When they entered the bedroom, Raina and Dominic immediately sensed Jarek’s presence. It felt heavy, as though he was still there somehow and Raina played with the idea of curling up in a corner and never leaving. Rats screeched at them from the corner and meat hooks swung from the ceiling, hinting at the possibility of a torturous experience. After a few moments, Raina found the courage to let go of Dominic’s hand and walk through the room unassisted.
“Don’t go far,” he warned.
“Does it really matter at this point, Dom?” she asked sadly as she turned back to face him.
“Of course it does.”
He moved forward to meet her at her chosen spot in the middle of the room and called out to the walls as though checking out a theory.
“Hello!” (Hello, Hello!)
They listened to his voice echo off the walls and bounce back at them but neither of them acknowledged it out loud. They just continued to circle the room and hoped their growing anxieties wouldn’t blossom into pure terror.
“We’re still here, aren’t we?” he asked her softly.
“Yeah, but why?” she asked, distracted by a tiger
head that was mounted on the far wall. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, why are we still alive?”
Dominic knew that her curiosity was increasing when she started shifting her weight from one foot to the other and twisting thick clumps of hair through her nervous fingers. His stomach lurched and his hands began to sweat because he knew that once sparked, Raina’s interest would not wane until she’d found whatever answer she was seeking, no matter how detrimental it might be to the both of them.
“I don’t care how lucky or skilled we are, Dom. If they wanted us dead, it would have happened already.” Her vocal chords stopped working when visions of her fallen pack marched by one by one. “Like them,” she added.
She diverted her own attention from the unwanted images by staring at the canopied bed by the door they had entered. Wondering if Lucius were watching them, she felt a chill rush down her spine and she shivered visibly. Stephan entered her thoughts and she felt herself become more alive and energized by vivid fantasies of spearing him through the heart. She grinned at the thought of his blood dripping from her hands and looked forward to waving goodbye to his wicked soul as it floated past her on its way to hell.
Stephan’s face morphed into Leo’s and she began to understand his desperate need for retribution. Though her rage continued to grow, she was glad for it. Anger trumped sadness and it was a trade she was more than happy to make.
As she paced the floor, it didn’t escape her attention that Dominic never strayed more than three steps behind her no matter how fast or slow she went. Raina heard the ding of an invisible timer and knew the time had come to face some important truths.
“Dom?” she asked hesitantly. “Yes?”
“Can I ask you a question that you have to be completely honest answering?”
Dominic glanced back toward the door hoping that someone would interrupt but it remained closed and the question still hung heavy in the air. Settling his eyes back on Raina, he accepted that the time had come to have the conversation.
“Shoot,” he answered after a long pause.
“Why did you choose the pack over me?” she finally braved.
He stepped forward to close the small gap between them and caressed her cheek with his hand.
“I chose the pack for you, Raina,” he answered in a tone that insinuated he had spoken the words many times.
Her eyebrows lifted slowly and she raised her own hand