Chapter 9 – The Night Approaches
854 Words
The room Adrian left me in felt more like a gilded cage than a sanctuary. The canopy bed stood tall and perfect, the sheets smoother than anything I’d ever slept on, but the silence pressed in too tightly.
Outside the windows, the grounds stretched dark and endless. I couldn’t see the hunters anymore, but I knew they were there. Waiting. Watching.
I sat cross-legged on the bed, scrolling through my phone for comfort. Mia had sent another wave of messages.
Mia: Alive?
Mia: If kidnapped, blink twice.
Mia: Rate your kidnapper 1–10.
A laugh slipped out despite everything. I typed back: Alive. Long story. Zero numbers for you.
Her reply came instantly. Mia: Seventeen knife emojis and a heart. Typical.
The sound of my laugh lingered too long in the room. Then it died—because the air shifted.
A faint hum threaded through the walls, low and steady, like the pulse of the mansion itself. My wrist tingled. I glanced down. The faint pale ring shimmered once under my skin before fading.
“No,” I whispered. “Not now.”
I tried lying down again, but the hum only grew louder, until it felt like it was inside my skull.
Then I heard it.
“Elena…”
I sat bolt upright. The voice was soft, coaxing. Familiar. Adrian.
I swallowed hard. “Adrian?”
No answer. Just the hum. The pull.
“Elena. Come.”
My heart slammed against my ribs. It sounded like him, but wrong—empty, cold. Every instinct screamed at me to bolt the door. Instead, my hand hovered over the knob, trembling.
I forced it back. “No. Not playing that game.”
The ring at my wrist pulsed once, hot and bright. Then—sharp and real—a knock rattled the door.
“Elena?” The real Adrian’s voice. Steady, urgent. “Open.”
Relief crashed through me so hard my knees buckled. I fumbled the knob open. Adrian stood there, silver eyes glowing, tension carved across his face.
“You heard it,” he said. Not a question.
I nodded shakily. “It sounded like you.”
“It wasn’t.” His jaw clenched. “They’re testing the thread. Trying to lure you out.”
My stomach dropped. “And if I had gone?”
“You wouldn’t have come back.”
The hum pressed again, faint but insistent. Adrian’s hand rose, warm and steady, closing around my wrist.
“Stay close. From now until midnight, you don’t leave my side.”
I swallowed, the pale light flickering faintly under my skin in answer.
He didn’t let go as he pulled me into the corridor. His grip wasn’t harsh, but unyielding, like he was anchoring me.
“Where are we going?” I asked.
“The ward chamber.”
“Define safer,” I muttered. “Because glowing walls whispering my name don’t exactly scream comfort.”
His lips twitched—just barely—but his eyes stayed sharp. “They can’t breach the wards directly. They’ll try to use you instead.”
Great. I was bait in a house that breathed.
We reached the chamber. The walls blazed faintly, pulsing like a heartbeat. Maps glittered with glowing pins, red clustered thick at the east border.
Marla stood at the far end, arms folded. “They’re closing in. The wards won’t last past midnight.”
“They’ll hold,” Adrian said.
Marla’s eyes flicked to me, cold. “Not if she falters.”
“I didn’t listen,” I snapped. “I stayed.”
Her mouth curved, sharp. “For now.”
Adrian’s grip tightened, grounding me. “She’s stronger than you think.”
“Or weaker than you hope.”
He ignored her, leading me closer to the map. “Look.”
Figures glowed red at the edge of the grounds. “They’ll strike when the wards dip. At midnight.”
“And we just wait?” My voice cracked.
“Not wait. Stand.” He pressed a staff into my hands.
I nearly dropped it. “You’re insane.”
“You’ll thank me when you’re alive.”
The chamber pulsed again. My wrist flared, the pale ring glowing faintly.
“What if I can’t do this?” I whispered.
Adrian’s eyes locked on mine. “Then I’ll do it for you. But I don’t intend to fail. And neither should you.”
The walls shuddered faintly. Dust drifted. Marla’s gaze sharpened. “They’re pushing harder.”
The glow flickered once, guttering like a candle.
Adrian pulled me closer. “Whatever you hear, whatever you see—it’s not real.”
“Elena…”
The voice curled again, sweeter now, coaxing. I squeezed my eyes shut. “Not real. Not real.”
When I opened them, my breath froze.
A crimson handprint smeared itself across the wall between two sigils. Fresh. Wet.
I stumbled back. “Adrian—”
His gaze followed mine. For the first time, fear flickered in his eyes.
“They’re inside the outer ring,” he said grimly.
Marla’s voice was flat. “Midnight comes early.”
- Writer
