The Chateau (Chateau 1)

I was disappointed because I did expect more from him. There was still a soul deep inside that hard chest, humanity the other guards didn’t possess. He had potential—even if he didn’t see it. “You aren’t like the others.”

“Doesn’t mean I’m like you.”

I stared at the side of his head, his handsome face illuminated by the brilliance of the fire. His beautiful complexion looked angelic in the light. “You can pretend not to have a heart, but I know you have one…a big one.”

He turned back to me, his eyes cold despite the warmth hitting him in the face. “You don’t know me.”

“I disagree.” I knew him in a way no one else did. His heroic actions were done in secret, so they weren’t for show. He’d freed me at great cost. He’d stuck his neck for me, stuck it into the noose of the Red Snow. “What is your purpose there? Everyone has a place—except you.”

He turned away and didn’t answer.

“Why won’t you tell me?”

“Because I don’t owe you anything. You’re the one indebted to me. So, I suggest you thank me for what I’ve done instead of interrogate me—”

“I’m just trying to get to know you—”

“Why?” He looked at me again. “After I drop you off, you’ll never see me again.”

I expected us to part ways without obligation to each other. But I still expected more from him. “I’m going to go to the police when I get home… You know that, right?”

He stared at the fire.

“So, if you get out now, you’ll save yourself. I’m trying to help you.”

“Yes, I know exactly what you’ll do. Go ahead.”

Was I missing something here? “Why does that not scare you?”

“Because you have no idea how the world really works.” He clenched his jaw slightly, like this conversation annoyed him the longer it continued. “I suggest you go home and live your life. Be grateful every single day that you survived something no one else ever has. Honor those you left behind by living life to the fullest. That’s my advice. Go to the police if you want—but it won’t make a difference.”

“If you think I’m not going to try to free those women, then you don’t know me very well.”

“Then try. If it’ll clear your conscience and help you sleep at night, then do it.”

Even as a free woman, I was starting to feel powerless. Magnus was getting me to safety, but he didn’t have any concerns about the consequences of that action. It would never come back and bite him in the ass.

Maybe I really didn’t understand what I was dealing with.

“We’ll leave tomorrow. Sleep on the floor if you want—but there are beds upstairs.” He got to his feet and picked up his bowl.

I stayed in front of the fire.

He walked away into the kitchen.

I stared at the flames for a moment longer before I went after him.

He rinsed out his dish then left it in the bottom of the sink. “How are we getting there? There’s no car.”

“Horse.”

“All the way to Paris?” I asked incredulously. I had no idea where I was, but I knew we were nowhere near the city.

“To the place where I store my car.”

“And what will happen to the horse?”

“I’ll leave her there until I come back.”

“Are you going to return to the camp with two horses?”

He turned around and leaned against the counter as he stared at me. “Why are you asking so many questions about this?”

“Because I don’t want Rose to go back. And if you do bring her back, they’ll know you helped me. So, what are you planning to do with her?”

He shrugged. “Not sure.”

I loved that horse and felt weird parting with her. She was my friend. “Can I keep her?”

He regarded me with a cold stare. “You said you live in an apartment.”

“I can rent her a place with a stable.”

“That’s expensive.”

I didn’t have much money to begin with. “I just…can’t say goodbye.”

He pushed off the counter with his hips and sighed. “What if I keep her?”

“This is no place for a horse. There’s no fence.”

“I have other residences.”

Residences? As in plural? “Do you already own horses?”

He nodded.

“But then I’ll still never see her…”

“But you’ll know she’s taken care of. Isn’t that enough?”

Rose had carried me away from that terrible place and got me to safety. She became my friend. I didn’t want her to be sold to some stranger, I didn’t want her to return to the camp, I wanted her to have a good life…with lots of oats. “You’ll take good care of her?”

He nodded. “I will.”

“Okay.” I turned back to the foyer, still unable to believe that I was leaving tomorrow. I should be more excited, but I started to fear what he had said, that there was nothing I could for the others.

He came up behind me and headed to the stairs. He stopped and turned to me, like he knew I had something else to say.