“I’m guessing you smell so bad now, even the panther refuses to eat you.”

Laura blushed, her shoulders rounding as she hugged herself.

She looked on the verge of tears. Afraid and alone and I couldn’t help myself.

“Hey.” Marching into their midst, I scowled. “You can be mean to me but not to others who ended up here by accident.”

“Oh, don’t worry, I heard Rina killed one of you ‘accidents’ a few nights ago. Can’t have you distracting Lucien Ashfall, now can we?” More snickers.

“Wait...” I swallowed hard. “You killed a girl?”

“So what?” A curvy woman smirked. “We came here for a reason, and we won’t let any of you lottery cards ruin it.”

“So what your blood got you in?” another girl with a thick brown ponytail muttered. “No matter where they found you, the idea that a bumbling, clueless idiot will attract Lucien is ridiculous. No, it’s worse than ridiculous, it’s downright insulting.”

“You’re all nasty pieces of work.” I glowered at them even as my headache turned borderline. “I suddenly have no sympathy for you if Lucien decides to remove the trash.”

The cattier girls sat upright and almost hissed. “Careful, accident. Your blood might be compatible, but it can still be drained.”

“Leave us alone.” Grabbing Laura’s hand, I dragged her away from the hate-filled picnic. The girl trotted beside me, wincing as the others whispered, not-so-quietly, about how we were taking up valuable resources and if Lucien didn’t kill us soon, perhaps it would fall to them to do something about it.

Goosebumps shot down my spine at the thought.

I probably shouldn’t have engaged with them.

I wouldn’t last long if the girls all turned on one another. I’d be slaughtered in my sleep and wouldn’t even know I’d been killed.

“Thank you,” Laura said softly as I let her go but kept walking. “You didn’t have to do that.”

“I know.” I gave her a smile, nausea from standing up for her making me pay a little. “But I couldn’t leave you there to be hounded. I don’t do well with bullies.” The faster the adrenaline of what I’d done wore off, the stronger my headache became.

God, couldn’t I be free from pain just for a little while?

Rubbing my temples, I grimaced.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” Hiding my discomfort and hoping it would fade instead of getting worse, I slowed my fast pace. “You were caught up in this too?”

“Yep.” She sighed heavily, rubbing her arms even though the sun was surprisingly warm. “I was in London visiting the flea markets to furnish the studio apartment I’ve just moved into. My ex dumped me after emptying my bank accounts and...I’ve been feeling rather sorry for myself. So when a guy approached with an invitation and dangled the opportunity to enjoy a free spa weekend, I took it. Stupidly.”

“Hey, if you’re stupid, then I’m an idiot.” I smiled. “You just hoped this place would be something that could cure your grief and make you feel a bit better. Me? I was just greedy.”

She met my smile with her own. “I’m Laura Milay.”

“Rook Snowden.”

Her eyebrows rose. “That’s an interesting name.”

It’s better than my pseudonym.

I nodded. “My parents wanted something different.”

“Is it related to anything?” Her nose wrinkled. “The crow perhaps?”

“Who knows?” I shrugged with a smile.

I’d grown used to the way people reacted to hearing my name for the first time. Sure, I had jet black hair and matching dark eyes, but either naming me after an ominous bird or a castle-like chess piece, didn’t really make much sense.

Unlike Lucien...that’s a nice name.

I froze.

Wait. Where the hell did that thought come from?

“Where are you going?” Laura asked, her face hopeful. “Do you want some company?”

My cheeks pinked. I could lie but I sucked at it, and this was the first time I’d felt a sense of togetherness with someone in here—not including the monster in the middle of this nightmare’s web.

I didn’t want to ruin whatever friendship could exist before it could begin. Besides, if she was another mistake like me, didn’t that mean we had an obligation to stick together? That I owed it to her to ask Lucien to save her life, just like he was saving mine?

Perhaps he needs a second maid?

His house was certainly big enough.

“If you’re alright on your own,” I said. “I’m going to steal some wine from the main house. Once I’m back, we could meet somewhere and share a drink if you wanted?”

What I really wanted was some alone time and a nap, but she looked so miserable and afraid and...safety in numbers.

“The main house?” She wrinkled her nose. “You’re that familiar with the Ashfall castle to call it a house?”

“Not really.” I laughed.

“Do you know anything about him? About why we were brought here?”

I kept walking toward the hulking palace in the distance. She followed me, leaving behind the other gossiping women. “I’m beginning to learn a little, but I still have many, many questions.”

“You can ask me if you want.”

I caught her eyes. “I thought you said you were here by bad luck.”

“Oh, I am.” She shook her head with a wry grin. “But I’m also incredibly nosy and with nothing to do this week—apart from unravel the mystery of why I’m here and who’s trapped in here with us, I’ve been bugging the others—or at least the ones who will talk to me—with lots and lots of questions.”

My interest immediately piqued. “Oh?” Taking her elbow, I guided her toward a wrought iron bench overlooking a small pond. The crystal surface was broken by the occasional bubbles thanks to the black koi carp darting below. My need for wine and lunch paused thanks to my need for answers. “Can you give me the highlights?”

“Sure.” She sat down. Our knees touched as we turned to face each other. “Honestly, part of it sounds so crazy, I wouldn’t be surprised if the others made up stories just to mock me but from what I know...”

I leaned in, my ears almost ringing for information.

“According to them, Lucien Ashfall used to be the crown jewel of Brimstone Industries. His grandparents—the founding members of the company—figured out how to use the energy of volcanic activity and used magma to create clean, renewable energy. The company became incredibly powerful, almost overnight, and now multiple countries all rely on him and his power grid.”

My mind raced, wishing I’d paid more attention in the work meetings. Surely, Brimstone Industries would’ve been mentioned. It had to have been, seeing as his company was the exact opposite of ours. We dealt in ice and polar properties; he dealt in fire and the destructive force of volcanoes.

It just wasn’t logically possible that my research team, accounting team, and even all those exorbitant lawyers kept on retainer wouldn’t know intimate details.

So why did they keep it from me?

“Apparently, the Ashfalls have been working on this method for decades. The secrecy of their patents, keycodes, and other sensitive information is all hidden in a vault that can only be opened with fresh Ashfall blood—along with a password no one can guess.”

My heart skipped a beat, soaking up every word she gave me.

“Twenty years ago, when Lucien turned nine, his parents died in some magma backflow disaster, and he became the CEO. Not because a nine-year-old can run such a dangerous company, but because they needed his blood to turn on every machine. According to Evelyn, the harvesting of volcanic energy will turn off after ten hours and require the blood of an Ashfall to turn on again. It’s a failsafe so the reactors don’t overheat, blow up, or the technology falls into the wrong hands.”

I blinked, my mind racing with the consequences of such advanced tech.

The Ashfalls probably thought they’d made their company water-tight against corrupt staff members or their patents falling into the grasp of their enemies, not realising they’d just condemned their entire bloodline.