Page 84 of Spark

“We’re sharing a room now?”

“You’ll always have your own space at the estate, but everywhere else will be conjoined.”

“Everywhere else?” I asked as he led me up the staircase to the first floor.

“Yes,” was all he said, and I took that as my hint that he wouldn’t be revealing any more information.

Leading me down the hallway, I couldn’t help but admire the continued Christmas decorations and trimmings all along the log cabin walls. The lighting throughout the house was soft and not bright, giving it a nice warm touch. Darren stopped us at a door at the very end of the hallway and pulled out a key to unlock it. Opening it slowly, he ushered me inside, and my jaw dropped for the third time that day.

The bedroom was gorgeous and even bigger than my own bedroom at the estate. Decked out in more decorations, the room held an endearing countryside wilderness theme to it. A large canopy bed rested at the back of the room, covered in burgundy red blankets and pillows, and I wondered how deep I’d fall into it if I jumped on it right now. It looked that comfortable. A set of comfy dark brown suede looking furniture sat in front of another massive stone fireplace with what looked like a bearskin rug laid out in front of it.

But what caught my eye was the very bland, very naked looking pine tree standing off by the heavily curtained windows. Next to the tree were a bunch of red bins stacked on top of each other.

Well, this was interesting…

I took a few steps into the room; my mind was swimming with so much stimuli, I wasn’t sure how to cope with the change in scenery. I could feel Darren’s eyes on me, watching me intently as I took everything in. It only took him a few seconds of deliberation before he took me by my shoulders and led me over to the windows. Standing behind me, he reached out for the curtains and pulled them aside to reveal the view outside.

I couldn’t help but gasp just a little at how unreal everything was. We seemed to be somehow in the heart of the mountain because that was all I could see out that window.

“God, this is amazing,” I said.

“I’m very glad to see that you’re happy.”

I bit down on my tongue. I hated that he thought he was winning something here. I couldn’t lie and say that I wasn’t happy with the change of scenery and that he was making an effort to please me, but it made me sick to my stomach knowing I would have to reward him for his gift. If I didn’t, he would see me as ungrateful and probably punish me somehow, and if I did reward him, he would think he was one step closer to winning me over, and that I would eventually forgive him for everything if he kept up this kind act. I sighed in frustration.

Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.

“I have some work I need to take care of, so I’ve left a little task for you,” he said as he moved me over to the naked tree. “I expect this thing to be covered from top to bottom in decorations by the time I get back.”

I looked up and down the tree, my lips forming into a grimace. The tree was easily an eight-footer. It could take me hours.

“I’ll need a ladder,” I replied.

“I’ll have someone bring one up,” he said. “And you are not to leave this room until I return, understand? If you need anything, someone will be standing outside.”

“Of course,” I said with a nod.

Darren stepped toward me, wrapping his hand around the back of my neck and pulling me toward him. He dipped down and met my lips with his, kissing me with a gentle passion I found endearing—the kind that took my breath away.

“You should know… just because you escaped the perimeter once does not make it obsolete. It surrounds the entire property line, Jaden. Don’t disappoint me.”

Fuck, I’d forgotten all about that.

“I won’t,” I promised.

Darren nodded. “I’ll be back soon,” he said, breaking the kiss and gazing down at me.

And then he was gone.

I turned around to face my new task, noticing how big the damn tree was. It would take me a while to decorate it all by myself, but I was still thankful to have something to do while Darren was gone.

Unstacking the red bins, I rummaged through the contents. One bin contained all kinds of lights, one with beads and tinsel, and the other three with all kinds of ornaments and tree toppers. About five minutes later, the door opened, and a guard walked in with a large stepping stool.

“Thank you,” I said as he placed it down near the tree.

He gave me a short nod and then exited the room without a single word. It was still weird that people were actually afraid to talk to me because of Darren or maybe because they knew I could potentially get them killed. Ignoring it, I turned up the radio that was playing the Christmas carols and got to work.

An hour later, I had successfully decorated the shit out of the tree. The warm glow of the white lights cascaded against the colorful glass bulbs that twinkled in the light. The silver tinsel was a nice complement to the silver accents on the red, gold, and silver tree skirt. The only thing that was missing was the damn tree topper. I couldn’t decide which one I wanted. There was either a classic star that lit up or an angel, and for some reason, I didn’t like either choice. I wanted something different, something fun.

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