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I want to believe him, but I just can’t. I know how ruthless those dark elves are when they want something. And a noble one like Elijayur will hunt me all over Protheka until he finds me. He won’t ever stop. We might as well just give up now.
I look at Zephiro, knowing now that I truly trust him more than the elves. If I had to choose between going back with them or staying with him, I would choose him.
Staying with him is a million times better than going back to the dark elves who forced me into unwanted acts time and time again for years on end.
Still, I can’t stop my tears. My fear of going back to those creatures is far too great for me to think about anything else right now.
“Hey,” Zephiro says, pulling me against his chest. “You don’t have to worry. I will protect you no matter what, okay? You have to trust me on that before we leave this house tonight. If we’re going to be on the run together, we need trust.”
“You don’t understand. If they capture me, you don’t know the kinds of things they’ll do to me. They’ll punish me, Zephiro. They might not even want to keep me alive… They might accuse me of plotting my escape and decide to kill me.”
He growls, his eyes growing impossibly more black.
“They will never touch you again. You are mine, and I will make sure they know it.”
As I stare at Zephiro, I feel a newfound sense of safety with him. I see it in his eyes, how much he cares about me. I can see that he will take care of me.
I nod, wiping away my tears.
“Okay. When do we leave?”
“Right now. I’ll pack a small bag with food, and I’ll throw in some clothes for you. But as soon as I’m done, we have to leave. I suggest you throw on another layer of clothing, something dark enough that won’t be spotted at night.”
“Okay.”
“And Sierra?”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t worry. I’ve got you covered.”
I force a smile for him because I don’t want him to be worrying about my mental state while trying to keep us safe.
Ten minutes later, we meet in the living room, all ready to go.
“We won’t be able to talk to each other, okay?” he tells me. “If something is wrong, try to signal me without saying anything. The dark elves have amazing hearing, so even if we whisper, they could hear us.”
“You really think they’re that close?” I ask.
“I have no idea, but we have to act as if they are, just in case. I’ll have you on my back the whole time because your footsteps will be too loud. I can move completely undetected, so no one will hear me.”
I begin trembling. My terror is rising up in me again.
“Take a deep breath. Just think about what we’ll do when we get to safety, okay?”
“Okay,” I whisper. “I’m sorry.”
He shakes his head, holding my face in his hands.
“Don’t be.”
He kisses me on the lips, and I savor the feeling, memorizing it. Who knows if I’ll ever get to do this again?
He pulls away, looking at me with such longing that something cracks within me. Zephiro takes a deep breath and signals towards the door. It’s time.
With that, I put on the pack he made for us and climb up onto his back. My new spot for the unforeseeable future.
His carrying me provides a small sense of comfort. Out there on the run, he’ll be the only thing I have left to keep me sane, but there’s no one else I’d rather have with me.
