Page 41 of The Rose in the Shadows

That was…

That was all I had wanted from the moment I learned I was going to be locked away in this palace. He was offering me the chance to walk out of these palace doors and not have to endure the whispers of the courts’ people or the constant reminders of the Dragon’s influence in my life. He was giving me as much of an escape as he could.

And yet, I found myself frozen as I stood there with him outside my suite. My mind locked, and while I opened my mouth, no sound escaped my throat.

“Well, it was certainly a memorable evening, Miss Moore.”

“That it was Mr. Vail,” I quipped, choosing his name rather than his formal title. His eyes flickered and one side of his lip tipped upward in response.

He lingered as I opened the door, almost as if he wanted to say something else, but I had already moved to step inside my suites. Nessira and Geia had left oils of lavender and vanilla burning - my favorite. As I took a deep breath, the sudden pull to sleep was so shocking that my knees shook. I was so caught by it thatI didn’t feel myself swaying until Clay’s arms wrapped firmly around me to hold me up.

I frowned. I didn’t think I’d drank nearly enough to knock me off my feet.

“Theadora?” He questioned, alarm prevalent in his tone. “You’re bleeding.”

Bleeding? Sure enough, I felt the wetness dripping from my nose and wiped at it, confused. My fingertips came away stained scarlet.

“Well, that’s strange,” I mused, staring at my fingers.

Things moved all at once. The world seemed to collapse entirely around me and I fell heavily into Clay. My chest heaved as a sudden coughing fit stole the air from my lungs. I coughed so violently that my vision blurred and my stomach cramped.

By the Gods, what was happening to me?

Clay sat me down, propping me against the door frame as he took my face in his hands and thoroughly looked over me. The light in his golden eyes was brighter than I’d ever seen it before. Without a word, he stood in a rush and stormed through the door into my suites. It wasn’t until I saw that his hands, which had cupped my cheeks, were also stained red that I noticed my ears were bleeding, too.

Unable to stop it, I lost myself in coughing once more.

Pain lanced through me, sudden and sharp. The burn of it was nearly unbearable.

My blood waseverywhere. It spilled out from my ears and nose and ran in tears down my cheeks. A fresh wave of fire filled my chest, and I clutched at myself desperately as I dissolved into another fit of coughing. Blood splatted onto the floor before me as I struggled to breathe through the agony.

“Clay?” I cried out urgently.

“Just stay with me!” He yelled back.

How could I? The edges of my vision were already blurring. I couldn’t gasp in enough air through the blood that I choked on.

Was this the feeling of death?

Clay looked wildly throughout my rooms, ripping into the drawers on my dressers and end tables and pulling out the contents. He threw the chairs and tables over, destroying everything in his path. A feral snarl tore through the room as he stormed into the bathroom. One that sounded more like a beast than a man.

“Where the fuck is it?” He barked, returning to the bedroom.

I can’t breathe,I thought wildly.

Clay’s gaze flashed to me, eyes burning brilliant gold and wide with concern. His chest heaved, and I watched the skin on his hands darken.

“What’s new here?” He demanded, coming back to me.

“Hmm?” I groaned. My head was aching. I couldn’t think clearly through that throbbing pain.

“Look around, Thea!” He ripped at my chin, pulling my gaze forcefully to the destroyed apartment. “What in here is new or different?”

My chest constricted, the need for oxygen blurring out any other thoughts as I felt the blood dripping down the back of my throat. I choked on it, grasping the front of his tunic frantically. He clamped down on my back until I could suck in a short burst of air once more.

The suite, I reminded myself,what's new in the suite?

The furniture was all the same. Chairs in the parlor, a bar cart against the wall, my bed beyond that…

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