Chapter 6 CHAPTER 6
That was when it hit me. I had made a mistake. I had provoked him.
Fear slammed into me, sharp and sudden, as the thought settled in that he was going to kill me next.
He began to move again, closing the distance between us with slow, deliberate steps that made my chest tighten with every second that passed. My heart pounded hard against my ribs, so violently it felt like it might break free.
When he got close enough, instinct took over.
I grabbed the chair beside me and swung it at him with everything I had left.
He moved just enough. His head dipped, and the chair struck against his horns with a hard crack, splintering slightly from the impact.
For a moment, everything went still.
Then he looked at me. Truly looked at me. The anger in his eyes sent a chill straight through me.
A deep, furious roar tore from his chest, so powerful it rattled the walls of the cottage and shook the air around us. The sound hit me like a force, making my ears ring as I stumbled back.
I barely had time to react. His hands were on me in the next instant, large and unyielding as they wrapped around my waist. Before I could struggle, before I could even think, he lifted me as if I weighed nothing at all. The world shifted suddenly as he threw me over his shoulder, the movement knocking the breath from my lungs.
\----
He burst out of the cottage with me thrown over his shoulder, the cold hitting me instantly like a sharp slap against my skin. I fought him with everything I had left, kicking, screaming, and pounding my fists against his back, but it felt like hitting a stone wall, hard and unmoving, as if he barely felt it at all.
He did not slow down. He moved through the snow with a speed that made no sense for something his size, his steps strong and steady as he carried me deeper into the darkness. The world blurred around us, the trees passing too quickly, the ground uneven beneath him, yet he never stumbled.
The cold cut through me the faster he moved, biting into my skin until it felt like it was burning. My body was pressed painfully against his shoulder, my ribs aching with every step he took, each movement sending sharp jolts of pain through me. I winced, my breath catching as I tried to hold on, but there was nothing steady to grab.
“Put me down!” I shouted, my voice breaking as I struggled again, though the strength behind it was fading. My hands pushed weakly against him, my legs kicking with less force than before.
He did not answer. He did not even acknowledge me. It was as if I weighed nothing to him.
The cold grew worse the longer we moved, seeping deeper into my bones, making my fingers numb and my body heavy. My breath came out in short bursts, each inhale sharp and painful against my lungs.
I could feel my strength slipping. I had not eaten in two days, and the beating from earlier had already drained what little I had left. Now, with the cold pressing in and the constant movement, my body began to give in. My kicks slowed and my hands dropped.
The fight left me little by little, until all I could do was hold on weakly, my fingers barely gripping at him as my body grew heavier against his shoulder.
The forest swallowed us whole as he carried me further away from everything I had known.
He moved fast, faster than anything I had ever experienced. The cold pierced through my skin like sharp shards of glass, cutting deeper with every step he took. The forest and night sky blurred past me, dark shapes melting together as my vision struggled to keep up.
My head felt heavy, my thoughts slipping as the world around me began to fade. I tried to stay awake, forcing my eyes open, but everything started to darken at the edges.
Then I saw it. Through the blur of trees and shadows, a massive structure rose in the distance. It stood tall against the night, dark and still, like something forgotten. It looked like an old castle, large and imposing, its shape barely visible through the darkness.
My mind struggled to make sense of it.
I must be imagining things.
The thought barely formed before everything went dark.
\----
The echo of dripping water pulled me back.
The sound was slow and steady, each drop hitting stone and carrying through the space around me. It was enough to drag me out of the darkness, though my body still felt heavy and slow to respond.
The air was cold, but not like the forest. It felt damp, thick with the scent of wet stone and something old, something that had been closed off for a long time. I lay still for a moment, my breathing uneven as I tried to gather myself.
It was dark, too dark. The space around me felt large, open, the faint echo of the dripping water making it clear I was no longer in the small cottage. Somewhere in the distance, I heard the soft crackle of fire, faint but steady, the only sign of warmth in the darkness.
My chest tightened as the memory of what had happened came rushing back.
I was not home.
The faint crackle of fire grew clearer the more my senses returned, and with it, the slow awareness of something cold wrapped around my wrist.
I frowned slightly, my fingers twitching as I tried to move my hand, but something held it in place.
My eyes adjusted slowly to the darkness, the dim glow of firelight flickering somewhere beyond my reach. The shadows shifted across the room, revealing just enough for me to understand where I was.
I was lying on a bed.
A large wooden bed, bigger than anything I had ever seen before, with tall posts rising at each corner, carved and heavy, casting long shadows across the room. The blankets beneath me were thick, far softer than anything I had ever owned, but the comfort did nothing to ease the unease building inside me.
My breath caught as I lifted my arm slightly.
A chain.
Cold metal circled my wrist, secured tightly, the other end fastened to the side of the bedpost. I shifted my other arm, only to feel the same resistance there. My ankles were no different.
I was restrained.
Panic rose quickly, sharp and immediate, as I pulled against the chains, the metal clinking softly in the quiet room. They did not give.
My heart began to race.
I pushed myself up slightly despite the ache in my ribs, my eyes scanning the room more carefully now. The space was large, far larger than any room should have been, with high stone walls that disappeared into shadow. The fire burned in a hearth across the room, its light flickering unevenly, barely touching the corners of the space.
The air felt cold and damp, carrying the same scent of stone and something old.
Something watching.
The thought made my breath hitch as I stilled, my body going tense.
I was not alone.
Slowly, my gaze shifted toward the far side of the room, where the firelight struggled to reach.
And then I saw him.