Chapter 47 #2
For a second, I freeze. The only thing that I allow to move are my eyes as I scan the area for any of the staff.
I spot five security guards to my left. Their backs are turned to us as they prowl around the area.
To my right, I note movement but can’t tell exactly who it is.
Another Rookwell patient? A few nurses? Orderlies?
I can’t afford to run into either. Unfortunately, that leaves me with two options: head back into the woods—where there are even more staff and patients I might run into—or… my gaze lands on the chapel again.
The sound of soft racing footsteps reaches me, coming up from behind. They help me to make up my mind on what to do.
I lurch forward on soft feet so as not to draw attention.
“Maverick, we shouldn’t—” Everly starts as she realizes where I’m heading, her grip tightening around my neck.
“We have to. You can’t get caught on campus, Everly. This is the only place we can lay low for a bit,” I tell her grimly as I reach for the door. “At least until I can get us into Sortage and to Nolan. He has our backpack.”
My protective instincts scream in protest as I cautiously step inside.
There comes a small relief when I find the place empty.
Carefully, I place Everly on her feet just within the building, but I take hold of her hand to keep her close.
The chapel is lit with electric candles that flicker like the real thing.
There’s a wall of them, just beyond the stage, situated artistically to look like a massive, imposing pair of antlers.
“The White Stag,” Everly whispers in both awe and fear as she stares straight ahead.
Holding her hand tighter, I lead us down the aisle. “We need to find a place to hide. They’ll search in here, eventually.”
Everly trails after me but her steps are hesitant and her breathing turns into gasps.
Halfway down the aisle, she stops, forcing me to do the same.
I turn around to see her staring wide-eyed at the stage.
I follow her gaze and my stomach drops. The iron maidens on either side are clouded in shadows, the light barely touching them.
“Don’t lock me back in there,” she begs, stepping back. “Mavie, don’t do this!”
When she tries to let go of my hand, I tighten my grip on hers.
“I won’t ever do that to you again,” I promise.
She’s not hearing me. Her glazed eyes are trained on the instrument I used against her the last time we were in here together. I pull her back to my side but Everly doesn’t come willingly. She stumbles forward, her eyes never leaving the iron tombs.
“Please, Mavie, don’t do this! Please, please, pl?—”
I jerk her into my chest, wrap my arms around her slight frame, and trap her against my body. She’s so scared I swear I feel the thundering of her heart slamming up against her ribs. I breathe for the both of us, hoping it will steady her. Lowering my head, I bury my face into her messy curls.
“I know I’ve failed you, Everly. Even if I lived a thousand years, I’ll never find it in me to forgive myself for the hell I’ve put you through,” I tell her.
Gently, I kiss the top of her head. “But I won’t make the same mistake twice.
You don’t have to worry about me putting you back into that thing, alright? ”
She struggles for a few precious seconds before her body relaxes and her breathing steadies.
Her arms come up and she holds me back. Something inside me settles.
I hurt Everly, but she’s still willing to put her faith in me.
It’s humbling. I kiss the top of her head again before my arms loosen around her.
When she looks up, I force myself to smile down at her.
“We need to hide, okay?” I tell her. “I don’t know how long we have until someone comes poking around in here.”
“The deer in the woods,” she whispers with a grim nod.
I don’t know what that means but I nod. “Yeah, Evie, the deer in the woods.”
Taking her hand, I lead her down the rest of the aisle. We’ve hardly made it to the stage when the door behind us bursts open. Jerking Everly behind me to cover her, I whirl around and brace myself for a fight.
Because that’s what I’ll do. I’ll fight tooth and nail to keep anyone from touching her again. No one is taking Everly from me. If I have to, I’ll even fight Death himself before I let him come between me and my girl.
It’s not the Grim Reaper who hurries into the chapel, though.
“Thank fuck you’re here,” Braum huffs breathlessly. “I thought I lost you both.”
If only I could be that lucky. My stomach drops further when he steps to the side and Rowan stumbles in. The asshole looks worse for wear. His shirt is torn in several places, a bruise is blooming across the left side of his cheek, and there’s blood dripping from his split lip.
“Why the hell are you two here?” I call out furiously. “I thought Saint would’ve taken care of the both of you.”
“You and the rest of your Rookwell friends are fucking insane!” Rowan claps back. “That man just tried to eat me !”
I can’t stop the cold smile spreading across my face. “Naw, Saint wouldn’t have eaten you. He doesn’t like the taste of assholes.”
Rowan opens his mouth to reply but Braum hits Rowan in the middle of the chest with the back of his hand. “Enough. We have bigger problems.”
“Yeah, like you betraying me!” Rowan snarls, glaring at him.
Braum rolls his eyes. “I wasn’t betraying you! I was protecting you. You weren’t supposed to get involved for your safety.”
I look between the two kings, unsure of what’s happening here. There’d been tension during Everly’s coronation but I didn’t realize it spanned further than that. The kings don’t fight.
“From what ?” Rowan sneers, whirling to face Braum.
“From the people who want Everly!”
Rowan scoffs. “So you were protecting me from you and Vick? How fucking rich?—”
“There’s a light at the end of the tunnel,” Everly whispers from behind me.
Her voice drags my attention away from the two guys arguing. Turning, I look to find her staring at something on stage. I follow her gaze and see it. There, behind the iron tomb to the right, is a light. It’s not much, but I can tell there’s something behind it.
“Stay here,” I tell her.
When she nods in agreement, I jump on stage and go investigate where the light is coming from.
I approach the tomb cautiously. As I do, I realize it’s been moved.
There are tracks on the floor that the tomb is attached to and it’s been slightly pushed to the side—as if someone hadn’t pulled it back the whole way.
Warily, I reach up and push against it. The tomb rolls further to the right, exposing a set of spiral stone staircase.
The stairs are lit by electrical torches attached to the wall.
I can’t see what’s at the bottom, the spiral is too tight for me to see more than a few feet of steps.
“You found the light!”
I flinch, startled by the sound of Everly’s voice. Raising my arm, I find her peering around my side, staring curiously at what I’ve discovered. Sighing, I make a move to grab her and pull her back but she slips out of reach with a giggle, then darts for the stairs.
“Let’s check it out!”
“No! Everly!” I try to snatch her arm but she’s too fast. She’s down five stairs before I can take one.
Without hesitation, I rush after Everly with my heart in my throat.
This place belongs to the Children of the White Stag.
My time with them may be fuzzy but I remember the pain, fear, and the sense of despair.
Fragmented nightmares from my time in Rookwell Tower will haunt me forever.
There’s no way in hell I’ll let the people who tried to destroy me break my Little Evie.
“Everly!” I hiss.
I can hear her soft footsteps ahead of me.
The sound grows closer as I gain on her.
Soon, I can see tendrils of her hair flying and the hem of her dress flowing behind her.
It’s like a tease. I’m so close to catching her, yet she remains just outside of my reach.
My frustration isn’t shared by Everly. Her giggling, which started the minute she realized I was giving chase, echoes all around me.
Her elation would be fucking adorable if I wasn’t so scared about her getting caught.
Frustrated, I call out, “Everly! Stop!”
I’m not prepared for her to take the command so literally. My body hits Everly’s like a linebacker, taking her down easily. I’m barely on top of her for longer than it takes to gasp before I’m rolling off and jumping to my feet.
“Shit, Everly, are you al?—”
Everly rolls onto her back and laughs. It’s loud enough to bounce around the long, narrow stone hallway we’ve found ourselves in. I crouch down and slap a hand over her mouth.
“Evie, sweetheart, I need you to be present with me, okay?” I urge. I look down the hallway anxiously. “We’re not safe.”
It takes Everly a second to stop laughing but when she does, she nods. I don’t, for a second, believe the innocent gaze she pins me with.
I sigh. “Are you just going to start laughing again when I let go of your mouth?”
Her body vibrates, and tears well up in her eyes as she tries to stifle her laughter once again.
I roll my eyes but can’t help but smile.
At least she’s having a good time. When I saw her earlier in the day, in the atrium, there were shadows in her eyes.
Even when I left her with the promise of escaping, those same shadows lingered.
I know she’s been through a lot, but I never thought I’d see the day where her inner light dimmed.
The thundering of footsteps down the stairs blankets Everly’s amusement at once. She stiffens. I take the opportunity to yank her to her feet and pull her behind me. Braum and Rowan join us a few seconds later.
A huff of annoyance slips past my lips at the sight of them. “Can’t you two just fuck off already?”