The massive wrought-iron gates ground open with a groan of protest. As they swung wide, I felt the first coil of dread twist in my stomach. The estate sat alone was miles away from the city, the white stone mansion almost glowing against the shadowed tree line like a beacon.
Though outwardly pristine and luxurious, there was something unnerving about its geometric severity and the high, unscalable walls that encircled the property like the battlements of an inescapable fortress.
This place was a gilded cage - beautiful on the surface but sinister in its unmistakable impression of being trapped.
I shrank back against the buttery leather as Alex wrenched open the back door, predatory anticipation glinting in those cold pale irises.
