Chapter 18
After countless dances and far too many beer breaks, Glade and I found ourselves merrily stumbling out of Janint’s tavern alongside the other sloppy guests. Glade’s arm draped over my shoulders as he bantered with one of the men walking beside us.
Janint bid us goodnight, locking the door behind as she closed shop. The crowd began to disperse, spilling into the streets illuminated by the faint glow of lamp posts nearby.
“Where is Joy?” I scanned the area, but the horse that had been tied to the post outside was nowhere to be found.
Glade surveyed our surroundings and admitted, “I asked one of the guards at the castle’s gate to fetch her earlier. I knew we’d be out far too late for my little lady—she has a bedtime, you know. Looks like we’ll be walking.”
We walked side by side in the stillness of the night, gradually leaving the lively throng of Janint’s tavern behind us, slipping into near silence. The only sounds that broke through the quiet were the vague croaks of what I assumed to be crickets and the steady rush of water from fountains nearby.
I glanced at the prince beside me, his gleeful face glistening with dried sweat.
“Thank you for tonight—for everything, Glade. That was the most fun I’ve had in ages…
Perhaps even the most fun I’ve ever had in my whole life.
It was perfect.” I beamed at him, my smile spreading wide across my cheeks as if I were a fool for happiness.
Glade stopped in his tracks and pivoted to face me, his brows knitting together.
“You really didn’t get out much, did you?
” he teased, though I couldn’t help but feel like he was pitying me.
“You never had anyone to look after you on Earth. No one ever checked up on you, did they?” Sadness clouded his features, though I wasn’t sure why.
I reflected on all the moments in my life when I needed just one genuinely good person to care about me, but each time I came up empty. No, I had never truly been loved. I thought some of my foster parents did, but I was painfully mistaken.
“No,” I answered as I inspected my black boots, purposefully and noisily kicking at a stone. “I wouldn’t be surprised if no one even noticed I was gone.”
Glade’s jaw went slack as he swallowed hard and irately blurted, “How could they not notice you were gone? How could anyone not miss you?”
He stepped closer to me, and though I wanted to stand my ground, I found myself retreating.
He pressed on, moving closer. “I know I promised not to share my opinion on Earthlings anymore, but damn it, they are fools for disregarding you, for neglecting you, for failing you.” His fists were clenched stiffly at his sides, his eyes tinged red with exhaustion.
Even so, he continued, his voice breathy with exasperation as he drew nearer.
“I don’t think I could have not noticed you, even if I tried. ”
My entire being screamed to meet him halfway, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it.
“Can I tell you a little secret?” he asked through a small shaky smile, his face just inches from mine. I could feel his warm breath against my chilled skin.
The cold marble of the building behind me sent a chilling jolt up my spine as I backed into the wall. Still, I nodded, my attention focused on his now quivering hands.
“Tonight was the most fun I have ever had, too,” he admitted under his breath.
“Really?” I looked up and caught sight of his ocean-blue eyes, fixed intently on mine. Involuntarily, I bit my lip, an attempt to distract myself from the tingling sensation beneath my skin.
Glade’s gaze dropped to my mouth as he breathed out. “You might be the most frustrating, hot-headed pain in my ass, but…” He closed the distance between us. Leaning in, he whispered in my ear, “You’re invigorating, Jane.”
His stubble grazed my cheek as he pulled away, his face lingering close to mine. Glade’s hair was messily half-tied back in a bun, with stray strands falling loosely around his jaw.
Despite my better judgment, I lifted my right hand and tucked a few pieces behind his ear. My fingers lingered a moment too long against the side of his cheek as my eyes traced the contours of his skin.
Glade’s body exhibited a deep longing for me, though anguish clouded his eyes. He swallowed hard, his jaw clenched tightly in a visible struggle. Despite this, I could not resist bringing my other hand to his chiselled cheek.
Glade fought to resist, pressing his palms flat against the wall behind my head in a futile attempt to create distance. Yet his forehead, inch by inch, edged closer to mine. When our eyes closed and our skin finally touched, an electric pulse blasted through my core.
My chin lifted, yearning for him to close the final inches and meet my mouth with his. Every fibre of my being craved it, craved him. It felt as though fire had ignited in my veins with each passing moment waiting for his lips to touch mine. I felt as if I were burning alive.
Our eyes opened simultaneously, and Glade searched mine for any sign to stop him, but I didn’t dare. I didn’t want to. Instead, I only subtly nodded.
After one final exhale of pent-up air, he whispered, “Fuck it,” and crashed his mouth against mine.
Ecstasy surged through each one of my muscles as I felt Glade’s tongue wildly and uncontrollably swirl in my mouth. My hands tangled in his hair, pulling his face closer to mine with every ounce of force I could muster.
I wanted—no, needed him nearer.
As his lips explored mine, his hands roamed over every inch of me, wrapping around my waist and drawing me against his chest. His right hand glided up my back, tracing my spine before finding its way to the back of my head, where it aided in the fervently pressing of my mouth against his.
This kiss was unlike anything I had ever experienced. It was far from soft or gentle. Instead, it was eager and relentless, hungry for more. Our hands clawed at each other. One kiss could never satisfy the insatiable hunger for Glade that now blazed within me and would forevermore.
A loud metallic crash reverberated from down the cobblestone alleyway. Glade barely had time to push me away before a grey blur darted past my vision, yanking him from my grasp and slamming him to the ground ten feet away with a heavy thud.
On top of Glade loomed a massive, grotesque creature that nearly resembled the Tenebrae, but it was far more animalistic. Its hair was grey, scraggly, and wild, while its nails were long and sharp, like needles. Black veins twisted through its gangly body as it shrieked like a wounded animal.
Glade roared in pain as the creature pinned him down, its razor-like claws tearing into the skin of his chest. He struggled to lift his arm toward the creature’s face, but it seized his wrist and bit down hard.
“Glade!” I wailed, but to no use.
The monster was tearing him apart, bit by bit.
My breathing was ragged, and my heart raced in my chest as I scanned the alleyway for someone to help, but to no avail. It was the middle of the night, and everyone had already gone to sleep.
Still, I cried out for help again and again but received no response as I frantically searched the ground for any weapon I could find. In one corner, I spotted a long piece of discarded wood and, without hesitation, picked it up and approached the creature.
With all my strength, I raised the piece of wood above my head and brought it down on the beast’s back with a resounding crack. The wood splintered in half, but the creature only paused in its attack on Glade and redirected its menacing focus toward me instead.
The monster’s face was heinously mangled with wolf-like fangs and beady red eyes. Its nose had nearly vanished, and its ears jutted out like a goblin’s.
The creature ditched Glade’s bleeding body and began to menacingly stalk toward me. Glade clutched his wrist in pain as the being loomed closer.
It stood at least eight feet tall, even hunched over.
I shivered in fear as I stumbled backward, tripping over a nearby pallet.
My bottom hit the cobblestones with a pang, and I winced, but that was nothing compared to what this monster would do to me if I didn’t move.
Yet I was paralyzed with fear as spit and mucus dripped from its gaping mouth.
It was hungry.
I screamed as the monster prowled, toying with me. But just as it was about to pounce, its gangly frame jerked, and it released a piercing cry of distress.
Glade had plunged a dagger into the creature’s side, repeatedly driving it in with as much vigour as he could muster, though he looked gravely wounded with cuts marring his face. Remarkably, he was using his left hand to attack, as his dominant right hand was the one which bore a deep bite.
The monster howled and swung its long limb at Glade, hurling him across the alley. He slammed into the wall on the opposite side and fell to the ground with a sickening crack. Moaning in misery, he watched as the creature crept towards him once again.
Glade had just saved my life again, and if I did not do something fast, he was going to die.
The dagger lay beside me, but I knew that weapons were useless. The monster had been stabbed multiple times, and the wounds had barely fazed it.
Glade couldn’t even muster the strength to stand as the monster advanced toward him, flexing its claws, preparing for its final strike.
There was only one thing I could do. Please, let this work. Goddess, hear my plea.
I knelt on the ground and pressed my palms against the cobblestone road, squeezing my eyes shut. I focused on the sensation beneath my hands, the essence of the planet, the Celestial energy. With all my strength, I called out to it, pleading for it to let me in, to grant me access.
Looking up, I saw Glade sliding backward as the beast drew nearer, but there was nowhere else to go. I shut my eyes once more, crushing them so tightly it hurt, and called upon the Goddess herself.