The Nook

Chapter 33

Coral

I snap up, my heart pounding in my chest. It's too early; he shouldn't be here for another hour. But without warning, he's storming into the room, but he's storming in his footsteps almost non-existent. He walks straight up to the bed and grabs my arm.

No.

I scream and fight against him, my fists pounding his chest with all the strength I can muster. The sound of my panicked and terrified screams is quickly muffled as his shadow covers my mouth, silencing me. Slowly, my resistance wanes. His copper eyes pierce through my fear, urging me to stop.

"Coral, stop," he whispers harshly. "We're getting out of here, but I need you to be quiet. Do you understand?" I search his copper eyes, desperately looking for any sign of mischief, the same glint I saw in Cieran's eyes. But it's not there. Just like it wasn't there in Cieran's eyes initially. I swallow hard and nod slowly, a tear escaping down my face.

"Are you going to kill me?" My voice trembles, and he shakes his head. "No, I told you we're getting out of here." He releases his grip on me and removes his jacket, placing it around my shoulders. He guides me off the bed, wrapping his arm around my torso to support me. Using his shadows, he opens the door and takes us out but stops looking both ways, his body growing more tense.

The hallway is almost completely made out of dark chard stone besides the wooden structures that are built in such a way it seems to be solely responsible for keeping the roof above our heads where it is.

He huffs and starts to walk without any warning, leading me down a long hallway. His pace is too fast for my weak legs to keep up, which I can tell frustrates him.

Barley eat for however long and see if you can walk, bastard.

As we continue down the hallway of many turns, His shadows stretch the distance before we do and return to his feet after finding the coast clear. The smell of something delicious fills the air, causing my stomach to growl.

"Are we close to the kitchen?" I whisper, the sound barely audible amidst the faint hum of distant conversations. He nods, his jaw tightening with a subtle flex.

"Are you hungry?" He inquires, his voice a sharp whisper. The faint scent of spices drifts through the air, teasing my senses. I can't help but wonder if his annoyance is directed at my growling stomach.

"No, I just wanted to know." I snap a little louder than I intend to, and he tightens his grip around my torso in warning. But as we round the corner, the shadows under his feet shoot out before returning to us and handing me a dinner roll. He didn't even slow his pace. The warmth of the bread spreads through my hands, and I lift it to my nose, letting the warmth and the wonderful smell fill my nose.

I hesitate for a moment, but another growl from my stomach has me sold. I take a bit. The outside of the bed crunches as my teeth sink into it, the inside soft and buttery, melting on my tongue. It's delicious. It's not as good as mom's homemade bread, but it's still good.

I steal a quick glance up at Him. His copper eyes are scanning the hallway ahead as we move. His arms remain tightly around my waist, practically carrying me forward.

As we reach another bend, his shadows reach once again and return in an instant. He pulls us to a sudden stop, pressing me against a nearby wall, His body shielding mine, his shadows sweep up around us just in time as two guards pass by, I barely breathe, and neither does he. For a moment everything stops, where frozen waiting for them to disappear.

When they're finally out of sight around the bend, he exhales, but his face doesn't relax.

"We're almost there," He mutters, his voice a low rumble. I see it. The opening ahead isn't much of a door, just a jagged, gaping hole in what remains of the structure. Soft rays of sunrise stream in, painting the ruin in hues of gold and pink, momentarily blinding me.

His shadows slip away and we're moving again, faster now, but his time he's pulling me along behind him, his hand tightly wrapped around mine.

We were so close I could almost take a full breath, but it was taken away just as quickly. The sight is almost beautiful, a big contrast against the disarray of ruin bathed in the soft light, casting long, eerie shadows.

I step over a massive chuck of stone, careful to avoid the twisted metal and shattered glass that litter the glossy tile that's nothing more than a mosaic now. Hands wrap around my torso, pinning my arms to my sides, ripping me away from him.

"Let me go!" I shout and kick, thrashing against whoever got me. panic surges through me, my heart racing so fast I'm sure it'll jump right out of my rib cage. I twist the best I can and slam my heel into the guard's knee, which falters their hold just enough to allow my arm movement, I deliver my elbow into the guard's ribs and spin away.

But before I can get my barrings on the situation at hand, another faceless masked guard is lunging at me but only to be knocked off his feet by a black mist of shadow. I whirl and meet His copper eyes, he's got a fresh cut on his lip from a fight, and I can't help it as my body goes cold. There's a lifeless body at his feet.

His shadows snake around the two other guards who've stopped us. It crawls up to their necks at the same time and in unison a sickening snap echoes around us, the sound bouncing off the charred stone. The shadow slides from the two guards, releasing them, and they crumble to the floor.

My chest heaves as I gasp for air, my limbs trembling uncontrollably. My eyes dart to the guard's still body, and then up to him.

My pulse thunders in my ears, and bile rises in my throat.

"You..." I whisper, stepping back, my legs trembling beneath me. "You — You killed them."

He doesn't look at me, just makes swift steps over to me, grabs my arm, dragging me forward. "Keep moving," he growls, his tone sharper now, more urgent. "We don't have time for this," he snaps, dragging me toward the exit. I feel cold inside, a deep chill that won't go away.

I dig my heels into the ground, trying to pull back and he whirls on me "You don't have to trust me, but we have to move if you want to live." although his voice is rough, his eyes bare into mine the copper in them pleading with me.

"They are being taken care of. But my orders are to get you out."

I rip myself free from his grasp and glare at him. With a final, shaky breath, I storm past him. "Fine. Let's get out of this hellhole."