Escaping The Beast: A Darkhills Romance (The Darkhills Series Book 2) by Elizabeth Greene (young adult books to read TXT) 📕

his will to command Kyle to fall silent. He didn’t like to use his abilities unnecessarily, but there were times when he would make an exception.

The silence that hung in the air was golden and Lucian breathed it in deeply. It didn’t last long, however, as the low rumble of an engine could be heard as it approached.

Kyle looked over his shoulder at the sound and winked at Lucian. Not for the first time while having been subjected to Mr Daxton’s company, did Lucian consider whether it would have been better for him to be the beast most people thought him to be. He wondered whether it would be easier and better for everyone involved if he were to just kill the man where he stood. Alas, he preferred to avoid violence wherever possible.

The slow shuffling steps of the butler approached the door and Lucian sat back in his chair. Kyle had said that his daughter got her looks from her mother, Lucian found himself hoping she had also avoided inheriting her father’s personality. The sound of the engine cutting off and a quiet thud of a car door being shut, made Lucian’s eyes track to the entrance. With slight apprehension, he awaited the arrival of the much-promised Miss. Daxton.

Chapter Three

Katherine

Katherine checked her reflection in the rearview mirror. She’d loosened her hair from its knot and it now hung in slightly thicker waves. Not ideal, but at least the frizz seemed to have been contained. She held out her hand in front of her, watching in dismay as it trembled noticeably. That wouldn’t do. She needed every ounce of confidence she could muster before heading into the building. Who was she kidding? Haunted house more like. Or better yet haunted castle. Her father really had exceeded all expectations with this particular gambit.

She rooted around in her purse and pulled out her secret weapon. Her mother might’ve been a failure when it came to parenting but at least she had taught Katherine the importance of applying her make-up to fit any occasion. She popped the lid on her lipstick with a click and began tracing the colour across her lips. Katherine smiled with false bravado as she looked at her reflection. There was nothing quite like ruby red lips to make you feel bold, fierce, and commanding. She had this. She stashed her war paint back into her purse and took a deep breath before holding her hand out again. Steady as a rock.

Before she lost her nerve, she climbed out of the car and walked towards the entrance, holding her purse over her head as she went to cover herself from the rain. She supposed the rain helped somewhat. It at least stopped her from looking up at the huge, dark mansion that loomed against the night sky. In her mind, she was just walking into another sky scrapper in the city. She stood under the covered porch and straightened her dress and jacket. One more deep breath and she raised her hand to knock.

The door was promptly opened by an older man in a smart servant’s attire. She smiled politely at him but received nothing in return.

“Good evening, Miss. Daxton. Lord Nightingale is expecting you. Right this way.”

Katherine nodded at the eerily emotionless voice and stepped inside. Lord Nightingale. Lord Lucian Nightingale. She was dealing with someone with a title and used to holding a position of authority. This was helpful information. He would most likely be an older gentleman, with polite manners and an expectation of getting what he wanted. Life had probably been easy for him from birth, so he would have little sympathy for anyone who was down on their luck. Rich people had a tendency to want to keep hold of their money, so she guessed he would be less willing to negotiate on terms or extensions.

However, Katherine had another secret weapon up her sleeve. She knew her father would not have given this man a great impression, and he would most likely be expecting some clueless, blonde bimbo for his daughter. Katherine was blonde, but she was by no means a bimbo. She was smart, organised, well-spoken, and if she could impress him with her attitude to conducting business, she might just be able to get her father out of whatever hot water he was in. She was nothing like her father; she never would be anything like her father and by proving it, she would be taken seriously by the old codger.

So bring it on Lord Snootipants, I’ve got your number.

With her internal pep talk finished with, Katherine turned her attention back to her surroundings, hopeful of gleaning more information about her adversary. The entranceway was large and sparse, the grey stone floors and walls couldn’t have been more unwelcoming if they tried. There were no portraits on the walls or any pieces of furniture. Much like the servant who had welcomed her, the place was a cold, empty shell. That wasn’t encouraging. Nerves fluttered in her stomach as the butler shuffled towards another set of large wooden doors and opened them to reveal a vast room beyond. OK, so the place had a creepy abandoned castle feel to it. No point gawking at it, it was time to get into the zone and firmly slide the poker face into place. No matter what, she couldn’t give away any sign of weakness.

Red lipstick. Katherine reminded herself.

She squared her shoulders and stepped through the doorway. At the end of a huge hall stood her father next to a man sitting comfortably in a large, high-backed chair. OK, so he wasn’t some old codger. Didn’t mean he wasn’t just as entitled. Katherine power-walked into the room with her head held high, her heels were cushioned by the long stretch of red carpet otherwise her entrance would’ve been punctuated with firm clicks. She ignored her father as he called out his obnoxious greeting to her, keeping her eyes focused on