“Osiris, bring me to the door.”
“-and then you will be more prepared, but leaving now is not safe, besides-”
“Osiris!” she exclaimed, frustration beginning to crackle behind her eyes.
Eleanor puffed out a breath. Why was she even listening to him? Why was she wearing a ridiculous blindfold? Because he said so?
Money. Power. Control. All men are the same. And even this man, Osiris, who knows nothing of me, wants to tell me what to do and where to go.
The sound of a chair being pushed back caught her attention, but he did not walk towards her. “You should still rest; you are injured and what if you get lost-” he kept rambling.
She had had enough. He wasn’t listening to her; he wasn’t going to show her to the door.
Eleanor lifted her hands to the blindfold as Osiris urged her to stop and ripped it off.
She lifted her eyes and froze.
Her blood ran cold as her muscles tensed, and the hairs on the back of her neck began to rise, the feeling of wrongness creeping up her spine.
What her eyes landed was not the man that had helped her, butsomethingthat had stolen her. His large pumpkin head glowed with the flames that danced within, his body was massive, and imposing, looming over her with his heated, fiery gaze.
She knew running wasn’t an option.
Step number five.
I should have listened to step number five.
11
OSIRIS
Fear. Pure fear.
Osiris knew that look better than anyone. The wide eyes, the gaping mouth, their bodies frozen in place as if they were waiting for him to attack.
Shrinking back, his shoulders sagged as Eleanor fell to the floor, still unable to speak.
Osiris lifted his hands in a placating manner, trying to convey to her that he meant no harm, but what good has that ever done? Humans believe what they want to believe, he reminded himself.
“Eleanor, please,” he whispered.
“Horseman,” she finally choked out. “You’re the Headless Horseman. Please, I am sorry. Please let me leave. I promise I will not tell anyone,” her voice shook as her eyes began to water.
Osiris sighed. Of course. Why did he think she would be any different? His light dimmed as he backed up, feeling behind him for the handle. Opening the door, he left slowly, pausing just before he closed it.
“Do not leave this cottage. And before you panic, you arenota prisoner. It is for your own safety.”
When she didn’t say anything, he left, closing the door fully.
Osiris rested his head against the door and sighed. His own truth becoming harder to believe. Still, he repeated it to himself again and again, fearing that if he stopped, he would forget who he was.
I am not a monster.
He knew it wasn’t her fault. She did not do anything wrong. She did not mean to hurt him. This was a truth he also needed to remind himself of.
After his many years, he had eventually stopped counting how many screams of terror he heard. In time, the screams began to meld together until they all eventually sounded the same. Eleanor had not screamed but her fear was palpable, and it stung more than any other time a human or being had turned away from him.
He enjoyed speaking with her. When she did not know what he was, her kindness and ease with which she spoke was overflowing.
