Page 34

I look away. Callum steps closer.

“You watched everyone else leave with someone. Then you stood at the gate and stared into the maze as if you were waiting for it to notice you.”

His gloved thumb touches my chin.

“I noticed.”

The chapel suddenly feels too intimate. The hunt was easier when they were faceless monsters chasing me through the darkness. Callum sees too much.

“You sent the invitation.”

“Yes.”

“What would you have done if I hadn’t accepted?”

“Waited another year.”

“And then?”

“Sent another.”

A nervous laugh escapes me.

“You’re insane.”

“Yes.”

No denial. No apology. The calm certainty of his answer sends a fresh rush of desire between my thighs. Callum looks at my mouth.

“Does that frighten you?”

“It should.”

“That wasn’t my question.”

I hold his gaze.

“No.”

His breathing changes. Only slightly. It is the first crack in his terrifying control.

“Color?”

“Green.”

“Do you want the door locked?”

I glance over my shoulder. The chapel doors remain closed. The choice is mine.

“Yes.”

Callum walks away from me. He slides the heavy iron bolt into place. The metallic sound rolls through the chapel, sealing us inside. My pulse pounds. He returns to the altar.

“Give me your hands.”

I obey. Callum removes his gloves. His hands are large, calloused, and warm. A scar crosses his left palm. More disappear beneath the cuffs of his flannel shirt. He turns my hands over, inspecting the faint red marks left by Rhys’s ribbon.

“Pain?”