Page 27 of Grotesque Love

Mal wanted to go flying tonight, he’s restless and desperate for an outlet but I have no interest in stretching my wings. I think it’s best for everyone if someone watches over her, and tonight, that someone will be me.

Nothing could drag me from her side.

I don’t get impatient like Mal, and although Jas is the most softhearted and half in love already, there’s no denying that I am the one responsible for keeping her safe.

She’s mine to defend.

Mine to nurture.

We need to protect her…whatever the cost.

CHAPTER NINE

ARIANWEN

Irub my eyes, finding myself wandering through a twisted maze of corridors that seem to shift and change before me. Shadows flit at the edge of my vision, darting out of sight whenever I try to focus.

Whispers echo in the darkness, the words unintelligible. Out of reach. Tugging on parts of my brain, lingering on the tip of my tongue.

Bitterness.

A cold breeze sweeps through the corridors, carrying with it the scent of decay and forgotten memories. Dead petals crunch and crackle under my feet like pin pricks on my skin.

Where am I? What is this?

I keep going as if an unseen force is guiding my steps, leading me deeper into the labyrinth. Heart pounding, I quicken my pace, desperation lending speed to my weary limbs.

The whispers grow louder, morphing into anguished cries that seem to reverberate through the very air around me.

Panic claws at my chest, threatening to overwhelm me as I realise I am hopelessly lost in this dark, shifting realm.

Just when I feel like I can’t take another moment of this nightmare, a faint light appears in the distance.

It flickers like a beckoning flame, drawing me towards it with an irresistible pull. The warm glow hidden behind a huge door casts long shadows on the walls, revealing intricate carvings and symbols etched into the ancient stone. They dance before my eyes, their meaning just beyond the reach of my understanding.

And yet, a strange familiarity tugs at the edges of my memory, as though I have seen these shapes before in a dream long forgotten.

Keep going.

With each step towards the light, the air grows thicker, heavy with a sense of foreboding that settles deep within my bones. The anguished wails now swirl around me like a tumultuous storm, threatening to consume me whole if I falter.

Don’t stop.

And then, as I reach out a trembling hand to touch the heavy wooden door before me, I’m jolted awake.

My breath comes in ragged gasps as I try to calm the thundering in my chest. The remnants of the dream cling to me like cobwebs, refusing to be swept away by the light of consciousness.

I seek solace in the mundane details that ground me in reality. This is my bed. My dressing table. There’s the plant with my pills buried deep in the soil.

But as my gaze falls upon the heavy wooden door that stands ajar across the room, a chill runs down my spine.

I’m sure the groundsman closed it behind him. Didn’t he?

Tendrils of fear unfurl in the pit of my stomach but curiosity wars within me, urging me to confront whatever lies beyond the threshold. With trembling limbs, I climb out of my bed.

Taking hesitant steps, I shuffle towards the door, and the air seems to grow colder with each footfall. A whisper brushes against my ear.

“Come,” it breathes, a spectral voice that seems to echo from beyond the veil of reality.

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