The Moonbound Bride

Chapter 9

LYRA

Even Grandma? The one person I thought was the most trustworthy, the kindest of them all-even she is the same? Everyone here is a criminal. Everyone is a fu*king beast.

My mind is in a frenzy, my thoughts tangled and confused.

After all, how much did I really know about Blade's grandma? Just two days? Even my own grandma never treated me as sweetly as she did. I should have suspected her from the start.

I've been too naive in this deadly game of monsters. From now on, everyone is a suspect. No one is safe from suspicion-not until the end. It was my mistake to trust so easily. I won't make it again.

And now, with the Primordial Book gone, I have nothing left to guide me. That book was my only lead, my one chance to uncover the truth. And now, all my efforts have been in vain.

I despise every last ba*tard in this house.

What am I? A fool? A pawn? I feel like I'm on a cursing spree right now, but they've left me no choice. I had the book in my hands-if only that daughter of a b*tch, Amelia, hadn't caught me. It's all because of her.

I have nothing left to do but cry. Tremendously.

I want to scream. Loud and clear-so loud that the heavens themselves would tear apart and hear my plea to be freed from this nightmare.

I've lost Blade's trust.

From this moment on, he won't let me go anywhere. He'll keep me trapped-jailed forever-unless he has even darker motives in mind.

I was starting to win him over, slowly gaining his trust with a little sweet talk in the car, in the office. But now, all of that is gone. Drowned.

Everything feels distant. Out of reach.

This feels even worse than my novel failing to connect with readers.

Blade won't take me to his office now. But... what if there are clues there? Should I try to talk to Tina? No. That cunning woman? Why would she ever help me over her boss-especially when she likes him?

I need to drop this idea. Blade isn't taking you anywhere, Lyra. Just accept it.

Didn't you see his eyes? He was furious. Super furious.

I remember his warning-if he ever caught me sneaking around for answers, he wouldn't let me live. So... am I going to die? Will he really kill me?

Urgh! I don't want to think like this, but what choice do I have? Nothing is on my side. I have no allies.

My parents... I haven't even spoken to them for days. Blade keeps saying they're safe, but after everything that's happened, how can I believe him? What if they aren't safe?

Oh God. What am I supposed to do? How am I supposed to get through this... alone?

Just as my mind drowns in a storm of flashing thoughts, I see a shadow stretch across the floor of my room.

I inhale sharply, wiping away my tears as I slowly rise from where I was slumped. My hands move instinctively, swiping at my damp cheeks, my nose-bare and unthinking. My movements feel disconnected, as if I'm not even in control.

Then, I follow the shadow.

It's... different. Not human. Not an animal. Just something. A form that exists on its own-an entity, not a being. Yeah... just a form. I study it from a distance, and recognition flickers in my mind.

It's the same shadow I saw that night in the window.

The feeling it gives me is identical. Familiar. And now, it's closer than ever.

I want to see it. I need to know-who comes to watch me? And why does it only observe from afar, never stepping forward? Does it not want to harm me?

Elowen was wrong. It's definitely not a monkey's shadow. She made a fool of me. Another secret lurking in the dark, hidden behind their lies.

Do they know about this shadow? Or are they just as blind to it as I was?

I step forward, my breath freezing in my lungs. A slow, careful inhale. A cautious, trembling exhale.

I tread lightly. I can't disturb it. If I do, it might vanish again.

It stands near my bed. At the same window.

Is it... waiting for me?

As I pull the curtains aside, everything looks blurry, as if a spell has been cast on me. Why do I suddenly feel so drowsy? A thin stream of smoke seeps in through the small gap at the bottom of the window, making me dizzy.

Still, I try to focus on the full picture-and the shadow, which is no longer just a shadow. It has taken form, watching me. I can't quite describe it; it's like a massive, shapeless blob of darkness. A presence. A dark energy. Yet the strangest part? It just stands there, clinging to my window.

And then-boom! It vanishes. My vision clears instantly. It's all connected to that figure.

I rush to open the window, searching for where it might have gone, but there's nothing. No trace of it. Was it just my imagination? No. I've seen this figure too many times to dismiss it as an illusion.

I stand by the window as moonlight seeps in once again, just like the night before last. I stare in awe, taking it all in. The light is so dazzling, so otherworldly-almost as if I've stepped into a different realm. But why does the moon look so massive here? So bright and clear? It feels closer than it should be. I can't take my eyes off it.

And yet, I can't forget what just happened. That presence-watching me. Then vanishing in an instant. Why? And why am I not afraid? My body didn't hesitate for a second. My nerves didn't falter. Instead, I moved toward it with unsettling ease, as if I were being pulled forward-yet somehow, it still felt like my own will.

My tears haven't dried completely. They cling to my skin, half-wet, reminding me of how I was treated earlier. So much has happened in this house. And Amelia-she called me a traitor. For the first time in my life, I had to hear such words, even when it wasn't my fault. These people brought me here, yet they're the ones sabotaging me for seeking the truth. I'm human. I have emotions. I'm not a beast like them. Monsters!

I wipe away the lingering tears, change into my nightgown, and sit on the bed, resolute. I will never stop searching for answers. Even if I'm trapped in this room forever, there will always be a way out. And I'll find it. I'll tear through this house, unearth every buried secret, and show them what Lyra is capable of.

But first, I need to earn Blade's trust again. Of course, he's no fool-I'll have to tread carefully. Still, I believe I can do it. I just need time. From what I've observed, he's arrogant, bossy, and dominating, yet something about him makes me doubt that he's truly the beast they say he is. My gut tells me there's more to him.

Lying on the bed, I devise strategies-ways to lure Blade into my trap. I'll use reverse psychology. I'll outmaneuver him. I'll reach my goal.

But for now, the sheets feel too warm, and sleep takes me effortlessly.

Even in my dreams, something stirs. I see it clearly, yet I can't wake up from it. Instead, I surrender to it, letting it unfold-because this dream intrigues me. It's something I was thinking about just before I drifted off.

The dream

I landed on soil. It clung to my dress, thick and sturdy. I was caked in mud. When I lifted my eyes, I found myself in a forest-dense, lush, and enclosed by towering green trees.

Above me, the moon hung in its unwavering place, unchanged from how I had seen it at the Harlow Mansion.

I knew I was dreaming, but now that I had seen the same moon, I wanted to see everything this dream had to offer. Ahead, a faint light pierced through the trees, a silent signal that humans might be nearby.

The darkness was nearly absolute-I could barely make out my surroundings-but the light guided me, casting a golden halo, as if the sun had chosen to accompany the moon tonight.

I followed its trail.

Then, a loud roar shattered the silence.

This was a jungle, so it was only natural that wild animals lurked nearby. I thought it might be a boar-but no, a boar didn't roar like that. It had to be something else.

I hid behind a tree and cautiously peeked in the direction of the sound, watching carefully. If I ran now, the creature would hear me-the dry leaves beneath my feet would give me away. So I stayed still, holding my breath as it crept closer.

Another roar. This time, it startled me.

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through my head, as if it were colliding with the massive tree behind me. A dull, dizzy sensation spread through me-the same feeling I had when I encountered that shadow in the Harlow Mansion.

I knew my soul had traveled into this dream, even as my physical body remained in my bedroom, lying under my duvet, fast asleep.

This dream, the scenes from this dream, all of it, seems familiar. As if I've known this place for a long time. A memory that I might have lost.

The creature was nearing and my breath was hitching at its every step. I can hear it walk. Slowly and slowly. I looked to the other side and the golden halo of light had faded. And then I looked in the front quickly, the leaves rustling as it bears. I gulp in my throat. I know that I can't be harmed as I'm dreaming. But this dream was almost a nightmare.

I saw a face, with stripes covered all over its body. A tiger! His eyes met mine. And I screamed loudly, realistically it wasn't coming out and that was more frustrating.

The tiger treaded towards me in slow steps. It looked royal as it had a string of precious gold and diamond chain around its furry neck.

I started running, and it followed me.

As I moved forward, I noticed something strange-the moon was moving with me. But this wasn't like the illusion of the moon following you when traveling in a car or bus. No, it was truly watching me. Keeping an eye on me.

The path ahead was bathed in moonlight, clearing the way. My vision sharpened beyond anything I had ever experienced.

Then, I saw where the light was coming from.

I stopped in my tracks, unaware that the tiger behind me had suddenly vanished.

But where was I? This place felt eerily familiar-like I knew it better than I knew myself.

And most unsettling of all... what era was this?

It didn't look modern. It looked ancient.

In front of me stood a grand villa, dimly illuminated by the very light I had been following.

I fell as the tiger suddenly stood beside me, towering on all fours. I couldn't even run. If I did, he would devour me.

But then, something strange happened. The tiger turned its gaze toward the villa, and as if responding to him, the lights flickered to life, illuminating the entire place, heavily.

I was certain now-I had traveled back into my dream. A dream from a hundred years ago... or maybe even further back.

The tiger took a step closer and then stopped.

I had no idea why, but my hands instinctively reached for him, as if drawn by an unseen force. A sudden sense of comfort settled over me.

What am I doing? The inner Lyra in me screamed.

Yet, despite my own will, I touched him.

In an instant, something on my head began to glow-a silvery, radiant light. A shiver ran through me as I flinched. Pain surged through my skull once more, the same dull ache returning the moment my fingers met the tiger's fur.

Despite the pain, I kept touching him. He stood there, unmoving, doing absolutely nothing.

Yet, he felt familiar.

Something inside me was tied to him-an unspoken connection. A deep, aching longing settled in my chest, an unbearable urge to hold him.

And in that instant, I did.

I wrapped my arms around him, pulling him close, tightening my grip as a single tear slipped down my cheek.

What's happening? The Lyra inside me still didn't understand.

Then, as if the name had been waiting on my tongue all along, I whispered,

"Blade... you finally found me, once again!"