Chapter 13 · Moon's Up

The door slams behind us and Ethan's already moving, hauling me past the stairs toward the back of the house. His hand's locked around my wrist and he's not slowing down.

"Let go." I yank back but his grip doesn't budge. "You don't get to drag me around after what just happened."

"Charlotte." His voice comes out rough, like he's forcing the words through broken glass. "Not now."

"Yes, now." I plant my feet and he stops so fast I nearly slam into his back. "That guy called you Hound. He said the Elder wants me alive. So you're going to turn around and explain what the hell that means."

He does turn. His face is pale under the hallway light and there's blood soaking through his shirt from whatever the cleaner did to him before I got there. But it's his eyes that stop me cold. They're not the flat gray I'm used to. They're lighter. Almost reflective.

"I can't." He lets go of my wrist and steps back. "You need to go upstairs. Lock your bedroom door. Don't come out until morning no matter what you hear."

"Are you serious right now?"

"Charlotte.