I awaken to the rotten smell of his breath on my face. It reeks of alcohol, revenge and evil. My stomach curdles. I turn my pounding head away from him and find Damien watching me, his eyes blank. A lot must have happened since I fainted because his mouth is now taped shut and the wound on his upper arm is bandaged. It must not be in Judson’s immediate plans to let his brother bleed to death, not before he exacts whatever revenge plans he has in store for us. Before his wound was treated, Damien must have bled quite a bit as there are drops of blood under his chair, next to his pale bare feet.

I’m also no longer sitting on the floor but on the chair next to Damien, my hands and ankles bound and tied to the chair. For the first time, I inspect the basement. Apart from dust, cobwebs and broken furniture, there are several stacked boxes underneath the staircase. And then there’s the coffin.

Judson’s hand clamps around my chin. He forces me to face him. “Hello, sunshine. Welcome back to hell.”

I try to jerk my chin out of his hands. His fingers tighten around me to the point I fear he might snap my jaw. The pain from my jaw merges with the agony already in my head, neck, and throat.

Relying on my physical strength is useless. Fury burns my eyes as our eyes lock. I notice another physical difference between Judson and Damien. While there are faint golden specks in Damien’s emerald eyes, Judson’s are clear but a shade darker. My eyes lower to the wrist of the hand holding my chin. No tattoo. I can’t help wondering if the tattoo on Damien’s wrist was a way for him to separate himself from his brother.

“You delayed my plans.” Judson releases my chin and leans against the coffin, folding his arms across his chest. “That was a naughty thing to do. But I’m willing to give you another chance. From now on you must behave or else you’ll not like the deadly consequences I have in mind. I promise it will include a whole lot of pain and blood.”

The feet of Damien’s chair knock against the floor as he tries to rebel against Judson. But unlike me, not only are his hands tied behind him, but his feet are also bound to the legs of the chair.

“No need to worry, dear brother. Do as I say and I might delay the inevitable.”

My anger ripples along the length of my spine, tempting me to fight him in whatever way I can. But my eyes meet Damien’s. He’s shaking his head ever so slightly, sending me a silent message, warning me against doing anything I might regret, that could bring Judson to hurt me more than he already has.

Even though Damien is unable to fight Judson, his presence prevents me from being all alone with the devil. I can’t even imagine the things Judson would do if he had me all to himself, the torture he would inflict to both my body and soul. Without words, I hear what Damien is telling me, that he’ll get us out of this situation. Unable to speak, I blink and avert my gaze. He’s responsible for me being here.

“Before we get started, I’ll get myself something to eat.” Judson pushes away from the coffin and stretches his arms above his head with a long yawn. “We have a long couple of hours ahead of us.” He walks over to Damien and yanks the strip of tape from his mouth. “I’m sure you have some explaining to do, I’ll give you a little time to do that.” Without waiting for an answer from Damien or removing my tape, he strides away from us and climbs up the stairs. The door at the top of the stairs slams shut and the key turns.

I’m relieved about Judson’s departure. I hope in his absence Damien will figure out a way to get us out of this basement and house. If only I could ask him who had rang the bell moments before I’d passed out. But why does it matter? Since Judson is confident in his plans, he might have refused to open the door, which means we’re doomed.

“I’m terribly sorry,” Damien’s voice is hoarse and low. “I wanted to tell you about him. I just couldn’t get myself to.” His face flushes deep crimson and sweat breaks through his forehead. “I didn’t want to give you more reasons to hate me than you already did.”

Tears fill my eyes as I shake my head from side to side, frustrated with being unable to speak, that I cannot voice my anger, that I cannot plead with him to make things right by getting us out of here, to get me out of here.

“I told you he’s dead, which is the truth. After he slept . . . with my wife, he was dead to me.” His face twists in anger. “I’m disgusted with myself for pretending to be him and doing things he would do. I wasn’t thinking straight. The only way I felt I could keep you, was by turning into him. He was the one you fell in love with, not me.”

I shake my head from side to side. His apologies and regrets don’t mean a thing to me right now. I just want to get as far away from his brother as possible, away from both of them. A tear slides down my cheek.

“Hey, you don’t have to be afraid.” He glances at the stairs and back at me. “I’ll get us out of here. I’d die before letting him kill you.” He draws in a ragged breath. “Until I come up with a plan, please do what he asks. Don’t try to fight him. He’s ruthless. I’ll make things right again. I promise.”

I want to believe him more than anything, but how can I? Right now, Damien is not the man I used to know. He’s weakened by his injuries and afraid of Judson himself, even though he doesn’t put it into words. I can hear it in the shattered tone of his voice that fails to rise above a whisper. As he talks, he struggles to free himself but fails.

The sound of the key inside the lock halts our one-sided conversation. The door crashes open and Judson’s looming figure appears in the doorway at the top of the stairs. “Time to begin. I hope you’re ready.”