“I’m sorry,” Rachel said with concern.

“Let’s go, I want to show you more,” Benji said, changing the subject.

As they walked down the long narrow hallway, lit up by flickering candles, Benji took her hand. A chill went through her body, and she became excited. It was the first time he’d touched her in a romantic way since the covered bridge. She could feel his fingers caressing her hand as they walked down the long, endless corridor.

Then, all of a sudden, Benji stopped and pushed open a large, heavy, arched, wooden door.

“Come in,” he said.

“What’s this room?”

Rachel stared at the four-poster metal bed, with antique paisley linens and bedspread. The bed was perfectly made, and looked as if it hadn’t been slept in for years. There were no windows in the room, which could have led to the musty smell that infused the bedroom.

She started to cough at the smell, and then put her hands over her mouth.

“Are you ok?” Benji asked.

“Yes, I’m sorry, I just have a tickle in my throat,” Rachel said.

Rachel walked to the other side of the bedroom to get a tissue from the en suite bathroom, when she saw something moving. She let out a shriek and then ran back into Benji’s arms.

“Don’t worry, it’s just Beethoven,” Benji replied, laughing.

Rachel’s heart was pounding and the hairs on her arm were standing straight up. She looked back at the moving ball of fur and then realized it was a dog.

“Is this yours?” Rachel asked.

“Yes, this is Beethoven, our Siberian Husky.”

“What do you mean our?”

“It’s my family’s dog. He’s been with us for 145 years.”

“What? Dogs don’t live that long, do they?” she asked.

After she asked that, she realized it was a dumb question. It was clear that everything inside the walls of this castle had the ability to live forever.

“Yes, he’ll never die,” Benji said smiling at her.

“Whose room is this anyway?” Rachel asked as she looked around at all of the old family photos in picture frames.

Rachel saw Benji get tense and weird. He began looking around the room as if he were trying to come up with something to say.

“It’s my parents bedroom,” Benji responded.

“Where are they?”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Benji snapped.

She’d never heard this tone in Benji’s voice before. It was as if she asked the question to reveal all of their coven’s secrets. She didn’t realize her question was inappropriate, but apparently, it was.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to pry.”

“It’s fine. I just can’t answer,” Benji said as he blew out the candles in the bedroom and turned to walk out of the room.

For the first time, she felt scared to ask questions. She didn’t want to offend Benji or ask the wrong thing. She walked quietly with him back out into the grand entrance foyer and then watched as Benji applied Hex Lotion. She so desperately wanted to talk to him, but remained silent and just observed.

“Let’s get some fresh air,” Benji said as he opened the large stained glass double doors that led out to the back of the house.

Rachel couldn’t believe her eyes as the wide double doors opened. She was mesmerized by the panoramic views of the Hudson River glistening in the sunset. She stepped out onto the wraparound marble balcony and took in the sights and sounds. She could still hear the crows soaring above her and the smell of the smoke coming from the chimney scattered in the air.

Every time she smelled the smell of smoke coming from a chimney, she immediately thought of Christmas. For a minute, she felt like it was Christmas day and she was sitting in front of a burning fireplace, smelling the same smokey smell, and feeling the warmth and love of her family around her.

Benji grabbed her by the hand, which forced her to snap out of her daydream.

“Hold on tight!” Benji said.

She put her arms around his neck and said, “Are you ready?”

She didn’t know what was going on, but was feeling up for anything. The day had been full of interesting surprises, so she was ready for whatever Benji had to show her next. She held on to him tightly as Benji stood on the railing of the balcony.

“1, 2, 3,” Benji counted, and then he jumped.

Rachel felt her feet follow his into mid air. She felt like she was skydiving, and suddenly feared for her life, as the two of them neared the ground fifty feet below. As they came close to crashing, she saw Benji sprout large white wings and begin to fly back into the sky.

Rachel couldn’t believe it. Was she really flying above Lyndvia Castle on Benji’s back?

The wind was blowing through their hair as he flew them around the castle, pointing to different parts of the grounds. She could hardly pay attention to what he was saying, as she was still stuck on the fact that they were flying.

They flew higher and higher, then their speed slowed down. Benji said, “Get ready to land.”

Rachel held on as tight as she could, as the two landed on a large branch in one of the pine trees that surrounded the long driveway of Lyndvia Castle.

Catching her breath, she said, “Wow! I had no idea you could do that.”

“You haven’t seen anything yet!” Benji said, smirking at her.

The two sat together on the tree branch and watched the yellow and orange sun go behind the trees. It was slowly getting dark and they decided they’d better get back inside before it turned pitch black out.

Benji flew Rachel back to the balcony and they went back inside. The house was silent and empty. Benji led her up the steep spiral staircase that led into his bedroom suite. As they got inside, he covered her shoulders with a big wool blanket and lit a fire in his fireplace.

They sat there on the edge of his bed and gazed into each other’s eyes. Rachel had never felt so close to someone, or so in love as she did at that moment. She felt, for the first time, that she completely understood him. She wanted to stay with him forever at the castle, and never leave. She hadn’t even thought about home or her family and friends since she’d arrived. All she could think about was being with Benji.

He put his cold hand on her leg and started rubbing it up and down her warm thigh. Rachel turned to him and he leaned in to kiss her. They slowly began kissing, passionately, as their bodies moved up towards the head of the bed. Benji put his hand under her sweater and began to undress her. She caressed his body for the first time. She’d never gotten this far with any guy before, and was happy her first time was with Benji, the love of her life.

As the two lay there, naked, next to each other for the first time, Benji turned to her and whispered, “Rachel, I love you.”

Rachel’s heart fluttered, and she grew speechless. She felt it, too. She felt her heart longing for Benji, and a deep feeling of love filled her body. She couldn’t keep it inside anymore.

“I love you, too,” Rachel whispered back.

Then, a question that was burning inside of her suddenly came out, “Why did you risk it all for me?”

“Because, I love you, Rachel.”

“But why me?”

“I’ve always loved you, and I knew the time was right for us to finally be together.”

They began to kiss again, even more passionately than before. Rachel wondered if they were going to go all the way. She felt her body longing for his, to be closer, to be one.

All of a sudden Rachel could hear a loud banging coming from the knocker of the large front door.

“Who’s that?” Rachel asked, startled, sitting up.

“I don’t know,” Benji sat up, too. “I’m not expecting anyone and I’m the only person home.”

“Should you go down and find out who it is?”

Rachel reached for her bra and sweater.

“Wait,” Benji said. “I don’t want to stop.”

Rachel continued putting her clothes back on as she sat there, in fear of who was at the castle door. She wondered if it were her sister, or her parents. She suddenly worried her family was coming to find her. Although she realized the only person who remotely knew where she was was Sarah, and she would never seek her out like this.

They sat there together, in bed as the knocking grew louder and louder. She looked at Benji who sat there with a frightened look on his face.

This look gave Rachel a disconcerting feeling, and she wanted to run and hide.

The knocking grew even louder and then, stopped.

The two sat there silently, and waited for something else to happen.

Then, a moment later, she heard the door creak open.

Chapter Nineteen

Hunter didn’t want to take any chances. He flew faster than ever to Lyndvia Castle to warn Benji about Violet’s threat to terminate him and Rachel.

When he arrived there, the blinds were drawn and the doors were all locked. He knocked on the large knocker but nobody answered. He took out his cell phone to dial Benji, and then remembered the castle was in a dead zone.

Hunter grabbed the large brass knocker and this time knocked as loud as he could, hoping that Benji would hear him.

Then, he remembered that there was a key hidden in the trunk of the old oak tree that stood out front of the castle. He ran quickly to get it and then back to the door, out of breath and anxious to get inside.

Fidgeting, he managed to get the key in the small keyhole and turned the knob. The door creaked open, and Hunter ran inside yelling, for Benji and Rachel.

He waited in the foyer for someone to answer, but it was silent. All he could hear were Chopin’s Nocturnes playing on the player piano coming from the living room.

“Benji, Rachel, are you here? You need to get out of here quick!” his voice rang out across the house.

“Hello! Who’s there?” Benji yelled down from the top of the spiral staircase.

“It’s me, Hunter!”

“What are you doing here?” Benji yelled back.

“Hurry! There’s no time, you have to get out of here!”