What happened? Why were they mad at Ty?
“I know you don’t see it this way, and I'm really sorry. Truly. I can’t even imagine —”
“No you fucking can’t!” Ty snapped.
“You can’t keep her here like this. You know she will turn. It’s just a matter of how soon.”
“I know what I’m doing.”
“Ty,” another voice, deep and gentle, sounded from somewhere really close.
“If any of you dare to touch her, I will kill you.” Ty growled.
A shocked silence followed his words.
I tried to sit up, but the pain in my leg made me want to die. With one desperate motion, I managed to move forward and glanced at the burning wound that the monster left on my body. Inky black lines came from the gash, spreading in every direction. The skin around the bite looked pale grey.
I turned my head, I was lying on top of a roof.
“What happened?” I asked, and everyone around me fell quiet.
“You’re awake.” Ty, crouched beside me, and his fingertips brushed the hair off my forehead.
I lowered my head, and my eyes closed again.
I was in between consciousness and the land of dreams, broken by a scorching, unbearable burning that spread deep under my skin. My brain was unable to process all the sensations and I would slip away. The break from the agony was a miracle, and it was bliss.
I kept hearing the gentle swooshing of wings, but when I looked up, Tynan was carrying me through a long dark corridor.
Am I dead? Is it over? What happened to me?
All I could remember was fighting Sally in the dark room and then nothing else.
My dream started as many other dreams before. I was running through a field of feathery grass and fragrant forest flowers. The light buzzing of bees and the flickers of silky butterfly wings added more layers to the magical day it turned out to be. Then the sky suddenly changed colors, and the golden shine of the summer day shifted so quickly as black stormy clouds polluted the sky above. I paused, eyeing the fields. A dark figure on the horizon stumbled and fell forward. I watched it get up and move forward on shaky legs. Suddenly, the shape sprinted forward and the feeling of dark uneasiness consumed me. I took a step back, but my skirt tangled in a thorny bush. I kept pulling on the fabric to no avail. The silhouette was close now, and I could see the empty eye sockets, and the limbs – stripped of all its skin. I screamed and fell backward. A shadow covered my face when the creature closed in on me. The rows of discolored, rotten teeth dripped with saliva as a veiny arm stretched closer to my face.
My head was buzzing, filled with sounds of screams and bits of disjointed conversations.
“Please!” someone whispered.
My eyes opened wide. I could feel a pleasant weakness that slowly traveled through my limbs.
I lifted my body up onto my elbows and looked around, not recognizing where I was. The room appeared spacious and so dark, except for a patch of light coming from the flaring torch that was placed beside me on the floor. There was a pool of water, its surface covered by whirls of steam that lifted and vanished into the coal-black shadows. Intricate patterns covered the floor and one side of the wall where a dim light fell.
Beside the second torch sat Tynan, his back turned toward me. I sat up, still disoriented. Almost immediately, his shoulders tensed. He unsheathed his hunting knife and slowly brushed his thumb along the edge. The fire’s light flickered on the polished surface of the steel. I knew that something was wrong by the way he was moving. The very air felt like it was filled with poison and death. My eyes landed on the beautiful profile I had seen so often in my dreams. The long set of lashes that looked almost auburn in the light of the dancing flame, and yet, the golden hue of his skin looked artificially pale. Drops of water slid down his set jaw, his lips pressed together. More than anything, I wanted to touch him, take away his anxiety and distress. Unable to wait any longer I leaned forward. Tynan stayed immobile, only his head moved a little lower as if he could not makehimself look at me. I paused, staring at the tight grip of his hands on the hilt of his knife.
Slowly, my fingers brushed his shoulder.
Look at me. Just look at me.
The next moment, the world came down on itself as my head hit the stone floor. Pain exploded at the back of my skull, making me numb, making me too stunned to move. I cried out.
My eyes landed on the perfect features of the man I loved more than anyone or anything. Despite the pain, I could not stop loving his hard, determined face. He pressed his dagger to my temple, and I relaxed in his arms. His eyes, wild and unhinged, locked with mine.
“I can’t do it. I can’t...” he growled.
“Ty.” My fingers wrapped around his wrist.
I looked deep into his eyes, knowing that I was loved and cherished, and safe no matter what was to come between us. The knife clattered to the floor with a dull thud, and Tynan rested his head against my chest. We both stilled. Time slowed, the whole world stopped moving, only our breaths intertwined in the darkness. In the silence I could hear faint, agonized sounds. His shoulders shook. My arms wrapped around his neck and I held him close, shielding him from the world around us, and from himself.
