Illusion

Chapter 6

Harry's POV

'What am I going to do with you now?' I ask aloud in hushed contemplation, losing myself in her piercing blue eyes.

I've been assigned a job. A mission. A mission that I can't fail. A mission that cannot, under any circumstances, be compromised.

I hold her gaze for a second longer, trying desperately to figure out what to do. My fury that she has seen what just went down is unwavering. My crushing self-loathing that I wasn't careful enough is all consuming.

Pure rage flows through me, my mind abusively berating itself as my hands clench harshly around her fragile form.

I'm brought back to the present by her incessant whimpering, her wild stare showing the whites of her eyes. My gaze flicks to her lips, the usual pink turning a gentle shade of purple. Her chest is moving rapidly up and down, but her heavy gulps of empty air indicate she's hyperventilating.

I roll my eyes in slight annoyance. In spite of her condition, my bloodied hand squeezes slightly harder than necessary and she begins to choke. My red knuckles flare up as my bones protrude under my taught skin. Her crazed eyes dart between mine, silently begging me to stop. My jaw clenches even harder and I increase my grip, soft gargles escaping her parted lips. Her eyes are filled with tears and wet streaks line her cheeks, her face beginning to turn red from lack of oxygen.

Fuck.

I abruptly release my tight grasp on her throat and slam my hand into the wall next to her head, so hard that the tile cracks. 

She collapses in front of me, sinking into the tiles as she cradles her distraught form. Her delicate hands wrap around her throat, holding on for dear life. Her mouth gapes open as she sucks in large gulps of air, struggling to regain her breath. 

I stonily stare down at her, my arms tensing at my sides. What the fuck was I supposed to do with her?

Her eyes dare to look up at me, overflowing with tears. I meet her blue gaze, my throat suddenly swallowing around nothing. She suddenly bends her head forward, her hands covering her eyes as piercing cries fill the empty bathroom.

A shock runs down my back from the wailing noise, my body feeling uncomfortably hyper-aware of the sound.

Before I know what I'm doing, my body squats down in front of her, my arm extending out to clasp her face. My fingertips brush her cheek and she flinches violently, twisting away from me. My hand flattens against her cheek gently and I relax my palm against her wet skin.

My other hand carefully pulls her hands away from her concealed features, causing her red-rimmed ocean eyes to lock with mine. Her hands wrap securely around her mid-section, but my hand is still enclosed around hers.

I take my other hand off her cheek, hovering it over her smooth skin. My eyes flick to her ear, her messy brown hair hanging limp around her face. I gingerly move my hand, slowly tucking the long waves behind her ear, keeping my touch on her flushed skin before running my fingers down the length of her hair.

Her body is trembling under my touch and her eyes are purposefully looking anywhere but at me. I skim my eyes over her terrified features. Her dark, arched eyebrows are drawn together, heavily creased down the middle. The colour has returned to her delicate mouth, a small gap forming between her plump top and bottom lip. Her ususally rosy cheeks are flushed a dark red, tear stains tracking down to her chin.

'Oh darling. Don't cry.' I say oddly sympathetically. Her eyes connect with mine and I smirk ever so slightly. God, why did she have to witness that. It would've been so easy keeping her in the dark. But no, she just had to be nosy.