9. Chapter 9 #2
"Stand back," he orders, positioning himself squarely in front of the door.
I retreat several steps as he throws his shoulder against the wood with enough force that I feel the impact vibrate through the floor. The door shudders but holds firm .
Adrian tries again, this time with a kick that would have shattered a normal door. This one merely groans in protest, the ancient oak reinforced with metal bands that gleam dully in the dim light.
"Dammit," he snarls, slamming his fist against the unyielding surface.
"Someone locked us in on purpose," I say, the reality of our situation dawning on me with icy clarity.
Adrian pounds on the door, his voice rising to a roar.
"Hey! Anyone up there?"
His calls echo in the vast space, but I already know it's futile. We’re deep underground. The cellar walls are too thick, designed to keep the temperature stable for the wine. No one will hear us from upstairs.
I check my phone again, holding it up in various directions as if that might magically create a signal. Nothing.
"No service," I confirm, tucking it back into my pocket.
Adrian turns to face me, his expression shifting from anger to a grim resignation.
"It looks like we're stuck here for a while," he says, his voice strangely calm.
I lean against the cold stone wall, a shiver running through me that has nothing to do with the cellar's chill.
We're trapped in the basement of a dragon manor, locked in by someone who clearly doesn't want us interfering with their plans.
Someone who might be escaping with the tiara right now, while we're helplessly confined underground.
"This is my fault," I say, the words escaping before I can stop them. "If I hadn't followed that person down here… "
"Then we wouldn't even know there was someone suspicious in the mansion," Adrian finishes for me. He runs a hand over his face, stubble rasping against his palm. "You made the right call."
"So we could both be stuck down here?" I raise an eyebrow. "How is that better?"
A reluctant smile tugs at the corner of his mouth. "Fair point."
I wrap my arms around myself, the cellar's chill finally registering now that the adrenaline is wearing off. My thin dress offers little protection against the damp cold.
Adrian notices immediately, shrugging out of his uniform jacket and stepping toward me.
"Here," he says, draping it around my shoulders before I can protest.
The fabric is warm from his body, enveloping me in his scent. It immediately floods my senses, that intoxicating blend of pine, leather, and something wild that makes my pulse quicken despite our predicament.
"Thanks," I murmur, pulling it closer around me.
Our eyes meet in the dim light, and suddenly I'm acutely aware of how alone we are. How isolated. How the air between us feels charged with the same electricity that sparked when he kissed me in his cabin.
Adrian looks away first, his jaw tightening. He stalks across the cellar, movements restless and predatory, like the wolf inside him can't bear to be confined.
"The door's not an option," he says, his voice carefully controlled. "Let's check for other exits."
I nod, grateful for the distraction from my inappropriate thoughts.
"This place is huge. There must be another way out. "
We begin a systematic search of the cellar, moving between the rows of bottles, checking behind stacks of crates.
"Find anything?" Adrian calls from across the room.
"Nothing yet," I reply, moving to a new section of wall.
We work in silence for a while, the only sounds our movement and the occasional drip of water from condensation along the ceiling. The situation should feel dire. We're locked in a cellar with no way to call for help, but somehow, with Adrian here, I'm not afraid.
Frustrated? Yes. Worried about the wedding and the tiara and my career? Absolutely. But afraid? No.
"Someone will come looking for us eventually," I say, more to fill the silence than because I need reassurance. "Percy knows you were following him."
Adrian nods, but his expression remains grim.
"The question is whether they'll think to look down here. And how far our thief can go in the meantime."
I hadn't considered that. If the person I followed is indeed the tiara thief, we've just handed them the perfect opportunity to escape with their prize.
"Do you think it’s still in Windfall Manor?" I ask, pausing in my search to look at him. “The tiara?”
“It won’t be easy, leaving the manor with the tiara.” Adrian shrugs, the movement rippling through his powerful shoulders. "We reviewed every security footage, combed through every alibi. All signs point to the tiara still being in the manor."
I absorb this information, trying to fit it into the puzzle we're solving .
"So this thief must have been planning for a while, if they didn’t move the tiara out of the estate. They must know they will be able to retrieve it."
Adrian looks at me with newfound respect.
"Exactly. Which means our thief isn't just any burglar. They're someone who knows what they're doing."
I lean against a wine rack, my mind racing through possibilities.
"That narrows it down, doesn't it?"
"Whoever it is, they know how to cover their tracks."
He paces the length of the cellar, his eyes scanning the shadows. The light catches his profile, highlighting the strong line of his jaw, the determined set of his mouth. Despite the circumstances, I find myself watching him, drawn to the contained power in his movements.
Sitting on a wooden crate, I hug Adrian’s jacket tight around my shoulders, but it doesn’t prevent the spine-deep shiver that runs through me. The next instant, my teeth shatter together, the sound incongruous in the confined space.
He turns, his eyes questioning.
"I'm cold."
Adrian stalks toward me, then wraps me in his arms. His body radiates heat like a furnace, instantly warming my frozen skin where we touch.
"You're so hot," I murmur, then blush at my own words. "Temperature-wise, I mean."
A small smile plays at the corner of his mouth.
"Werewolves run hot. Higher metabolism, faster healing. Makes us natural space heaters. "
I nestle deeper into his embrace, my practical side surrendering to the need for warmth.
"Lucky me."
"I'll keep you warm," he promises, his voice a low rumble against my ear. "Try to get some rest. Who knows how long we'll be down here."
We settle together against the stone wall, my back to his chest as he cradles me flush to his body. His arms form a protective circle around me and gradually my shivers subside.
Long minutes stretch into what feels like hours. The rhythmic rise and fall of his breathing lulls me into a drowsy state. My eyelids grow heavy, and I let them.
"Adrian?" I murmur, already half-asleep.
"Hmm?"
"Thank you."
His arms tighten fractionally around me, and I feel his chin rest gently on the top of my head.
As the world fades around me, my last conscious thought is how perfectly safe I feel, nestled against him.
Even locked down in a cellar.