Decline and respectfully decline.
The answer is B!! Cool excerpt by the way.
Rainsford's actions are justified because he will never truly be free until Zaroff is dead. A "beast at bay" refers to someone who is still being hunted. Rainsford will always feel hunted as long as Zaroff is alive, because he knows the 'hunt' will always go on in Zaroff's mind. He has to kill Zaroff so he doesn't have to live in fear.
