Julian #2
“We could help you stay undercover, and at the same time, we’d be able to see the estate. Come on, Cam. I know you want this just as badly as I do.” Cassie’s voice is coated in a layer of persuasion, her hand reaching out to rest on Cameron’s shoulder.
But Cameron looks tense, his eyes unfocused as he floats off to somewhere far away from here.
After a moment or two, as if I’m not even sitting here, Cameron comes back to the present and turns his gaze onto Cassie.
“Yeah,” he whispers. “I do want it.”
“It’s settled then,” Cassie announces. “We’ll sneak in tonight. Do you know a way, Julie?”
Both sets of eyes turn onto me, and I have a full-blown hot flash as I stare back, debating my next move.
If I’m honest, the decision has already been made. As soon as Cassie brought up returning, I knew I’d do it. That I’d sneak in. My concern is bringing them with me.
It won’t be a big deal if we don’t get caught, right? And I will need someone to drive me; if my dad notices the truck is missing, he’ll know exactly who to call.
With a sigh, I pull the delivery room key from my pocket.
“Yeah, I know a way.”
Cassie turns off the headlights of her Nissan as we creep up the dirt road that takes us to Chastain Castle.
As we reach the iron gate with the C proudly showcased in the center, I instruct Cassie to park in the grass.
I’m praying to every possible God that they haven’t changed the code to the gate—that it truly will be this easy.
And moments later, as I type in the five-digit code I was given a week into my employment and the gate begins to grind lowly as it slowly opens inward, I release a quiet breath, tightening my hold on the straps of my backpack.
“Nice!” Cassie squeals quickly.
“Follow me,” I whisper.
Leading them up the gravel road, it takes about five minutes to reach the front of Chastain Castle. We waited until sundown, but I can see the lights coming from what looks like Abraham’s room and the top of the west tower.
He’s awake!
If Atlas had been asleep and the incubus had been around, all of my plans would have fallen through.
We skirt the grass, keeping away from the front windows as we round the side of the castle to where the delivery room is located.
Cameron keeps checking our surroundings, his eyes wide and fearful as if we’ll be caught at any given moment. Cassie, on the other hand, is giddy with excitement, pushing at my back as we walk to hurry me along.
As quietly as I can, I turn the lock. Peering in, I see the lights are off, which is a good sign.
“Come on,” I mutter, guiding the two of them into the room. Once we’re inside and the door is securely shut, I speak again. “Listen, I’m going to go into the west tower. You can follow me up to the west wing, but that’s as far as I can take you. You’ll wait for me there, alright?”
“Right!” Cassie salutes.
Cameron nods once.
“And once we leave this room, no more talking. We have to be very careful,” I add.
Cassie mimics zipping her lips, and I roll my good eye, turning toward the door.
As we sneak quietly toward Hall W4, checking every corner and constantly peering over our shoulders, I debate the morality of this decision.
Bringing strangers into Chastain Castle? Probably not the wisest move. But I needed a ride, and to be fair, it was their idea.
My desperation to see Atlas again is overwhelming. I think I’d break several more laws on top of breaking and entering just to touch him again. To know for certain that he is safe.
As we make it to the landing of the second floor, a door slams from the first floor. Simultaneously, all three of us drop into a crouch.
Shit. If they come up these stairs, we’ll have to hide in the music room or something. Maybe I could convince Abigail to keep my secret and hide in there? No, I couldn’t put that on her.
Luckily, no decision has to be made as the estate around us settles back into silence, and after several minutes, we breathe easily again and continue our journey.
The floorboards creak under our shoes, but no one else in the castle stirs, and I can see the door to the west tower at last.
I stop, turning to face Cassie and Cameron. I point to where they’re standing, a clear don’t move in my expression.
Cassie nods, but Cameron stares longingly toward the landing.
Oh well, she can keep him in check.
Creeping up the steep staircase of the west tower as I am brings back memories. Back to that first night when I saw the incubus; when I bathed Atlas and felt that first instinct to protect, to cherish.
The closer I get to him, the higher I climb, the more I am certain that this was the right choice. I am meant to be here—with him.
The door to Atlas’s room is unlocked, surprisingly. The light from inside is bleeding into the dark corridor, and as I push the heavy door open, I spot him immediately.
In a white silk sleep set, Atlas sits on his bed, staring up at the skylight. At first, he doesn’t look my way.
“What do you want?” he grumbles, eyes watery as he watches the stars.
And my chest hurts.
“Oh, baby,” I murmur, taking a step toward him.
Atlas’s head whips in my direction, his big eyes widening. The blue looks so deep tonight, as if he’s drowning. As if he’s miserable.
I find it quite romantic how I can read his emotions through the variation of blue in his eyes.
“Julian?!” he whisper-shouts. “What are you doing here?”
“I had to see you,” I tell him, shutting the door behind myself.
He’s off his bed a moment later, meeting me in the center of the room.
With his bouncy little curls and high cheekbones, Atlas looks just like an angel. So pure and precious for me.
“B-but you can’t! If they find you, they’ll freak out. And you’re not safe.” He shoves at my chest. “Leave. Leave now!”
I take his face in my palms, doing my best to memorize every inch of his face, just in case I never see it again.
The feeling of his warm skin pressed to mine, his hands reaching up to grip my wrists, has me feeling weak in the knees. I want to swallow him up; I want to take him far away from here.
“I needed to know you were safe. I felt like I was going crazy without you in my sight,” I confess.
Atlas’s eyes overflow, tears soaking his cheeks as he watches me. He presses the length of his body to mine, as if he simply cannot resist, and shudders.
“Julie,” he whispers. “Are you still in pain?”
I can see it in his expression that he blames himself. That he believes he’s some kind of burden to me. I am almost certain that he spent most of his day on his knees, praying for forgiveness.
“Nothing that has happened to me was your fault,” I tell him. “Nothing. And I would choose this same path every time, even knowing the outcome… I’m not in any pain. Not when I’m with you.”
Warm, trembling fingers lift to run lightly over the gauze covering my eye. Atlas looks as if he’s on the verge of falling apart.
Then, right as I’m about to demand he stop looking at me so miserably, he says something I never would have expected.
“I… I love you.” His lips tremble as he speaks, his fingers falling to rest on my collarbone. “I think I am so in love with you that my body and soul no longer belong to me. I belong to you now.”