The Land of Shadows

Chapter Ten

The next two days passed with brief bouts of consciousness where I rarely opened my eyes. I lived in a world of darkness. My dreams were haunted by a land of shadows and a seething mass of demons. I spent my time conscious by praying and fearing that when Zachariah came I'd be too sick for him to take. But I was getting better. I could feel it in my bones. I knew it by the increased frequence of alertness. True to what she'd said, the head nurse hadn't let Matt visit. She herself left me in the room alone unless she was administrating to me. Those two days, I was in a constant state of anxiety the entire time. Even in my sleep. 

So when Zach came to me, I was alert. Every nerve in my body was hybersensitive, all my senses seemed stronger than ever. Seconds before his arrival I knew he was really coming, that he was really going to take me away. And I didn't really want to go. But I knew this would break his heart. So I pretended to be asleep as he cursed softly over me before scooping me up hastily and rushing back the way he'd come. He must have had every excruciating detail of my escape planned out down to the second. I kept my eyes closed and let his running footsteps lull me to sleep. 

I awoke again in a dark, dank cave. I recognized the place, and we were closer to my castle than Matt's. With a pang, I nearly thought of his castle as home. I knew it was wrong, and that I was sick and twisted, but I didn't care. I wanted Matt back. But I couldn't have him back. And I desperately wanted to stay strong, but I physically couldn't. I felt worse than I had the night before, with an ache settling deep in my bones. Everything that touched my skin hurt, and I was both hot and cold at the same time. I couldn't open my eyes for long either, but I saw that it was nearing midday. 

I groaned and shifted, alerting Zach to my newfound alertness. "Allie!" he whispered, and I felt him scrambling to my side before he took my hand and touched it to his lips. I tried not to whimper. Every place my skin touched his felt like my flesh was peeling off. Seeming to sense this, he let go of me, although he hovered near me. "We'll be home soon. I'll get you to proper healers. And we'll fix you up," he murmured, trying to be soothing. But the only thing that would soothe me was Matt, as much as I hated to admit it. I drifted off again.

When I next awoke, I was in my own bed in my ornate bedroom.