Total pages in book: 44
Estimated words: 41518 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 208(@200wpm)___ 166(@250wpm)___ 138(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 41518 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 208(@200wpm)___ 166(@250wpm)___ 138(@300wpm)
Walking along the bookcases that lined the room, she spotted famous authors and works she’d only heard of but never read. Many who had been gone for years. There was not a speck of dust on the shelves, and each book was in pristine condition. Selecting one, she peeked at the inside cover just to see if anyone had ever opened it. She froze seeing the signature of the author and her mate’s name. Carefully, she set that back into place, knowing the value of that one volume had to be significant.
On the last bookshelf, there was a beautifully carved heart ornament. Ciel picked it up and panicked when she heard the faint grinding of gears. Crap! What had she done? Quickly, she replaced the wooden heart, and the noise stopped.
Staring at that decoration, she battled with herself, trying to squash the temptation to touch it again. Ciel looked over her shoulder and listened intently for anyone in the area. The house was quiet.
Cautiously, she reached for the wooden object again. This time, she pulled it against her chest and held it. Again, that distinctive sound happened. Where was it coming from? She pressed her ear to the wooden frame of the bookcase and listened.
Yes! It was coming from there.
She stepped back to scan the books displayed in front of her and gasped. One section was partially ajar—pushed out into the room. Ciel raised the box to set it back on the shelf and saw the opening narrow. It was linked somehow to the object in her hand.
Ciel stepped to the couch and set the box on the end table next to a gorgeous Tiffany lamp as she eyed the door. It reopened again. Obviously, this wasn’t a passage meant for random people to explore. She wasn’t just anyone, though, right?
Gathering her courage, Ciel walked to the opening and pulled it to create a large enough space she could squeeze through. Without allowing herself to chicken out, she stepped into the hidden passage and immediately let out a short shriek as she batted the cobwebs from her hair. Obviously, the housekeepers didn’t come this way.
She squared her shoulders and forged on, batting the wispy threads out of her way as she walked down a metal spiral staircase. It was musty and dim. The perfect setting for a horror movie. Now why did I think of that? Ciel tried to shake that thought out of her mind with very limited success.
Spooked, she forced herself to keep going. Argenis would never have anything dangerous in his house. She’d be fine.
A scream burst from her lips when she turned a corner and came face to face with a bear—its mouth gaping open with white teeth trying to bite her. Ciel ran up several steps before realizing she didn’t hear anything behind her. Breathing hard, she paused and held her breath to listen. Nothing.
Quietly, she snuck down the steps. The bear hadn’t moved. She waved a hand to see if he could see her. There was no reaction from the creature. Ciel poked at the bear and felt real fur. Stuffed. Who put a huge attacking bear in the stairwell of his secret passage?
Argenis, of course.
“I hope he ate you,” she scolded the bear and jumped when her voice echoed. Prepared for anything now, she carefully snuck past the bear. It was dead, but she wasn’t taking any chances.
Her next find was a faded photo of a beautiful woman. She held a locket around her neck that was shaped like a heart. Suspecting this was one of Argenis’s former mates, Ciel wanted to hate her, but the woman looked so happy. Ciel couldn’t keep from feeling glad that Argenis had enjoyed this woman’s company and love.
Feeling less scared and more intrigued, she continued. The stairs ended in a vast room. Ciel figured this must be the basement under the mansion. Here and there were scattered boxes and old pieces of furniture draped by dust cloths.
There was one couch without fabric covering it. Ciel walked toward it and discovered displayed in front of the seating area were beautifully ornate picture frames with a combination of portraits and photos. The woman from the stairs appeared again alongside two other women and one handsome man.
Moving closer to the latter, Ciel was eager to see what Argenis had looked like years ago. She inhaled sharply at the sight of deep red hair, a mustache, and dark brown eyes that seemed to see into her soul. That was not Argenis. Scanning the portrait of the well-muscled man, Ciel noted something special.
Her gaze darted from one framed picture to the next. Every person wore the same type of necklace. Each different. But all consisted of a heart-shaped locket.
“You have been busy, mate.”
Ciel whirled to see Argenis standing behind her. “I’m sorry. I should have asked before coming down here.”