Caged by Damnation (Caged #2)(20)

Death sighed, causing my hair to tickle my cheek. "What do you see when you look out the window?"

His question left me off balance. Turning, I looked back out the window at the serene garden and felt a strong yearning. "Why?"

He stood too close to my back; his warmth seeped through my clothes to drive away the cold. "Just tell me," he whispered.

"I see a garden." His fingers moved my hair over to my left shoulder, leaving my right shoulder exposed. It was difficult to concentrate when fingers were tracing patterns against my sensitive flesh. "It's night, the moon is out, and yet the flowers are in bloom. What do you see?"

The tracing stopped and he looked through the window. I looked over my shoulder and into his eyes, watching as they changed from a swirling kaleidoscope into a lagoon blue.

"I see something I can never have." Death's eyes held mine for a moment before he turned to leave.

"Wait!" I wasn't sure I wanted him to stay, but I felt that it was wrong to leave on that note. "Why can't you have a garden?"

He turned to face me and spoke in a hushed tone. "The window doesn't show what is on the other side of the glass. Everyone sees something different when they gaze into it. I just wanted to know what you saw. I have always seen the same thing."

Death's strides seemed more determined as he left me to ponder his words. If everyone saw something different in the window, what did the view represent? Why did I see a garden? Confused, I walked into the common room and sat in a chair beside the fireplace. My body curled into a tight ball and I surrendered to the sleep it demanded.

I woke up with a stiff neck, cramped in unusual places. The fireplace had long since burnt down to embers, leaving the room colder than a winter night. I could imagine the golden leaves falling to the stone floor, coiling into fragile clones of themselves, only to be whisked away by the cleansing wind.

I felt abandoned, left in an unfamiliar environment without a real friend. The Hellhounds had each gone their own way without giving me the information I would need to maneuver in this new world. Where was my room? What time was breakfast? How could I create my own portal to leave through? I was filled with unanswered questions, though terrified that I might not like the answers.

I decided to forego the library, walking toward the main branches where I had seen the Hellhounds disperse. My movements were wary, chaotic, and fidgety. My fingers reached out to connect with everything: the walls, decor, coal. It didn't matter what the object was, I simply needed to remind myself that I was still stuck in this place, and that the world hadn't deleted me entirely.

"How was your first night?"

Bay leaned against the frame of the passage she’d disappeared through the night before. Her voice was a refreshing reprieve from my thoughts, as it removed the impurities within me, bringing with it a river of purity. A tide of dreams that came in waves of empathy sent comfort my way.

"Confusing. I didn't know where my room was so I slept in the room near the library." My shoulders lifted in a careless manner, but the truth was that I cared quite a bit.

"Did you enjoy it?"

"What? Oh, you mean the library?" Bay nodded. "It was perfection. I've never seen anything like it, but I still can't shake the feeling that I don't belong here and that I am not wanted."

Bay waltzed forward and gently grasped my hand to pull me forward. "Let me show you something."

We walked down her corridor while I marveled at the ingenuity of it all. On the surface, the Hellhounds’ lair seemed unimpressive, but beneath the dusty facade was a diamond. The walls of Bay's passage displayed works of art that had been etched into the stone and alcoves. Bay gave brief explanations about the purpose of each room, but I was more concerned with what lay at the end of the tunnel.

We stopped once and reached a wavering field of energy. The electric field encompassed the circumference of the corridor. Bay ignored the energized film, walking through it without hesitation, and I followed. Once through, I realized that what I had seen was, in fact, a doorway.

Bay's domain reminded me of her. It was a combination of peace and spirituality with a collage of soothing colors that could lure anyone to sleep. She lacked furniture, but had a plump mattress in the center of her room. It reminded me of a gymnast’s mat, but far thicker. I sat with my knees tucked under me while Bay favored a position that kept her knees drawn against her chest.

"May I speak freely?"

Bay's brow crinkled and I realized that she wasn't any more comfortable with the situation than I. Somehow, that was a relief. "Um, yeah. Why wouldn't you?"

"It's not that you are unwanted, but rather that we are uncertain as to the best way to deal with this situation. As Hellhounds, we are similar to wolves. We run in a pack and our loyalty to one another is practically part of our DNA. To betray a sister is to betray yourself." Bay pulled a pillow closer to lie on her belly with her head propped upon her crossed arms.

"You're new to the pack. The connection is there, but it will take some time for us to find the correct frequency."

I nodded. "I get that, but why didn't anyone give me a tour or something? I'm in a foreign place and I don't even know where I am supposed to live. I wasn't even told where to find food."

"I'm sorry about that. There really isn't any excuse. We all assumed another would take on the task. We didn't want to pressure you with our presence on your first night."