Chapter 522
No one warned me that I would feel this way again. The war was over-the Winter King was dead. This shouldn't be happening.
But it was. And, just like back then, there was nothing I could do about it.
I looked up at the ruby, which was still sitting on the table where Isaac had left it. With its wielder dead, it had stopped pulsing, stopped glowing. It was just a red stone, and yet I swore I could feel it laughing at me, mocking me. Like there were red eyes ringed by black, sneering at me from within the stone.
My vision blurred, and I felt consciousness begin to fade. Sleep sounded so sweet, so peaceful, so... easy. To succumb... It would be so much simpler than struggling.
Get up.
No.
GET UP!
That voice in my mind I wasn't sure if it was my own or another, but it didn't matter. I couldn't stay here. I couldn't let myself fall asleep. Couldn't let the ruby take hold of me. I had to move, had to get out. I would not be at the mercy of those stones again. They were just fucking rocks.
Somehow, I blinked. I started working at the other muscles in my body after that. It felt like moving through mud, but I managed to twitch my fingers. Then, I twisted my wrists.
My skin was numb now, although whether from the ropes or the ruby, I couldn't tell. But I kept going, even when I heard fresh blood drip onto the floor.
Finally, one hand came free.
Get... UP!
With all my might, I heaved my upper body up, sitting myself against the wall. I stayed there for a moment, panting. Then, I got to work on my ankles. The knots were tighter here, and my vision kept swimming, making it hard to grasp the fibers. My fingers were still dumb and useless, like sausages sewn into my palms.
Focus. Focus.
It took forever, but finally, I got one ankle free. Then the other. I tried to stand, but my legs gave out. I hit the floor hard. My head spun from the impact and the ruby.
But I kept going. I crawled toward the door, inch by inch, laying on my belly and using my forearms for leverage. When I reached the doorframe, I grabbed it and hauled myself up.
My legs wobbled for a moment, but I managed to stay upright. I took one step. Then another. Like a toddler learning to walk for the first time.
Get home. To your children.
The front door was still hanging off
its hinges from where Andrei had
broken through. Rain poured in
through the opening could see the
forest beyond. It was dark and empty, with no sign of Andrebor Isaac.
BUMS
Andrei was still out there somewhere, but I couldn't go to him now. Not yet. Not until
I made sure my children were safe.
The children are the most important thing.
I took another step. My foot caught on something, and I went down again. Pain
barked through my knee, but I cried out and pushed myself back up anyway, dragging my left leg behind me.
Finally, I made it to the porch, where
I gripped the railing tightly and threw my face forward into the rain. The
ater hit my face, strangely
cold water
soothing, and I gulped down the
fresh air.
"Natalia!"
I turned at the sound of the voice. Damon was limping toward me, completely
soaked from the rain. Multiple Ashmoor warriors were with him.
"Damon," I breathed, stumbling over to the stairs. He surged toward me and caught me just before I hit the ground.
"I saw all these missed calls from
you suddenly come through," he said, holding me tight. "I knew something was wrong, so I looked for your car, and found it in the ditch. Followed the signal from your calls herë. He looked at the splintered door. "What is this place What
happened?"
I wanted to answer, but I couldn't. My throat felt thick, and I was completely
exhausted from the ordeal.
All I could manage was a small, hoarse, "Andrei..."
And then I let my eyes fall shut, and a paralytic sleep took hold of me.