by Lumtrexa
"Goodnight." I whisper back into the silent air. I can make out a faint light by the ladder.
I swallow my doubts and fears, I'm okay here, I remind myself.
I then easily close my eyes and give in to the pull of sleep.
_________________________________________________
I bolt up in bed, remembering where I am as I glance up at the skylight.
It is still night time.
The howl of the wind outside nearly rattles my bones. I pull the quilt off of me and scoot out of bed drowsily. Feeling parched, I shuffle my feet along the freezing cold floor of the attic until I reach the ladder.
I just need a quick drink of water then I can go back to bed.
One by one, I descend, much in a dream like state, down the creaky steps of the ladder. By some miracle, I reach the bottom of the stairs without falling. I nod my head with a half smile, in my silent victory.
Without a second thought, I walk quietly over to the door behind Colt's desk and open the door leading to the hallway. I feel like I'm sleepwalking as I slowly make my way down the hall, towards the glow of the fireplace.
At the end of the hall, I hide behind the wall, like a child. Slowly, I peek around the wall in the direction of the couch. Sure enough, Colt is fast asleep. Unlike Lorcan, he doesn't snore too loud. Maybe I should go back to bed, he probably won't be happy if I wake him up in the middle of the night just for a glass of water. I already came all the way downstairs though.
"Colt?" I whisper, stepping into the room. He doesn't wake up. I look over to the fireplace contemplating if I should really wake him up. He was probably bashing iron all day, until I waltzed in his shop. He's probably beyond tired.
Deciding to let him sleep, I quietly walk over to the fireplace. If I can just warm my feet for a minute I should be good to go back upstairs. I can get a drink of water in the morning.
Staring into the fire, a draft of cold air slithers down my spine. I decide to head back to bed. I stare ahead into the hallway. When I'm about to reach the end of the hallway, something dark ahead of me flashes across the floor.
My blood runs cold, immediately I run back down the hallway towards the glow of the fire.
"Colt. Colt. Colt!" I whisper yell as I hurry down the hallway. When I reach the room, I walk over to the chair.
It's empty. I try to keep calm, I look over my shoulder towards his work table. He isn't there either.
Where could he have gone?
I steady my breathing after seeing there is nothing in the hallway any longer.
Speed walking down the hallway, I open up the door with a shaky hand.
"Colt?" I whisper. Nothing.
I walk over to the ladder leading to the attic and start to climb up.
"Colt where are you?" I whisper nervously.
When I reach the top of the stairs, I walk sleepily back to bed. A stream of moonlight shines down through the skylight. Its soft glow calms my nerves a little. Colt is probably in another room down there, maybe in the kitchen if he has one. I try to fill my mind with positive possible scenarios.
I hold the quilt tightly against me, like a safety blanket. After a few moments, my breathing becomes steady again. I nod my head, cuddling deeper into my bed.
Creak
My eyes snap open, I refuse to look in the direction of the sound, the ladder.
Keeping my eyes on the ceiling, I remain silent.
I can feel the blood run from my face as a dark shadow flickers by, from the corner of my eye. Immediately, I sit up in bed.
My eyes widen in terror as I watch the dark shadowy mass gather at the end of my bed, on my bed. The mass of dark shadows becomes heavier and heavier. It manifests together, shadows coming from all around the room, forming into one mass. I'm frozen in shock as I feel the clump of inky shadows grow heavier on top of my legs.
My breathing becomes shallow as I watch the shadows blend into the shape of a figure. Slowly, the shape of someone kneeling facing me forms. Their weight is practically unbearable over my legs. I start to try to pull my legs away so I can get out of the bed and away from the inky shadowy figure.
Suddenly, I stop fidgeting.
The darkness of the shadowy figure fades. A pale fairy man with blue hair and pale white eyes looks back at me.
This fairy man on my bed is muscular and menacing looking. Then I see behind him, over his shoulders. His wings are pitch black, complete darkness. In fact, his wings match the exact color of the inky crawling shadows.
This fairy man on my bed is sitting on my legs. I don't know much about this fairy man's powers yet, but I know it definitely has something to do with the shadows.
I do not know what this fairy man is going to do and now I am literally trapped under him.
This is definitely not Lorcan. Lorcan is in the bar.
This fairy man on my bed, sitting on me, is Colt.
Chapter 31-Down The Hill
"Please move, you're hurting me Colt." I say clenching my fists. I can feel my arms start to shake in anxiousness.
"Don't be so intimidated." He whispers with a smirk. Finally, he jumps off my bed.
I sigh in relief, then I quickly I jump to my feet as well.
"Now you know what my power is-" He starts to say, but I interrupt him.
"Why now of all times would you show me your powers? You tried to scare me on purpose. You could have showed me before I went to bed or in the morning." I mumble feeling vexed. I glare into his pale white eyes, looking for any type of response.
If anyone were to barge in the attic right now, they'd see some huge pale fairy man getting scolded by someone so much smaller than him in comparison.
"You really do get lonely here..." I say quietly. He probably thought it would be funny to scare me, but the thing is, he isn't laughing. Perhaps he just wanted to get a reaction out of me for amusement, Colt seems like the type of person to laugh on the inside.
A muscle in his strong jaw twitches.
"Maybe I do." He scoffs, resting his hand on the wall.
He raises his wings higher, angled at me, his face is stone cold as he stares at me. He seems to be calculating me, but for what? Is this how he plans on figuring out what kind of fae I am?
After seeing my blank face, he picks up an old heavy looking ax on the floor and thrusts it across the attic. I look over my shoulder nervously. The ax landed on the opposite side of the room, snugly in the wall.
Secretly, I am thankful that was not aimed at me.
"You don't intimidate me." I chew out. I then roll my eyes and turn around to go back to bed. I can tell he is trying to test me, but I'm done with his games for tonight.
"Really?" Colt whispers, practically breathing down my neck. My spine flinches and I straighten my posture.
"Just because your dumb muscles are bigger than my head doesn't mean you scare me." I retort. I have no idea where my sass is coming from, but I instantly cover my mouth.
Colt stands by the top of the ladder crossing his arms, maybe he will go back downstairs. A minute passes without another word from him, but then he speaks up.
"I am going to figure out what you are right now." He says. I guess he isn't going anywhere. Maybe I can ask him if we can figure out what I am tomorrow. It has been a long day after all. Whether he admits it or not, he seems grumpy in a tired way. There are dark circles under his eyes too.
"You said yourself that I should get some rest. I am going to sleep now and you should go back to sleep too." I sleepily rant, while stepping towards him angrily. He raises an eyebrow as if he's surprised.
He grabs my arm, his calloused hands feel like a steel trap around my arm. I glare tiredly at him while stifling a yawn.
"Listen, your boyfriend might show up in the morning. Then what, princess?" He spits, releasing my hand. He crosses his arms tightly with a sleepy smug look on his face. Briefly, I feel like laughing at us. I'm ready to close my eyes and give into the pull of sleep. Here he is trying to figure out what I am, wh
en clearly he is just as tired, probably more than me.
"I doubt that would happen." I say honestly. Ever since Lorcan went in the bar, I've begun to realize something, that the longer he stays in the bar, the more it bothers me. The more this feeling pesters me, this feeling of suspicion and doubt. Maybe it is a mate thing, I will have to ask Colt at some point.
"Look, I shouldn't have startled you earlier, showing up on top of your bed like that. I don't think there was a better way to show you what I am though. It is easier to show you what I am than explain." He says looking at the ground, then at me.
"Yeah its alright. I'm starting to get used to that kind of thing actually." I say dryly.
"No doubt you have been through much I'm sure." He adds.
"Yes, I guess I have. Let me tell you, there are some freaky things out in those woods." I say resting my hands on my hips.
"You don't have to tell me, I already know. These weapons aren't just for getting rid of the guards you know." Colt says, while kicking a crowbar on the floor.
"Good to know." I reply.
"If you want to know what kind of fae you are, it is best to find out as soon as possible. You should know that." He says.
"I do. I just need sleep. Also, I promise I will find a way to repay you for letting me stay here-" I mumble, but he interrupts.
"He's in a bar and didn't come and get you. Doesn't that bother you?" He asks skeptically.
"Whatever he is doing is part of his plan. I trust him." I reply quickly.
"You aren't listening to what I'm saying. Open your eyes. He's a fae and so was that girl. Put two and two together." He grumbles, squinting his eyes, probably to keep them from shutting. He stands less than a foot away from me.
"What are you saying?" I ask stifling a yawn, I clench my hands to keep myself awake.
"You know exactly what I'm saying." Colt says slowly, almost as if he's talking in his sleep. Its like a stand off, who can stay more wide awake.
"He basically rejected me. I'm nothing to him." I manage to say, my breathing becomes heavy, my heart beat slows. I can feel my body tilting slightly, as if to give in to the pull of sleep. I try to shake my head to wake myself up more.
"Then you really don't care if your so called mate is with another woman?" He asks in a low voice. His eyes are barely open.
Everything we say is banter, both of us just fighting to stay awake.
"That's none of your business." I mumble. I'm so tired I can barely talk, every breath itself is heavy enough. How my legs are still enabling me to stand is beyond me.
"And why is that? You're the one who came into my house." He grunts, his head begins to tilt forward, but he slowly brings it back. He blinks his eyes hard. His arms are no longer crossed, now they rest at his sides relaxed.
I give up on trying to come up with answers.
"You're just a...stupid...buff...fairy." I huff. My eyes are really starting to droop. I squint them hard to force them open.
"Dumb...bossy...girl." He grunts.
"Meat...head." I reply slowly, the longer this goes on the harder it will be for me to make a comeback.
"Stubborn...brat." He mumbles.
"Emotionless...brute." I say, practically asleep. I know for a fact, I would never say these things if I was wide awake.
"Naive..." He grunts quietly, his head tilts forward again.
"Thick...minded..." I say, barely audible.
Then, abruptly, my legs give out from under me. My head slumps forward, my drowsy eyes finally shut. My clouded sleepy mind starts to shut down, turning over into sleep mode. I blackout, seeing nothing, but complete darkness.
As if in slow motion, I feel my body tilt forward. I have no energy to stand any longer, none at all. My body then leans forward and slams into something rock hard, a wall?
Then the wall I'm against doesn't hold up any longer, instead, it falls backward, with me on top of it. I feel a brief rush of air pass through my hair.
The wall right below me, hits the ground with a hard thud and I land right on top of it. My body is immobile as the heaviness of sleep has taken over me. In my sluggish mind, I realize I must be half asleep or entirely, but I'm unsure. I then get the strange sensation of falling down a steep bumpy hill. I feel as if I'm laying flat on my stomach with the wall right underneath me, the wall and I are descending down the steep hill.
I feel my body jerk slightly each time the wall below me runs over each hard bump with a heavy thud. What kind of hill is this rickety? Thank goodness for the wall below me, like a sled, its taking all the direct hits of whatever its running over. I can feel my chin bump against the thick wall as my head bobs up and down, as the wall and I descend the hill.
I've never had a dream that felt like this before.
Suddenly, I feel the wall and I start to slow down, this must be the end of the hill.
For a minute, there's silence, but just before I completely go under sleep's spell, I hear a noise.
A faint noise.
A low groaning noise.
Where it is coming from I don't know.
Finally, the noise stops after a few seconds.
Then, I willingly fall into a deep slumber.
Chapter 32-Waiting
Inhaling a musty smell, I pry my drowsy eyes open. The morning sunlight bounces off the floor, tiny particles of dust float around in its soft glow.
I'm laying flat on my stomach. My head is resting sideways, I slightly tilt my neck, but its rather stiff. I'm oddly comfy in my position, so I don't bother moving. I slowly start to think about yesterday, I woke up last night and went downstairs. Then I went back upstairs...Colt showed me his powers. Then he wanted to find out what my powers were...the rest is hazy.
Speaking of which, the last place I remember being was the attic, this is definitely not the attic. I'm not even in a bed, I must be downstairs. I'm not on the floor though, I'm elevated off of it, but by what?
Instinctively, I press my hands against the sides of whatever I'm laying on.
Then, I finally realize what I fell asleep on. What I was laying flush against.
I carefully prop myself up using my arms. Then I gently lift myself up and away from him.
I can tell splotches of red are covering my face in lucid embarrassment. I hastily brush my hair behind my ears and steady my breathing. He lays flat on his back, snoring quietly. His huge figure laying on the ground looks comical. His arms and legs are both spread out ridiculously.
I get a feeling he wasn't up to this, I should probably wake him up.
I bend down by his head, I nudge his shoulder lightly.
"Colt." I say loudly.
Immediately, his pale eyes meet mine.
"How did I get down here?" I ask.
He watches me silently for a moment, he sits up facing me a grimace forms on his face briefly.
"I fell." He says bluntly.
"What do you mean you fell? How am I down here too?" I ask, annoyance seeping into my tone.
His lip quirks up, his pale eyes narrow at me.
"What?" I ask confused. I sit down in front him.
"You fell asleep, then you pushed me as you fell. You landed right on top of me." He grunts.
"That doesn't explain-" I huff, but he jumps to his feet and turns around. My jaw drops when I see his back.
Massive splotches of blue and black start at his neck and go down his back. Through his white shirt I can see the imprints of several other huge nasty looking bruises. Just looking at them makes me cringe.
"We fell down the stairs, except I was the lucky one. I got to take all the hits." Colt says in a deep tone. His face is emotionless.
"I-I-I'm so sorry! This is all my fault." I cry out, covering my face in my hands.
"Do not apologize. I am fine." He huffs, turning back around to face me.
I stare angrily at him, resting my hands on my hips, I march right up to Colt.
"You are not fine. This is all my fault." I say quickly.
"A
couple bruises will heal-" He starts to say, but I start to walk towards the fireplace room, yanking him along with me.
"Just let me try to help." I say softly. I'm relieved when he starts following after me, there's no way I can drag him around.
"It is unnecessary." He grumbles. I ignore his comment and indicate for him to sit in his chair.
I'm about to ask him if he has a towel and sink I can use to get a cool rag, but he interrupts my thinking.
He rips his shirt off, literally.
"I hate this shirt." He adds gruffly while tossing it into the fire's burning flames.
"O-okay then." I mumble to myself.
"Where can I find a sink and a rag." I ask, trying to steady my voice.
"In the hall on your right." He replies.
I quickly find the door in the hall, entering I find a small bathroom. I grab a tiny hand towel and soak it in cold water. I then wring it out and walk back into the room.
Before I apply the rag to his skin, I check for splinters on his back. I try not to touch his skin as I pluck the irritatingly tiny splinters out one by one. I can tell his skin is getting hotter, as the warmth of the fireplace shrouds the room and us. I wipe away a bead of sweat dripping down my forehead.
When I remove the last splinter, I apply the rag. I pad each bruise carefully with the cold rag. Colt's quietness doesn't help me feel anymore comfortable.
"Done." I chirp, setting the rag on the arm of the chair.
I step in front of him, expecting a cold stare, I meet a much more relaxed one.
"Well the bruising might take a while to go away, but hey, I'm sure you've gotten worse injuries." I say with a half smile.
"Thank you, Elaine." He replies, barely audible. Something about the way he says my name is satisfying, but maybe it is just because I am so use to Lorcan never saying my name.
"You're welcome Colt." I reply.
A few minutes pass, Colt opens up a box and puts on a simple black tee shirt. The storm has passed, maybe I should go back to the bar.
"Colt can I use that locket again?" I ask him. I walk over to his work table where he is putting huge tools on.
"Go ahead." He says.