Enchanted by the Demon Wolf

Chapter 8

Alex was ecstatic to hear the wonderful news. 

"Only Piers Anderson and I will be sleeping in the mansion alone tonight, even Arthur would have to leave by 6 PM!", she repeated to herself in excitement.

She couldn't hold back her joy as she danced in her room. She was back after her first therapy session with Piers. It went way better than she had anticipated, they had a decent conversation and surprisingly he wasn't so rude to her. It was Piers himself who broke the news to her and she couldn't wait to get back to her room to celebrate.

"Finally, I can get to breath from Arthur policing my every move!", she said, still ecstatic. 

She saw him sitting at the passageway outside Piers' study when she came out. He offered to escort her to her room but she refused. She insisted she could find her way on her own and headed straight to the guest room. 

She had every intention to explore more of the mansion but she had to wait for evening to come, so she could watch Arthur leave the mansion with pleasure.

She was half way through her victory dance when she heard a knock on her door.

"Ah, that's Mr. Piers", she whispered to herself smiling. 

"I must have left a good impression about me after our first session. I am certain he is here to thank me".

"I better not keep him waiting at the door for too long", she said, as she walked towards the door briskly and opened it.

"Hello Dr. Alex", he said, standing outside the door.

"Please may I come in?"

"Hi Arthur, what can I help you with?", she asked surprised and irritated to see him again, he wasn't the Mr. Piers she had hoped for. He just couldn't let her be.

"Please may I come in?", he requested again. He was carrying on his left hand a bundle of rope which looked highly suspicious.

"I was hoping to take a nap before evening when you knocked, so you won't be able to come in at the moment", she lied to him, so he would go away.

"It's very important I talk to you in private", he whispered in a hush tone.

"Why are you whispering, there is nobody around here and what's with the rope?", she asked curiously.

"Hope he wasn't trying to tie me up with it or worse still hang me with it?", she thought to herself.

"I have to, the walls sometimes have ears and this rope, I brought it for you", he said, as he barged in. He didn't wait to be ushered in by her anymore.

She was speechless at his behaviour but not only that, also at him bringing her a rope.

"Why did you walk into my room without being invited?", she fumed at him. 

Arthur didn't reply to her, as he gave her a hard look, he was trying to intimidate her. She had to draw a line to what was acceptable behaviour towards her and what was not. She knew he was the house manager and butler but he wasn't the boss of her, she was her own boss.

"I demand you leave my room at once!", she ordered.

"I'll suggest you watch your tone when addressing me!", he fired back.

She was shocked at his audacity. He had the guts to want to silence her while at the wrong!

"Here have this rope", he said, as he dropped it on the ground, not even having the courtesy to hand it over to her.

"Keep it somewhere accessible tonight, you will need it", he warned, as he looked around in case anyone else heard what he said.

"And what will I need a bloody rope for, am I going mountain climbing?", she asked confused.

"You will need it to climb down the balcony of your room, just in case you can't use the stairs", he revealed.

"Is this some sort of joke?!", she asked alarmed. She wasn't finding all these funny.

He looked around to be sure no one was in the room with them before walking towards the door and looking outside the passageway to be sure it was clear before shutting the door and facing her.

"It is not a joke, you just don't know it yet but you are in grave danger!", he whispered to her. She had never seen so much fear in someone's eyes before but she saw it in his eyes, he was also physically shaking.

"Really?!", she chuckled at him. Although he was a good actor, she knew better than to take him seriously. 

He didn't look pleased as he gave her a hard stare and neither was she.

"What am I in danger off?", she quizzed, after wiping off the smile from her face.

"I cannot say but if you must stay here tonight, you must lock your door and stay indoors. Do not make a sound or wander off in the mansion. Use the rope as a last resort, if my other suggestions fail and get off this house. Run to the lake and swim, you will be safe in the waters", he said. His alarmist tone was back and so was the fear in his eyes.

She couldn't help herself but chuckle some more. 

"Is this some sort of haunted house?"

"Or was he trying to organise some scary halloween party even though it wasn't Halloween yet?"

"Or was he simply trying to prevent her from exploring the mansion when he is away tonight?"

"What message was he trying to pass across to her?", she reasoned within herself, confused.

"Thank you Arthur for your concern about my safety. I really do appreciate it but I believe I can manage just fine on my own here tonight", she said to him with a smile.

"You do not understand Dr. -"

"I do!", she said, cutting him short.

"You, take good care of your business in the house while I take good care of myself", she said, with a tone of finality. 

"Like i said before you walked right in uninvited, I wanted to take a nap before it's evening and I will like to do that now if you don't mind", she said, as she walked towards the door and opened it for him to leave.

Arthur gave her a hard look as if wondering where she had the guts to ask him to leave her room but he had no option but to comply as she also stared back hard at him.

"I will take my leave then", he said in defeat, as he walked slowly towards the door.

"Please wait a moment", she said to him with a smile on her face and in a sweet tone. She could see his face suddenly brighten up as he eagerly looked to her to hear what she had to say.

"You forgot to take your rope on the floor. Kindly take it along with you as you leave", she said to him while still smiling. She could see his face drop instantly with disappointment, as he went back and picked up the bundle of rope. She was happy she was finally getting at him, as he was to her since she arrived this morning. 

"I am sorry for walking into your room uninvited and for troubling you Dr. Alex, I shouldn't have", he apologised to her as he got to the door.

"Indeed you shouldn't have but it is all fine and good now", she said to him, still wearing her smile. He nodded at her, as if acknowledging his mistake as he walked out of her room.

She was glad to see him go as she closed the door and heaved a sigh of relief.

"Finally!", she exclaimed. 

She understood perfectly now what he was trying to do when he walked into her room with the ropes. He was trying to scare her off from the mansion with his scare tactics.

That was all he had done today since she drove past the gates this morning but he had failed terribly this time around. 

"I am not someone who can easily be scared away Arthur, I am Dr. Alex Bryan - the best psychiatrist in all of Seattle!"

From Arthur's behaviour, she could now begin to understand why 5 doctors left on such short notice without being able to help Mr. Piers Anderson's. 

"If I must succeed with helping Mr. Piers then Arthur has to leave in the evening as planned", she concluded, as she once again sank on her comfy bed with her back. She imagined how beautiful it would be with just Mr. Piers and her alone in the mansion tonight.