Luckily, my suspicions are correct, and there’s a small ensuite bathroom behind the open door. I don’t hesitate to close it and lock it behind me.
The state of the bathroom reinforces my suspicion that I’m no longer in Leon’s castle. Leon’s place had chamber pots, whereas this bathroom almost looks like it’s come out of the human realm. There’s a toilet, a black marble sink, and a walk-in shower made from shining black tile. I can almost pretend I’m visiting a resort back in my own realm. I just need to ignore the small orbs of light floating above my head.
A few moments later, I happen to catch sight of myself in the large mirror that hangs over the bathroom sink. The sight that stares back at me looks eerily similar to what I saw after my classmates attacked me. My eyes are sunken in, and there are dark smudges underneath them. One of my arms is a myriad of purple and blue bruises, and I can distinctly make out the shapes of Leon’s fingers. My other arm is bandaged, but more blue marks are peeking over the edges.
At least Leon had the decency to patch me up after he hurt me.
The thought has my stomach twisting.
How am I going to get away from this man?
Death.
He said the only way to break the bond is through death.
I’m no expert, but I think I might be in a toxic relationship.
The haze of despair grows larger, and I can feel it winding more tightly around my throat. It’s suffocating.
There’s no air.
My hands clamp down on the edges of the sink, and I can feel a panic attack coming on.
Fighting the urge to hyperventilate, I force myself to take deep belly breaths. Panic attacks are nothing new, not after that night in the woods. I’ve had years to find a strategy that can stop them.
Rather than letting the fear paralyze me, I focus on compartmentalizing it. I shove the emotion into a box in my head specifically reserved for repressed feelings. Once the fear is locked away, I can’t feel it.
My breathing starts to slow, and the clawing sensation around my throat subsides.
I don’t have the luxury of letting myself fall apart right now. It’s like the saying, ‘There’s a time and place for everything.’
If I’m being honest with myself, I’ve never found the time or place to have an emotional breakdown. I’m hell-bent on keeping my depression in remission. I can’t even imagine what opening those emotional boxes would do to that goal.
That’s a definite ‘no thank you’ from me.
Only after the attack has fully ceased do I notice I’m not in my own clothes. Instead, I’m wearing a pair of gray leggings and a black T-shirt that’s far too big for me. I stare at them, dumbfounded, until I remember that my clothes are probably still strewn around the broken table shards in Leon’s castle.
I guess I didn’t think to put them back on when I was crawling on the floor, gasping through blinding pain.
My body gives an unconscious shiver. It’s both from the thought of Leon and the violation that someone dressed my unconscious body.
Swallowing, I shove those thoughts down.
If I ever do decide to try and process my trauma, I’m going to need ice cream. I have a sneaking suspicion that guided meditation won’t cut it if that day ever comes. But if I want to survive long enough to make it back to the land of frozen treats, I need to be smart and find a way to escape Leon.
Because Iwillbe free again.
Giving myself a stern look, I mutter what I hope will be the pep talk of the century, “Suck it up, Vivian. Noone is coming to save you. If you fall apart, your loved ones die. Now. Get. It. Together.”
I make a mental note to look into a career writing motivational quotes as I step back into my room.
Only, it isn’t empty anymore. A man is leaning against the wall on the opposite side of the room.
I freeze.
He’s tall, at least a head and a half taller than me, and huge. Not just in height, but in bulk. The man looks like a warlord. His dark brown hair falls just past his shoulders, and he has a short but somewhat scruffy beard. His skin is a deep bronze, reflecting hours spent outside. I think he might be in his early thirties, but it’s hard to tell with immortals.
I’m not staring. I’m taking in my surroundings.
