Chapter 8 Vivian
VIVIAN
Ipushed the roasted vegetables around my plate with my fork. The guards stationed around the room watched me with unblinking eyes. Their scrutiny was like iron shackles, but I kept my gaze fixed on my plate.
The Shadow had been pulled away for an emergency—a security breach, they’d said—and I had to assume that meant the estate was in disarray.
If ever there was a chance to make a run for it, this was it.
My mind raced with every detail I’d memorized on the way down here.
The exit I’d seen when the guards escorted me to dinner was still unguarded.
The front door. A bold, dangerous gamble, but if I could just slip away. ..
I took a steadying breath and forced myself to appear calm and nonchalant. Placing my fork neatly beside my plate, I pushed back my chair. “I’m done,” I announced to the guards.
Two of them stepped forward, flanking me, their grip firm on my arms. Their hands were like iron, but I didn’t struggle. It was best to appear meek and obedient. I grabbed my glass of water from the table, holding it close as if it were a precious relic.
“I’d like to take this with me.”
The guards exchanged glances but let me keep the glass.
Good. That was one less obstacle. They escorted me out of the dining hall and into the main corridor.
My pulse quickened as we approached the foyer.
The front door was still there, wide open like the gaping maw of an escape route. And still no guards posted nearby.
My heart pounded so hard I swore it was about to tear out of my chest. They really don’t think I’m stupid enough to run, do they? Well, that was their mistake. I had nothing to lose.
As we reached the base of the grand staircase, I made my move. Pretending to stumble, I flung the water directly into an electrical outlet embedded in the wall. Sparks flew, and the smell of burning plastic filled the air.
“Oh no!” I gasped, wide-eyed with feigned panic. “It’s leaking into the wall! That’s going to cause a short circuit—fire, maybe. Do you smell that burning? We need to get someone here to fix it before it sets the place on fire.”
The guards looked at each other, thrown off balance by the sudden chaos. One of them, the taller one with a scar running down his cheek, rolled his eyes. “I’ll get Eldora. She’ll have our heads if this turns into a fire hazard.”
The other guard nodded. “Good idea. I’ll handle her,” he said, jerking his chin toward me.
Perfect. As soon as the first guard turned and hurried away, I shifted my weight, waiting for the exact moment he was out of sight.
Now.
I twisted around and drove my knee into the guard’s crotch, satisfied when the wind rushed out of his lungs in a grunt. His grip loosened just enough for me to wrench free.
I kicked off the ridiculous heels I’d been forced to wear and hiked the dress up to my thighs. Without sparing a glance behind me, I bolted toward the front door, my feet slapping against the cold marble floor.
The moment I burst through the open doorway and into the frigid night air, adrenaline rushed through me. The world outside was cloaked in darkness, the oppressive shadows seeming to reach for me with greedy, skeletal fingers.
But I didn’t let that slow me down. I kept running, pushing myself harder and harder until I was gasping for breath.
The cold bit at my skin, sharp stones cutting into my bare feet, but I couldn’t afford to stop.
The towering black fortress loomed behind me like a monster waiting to drag me back into its depths.
I ran like hell with only one thought echoing through my mind: Keep going. Don’t look back.
There was no telling how much time I had before they noticed I was gone, but I would rather die trying to escape than rot away in that twisted place.
I had no idea where I was or where I was running to. All I knew was that I had to get away from The Shadow. The biting chill of the rough, uneven earth sent sharp jolts of pain through my soles, but I couldn’t afford to slow down.
I could already hear shouting behind me. Shit. I veered left, cutting sharply toward a cluster of dark trees, and prayed it would give me enough cover to hide.
Branches whipped at my arms and face as I plunged into the underbrush, my dress catching on thorns.
The elegant red fabric that had hugged my body like a second skin was now a cumbersome burden, dragging against my legs.
I tore at it with shaking hands, ripping the fabric off at my thighs so I could run faster.
Footsteps crashed through the forest, voices growing louder. I forced myself to keep moving, even though my legs protested and my lungs burned with every gulp of the freezing air.
Hide, hide, my mind screamed. If I could lose them long enough to find a hiding spot, maybe I’d have a chance. As I stumbled through the dark forest, I glanced around desperately, searching for anything that might give me cover.
Finally, I spotted a massive fallen tree, its roots jutting out in all directions. It was the only decent hiding spot I’d come across. I threw myself over the trunk, landing hard on the other side, and started scooping handfuls of damp leaves and dirt up, covering myself as best as I could.
My heart was pounding so loudly I was sure they would hear it.
I pressed myself flat against the cold, damp earth, and clamped my mouth shut to quiet my breathing.
The leaves clung to my skin, and the scent of rotting wood filled my nose.
Closing my eyes, I prayed the darkness would cloak me from their sight.
Footsteps. So close now. I bit down hard on my lip to keep from gasping. The crackle of twigs under heavy boots grew louder until I could hear the guard’s labored breathing. He was right there, just on the other side of the log. I could see the tip of his boot through a gap in the leaves.
My entire body went rigid. Don’t move. Don’t breathe.
The guard paused, his flashlight beam sweeping over the area, illuminating the ground around me.
For a heart-stopping moment, the light was so close I thought he’d found me.
But then, mercifully, it moved on. He stood there for what felt like an eternity, the beam flickering across the tree trunks and low brush.
“Must’ve gone another way,” he called out to the others.
I stayed perfectly still, my body aching from the cold and the tension, until I heard his footsteps recede into the distance. Even then, I didn’t dare move. Shivering, I lay there for what felt like an eternity, my heartbeat pounding in my ears.
Will. My thoughts drifted to him, and I swallowed back the wave of panic that rose in my throat.
Had they kept their word? Was he safe? Was he back in the human world, away from all of this madness?
I had to believe he was. I had to believe my sacrifice meant something.
That it wasn’t all for nothing. Gods, I hoped my rash decision to escape wouldn’t affect him negatively.
I needed a plan. If I made it out of this shit show alive, I’d get Will and we’d go into hiding.
Finally, when I could no longer hear the distant shouts of the guards, I dared to move. I carefully brushed the leaves off my body, wincing as I stretched out my cramped muscles. The night was bitterly cold, the chill seeping through my torn dress and into my bones, but I forced myself to stand.
I needed to keep moving before they circled back.
I stumbled through the forest, half-blind in the dark, every snap of a twig making my heart jump.
My lungs burned, but I kept running, pushing my legs to move even though they felt like lead.
I didn’t know how far I’d gone or if I was even heading in the right direction. All I knew was that I couldn’t stop.
The trees thinned, and up ahead, I saw a glimmer of light. A village? Relief surged through me, giving me a burst of energy I didn’t know I had left.
I sprinted toward the clearing. The distant lights grew brighter, and I could see the outlines of small houses and a flickering lamppost.
Almost there. Just a little farther.
Maybe—just maybe—someone there would help me.
I stumbled into the village, my feet dragging through the uneven dirt path.
The chill had seeped into my bones, my limbs heavy and shaking with exhaustion.
Every part of me ached. My feet were raw and bleeding.
My dress was torn to shreds. I must have looked like something dragged out of the depths of hell.
Dread quickly overshadowed my relief. I had no idea where I was or if this place was even safe.
The village was practically a ghost town, the buildings leaning like they might collapse with the next strong breeze.
A few feeble lights flickered behind cracked windows, but every door I knocked on stayed firmly shut.
I couldn’t blame them. If I saw someone like me—disheveled, panicked, and wearing a dress that looked like it had been mauled by wolves—I wouldn’t open the door either.
As I moved toward the village center, I spotted a small group of men huddled together. Desperation gnawed at me. I needed to find a way out of here, back to the human world, back to safety.
Taking a deep breath, I approached them. They stopped talking as I drew near, their eyes narrowing as they turned to face me. The leader, a tall man with greasy hair and a cruel smirk, stepped forward, looking me up and down like I was a piece of meat.
“Well, well, well. What do we have here?” he drawled.
I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to cover as much of my exposed skin as possible. My voice was a shaky whisper, and I hated how weak I sounded. “I–I need help. I’m being followed. I just need to get to the nearest tear in the Veil, back to the human world.”
The men exchanged looks of dark amusement. The leader’s smirk widened as he took a step toward me, and the rest of the group followed suit. They were surrounding me now, their intentions clear.
“We can help you with that,” he said, his tone dripping with false kindness.
I took a step back, my heart hammering, but it was too late. They had formed a tight circle around me, caging me in. The leader moved closer, his fingers brushing over my arm. I shuddered and bit back a whimper. Every instinct screamed at me to run, but there was nowhere to go.
“Please... I just need—” The words caught in my throat as he grabbed a fistful of my dress, tearing it further. The sound of fabric ripping was like a gunshot in the silence, and panic surged through me.
“Stop!” I begged, my voice breaking. They didn’t listen. They were getting rougher now, hands grabbing at me, tearing at what was left of my dress. I tried to shove them away, but there were too many of them, and they were too strong.
I was trapped.
Terror clawed at my throat as their touches became more forceful.
I was about to scream when a deafening whoosh sounded behind me, like a gust of wind that came out of nowhere.
The next thing I knew, one of the men was flying through the air, his body slamming into the side of a building with a sickening crunch.
Everything froze. The remaining men turned, their faces pale with shock. I whirled around, my eyes widening when I saw the thick, dark clouds rolling toward us, swirling like a living storm.
The Shadow.
In the blink of an eye, he was upon them.
The leader barely had time to draw his knife before The Shadow’s dark tendrils wrapped around his throat and lifted him off the ground.
The sickening snap of his neck echoed through the still night.
Blood sprayed through the air, warm droplets hitting my face as The Shadow moved through the men like a reaper, each kill swift, brutal, and efficient.
My heart pounded, but it wasn’t only from fear. The lethal grace with which he moved was impossible to look away from. He was a storm given form, a nightmare brought to life, and yet... he was saving me.
The last man tried to run, but The Shadow caught him by the back of his neck. There was a flash of crimson in the darkness, then the man crumpled to the ground, lifeless eyes staring up at the night sky.
It was over in seconds. Seven men lay dead at my feet, and The Shadow stood amid the carnage, his dark clouds swirling around him. He turned toward me, his gaze hidden behind that veil of darkness, but I could feel the intensity of it burning into me.
Every nerve in my body was alight with fear, adrenaline, and something else—something I didn’t want to acknowledge.
Then, as if drawn away by an unseen force, the shadows around his face began to dissipate, slowly revealing the man beneath. For the first time, I saw him—truly saw him.
He was beautiful.
I hated myself for even thinking it, but it was the truth.
His face was all sharp angles and harsh lines, but there was a haunting, almost regal beauty to it.
Dark, tousled hair framed eyes that were a piercing shade of dark blue, almost black, like the moon reflected in a dark lake.
Those eyes were cold and calculating, but beneath it was something that made my stomach twist in ways I couldn’t explain.
“What the fuck are you doing out here, Vivian?”
I opened my mouth, but no sound came out. I couldn’t reconcile the man before me with the monster I had imagined. He had just slaughtered seven men without breaking a sweat, and now he was standing here, staring at me with those intense eyes.
“I... I was trying to get away,” I whispered.
His gaze raked over me, taking in my torn dress, the scratches on my arms, the terror still lingering in my eyes. For a moment, concern flashed over his face, but it was gone as quickly as it appeared, his mask of cold indifference firmly back in place.
The Shadow had saved me. But he was also the one keeping me prisoner, the one who intended to force me into a marriage I didn’t want.
What kind of man was he? A monster? A savior? Something in between?
The only thing I knew for certain was that, for now, I was still his prisoner. And there might be no escaping the darkness that was The Shadow.