Forever Mine

FORTY FOUR

Roxy almost laughed. It was exactly how she imagined a rogue's home to be, now that they seemed to have one.

She winced when her body was dragged up a set of broken stairs, her clumsy feet scrambling to righten herself. All sorts of creepy crawlies crawled amongst the cracks. They came to a stop in front of two large doors which matched the gothic feel of the manor.

Levi moved in front of her, reaching up to pull the rope of a large bell hanging from the door. It rang out in heavy dongs and within seconds she could sense a presence on the other side of the doors before they were opened. The stench of rogues was thick and heavy inside; blood and rot. A sickly-looking man stood in the doorway, his yellow eyes locked onto the two sisters with a tongue running between his cracked lips as if they were a delicious meal.

'Our leader has been waiting for you both,' said the rogue in a creepy voice. When he grinned most of his teeth were rotten and yellowed.

Roxy glowered back at the rogue when they were shoved inside. She flinched when the doorman took a playful bite at her, his teeth snapping shut near her face. Creep.

She was surprised to see that the interior was much nicer than the outside while continuing the gothic vibes. The walls were a dark timber, the floor a black marble. Pieces of antique furniture and extravagant sculptures filled the rooms and lined the hallways. Chandeliers with gold arms and tear drop crystals lit up the dark house. An impressive staircase sat in the centre of the foyer, its bannisters sweeping down in sets of dark timber either side of a balcony. Their bodyguards dragged them up the winding staircase, the sisters feet scuffing along the deep red carpet.

The hallway on the next level was dark, the chandeliers casting a dim light. Gold-framed pictures hung from the walls. They were oil paintings of scenery. It reminded her of the paintings which decorated the Winters' home and a sense of longing swirled inside of her. Upon further inspection Roxy realised it was the scenery of the territory after spotting the manor in the background of blooming gardens. So she'd been right about this place once being beautiful, rather than a big slab of death.

There was a picture with a large claw mark slashed through it, but Roxy could make out the image of a family in the torn canvas; two parents smiling with their hands resting on a boy's shoulders. She gasped, her foggy mind managing to put the pieces together. The curly hair told her who the young boy was without having to look at the rogue behind her for reassurance. In the painting his eyes were a beautiful green, the eyes she'd known too, rather than the sickly yellow orbs which currently burnt holes in her back. She thought of the day they'd shared on the jetty eating ice cream when she thought she'd found a lifelong friend.

This had been the home of Levi's pack – his family. Why on earth would he want to work with the rogues who'd killed them all?

They came to a halt at a heavy set of doors. Levi gave three heavy knocks, the sound like dongs of a clock announcing Cleo and Roxy's doom. She glanced over to her sister, who still hung like a ragdoll.

'Enter!' boomed a sharp voice inside.

Pushing down on the golden handles, Levi thrust the doors open. The two sisters were thrown onto a Persian carpet. Roxy wheezed, her air being smacked free from her already punctured lungs. She scrambled for Cleo next to her, but a polished shoe to her stomach had her launched halfway across the room. Roxy clutched at her stop while she coughed large amounts of blood onto the floor. She used the back of her hand to wipe the blood from her chin, daring to peak up at her surroundings. The room was huge. A fireplace sat against the wall, along with a huge bed decorated in red and black bedding. The same over the top sculptures and oil paintings throughout the rest of the manor decorated the room. A solid timber desk sat beneath the casement window she'd seen from outside. Instead of allowing the natural light in, black curtains were drawn across it.