She did as she was told, walking behind him as they made their way to the door down the hall. When she saw what had distressed Agnes, she nearly passed out from the shock. Lying on the bed was Otto, his unseeing eyes staring up at the ceiling. He was shirtless, a blanket covering him up to the waist. A dagger had been plunged hilt-deep into his heart, blood pooling across his chest.
“Fuck.” Gabriel turned to her. “We have get help.”
Jane fought the urge to scream as tears stung the back of her eyes. “I don’t think anyone can help him now.”
Timothy, the Brit with the unfortunate laugh, appeared in the doorway. “So it is true. Otto is dead.” He rushed back out of the room, shouting for help.
Jane stumbled out of the room, too horrified to stay in Otto’s room a moment longer. The manservant and the groundskeeper arrived as she edged away, both men rushing past her into Otto’s room.
“We must secure the castle,” the manservant said loudly. “Everyone to your rooms. Immediately. We must find who did this before they escape.”
Gabriel walked up to her and ushered her away from Otto’s room. “Take a deep breath, Jane,” he instructed as he walked with her.
She could barely register what he was saying, but somehow she managed to stumble back to her bedroom door. But before she could open the door, Gabriel seized her hand and pulled her into his room.
“What are you doing?” she demanded, despite already feeling more secure with his large hand over hers.
“Safety in numbers,” he responded. “We double our odds of surviving if we stick together.”
She motioned to the door. “Shouldn’t we get to the others, then?”
Gabriel let go of her hand to pick up a large key from a nearby desk. When he got to the door, he locked it with a click and turned back to her. “We can’t trust any of them.”
Fear gripped her so tightly then that she didn’t want to accept his words. Even though deep down she knew what he meant, Jane couldn’t believe it. “What are you talking about? They’re in the same boat we are.”
He shook his head, steely resolve in his green eyes. “One of them killed the solicitor and the maid.”
“The maid?” she asked in shock.
“You can’t still think that was an accident. Somebody in this castle killed Otto. And Heidi.”
“No. That can’t be right. It must be somebody else.”
“Who else, Jane?”
Her throat tightened and suddenly it was a struggle to breathe. “Somebody hiding in the castle maybe. Someone we don’t know.”
“Either way, we’re safer locked inside this room.”
He turned from the door, moving past her to head back over to the desk. Though his strides were quick, time slowed to a stop when she felt the heat of him caress her skin. Their bodies almost pressed together as he maneuvered through the room, his chest brushing against hers. The hardness of his body against her quieted the fear. Replaced it with an unexpected desire. Without thinking, she placed her hand on his forearm. “How long will we have to stay here? I don’t think I can stand to stay cooped up in here for long without going crazy.”
Gabriel reached up to push back a stray lock of hair from her face. Then he cupped her face with this rough hand, caressing her cheek with his thumb. “I can think of a few ways to pass the time.”
Her heart started to pound even harder, because she knew what he was suggesting was exactly what she wanted. Though this was the most terrifying moment of her life, her raw need for him was so intense the danger seemed to pale in comparison to the pent-up lust coursing through her blood like wildfire. There was something wrong with her. Some screwed up genetic desire for self-destruction she had unwittingly inherited from her father. Maybe murder had turned her on all this time, and she hadn’t realized until the bodies had started to pile up. Yet no matter how wrong it was to want Gabriel, especially now, she had never craved any man as much as she craved him. All the death out there might have turned her on, but only Gabriel could arouse her beyond reason the way he did now.
“That won’t solve anything,” she said, more to convince herself to step away from this dangerous path than anything else.
He leaned closer, brought his mouth against her ear, and whispered roughly, “That wasn’t what I was offering.”
“Gabriel…”
“I can give you a good time before this all goes to hell. You won’t even have to trust me.”
Tired of talking, she pressed her open mouth to his. What followed was a hungry dueling of tongues and teeth. This wasn’t an exploration like their first kiss. Instead, this was so much more carnal. Possessive on his end as he splayed his hands on the small of her back to draw her to him. With their bodies so close together, she felt the telltale bulge of his desire. She let her teeth graze his lower lip, eliciting a satisfied groan that was almost a growl. In response he ravaged her with his tongue, his lips crushing hers. His tongue collided with hers as he deepened the punishing kiss. Gabriel’s insistent mouth on hers was like a brand. A claim that burned her right through.
When she finally came up for air, Jane was too dazed to think. Thinking would only remind her of whoever it was that was hunting them. All she wanted to do now was feel. To give in to her most primal urges.
Breathing heavily, she reached for the hem of her cardigan and paused when she caught a glimpse of herself in a mirror. She was nervous about revealing her body to him. Strange to still be capable of anxiety that had nothing to do with the killer roaming the castle. But Jane was anxious. She knew that he
