Unlocking Adeline (Skeleton Key) by J.D. Hollyfield, Skeleton Key Page A

seriously act like I should be excited to meet his ever-loving family!?
    “You’re insane.”
    “No, Adeline. I’m hungry. Now, ye can behave and meet yer new family, or ye can stay locked up in this room. It will be a shame to miss such a lovely evening. It’s up to ye.” I want to defy him. But I also think about having to stay in this room, alone. I want answers. I cannot be caged up any longer or I will go insane.
    I let out a huge burst of air, showing my defeat.
    “Good, now shall we?” He sticks out his hand, offering his arm to me. I think about taking it and snapping it off. Sadly, instead, I lift my hand and drape it through the opening as he guides me out of my cage and down to the hall.
    Locke doesn’t seem to care that I am not used to walking in seventeen layers of fabric nonsense. “Can you please slow down? I’m going to trip on this costume.” I complain. Shockingly, he does, allowing me to steady my pace. “So what am I really walking into down there? Is it like some sort of execution? Cult like stuff? I mean, it’s not normal to just kidnap people, and then take them to a family dinner party.”
    He stops abruptly, and I run into him. Turning to face me, he still grips my arm. “Yer father left his home. He left his mother. Her husband had died just the year before. How do ye think she faired when her son abandoned her? How do ye think this village faired when one of their own left one day on a privileged mission and never returned? Yer father knew his mark in this world. He denied this village. Trust me, I saw how ye lived. Ye should be thankful the luxuries ye are being given.”
    I rip my arm away from him. How dare he? “You can go ahead and insult my dad all you want. Or the way we lived, but this still has nothing to do with me. I didn’t leave anyone. I knew nothing about this, so you can ditch the attitude with me. I’m not my dad. I didn’t promise anything to anyone, and I may not have had all these riches you speak of, but I had a family who loved me.”
    My rebuttal does not sit well with Locke. He begins to back me into the wall, lowering his head so our eyes fully meet. “Yer father left his rightful duties to be with yer mother. He left behind a lot of responsibility, wounding his own mother. Is that the love ye speak of? That key appeared for ye that day. Yer father, as selfish as he is, took it and used it for himself. He knew that key had made itself known to bring ye home. Is hiding who ye are, love? Ye may not have chosen this life; but yer father did for ye. Now he must give up what he owes: a daughter to birth the next heir.”
    HA! Birth? “Like, as in have a child? Dude, lay off the special sauce. I’m not having sex and having anyone’s child here. Especially yours.”
    His eyes light up, that fire once again. “Well, then I am glad we are on the same page. I do not wish to take a wife. So I will gladly hand ye over to my brother.” He turns to continue walking, but I snatch at his shoulder. “Wait what? Your brother? Why your brother?”
    He turns, looking annoyed. “Christof. The Book of Wren states that ye are to choose the one to marry and carry on the lineage. It is of yer choosing. Ye would have been given the right to be courted at age sixteen and chose on yer own. But yer father took that away from ye, as well. I am going to make it easy. I want no part in this, therefore he wins. Simple.” He turns again. He doesn’t know. His own mother didn’t tell him that it’s only him?
    “But wait!” I scurry after him. “I thought the Book of Wren says only the chosen are to marry?”
    He stops and turns once again. “And somewhere there is a clause, I’m sure. No one will blink an eye if ye choose Christof. He is the more suited one. Now let’s go, before everyone begins to wonders what is taking their long lost princess so long.”
    He doesn’t say anything more. He also doesn’t stick to a speed I can keep up with. Before we know it, we are