Jennifer’s Pov

“How?” I asked, looking up at him. My voice came out softer than I expected. “How do you want to make me feel less tense?”

Christian’s eyes stayed on mine, dark and steady. “Trust me.”

He took my wrist firmly but not roughly and began walking, pulling me with him out of the dining hall. I followed without pulling away. My heart was already beating faster than it should have been. The guilt from earlier still sat in my chest, but something else was starting to rise beside it.

“Tell me where we are going,” I said as we walked down the long corridor. “I don’t like surprises.”...