Nocte Yin

Chapter Fifteen

Afraid of death.

The very thought of it settled nastily in her stomach.

Nocte shivered as she made toward the library. She needed a good book to comfort her, and those nice plush chairs that screamed, “Sit on me!” She needed, not cake or ice cream, but hot chocolate to fend off the bitter wind.

There seemed to be a lot of bitter winds lately.

She felt, rather than saw, him coming. And when she saw him, she knew he was after her. Immediately, she picked up her speed, hoping to enter Assaku before he could get to her.

“Yin.”

She stopped short.

Too late.

“Paine,” she acknowledged.

“You seem well,” he said cordially.

Her heart pumped panic, but somehow she managed to say, “Thank you.”

“Hey!” Noir popped up. “I was just on my way to the library, didn’t expect you all to be here!”

No one replied to that.

“Did you have fun?” Paine asked.

She frowned. Fun with what? Being scared to death — of death?

Noting her confusion, Noir explained, “You released Paine’s stallion into the wild.”

“I did?” she thought, taken aback.

“Don’t worry, Nocte. Your big brother will teach him.”

“Gash,” she realized alarmingly. “That wasn’t me.”

“Liar.”

She grabbed Noir’s fist before it could come in contact with her, a loud impact of skin on skin that surprised not only the passersby, but her as well.

She didn’t know how she had managed it. She had only seen a flash of movement from the corner of her eyes.

“I didn’t do it,” she repeated.

Noir shrugged playfully and beamed. “It doesn’t matter with him.”

Suddenly she was on the ground, scraping her hands along the pavement. She hissed as they stung, drawing a breath to dull the pain. It didn’t hurt enough to call for tears, but that was little consolation when Noir grabbed her by her hair and yanked her up to her knees.

People were stopping to watch, egging Noir on.

“Bye bye,” he said, and then tossed her easily into the air.

She accumulated grass stains as she rolled to a stop. Her head pounded and her blood loud in her ears.

Gods…

She struggled for breath.

Gods, please…

She stood, face pale and hands trembling.

Please don’t…

Noir ran forward.

“Don’t let me die.”

She took hold of Noir’s arm and used his momentum to drive him to the ground, her breath harsh and determined. One moment he was in front of her, and the next he was beneath, wincing at the sudden crash.

Paine frowned at the sight and stepped forward. On cue, Noir dragged himself from the dirt, falling into the background to watch with the audience.