Page 41 of Isle of Beasts and Shadows

“You must be tired. Do you want to share the bed with me?” she asked shyly, her voice barely above a whisper. Hastily covering her head with a blanket, she stuttered, “I mean, it’s either the bed or the floor.”

Sirius’s eyes widened in surprise, his heart skipping a beat at the unexpected proposition.

“Nothing strange, just an offer for a more comfortable rest,” Airella clarified, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. She couldn’t deny the fluttering in her heart, the unspoken hope that he might accept her offer.

After a moment’s hesitation, Sirius’s expression softened. “I’ll manage,” he replied calmly, though the tension in the room was palpable. He opted to sit on the floor, trying to mask his own racing thoughts.

Airella turned away, pulling the blanket tighter around her. The room fell into a hushed stillness, each second stretching into an eternity. Minutes later, she sensed the mattress dip unevenly, signaling Sirius’s quiet acceptance as he settled down beside her.

Their breaths intermingled in the silence, the proximity igniting sparks of unspoken emotions. Airella’s heart pounded in her chest, and she dared to peek from beneath the blanket. Sirius lay beside her, his gaze tender and filled with a depth of feeling that took her breath away.

She reached out tentatively, her fingers brushing his. He responded by entwining his fingers with hers, the simple touch conveying a world of unspoken promises. In that moment, surrounded by the familiar comfort of her room and the warmth of his presence, Airella felt a sense of belonging she had never known before.

As they drifted into a peaceful slumber, their hearts beat in unison, the beginning of a deeper connection forged in the quiet intimacy of a shared bed.

Chapter 25

As Airella lay asleep, a strange disturbance suddenly crept over her, stirring her from her slumber. In the depths of a dream, a flash of piercing blue eyes startled her, sending an icy chill through her entire being. Startled awake, she sat upright in bed. Beside her, Sirius also awoke. His golden eyes gleamed in the darkness, offering her a comforting sense of security.

“We know you’re in there!” A commanding voice echoed from outside.

Airella’s heart raced with fear. Could it be true? Were they discovered so swiftly?

“We have to leave, now,” Sirius urged, his voice tinged with concern.

Peering cautiously through the window, Airella spotted a group of well-armed soldiers, their torches casting an ominous glow, converging on the home’s entrance.

It’s happening again, she thought, a sense of déjà vu washing over her.

Opening the bedroom door, Airella and Sirius cautiously descended the staircase. From a vantage point above, they observed as Elizabeth greeted the uninvited visitors in the dead of night.

“May I assist you, gentlemen?” Elizabeth’s voice quivered slightly, her robe tightly secured around her.

“You are hiding fugitives, wanted by the king himself,” Duran accused firmly, his face etched with determination.

“Sir, I assure you, I know nothing of this absurd claim,” Elizabeth retorted, a forced laugh betraying her anxiety.

“Search the premises,” Duran commanded, his gaze unwavering.

Tension filled the air like a heavy fog as the search intensified, each passing moment dripping with uncertainty and perilous anticipation. The large group of soldiers, clad in armor and determination, surged into the dimly lit building, their shadows dancing ominously on the walls.

Airella’s heart raced as they rushed back into the bedroom, her mind racing with the urgency of their predicament. When Sirius gestured urgently towards the window, a glimmer of hope sparked in her eyes—the window, their only feasible route to freedom. As they made a desperate dash across the room, the creak of the bedroom door shattered the fragile silence, sending a shiver of fear down Airella’s spine.

In a blur of motion, she was pulled into the depths of the wardrobe, her breath catching in her throat as she pressed against Sirius’s chest. The stillness of the moment was deafening, the only sound of her own heart pounding in her ears. The soldiers’ heavy footsteps echoed through the room, their presence a menacing threat that hung in the air like a storm cloud.

“Someone’s been here, sir,” a soldier’s voice broke through the tension, sending a chill down Airella’s spine.

“So it seems,” the voice of Duran, cold and commanding, sliced through the air like a blade. “Burn it down. Let’s not give them a place to run back to.”

The order to burn down the cottage sent a wave of dread crashing over her, the heat of the flames licking at her skin even before they engulfed the wardrobe. Sirius forced the door to the wardrobe open and quickly searched for an escape.

As the fire roared around them, Airella’s mind raced with memories of the home she was about to lose—the familiar creak of the floorboards, the soft glow of the hearth, the laughter that once filled the halls now silenced by the flames. She steeled herself against the rising panic, her resolve hardening at the thought of preserving her past amidst the chaos. The painted family portraits that hung from her walls seemed to watch her with accusing eyes, urging her to fight against the destruction that threatened to consume everything she held dear.

Just as despair threatened to overwhelm her, the sound of Arii’s screams cut through the chaos.

“Let’s go!” Sirius’s urgent call rang through the loud flames, the crackling fire creating a chaotic symphony around them.

“Arii!” Her heart pounded with a mix of fear and adrenaline, the rush of emotions overwhelming her senses.

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