Chapter 47 Aeri
When I wake, I’m snuggled deep between Bast and Talian, and I can feel Ruin by my feet. I’m not sure what woke me, if I’m being honest. I’m content, warm, and despite everything, I feel safe, but something tickles the back of my mind, chasing sleep away.
Minutes turn to hours, and still I lie here. The others are fast asleep, and usually that’s all it takes–their calm breathing, heartbeats, and presence are enough to chase away any aversion I have to sleeping and fears of dreaming.
But that’s not what keeps me awake tonight.
I untangle myself from Bast and Talian and almost wake them up when I crawl out of the bed and find them cuddled together in my absence.
My feet move as if pulled by some force I can’t see until I’m down in the dining hall and then in the kitchen.
A snack, yes, a perfect idea.
I find some fresh fruit on the counter and eat a few grapes and then a banana, but still that nagging feeling remains.
It’s like the feeling you get when you leave home and worry you left the stove on or didn’t lock the door.
I wander, moving down halls I’ve become familiar with over the last few weeks, a smile pulling at my lips as I realize the castle now feels familiar, like home.
I move until I pass a window and have to blink past the blinding light that streams in.
Wait, what?
I rub my eyes and focus, looking up into the usually dark sky to find a moon. It’s nothing like I’m used to, red and huge, but I think it’s even more beautiful.
I can’t look away, and suddenly I feel like I need to see it in person.
It’s silly, looking for a way out when I failed so miserably to leave not that damn long ago, but something tells me it’s different now.
Besides, it’s not like I’m trying to leave; I just want to see the moon!
I pass the library quietly so as not to tip off Kai, who pretty much lives in there, as I move to the huge main door.
Cut into the door is a smaller one, and while I don’t expect it to open, I still press both my hands on the cool wood and shove it with all of my weight, almost falling over when it not only moves but swings all the way open.
No fucking way.
The moon is just as breathtaking out here as I thought it would be, and I stand staring as if in a trance.
“Aerilyn,” I look around, but see nobody around.
I should go back to bed before the guys wake up and worry.
With my mind made up and my curiosity sated, I turn to go back, or I attempt to. Instead, I remain where I am, unable to move.
“Aerilyn.” The call is louder this time and pulls at something inside of me.
My foot finally moves, only for it to do the opposite of what I want, moving me outside of the castle.
The guy’s warning rings in my mind, and I attempt to scream, but even after I manage to pry my lips open, no sound comes out.
Panic grips me, and my chest feels tight.
Suddenly, my eyes feel heavy. I blink and have to fight to open my eyes again. When I finally pry them open again, nothing looks the same.
The castle is gone, the heat is intense, and I’m pretty sure there are others around. I can’t see them, but I feel their eyes on me.
Pieces of time are stolen from me, and after what might have been moments or hours, I open my eyes once again to find myself standing in front of a gate. It’s hundreds of feet tall with intricate metalwork and what looks like demon skulls carved into the archway.
Everything in me screams that I need to turn away, to call for the guys, anything but go in there.
Too bad I’m not the one in control.