Page 18 of A Shadow of Betrayal

Heal, heal, heal…

When nothing happens, I know I've lost my mind and drop my hands to my sides, following Lennox at a slower pace, not wanting to fall again while taking in more of my surroundings. The narrow, roughly hewn hallways seem to never end, then bend and flow with the structure rather than move in straight lines, making it hard to guess where we are or what directions we are moving in. Some lanterns line the hallways, lit with large white candles that make me pause and take notice.

“Do you not have electricity here?” I ask, watching the flickering flame on one of the candles while feeling a little foolish for not noticing that sooner. It would also explain why it's so damn cold in this Castle.

“No. There is the gatehouse down the mountain that has electricity, but it is almost a full day's hike from the Castle, or several hours on horseback,” Lennox replies. His voice is not quite as angry as before, making me brave enough to ask another question as I quicken my step to keep up with his absurdly long strides.

“Horseback?” I ask, my voice hitching a few octaves as I shake my head. I’ve seen lots of horses in my lifetime. Hell, Dan Mckenzie owned five and had tried to get me to go riding on several occasions, but I had always declined, preferring to keep my feet on solid ground.

“Yes, horseback. It's not like you can drive through thirty or more feet of snow, let alone get the fuel a vehicle would need in this remote of an area. Horseback is the only way of transportation from the gatehouse.”

“Wait!” I gasp, looking at Lennox as something clicks in my head. “What day is it?” I ask, racking my mind for anything that would help me pinpoint the date. Theo's dad had knocked me out, and then I woke up. I'm guessing a trip from the States up to Canada, then a trip on horseback, would take some time, so now I'm kinda freaking out.

How long had I been asleep? My stomach decides to grumble just then, the sound echoing off the cold, dark walls making it sound much louder than it had been, and I blush when Lennox stops walking and looks at me with an amused expression.

“Hungry?” he asks, his hand moving to the door at his side. I look up and down the hall but don't spot another door in this area, so I'm really hoping we’ve finally made it to our destination. “And it's Sunday. Senior Drakos brought you here this morning, so you haven't lost much time,” he assures me, and I nod, not sure how I feel about that. It was Saturday when I had been taken, and though it's much longer than I would like, I'm glad I haven't lost more time.

“Right,” I whisper, looking down at my feet when I finally catch up to the big man. My stomach begins to cramp, and my head and hands are killing me. All I want to do is curl up in my bed and let Milo’s soft purrs lull me to sleep, but that's not going to happen. My throat tightens as I swallow hard, blinking back against the sting of tears as they flood my eyes.

Almost like the events of the last couple of days slam into me at once, my shoulders curl in, and I take a deep breath, not wanting to cry in front of the big badass-looking Viking who has probably never shed a tear in his life. But I don’t have the strength to keep the tears in place. I can feel one slip from my lashes, and I close my eyes in mortification, darting my wounded hand up to my face and brushing the tear away before Lennox can see.

“Don’t do that,” Lennox’s deep voice rumbles through the dimly lit stone hallway, his words clipped and stern. “No weakness. You are already the new Hunter here, and we want to minimize the bullying that may come from that.”

“Bullying?” I rasp, glancing up and finding the man's face to be set with a hard expression. “Is this high school or something?”

“No, but you are going into the Ranger barracks with thirty other young adults, all of which are at least six years younger than you are. So I suppose the description of high school would be accurate.”

I grimace, pushing back the overwhelming emotions trying to cripple me while wondering who I need to talk to in order to get a room outside the barracks.

“And yes, you have to stay there. Senior Axford wants you trained with the new bunch of Rangers so that you can pass the trials. You are already much older than most seasoned Umbra Hunters, and I need you trained so that I can see what Umbra Unit you will fit into the best,” Lennox growls, narrowing his eyes on me.

I shift on my feet and look at him, meeting his bright green eyes and trying not to flinch when his spark with something unnatural. Almost like… magic.

Shit, this is so freaking weird.

“Can you read minds?” I ask, thinking back to when Senior Axford had looked at him to see if I was lying. Plus, with him basically answering all my silent questions that I have been rattling off in my mind, it’s making me wonder if I need to be careful with my thoughts around the man.

“In a way,” he responds, turning and opening the door, not elaborating any further on the subject. I sigh and follow after the hulking man, waiting for him to turn and step through the door, then curse under my breath when a gust of frigid air hits me like a damn semi. I instantly shiver and cross my arms over my chest as I poke my head out the door and frown.

“What the hell is this?” I yell over the loud wind as snow pelts my face, colliding against my cheeks like tiny daggers.

“It's called snow,” Lennox hollers back, moving forward and following what looks to be a small path that must have been cleared at some point but has drifted over with snow. I look down at my worn sneakers and ugly work dress, and at that moment, the burst of anger and hatred I feel for everyone in this damn Castle triples.

“It's just snow. Man the hell up, Meyer,” I grumble as I launch myself out the door to follow Lennox. The snow is deeper than I thought, hitting me mid-calf, and I shiver as I slam the heavy wooden door shut behind me. Squinting, I walk forward, trying to step in Lennox’s footprints he left, but the man's stride is much longer than my own, and I'm left jumping from footprint to footprint with a hope and a prayer that I don't faceplant in the snow.

“At least it would help my cheek if I ice it,” I mutter to myself angrily, letting my helplessness of the situation melt into fury as I leap after the big Umbra Hunter in front of me. “Damn cheek hurts like a mother—”

“What?” Lennox’s deep voice murmurs, and I gasp, looking up from my weird leaping and finding the imposing man waiting for me next to an old log structure and standing maybe five feet away.

“Nothing,” I clip out, glaring at him when his eyes narrow on me with suspicion. ‘Fucking try me, asshole,’ I mentally think, hoping his weird mind trick picks up on my bad mood.

I've been physically assaulted, kidnapped, found out that Demons and magic actually exist, and now I'm being forced into a living situation I want no part of! I think, all things considered, that I’m handling this fucked up situation extremely well!

Instead of calling me out for my lie like I think he’s going to, Lennox stands up taller, fixing his weird black tunic shirt, and nods. “No weakness, Meyer. You are part of one of the strongest Umbra bloodlines, and I will not have you dragging us down. Am I understood?”

The freaking nerve of this man.

No, it's not understood, asshole! I still don’t completely understand what he’s talking about, and frankly, I couldn't care less if I make him or anyone else here look weak. Anger burns low in my belly, and I keep my mouth shut, refusing to answer him and making his jaw tick to the side in annoyance.

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