The deep, freezing voice cut through the heavy silence directly behind my ear, freezing me mid-stride. I whirled around, my breath catching in my throat, to find the imposter standing right there in the dim, flickering light of the southern corridor.
He didn't give me a single second to recover my wits or steady my spinning thoughts. Without a word of warning, he reached out, caught my arm firmly in his grip, and steered me away from the glowing wall seam.
"Come back inside before you catch a chill or hurt yourself further," he muttered, his tone entirely unyielding as he practically herded me out of the drafty tunnel and back up into the warmer, torch-lit chambers.
He led me straight into the sitting room, gently—yet with absolute authority—pushing me down onto a plush velvet settee. I glared at him, crossing my arms tightly over my chest, but he remained standing right before me, his luminous golden eyes steady and unreadable.
