Wren inhaled and coughed uncontrollably as the smoke burned his lungs, stealing his breath away and making it so that he thought he’d suffocate to death. Just when he thought he’d die, the smoke began to clear and Wren struggled to collect his bearings.

Wren wiped his teary, still burning eyes and looked about his surroundings. He was surprised to discover they were standing in a dimly lit corridor.

Well, Ash was standing in the corridor while he held Wren about the waist. The redhead completely supported Wren’s weight with one arm. He pressed Wren’s body tightly against his own, holding him securely against his side as the toes of Wren’s still damp sneakers barely brushed the black and white checkered floor.

As if realizing that he was still clutching Wren to his side, Ash deposited Wren onto his own feet and released his waist. Still disoriented from the sudden drop into oblivion, Wren stumbled, but righted himself before he tumbled to the floor. Once he was standing of his own volition, Wren cautiously surveyed his surroundings. He could not see much due to the dim lighting in the corridor, but he could see that the walls seemed to stretch into endless blackness and were a dark and elegant Victorian green, complete with a fleur-de-lis pattern. Wall sconces lined the corridor, but their meager light did little to illuminate their surroundings.

“Follow me.” Ash ordered curtly, and without waiting to see if Wren would obey, the redhead began strolling down the corridor. Wren almost refused to move from the spot he stood, just for the sake of defiance. However, he noticed with rising alarm that, as Ash walked further away, the wall sconces nearest to Wren completely extinguished themselves, taking away what little meager lighting they’d offered. Alternatively, as Ash walked along the corridor, the wall sconces before him came alight to illuminate his path.

Before he could be left in complete darkness, Wren hurried to follow Ash down the corridor. The redhead walked at a brisk pace and Wren struggled to keep up with the man’s long-legged strides. Neither of them spoke anymore, so Wren became preoccupied with studying his ruined sneakers. So focused was he on his muddied shoes that he didn’t notice when Ash came to a sudden halt before him. As a result, Wren crashed into the redhead’s back with a startled “oompf!.”

Ash turned to glare at him, but he said nothing. Wren realized they were standing in front of a wooden door made of dark mahogany. One dark auburn eyebrow lifted as Ash reached out and took hold of the door’s gilded knob and turned it. The redhead pushed open the door to reveal an exquisitely decorated bedroom. It was a lovely gothic bedroom with gold leaf furniture and walls painted a dusty, muted red. A chandelier afforded a great degree more light in the room than the wall sconces did for the corridor. Wren felt his heartbeat kick up at least three speeds faster at the sight of the four-poster bed, complete with elegant, sheer drapes and a fluffy coverlet in a sensuous purple shade.

“This will be your room.” Ash said. Wren breathed a sigh of relief when he realized there wasn’t an “our” in that statement. “There’s an adjoining bathroom, so you can get out of those clothes and get cleaned up. I’ll have a servant leave something for you to sleep in on the bed while you’re in the bath.”

“Ah, thanks.” Wren said, a bit thrown by Ash’s hospitality.

“A servant will call you for breakfast.” Ash continued.

Wren nodded his understanding and moved to enter the room. He started to close the door behind him, but Ash suddenly grabbed the door. His strength was far superior to Wren’s own and Wren found himself forced to relent. He released the door, only to have Ash push it open and step forward. The redhead crowded Wren against the doorframe, effectively blocking his escape. Ash leaned closer, his breath warm against Wren’s cheek as he spoke.

“Oh, and one last thing, pet. I wouldn’t wander the corridors or even leave this room tonight, if I were you.” He warned. “There are things in this mansion that would jump at the opportunity to devour a tasty morsel like yourself.”

With a chuckle at Wren’s flustered expression, the redhead pushed away from him.

“Bonne nuit, mon chou.” Ash said, his voice husky and his amber eyes bright in the shadowy corridor. The redhead turned and sauntered away, taking the already faint light with him as wall sconce after wall sconce extinguished itself in his wake. The darkness in the corridor grew in intensity as Ash disappeared around a corner.

Feeling uneasy, Wren retreated into the brightly lit safety of his room before the corridor could be cast into complete darkness.