Page 19 of Sins of Winter
A shadow moved at the end of the hall, a fleeting glimpse of another masked figure. My decision was made in an instant. I veered away, my feet carrying me toward the only sanctuary I could think of at the moment.
The heavy doors swung open at my desperate push, and I slipped inside, the quiet of the library swallowing the sound of my entrance. It was darker in here, but the labyrinth of shelves and reading nooks offered a place to hide, a respite, however brief, from what was happening just beyond its walls.
The only illumination came from the soft, eerie glow of a solitary Christmas tree in the center of the room. I moved as quietly and quickly as I could. The room was silent, the kind of stillness that seemed to amplify every small sound. I wedged myself between rows of lore and literature, my breaths shallow. I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t run through the halls calling Mara’s name, and this building was way too big to guess where she could’ve gone. I didn’t even know if she was okay.
Almost imperceptibly, the air changed. A presence entered the room, heavy with intention and focus. Footsteps, deliberate and measured, echoed. I knew it was him. Lucian had come, and with him, the powerful aura he seemed to carry like a cloak. I squeezed my eyes shut and swallowed, my heart threatening to burst from my chest.
I slowly rose and caught glimpses of him through the gaps in the shelves.
His face was concealed by a mask that seemed infinitely more sinister than the others. He was like a shadow made of flesh.
And he was getting closer.
I dared not even shift my weight for fear of discovery. He paused, head cocking to one side as if he could sense the pulse of my fear.
There was a certainty in his posture as he took a few steps, stopped again, and slowly turned his head.
He seemed to look right at me. I held my breath, praying to any deity that might be listening that he would move on. He was standing so close that I imagined I could hear the soft whisper of his voice, feel the slight disturbance in the air caused by his body. Suddenly, he turned around, heading right for where I was hidden.
I had to move—now. My breath came in short, sharp bursts as I darted through the maze of bookcases, the jingle of my keys a telltale giveaway in the silence.
I clutched them tight, cursing their betrayal. His deep voice sliced through the room.
“You can't run from this, Winter,” he quietly called after me. “I’m going to find you no matter where you go or where you hide.” His words dripped with a venom that made my blood run cold.
Anger and fear warred within me, hot tears stinging my eyes as I quietly slipped the keys from their ring so that I only had my truck’s fob, my hands steady despite the tremor in my soul. With a calculated fling, I sent them skittering across the library, their metallic clang echoing as they collided with a shelf.
He didn’t take the bait.
Of course he wouldn’t. I was a fucking idiot for thinking he’d be that stupid. Instead of following the sound, he homed in on my location. I did the only thing left to do.
I ran.
And he chased.
He was fast, faster than I could have imagined. The distance between us was becoming much too small. I spun on my heels and sprinted in the opposite direction, away from the boy I adored, away from the voice that haunted me. The library became a blur as I weaved through it, the looming silhouette of the Christmas tree growing larger as I got closer. Once I got past this, the doors were just a few strides ahead.
I was almost there when arms seized me from behind, strong, and unyielding. Adrenaline surged through my veins, igniting a primal instinct to fight as I was yanked back. Lucian’s grip was like iron as he dragged me towards a nearby table. I thrashed and kicked, but it was no use; I was overpowered and pinned down with a force that left me breathless.
His hand closed around my throat, applying calculated pressure that forced my head back, my gaze upward.
“Why are you doing this?” I asked, my voice choppy due to my ragged breathing and me straining against the steely hold.
“Because it’s fun,” he replied simply, his voice a chilling mix of flippancy and power. “Because I have to. Because I can.”
The mask that obscured his face was ghastly. It was a masterwork of fear with black hollowed eyes and a rictus grin.
“It’s fun? Did you kill that guard for fun, then?” I managed to choke out, my heart pounding against my ribcage.
“Only one,” he replied with a casual cruelty. “That isn’t why I’m here, though.”
In an act that felt almost intimate and entirely terrifying, he leaned down, pressing his forehead against mine, the mask's cold surface on my skin.
With a burst of desperate strength, I pushed against him, my movements wild and uncoordinated.
The table shifted, and suddenly I was flipped over, the world turning upside down as I found myself on my stomach, scrambling for leverage, for anything that might give me a chance to escape.
Pinned beneath his weight, my struggles became increasingly futile as he commanded in a low, steady tone, “Calm down. I'm not going to hurt you. Not in the way you think.”