Harper needed to figure out what she was going to do with this situation. First, she had to know what Christian did. Second, what did Sarai mean that Sebastian would die if he didn't have a child? Third, do something about that damn physical attraction she had toward the man.

His aura of restrained power pulled her right in. It was like waiting to see when a wild animal would lose control. She should feel horrified, but instead, she had never felt so interested.

She walked to a closet and opened it to find a whole wardrobe. She frowned at the fact these clothes appeared to be her size. With a yank, she pulled out a top of the softest material and stared at it.

They were her size. Heck, they were exactly her taste. A sick sensation settled at the pit of her stomach. Just who was Sebastian Roarhart? And why had he chosen her?

As much as she wanted to say this whole thing was insane, she was curious to see what was behind it all. This was the most action she'd had in every way possible for a long time. Not to mention, she hadn't had any type of action in a certain department in years.

Now was not the time to think about being so sexually inadequate, she’d only done the deed twice. Nope. But Sebastian was so imposing, and even scarred, he'd turned her on, something a lot of the men she'd dated hadn't done with their sloppy kisses and roaming hands.

The garden below was gorgeous. Perfectly manicured and she could probably spend hours sitting out there reading a book or mediating. Guards walked the perimeter every few seconds. She stood no chance of sneaking away.

These were shifters. Big, bad, hairy shifters. With canines the size of her fist. Her best bet was finding out what was really going on and deciding her course of action then, praying for a miracle of epic proportions.

The fastest way to getting out of this fortress was talking to Sebastian again. That meant she had to go to dinner. Or go looking for him.

With a pretty pair of black capri pants and a flowy red top that was a bit more dressed up, she slipped into the most comfortable sandals of her life and went looking for food and her captor.

Ignoring the excited shudder that raced through her, she tried to tell herself she didn’t want to look pretty for him. No way. She was just trying to be civil.

The dining room was still empty when she arrived but the table had been set. She started to wonder if maybe she did have a chance at escaping. But first she had to know where Christian was and other details.

She groaned as the smell of food reached her. Maybe she could find the kitchen and talk someone into helping her find her way out of there. Then what? He'd send men to get her again. No.

She needed to solve this problem and once and for all; cut all ties with Christian. For a man to trade his daughter for some debt, unforgivable.

She poked her head into the room next to the dining room and gasped. There was a massive glass figure collection. They were all over. In displays but everywhere. She walked in quietly, hoping her steps wouldn't vibrate the floor and break anything.

It was stupid, but the collection was flawless. All types of tiny animals and their babies. Mother bears, giraffes, cats, dogs, wolves, everything on the planet cuddling their offspring. Her heart melted at the cuteness.

As she walked the room, something caught her attention. A framed photo of a couple hanging on a wall. They were not that old in the photo, but it was clearly dated, so these must be the parents.

The woman was beautiful with flowing blonde hair. She looked a lot like Sarai. The father was a very handsome man with a stern look and piercing gaze. It was like looking at what Sebastian would have looked like without the scars.

"There you are!"

She slapped a hand on her chest and gave a loud shriek at the noise. Then she turned to glare at Sarai. "Don't do that! You scared me half to death."

Sarai gave an apologetic nod. "Sorry, I forgot you're not a shifter. We can hear people coming a mile away."

That would be a great trait to have. "No, I'm not. Where's your brother?"

Sarai grinned, her eyes twinkling with excitement. "He's growing on you, isn't he?"

She rolled her eyes and tried not to show the incredulity on her face. "Uh, no. I need to talk to him about Christian."

"Come on, he should be down shortly. Then you can grill him about your father," Sarai said, leading her back to the dining room.

"You know about Christian?" she asked.

Sarai nodded. "Of course. He’s done some unforgivable things. And I had to know the extent of how badly he’d behaved."

"Tell me." She leaned forward on the table, staring at her expectantly.

Sarai pursed her lips and gave a slow, doubtful shake of her head. "I don't think I should. This is something you and Seb should talk about."

"Well, can you tell me if he's alive?" she demanded.

"Oh, he's alive. For as long as you're here, he'll stay that way," came Sebastian's voice from the other end of the room.