Page 45 of Burn for the Devil
“Why are you acting this way? I don’t understand what the problem is.”
“You’re about to become a very wanted woman. You never should’ve touched that.”
How was I supposed to know? “You didn’t tell me; you know what kind of store I run. It's natural for me to be attracted to unique items. And you didn’t answer my question.”
Ramone’s head jerked up. “We have to go, we’re not alone.”
I took his offered hand, and we followed a long hallway, the wall sconces lighting as we approached them. It wasn’t clear whether Ramone was lighting them, or if they were motion-activated. I leaned toward the former as I hadn’t seen any modern technology in the crumbling, decaying castle.
Ramone’s boot knocked against stone when we stopped at a short set of steps. My hand had begun to sweat in his, but he wouldn’t let go, keeping a stranglehold on my palm. He stepped onto the lowest stair and sealed my mouth with his fingers as he looked over my head.
The dripping sound I had heard earlier still resounded, seeming unnaturally loud in the silence. I focused, trying to pick up on any other disturbance when I heard a barely audible noise. Ramone moved his hand slightly, pressing a long finger against my lips indicating he wanted me to stay quiet. He leaned down, pulled me onto the step, and switched our places, pressing his lips to mine in the process.
We waited. There was a door at my back, and I didn’t understand why we didn’t go through it. Nor did I understand why he didn’t just do whatever he’d done to take us to this world to get us out, or why I couldn’t just wake up. I had too many questions that I wanted answers to and if the noise we’d heard was any indication, we now had company, as he’d said.
The knife Ramone held earlier was back in his hand, reflecting the dim, yellowish light. It was probably only a minuteor two before a shadow began moving across the brick-lain floor, but it felt like so much longer.
The shadow grew in length and the atmosphere changed, a weight pressing down on my chest as if the oxygen had been sucked out of the hallway. I reached out my hand to grasp Ramone’s shoulder, my fingers sliding off his shirt as he took a step forward.
Not daring to move, I held my breath as the silhouette came into view, revealing a man. The hooded figure stopped several feet in front of us, arms at his sides before he used both hands to lower his head covering. The man was paler than Ramone but built much the same, tall and fit. His dark brown hair was held back with a band and had a few small braids scattered throughout the length. He looked untamed, and wild, with leather pants covering his legs, the style of his hair, and a cloak over his shoulders.
Ramone stayed quiet while the man stood there staring at us. His back was to me, but I could sense his unease over our new company, tension evident in his stance.
Finally, the stranger spoke. “Ramone. Imagine finding you here?”
“Ammar,” Ramone said carefully. “I could say the same.”
“You shouldn’t be here.” The man glanced at me before returning his gaze to the man standing between us.
“Nor you.” Ramone’s body appeared to relax a small bit. “Why are you here?”
Ammar wet his lips, his gaze darting between Ramone and me. “Investigating. Seems something happened. Lucian’s dead, Victor is missing, nearly everyone is gone.” He paused. “And it seems as if you are responsible for the majority of these unfortunate events.”
I could feel the anger radiating from Ramone and stretched out my hand. He moved forward before I had the chance totouch him, hoping to somehow calm him. “You wouldn’t happen to know anything about cursed wine, would you?” Ramone asked.
Ammar appeared genuinely surprised. I had no idea what they were talking about and listened intently. “What wine?” the man asked.
Ramone shook his head. “Why are you here?” Ammar’s eyes drifted up to mine, again. “Look at her one more time and I will slit your throat. She’s off limits,” Ramone warned.
Ammar glanced down at the blade in Ramone’s grip. “I don’t want your woman, but I do know she looked into the glass,” he said, referring to what must’ve been the crystal ball that drew me in when we’d arrived.
“Answer me,” Ramone spat. “You’re supposed to be dead.”
The man laughed. “It’d take more than that to truly kill me.”
“I watched you die.”
“There’s ways around that.” He smirked. “I should let you know, if I could find you here, so can others.”
Ramone’s head tilted. “If everyone’s dead, what is there to worry about?”
“Dead, missing, vanished. Who knows? Is that the cursed wine you mentioned?” Ammar pointed at the bottle.
“Care to try some?” He held the bottle out and the other man didn’t move.
Ammar’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t have any knowledge in regard to a curse on wine. You should ask Julian about that.”
Their conversation was worrisome, making me eager to get out of this place and just go home. If this was a dream, I wanted to wake up. “Ramone,” I said quietly, wanting to get his attention. He ignored me and continued speaking with the newcomer.