, however, a new voice spoke. A familiar voice – low and cajoling, right in my ear.
“Dear Hunter. What trouble have you gotten yourself into now?”
Chapter 26
Addison
The corridor stretched ahead and glowing sconces cast my slinking shadow against the wall, my muffled footsteps muted by the raucous masked figures chattering away in the main hall. Hunter and Ethan were somewhere behind me, working their angles with the masked elves, buying me time to do what I needed to do.
Find Penelope.
I didn’t have a plan. Not really. All I had was desperation, hope, and the memory of Cathy’s smug face replaying in my mind like a taunt. I clenched my fists, forcing myself to focus.
I ducked behind a massive decorative urn when a pair of partygoers strolled past, their laughter light and carefree. How could they be so nonchalant, so utterly disconnected from the horrors happening just behind closed doors?
But I couldn’t waste a second scowling after them, I had to move quickly. Spotting a staircase at the end of the hall I bolted toward it – a mad dash into yawning darkness. The stairs leddownward, the air growing colder as I descended into what felt like a basement level.
I’d barely turned a corner before I hauled myself back again, pressing myself to the wall when I spotted a bulky figure nearby. Sticking to the shadows, I risked a small peek in his direction. The guy wasn’t wearing a mask, and the baton at his side told me he definitely wasn’t there for the party. He was guarding something – guarding the door at his back.
He also seemed restless, checking his watch and shifting on his feet like he had somewhere else to be.
A moment later, I understood his impatience. A woman in a feathered mask appeared from an adjoining hallway, her drunken laugh bouncing down the corridor, and the guard immediately perked up.
Where the hell have you been all evening?” he crooned, tugging her closer when she tottered over to him.
“Oh you know… socializing. Are you jealous?” she teased him, walking her fingers up his chest. “I could make it up to you...”
The guard’s eyes gleamed but he hesitated, glancing nervously at the door at his back. “I really shouldn’t–”
“Come on, Max.” The woman pouted, slinging her arms around his neck. “They’re not going anywhere.”
The masked woman pressed her lips to his throat and the man faltered, taking one shuffling step towards her. I poked my head out again, willing the two of them to wander off together. When the woman lifted her mask to peck a kiss to his cheek, poor old Max didn’t stand a chance.
I watched as he followed her down the hall, practically trotting after her like a lovesick puppy – and leaving the corridor conveniently unguarded for the time being.
My heart thudded in my chest. This was my chance, but I had to be fast. Something told me Max wouldn’t be a very long lay. Or a particularly impressive one for that matter.
I waited a beat, listening to the lovebirds’ fading footsteps, before stepping out into the open. The door at the end of the hallway was sturdy and unmarked, but the faint sound of muffled voices leaked through the crack at the bottom.
I crept closer, my hands curling into fists when I recognized one of those voices. It was a voice I was beginning to believe I’d never hear again. A voice I’d nearly forgotten entirely.
I pressed my ear to the door, straining to make out the words. Someone was speaking softly, soothing and sensible, though every word was edged with terror.
“It’s going to be okay,” they murmured. “Help will come... It has to.”
My throat tightened, and it took every drop of my restraint not to bash my fists against the door, not to scream her name at the top of my lungs, not to fall to my knees and beg for her forgiveness.
Instead, I knocked softly, keeping my voice to a whisper.
“Penelope?”
There was a long pause from the other side of the door, a stunned silence followed by hurried footsteps. The door shook on its hinges as she threw her body against it.
