Chapter 223 Chapter 223

Chapter 223 Chapter 223
Violet

Meanwhile, Elijah grabbed me, turned me away from the doors and pulled me against his chest. His body formed a shield between me and whatever I was seeing, solid and warm and real.

"It's okay," he was saying, his voice urgent but controlled. "You're okay. Nothing's going to hurt you. I'm here."

But it wasn't okay. Nothing was okay. 

Because I could still see her over his shoulder, could see the witch pulling herself further out of the mirror-door, could see her mouth moving in silent words that felt like hooks in my mind.

Finish what was started. Free me!!

"No," I whimpered, my body growing tired due to the struggle against his arms that might as well have been made of steel.

No matter how much I scratched or clawed at him, he didn’t let go.

He only pulled me closer, burying my face in Elijah's shirt, wrapping my arms around him with desperate strength.

"No, no, no."

His arms tightened around me, one hand coming up to cradle the back of my head. "I've got you," he murmured, his lips close to my ear. "Whatever you're seeing, it can't hurt you. I won't let it. I promise."

“Let me go!!!!!”

I was shaking so hard my teeth chattered, my entire body trembling like a leaf in a storm. But Elijah held firm, held steady, his embrace unwavering despite my terror.

"Look at me," he said, his hand gently trying to tilt my face up. "Violet, look at me, really look at me."

But I couldn't. My eyes refused to open as the memory played on a loop while the witch kept chanting her words like a mantra, the silent command pounding against my skull.

Elijah made a sound somewhere between frustration and fear. Then he moved, shifting his weight, and suddenly he was kicking at the elevator doors. The metallic boom echoed in the small space, loud enough to make me flinch.

He kicked again. And again. Then started pounding with his fist, the impacts reverberating through the car.

"Security!" he shouted, his voice sharp with command. "We need help here! Open this elevator now!"

His free hand fumbled for his phone, still keeping his other arm locked around me even though I was still thrashing. 

I heard him bark orders into it, demanding immediate assistance, and threatening consequences if the doors weren't opened within seconds all while holding me. 

All while murmuring reassurances between the commands and threats. All while positioning his body between me and whatever I was seeing.

"You're safe," he kept repeating, the words becoming a mantra. "I've got you. Nothing's going to hurt you. You're safe with me."

I struggled harder against his chest even though my body was already growing tired of the battle.

“VIOLET!” He shouted, grabbing me by the shoulders and shaking me so hard, I thought I might just spontaneously combust.

My eyelids fluttered as he lowered his voice after realizing somehow his voice had reached me through all that hazy fog.

“Violet. You’re scaring me!”” I heard a tinge of desperation and worry in his voice. 

“Open your eyes. I am right here.”

I tried to. I really did. 

But they suddenly felt heavy. My entire body felt heavy and numb.

“Please baby, open your eyes,” He said, cupping my face and tilting my chin upward.

Somehow his voice grounded me, somehow my mind latched onto that familiar piece of information among the darkness of the vision engulfing me like a tiny ray cutting through darkness.

I followed that voice, that ray through the mist and slowly felt the fog around me disappear, slowly felt the darkness disperse.

My breathing was shallow, my heart almost in my mouth.

I was heaving as he repeated.

“I love you, come back to me!” that voice, that raw desperation and yearning in his voice reached the depths of my heart and then the darkness around me dispersed completely.

My eyelids fluttered open slightly and through the narrow slit of my eyes I looked around bleakly.

There was just steel and lights around me.

“Yes, yes! Oh goddess yes!” I heard him cry out in relief as he pulled me in a hug, burying my face in his shirt that was expensive, probably custom-made, definitely too nice to be used as a security blanket. 

But he didn't seem to care that I was wrinkling it, that my trembling was probably transferring sweat and fear to the fabric.

He just held me tighter, one hand stroking my hair in soothing motions while the other gripped his phone with white-knuckled intensity.

"I will never let anything happen to you," he said, his voice rough as I felt him kiss my head. "Help is coming. Just hold on."

I could hear voices outside now. The clang of tools on metal. The mechanical grind of the emergency override being engaged.

But my mind was too clogged up to make sense of it. I only slowly looked up at him again, taking deep breaths.

"Almost there," Elijah murmured, his hand still moving in my hair. "You’re safe, Vi. You're doing so good. Just a little longer."

The elevator shuddered and I clung to him, inhaling his scent, feeling that familiar warmth of his and tightened my grip further, wanting to fuse us as one. I didn’t want to think about anything, I didn't want to move.

I just wanted to…I wasn’t even sure what I wanted to do. 

Light flooded in from outside as the doors were forced apart, the gap widening with agonizing slowness.

"The door's open," Elijah said softly, his voice gentle in contrast to the sharp commands he'd been issuing moments before. "Look, Violet. The door's open. You're safe now."

I shook my head against his chest, too afraid to look, too terrified of what I might see.

“No!” I pulled the hem of his coat tighter around me, hoping that it would protect me from whatever lay in front of me.

His hand came to rest on the small of my back as I heard his deep breaths, the way his heart thudded wildly against my cheek resting on his soiled shirt.

The sound of hurried footsteps seemed distant alongwith the panicked questions in voices I didn’t recognize.

"Hey." His hand came to cup my face, gently but firmly tilting my head up until I had no choice but to open my eyes. "Look at me. Not at anything else. Just me."

I was still trembling like a leaf caught in a storm as I slowly opened my eyes and found his face inches from mine. His dark eyes were intense, worried, and completely focused on me. 

There was no red ring, no pitch black just his regular eyes staring at me with concern and barely restrained fear.

"The door's open," he repeated softly. "There's nothing in the mirror. Nothing in the elevator. Just us, and security waiting to help. See"