Chapter 26 Chapter Twenty six
I barely got a wink of sleep last night, because every time I closed my eyes, I found myself running through the woods. Men shouting from somewhere behind me while something else…something more dangerous shadowed me like a hawk.
And each time I woke up, I was panting and gasping for air. Drenched in my own sweat.
And somehow, I couldn’t help but blame Asher for it all. Because he was there. Those damn Amber eyes followed me every turn I made and it was driving me crazy.
I rolled onto my back with a frustrated groan and glared at the ceiling above me then slowly sat up in bed. The morning light spilled through the tall windows in pale strips with golden dust specks that floated causally in the air without a care in the world. It felt like a mocking reminder that dawn had come and gone while I’d spent pretty much the entire night wrestling with restless thoughts I did not ask for.
I swear, everything was far more frustrating than the sleepless nights I spent studying for my exams. I fell so ill that I almost died, but I somehow managed to write my bar exams and pass. But this? I would trade this experience with that one in a heartbeat.
Because at least then I knew I didn’t have a bounty on my head.
If that were even true…
“A bounty on my head? Bullshit!” I threw one of the pillows halfway across the room with an aggravated roar. But it didn’t make me feel better about my situation, though.
I pulled my legs closer to my chest and wrapped my arms around them. The room wasn’t cold, but the dread in my heart made the morning sun feel like Twilight’s gloom over my head.
If only she’d come for me now. Or better still give me the strength to escape this place.
“...you’re welcome to leave anytime,”
Asher’s words rang in my head like a bell and I frowned.
“He says I can leave whenever I want, but admits he’s keeping me hostage? Is that man a lunatic?” I asked the empty room, but no answer came.
I let out a long sigh as I pressed my cheek to my knee when my eyes glanced over at the Violet dress I’d worn last night. Even in the morning light, the violet shade was vibrant. Thankfully, Miridath had thought to bring me some less fancy dresses to sleep in. At least I didn’t have to wear his shirt.
“No. This is Ludicoirs!” A fresh fire of determination came to life in me as I sat upright again, slamming my left fist into my open palm.
“Mother always said crying never solved anyone’s problems.” I sniffed back the tears that made my eyes burn from anger and exhaustion.
Some clearly set me up for destruction. But the question is who?
I stroked my chin thoughtfully. “All I have to do is narrow down the list of people who have the most reason to do this…”
I thought and I thought. Racking my brain. Going over names and affiliates when I finally came to a conclusion…
Too many people fit this description. Too many to count on the spot.
“Gosh darn it!” I huffed.
If only I could get in contact with Vincent. He’d understand. He was the one who’d taken me under his wing when I was fresh out of law school. And when everyone said a woman couldn’t survive in a world that was already run by beasts, he saw potential in me. He encouraged me to keep fighting even when hope seemed bleak. And just thinking about him made my heart ache with a bittersweet feeling that we were worlds apart.
Human and Dragon.
It could never be.
I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to force the thoughts away.
Asher was just trying to manipulate me with all those words. To keep me here for whatever reason he had. Maybe Miridath was wrong. Maybe he wasn’t a good man. Maybe he was exactly what he looked like--a damn monster in a mask who collected people the way Frustenberg does. Maybe he was even worse.
I’m the one who’d been wronged. I’m the one who was kidnapped. Stripped of my rights as a living, breathing human being. I was locked up in a filthy cell like an animal and put up on display like a prize to be won by the highest bidder.
I might have survived it all. But now I was back to square one. Held against my will by someone who was claiming to be my saviour.
My hands curled into fists and I gritted my teeth.
I don’t need protection from him.
What I needed was justice.
And when I get back to Covenant City, I will make them all pay for their crimes. The people who orchestrated my kidnapping. The people who ran the Rout. The people who partook in the Rout. Every single person who’d touched me, caged me, traded me and all those other poor souls like we were less would feel the wrath of Crystal Noir.
That thought gave me something to hold onto at least. Something solid and real in a world that was full of confusion and half-truth’s told by masked men with beautiful Amber eyes.
“Wait...-”
TapTapTap
My thoughts froze at the soft taps that filled the room.
TapTap
There it was again. Soft and unhurried. I threw the quilt back from my body as I listened keenly for where the sound was coming from over the sound of my beating heart. But it was gone.
“Great. I’m imagining things now.” I let out an exasperated sigh. Exhaustion was a terrible thing really and I--
TapTap
“Okay. I definitely heard that one clearly.” my brows drew together in a subtle frown as I crawled out of the bed. But this time, the tapping came with a plaintive sound.
Meow