Chapter 15 CHAPTER 15
Not the way he moved, not the way he watched, and definitely not the way he had just touched me without hurting me when he so easily could have.
I looked up at him again, my brows pulling together slightly as I tried to understand, to piece together something that would make any of this feel real.
But before I could say anything... a sound cut through the air.
Low and Deep. It didn’t come from inside the room, It came from outside.
I froze.
The sound came again, louder this time, vibrating faintly through the stone beneath my feet. It wasn’t the wind, and it wasn’t something small. It carried weight, something heavy moving somewhere within the castle.
My gaze snapped toward the door.
The silence that followed felt wrong.
Different from before.
Tense.
I glanced back at him, expecting some kind of reaction, but he had already turned his head slightly, his focus no longer on me.
He was listening.
Another sound followed, sharper this time, like something scraping against stone, followed by a low, distant growl that made my stomach tighten.
“What was that?” I asked, my voice quieter now, the earlier defiance slipping under the weight of something I couldn’t see.
He didn’t answer.
His posture had changed, not dramatically, but enough that I noticed. His shoulders had straightened slightly, his stance shifting in a way that made him seem larger, more alert.
Another growl echoed, closer now.
My chest tightened.
“There are things in this place…” His earlier words came rushing back to me, settling heavily in my mind.
My eyes moved to the door again, my pulse quickening as the sound of something moving outside became clearer. It wasn’t rushing. It wasn’t frantic.
It was slow... deliberate, like it knew exactly where it was going.
A sudden, heavy thud hit the other side of the door.
I flinched hard, instinctively stepping back, my heart jumping into my throat as the sound echoed through the room. The wood rattled slightly in its frame, not enough to break, but enough to make it very clear that whatever was out there was not small.
Another thud followed, but stronger this time. The handle shifted slightly, and somehow my breath caught without me realizing.
“It can’t get in… right?” I asked, my voice tighter now, my eyes locked on the door as fear settled deep in my chest.
The door shook again under another hit, the sound louder, more forceful, followed by a low, guttural growl that made my stomach drop.
I didn’t take my eyes off it.
Couldn’t.
A sudden movement beside me made me flinch again as he stepped forward, placing himself between me and the door without hesitation. His presence filled the space in front of me, blocking my view slightly, but not enough to hide what was happening.
The door creaked under the pressure.
Something on the other side dragged against it, claws or something heavier, scraping slowly down the wood.
My breathing grew shallow, my body tense as I took another step back without thinking, putting more distance between myself and whatever was trying to get in.
“Open it,” I whispered without thinking, my fear twisting the words before I could stop them. “Or… or do something.”
He didn’t move right away.
For a moment, he just stood there, still and solid, his attention fixed entirely on the door.
Then—he stepped forward, slow, controlled.
His hand lifted, not toward the handle, but slightly to the side, as if he didn’t need it.
The growling on the other side deepened.
The door shuddered again.
And then... it was silent.
It came suddenly.
Too suddenly.
The pressure against the door vanished, the scratching stopping mid-motion as if whatever had been there had simply… left.
I didn’t move.
Didn’t breathe.
I just stared.
Waiting.
Listening.
Nothing came.
The quiet returned, but it wasn’t the same as before. It felt heavier now, like something had just passed too close and might still be nearby.
Slowly, I looked up at him.
“What… was that?” I asked again, my voice barely above a whisper this time.
He didn’t answer immediately.
He remained still for a moment longer, as if making sure the threat had truly passed, before finally turning his head slightly toward me.
“Something,” he said, his voice low and steady, “you would not survive.”
A chill ran through me.
And for the first time since I had been brought here…
I believed him.
The silence after the sound outside the door faded did not bring relief. It settled into the room like something heavier, something that pressed against my chest and made it harder to breathe. I stood where I was, my eyes still fixed on the door as if whatever had been out there might come back at any moment.
But it didn’t.
The quiet returned.
Slowly, I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding, my hand moving back to my ribs without thinking as I tried to steady myself. The ache was still there, duller than before, but enough to remind me that none of this was something I could simply wake up from.
I turned my head slightly, my gaze shifting back to him.
He hadn’t moved much.
He still stood between me and the door, his presence filling that space as if it belonged to him, as if nothing would get past him unless he allowed it.
“What was that?” I asked, my voice quieter now, but steady.
He didn’t answer immediately.
For a moment, he remained still, his head tilted just slightly as if he was listening for something beyond the walls. Then his gaze shifted back to me.
“It will not come in while I am here,” he said.
That wasn’t what I asked.
My jaw tightened slightly, but I didn’t snap this time. Not yet.
“That’s not an answer,” I said, taking a slow step forward despite the unease still sitting in my chest. “What is it?”
His eyes held mine for a moment, unreadable as always, and I could feel that same frustration rising again, that same need to push, to demand something more than the half-answers he kept giving me.
But this time…he gave me something.
“This place…” he said slowly, his voice low and steady, “is not what you think it is.”