The walk back to the mansion was suffocatingly silent. Draven kept his hand wrapped firmly around my upper arm, not hard enough to bruise, but with a fierce, unyielding grip that made it clear I wasn't allowed to escape. He didn't say another word, but the lethal tension rolling off his shoulders told me the interrogation was far from over.
The moment we crossed the threshold of the estate, I wrenched my arm free. Before he could stop me, I hurried up the grand staircase, bolted into my bedroom, and locked the heavy oak door behind me.
My heart was hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird. I needed a moment to think. I needed to wash the scent of the forest, the snow, and Valerie’s prying hands off my skin.
Stepping into the adjoining master bathroom, I turned the brass handles of
