I wanted to scream, to reach forward and smack my hand across her face. If I didn't know she would have been quicker than me I might have tried it.
“Leave. You are not welcome near me or anyone in my home again. Next time I will kill you.” Rhael snarled his eyes once more falling on Serena, his magic flaring dangerously as his wings pulsatedthrough the slats in his back. The shadows around us threatened to suffocate.
“We will speak again, and next time perhaps you will be on the right side little human” Serena smiled, as she stood without protest. Moving to the window before pushing the glass open into the night. Before she disappeared into the open air as if she had never been there to begin with.
I sat in silence, the suffocating presence of Rhael’s magic making it feel impossible to move. Not daring to look back at him as he stood staring at the open window, a dangerous snarl still on his face.
“You should have told me.” Rhael warned, his shoulders still squared as he turned to face me. His expression faltered for just a second before it was replaced by the control I knew all too well.
“I wanted to, I was just afraid of making it worse.” I whispered the words, seeming weak and feeble the moment, they left my lips.
Rhael’s eyes closed, his hands curling into fists as he pulled his lip ring into his mouth, the sound of metal clicking against his teeth filling the void forming between us.
“You are to stay in your chambers under guard. You are not to leave until I give you permission. You are not to speak unless spoken to. I do not want to hear a sound from you. Is that clear.” He growled, his face leaning down until it was inches from mine his words enunciated clearly as if his anger was forcing out each syllable.
“Rhael. I was scared, and you decide I am to be punished?How is that fair?” I questioned. Knowing arguing would do nothing to help my cause but doing it anyway. Unable to hinder the defiance that ran through me.
“Apparently fear makes liars of us all,” he whispered pushing himself away from me, the distance widening with every stride as he made it to the door. Slamming it behind him with a brutal finality.
I sat alone in the lit room, the candlewax dripping down onto the floor as I refused to get up and blow them out. My heart aching as it fractured knowing with sick certainty that everything had shifted between us.
The worst part was I did not know how to even begin to fix it.
Chapter Twenty Three
I lasted twenty-four hours under guard before I managed to sneak out. At first, I had waited, convincing myself that Rhael would come back. That once his anger cooled he would demand answers from me, until it was all resolved. Only he didn't.
I paced until my feet ached. I sat until my thoughts turned poisonous, sleeping in broken fragments. The echo of the vampire's words kept me awake.
Every time I closed my eyes, I imagined her sneaking back in my window, leaning over me, fangs extended. Waiting for the right moment to strike. It made being stuck within these four walls even worse.
The worst thing wasn't the vampire or her promise to return. It was the way Rhael had looked at me when he believed that even for a heartbeat, I had considered betraying him.
The look had hurt more than anything I had ever experienced. I would take the burns, the beatings, and the starvation a hundred times over, to avoid ever seeing that look again.
By the time night drew in I was already planning a way out. Waiting around would send me insane and whilst I knew pissing off Rhael might lead to my own demise, staying in solitude would guarantee it. I had survived far worse than guards lingering outside my door. Slipping free has always been a matter of patience.
I spent my time listening mostly. The guards outside the room changed every four hours and I quickly realised that whilst they were Fae, they were also creatures of habit. Complacent in their ability to keep the human inside of her rooms. Thinking I would not be smart enough to find a way out.
Every time I heard footsteps, my ear pressed to the door to eavesdrop on their hushed conversations, knowing who would be there next. Revelling in the increased tones of their boredom.
When I heard the first set of footsteps move away before the second set joined them, I knew it was my moment. They wouldn't hear anything if they were not there.
Taking a deep breath, I made my way over to the window, pushing on the glass, watching as it opened onto a thin ledge. The sound of the old wood and iron lost into the night. Cold air rushed into the room, sharp and biting, carrying with it the scent of damp stone. I hesitated, only for a moment, before swinging one leg over the sill, my bare feet finding the stone below.
The stone was unforgiving against the soles of my feet. It was smoothed by centuries of wind and rain but cold despite the lingering warmth of theday. I pressed my palms flat against the wall to steady myself, my heart hammering in my chest as I tried to keep myself steady. From this height, I could see the castle in a way I had never seen before.
My room faced the courtyard, in the centre of the castle that ruled Vaetharyn. The towers rose like the spines of some colossal beast, jagged and elegant forged of black stone.
Their edges caught faint moonlight and broke it into shards of silver. Bridges arched between the spires like ribs draped in banners that stirred even with the lack of wind.
Below, the inner courtyard was a maze of stone and ivy, the sounds of running water from the fountains cycled endlessly through carved basins shaped like beasts and forgotten gods.
The thing that hit me in the chest was the magic that clung to every surface. Almost as if it was suffocating me, trying to push me back into the room.
Instead of listening to it, I edged myself sideways along the ledge, fingers brushing against the outer wall. Careful not to look down, knowing one misstep would send me plummeting down into the darkness below.
My body would be broken and immobile before the guards ever found me and I was determined not to end up in a crumpled heap thanks to my own stupidity.
