Chapter 26: Unwinding terror

W-WHAT?!

Lucrezia couldn’t prevent the gasp that tore her throat at his words, instantly reacting to the heat that burned her cheeks and straight to her core.

The words replicated into her brain, transmitting waves of apprehension and… strange sensations through her. She didn’t know what she feared her the most; his audacity or his determination.

For a long, breathless moment, she did not understand his words but the low rumble of them, the weight, and the proximity of his voice that vibrated through her bones. There was something about the manner in which he spoke, as though making an oath only to shatter it, leading to an unforgiving consequence. But when their meaning finally unfurled in her mind, her entire body went rigid.

Realizing how desperately she clung to him, her face ignited in embarrassment yet terror, and she jerked away so quickly she nearly tripped over her own skirts, pressing herself against the opposite wall of the carriage.

Heat surged beneath her skin so swiftly that it made her dizzy. “I-I’m sorry,” she breathed, the apology cracking apart as it escaped her lips.

Lucrezia almost scolded herself for apologizing, but her mind was a puddle of black and brown. There wasn’t a tinge of white in them.

Her hands trembled as she smoothed her cloak, as if she could erase the moment by straightening the fabric as her gaze dropped to her knees, unable— no terrified—to meet his eyes again.

Every part of her felt unbearably warm, despite the bitter cold seeping through the carriage. Her heart fluttered in a confusing, frantic pattern, she thought it might explode, and for a moment, all she could think of was the promise he had made to her earlier.

Why would he say something like that? Was that… was that a threat?

Or-?

Lucrezia bit down on her lip so hard she tasted metal. No, no, no… She shouldn’t think of it. It wasn’t her place to question him, and she certainly should not feel the way she did now; hot, trembling, and deeply embarrassed.

She shouldn’t feel that way toward the monster who murdered her friend. Cold-bloodedly.

The thought successfully blanketed that strange uncomfortable feeling with anger and irritation.

But to her mistake, Lucrezia dared a glance, noticing the way he watched her, and her heart skipped with the strange sensation returning.

It wasn’t with anger she had expected, and not even with amusement but something colder, unreadable, carved from the same stone as the mountains outside yet deeply entrancing. His mask hid half his face, yet she felt the weight of his attention all the same.

She felt his desire, strong enough to seize her breath and skitter her heartbeat. W-Why is he looking at her like that? Lucrezia’s breathing hitched and she ducked her head again as her cheeks burned. Gods, why does everywhere always have to be so hot?

To her surprise, her entire body wasn’t just ignited, but somewhere below her abdomen. The feeling made her feel uncomfortable, yet there was this desirable ache…

Lucrezia inhaled sharply, instinctively locking her legs in place, and her cheeks burned even brighter than before. She couldn’t understand why she was feeling this way, but all she knew was the fact that it made her genuinely uncomfortable.

She knew she should be terrified of his presence but something told her there were more terrifying things to be afraid of.

Before the silence could stretch too long, a long low howl threaded through the trees from a distance, and her heart skipped.

She’d gone pale when the sudden clash took her by surprise, warmed up by the dark threat of the creature before her, and pale again at the sound that didn’t just feel ordinary.

W-What was that?

“Fuck,” Lucrezia heard him curse before her thoughts spiraled, low but edged with something dangerous, causing her heart to race.

He stiffened. It was subtle—so subtle she almost missed it—but Lucrezia saw the shift in his shoulders, and the way his head angled sharply toward the window.

She blinked, startled not only by his curse but by the tension that suddenly gripped him, following his gaze toward the icy window.

Her breath frosted the glass as she leaned forward, only noticing the trees leaning over the narrow twisted path they had skidded onto. Snow blanketed the ground in thick sheets, making the forest seem impossibly still. There was nothing amiss apart from the unsettling emptiness, but it felt… wrong.

Her skin prickled in tension. “What—what is it?” she whispered, and passed him a look for a fleeting moment before returning her gaze to the window. “Is… is something out there?” She asked in a barely audible voice.

His jaw flexed under the mask, and his eyes—those sharp, hazel shards—narrowed as he scanned the tree line. He could sniff their presence, and it only got stronger the more they delayed. Eventually, if they managed to escape, they wouldn’t go that far.

“They weren’t supposed to be this far south,” he hissed under his breath. “Not so early in the season.”

Lucrezia’s fingers curled around the edge of her seat when she heard him say. “W-Who?” she stammered.

Another howl answered her, but this time, much closer and deeper, and her heart plummeted.

Oh gods…

She instinctively clutched the pendant in her chest, sinking deep into her seat.

He rose slightly from his, bracing one hand on the window frame, the other reaching inside his coat for something she could not see.

He spared her a single glance bearing a cold, commanding, and final look. “Whatever happens out there, stay here,” he ordered. “And don’t look,”

D-Don’t look? Lucrezia froze as her breath caught halfway in her throat but she nodded nonetheless.

She was so scared to wits, but somewhere within her knew she could… trust this creature at this particular moment.

He killed Maddie… That primitive and rational part of her argued with that though, sending cold sweat down her spine.

The image of Madelyn’s lifeless body flooded her mind but she brushed it off after several unsuccessful trials. Perhaps that trust could be the end of her, however, right now, she needed all the hope she could find.

The silence after his words was suffocating when he stepped out of the carriage. Lucrezia’s heart knew no rest when branches snapped in the trees beyond the carriage as soon as his boot touched the earth.

She was tempted to look, to take a glimpse but instead, restrained despite the lure. For a few seconds, the silence itched her eardrums until finally, something moved and a small gasp escaped her lips.

The growls of unearthly creatures reverberated in her ears and she flinched in response. It was so strong that Lucrezia almost felt it as a dream if not for the chill causing a crawl on her skin as acknowledgement. Her back straightened so hard she could hear it crack as her eyes remained fixed ahead.

It only seemed to get even worse when the noises intensified, and what followed next was the sharp sting of a drawn sword. Lucrezia didn’t realize she’d released a breath at the sign of his presence, but she sucked in a shaky breath when the growls only seemed to intensify, indicating more than five creatures out there.

H-How was he going to take all of them?! Alone?!

She hadn’t paid attention when the ride started, however, there was no way he didn’t send for backups or his men along this journey. If he knew how merciless the roads to Blackvale were, why weren’t his men present?

Lucrezia did not realize she’d begun to panic, fiddling with her skirt while tapping her foot by expressing her state of unease until another growl pierced through the air, followed swiftly by a sickening ’slash’.

It continued, taking seconds to minutes, leaving her body restless, fighting the urge to take a glimpse of the scene or bolt through the door at a distant voice beckoning her name in an almost hypnotizing way.

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