Page 16 of Beneath the Flames
I didn’t want to listen to him, I didn’t want to follow his commands, but I could only imagine what would happen if I didn’t.I rubbed at the bruise on my wrist, which now hurt worse after being handled by not one but two kidnappers.
“I said, open your eyes, human.”
Pure command laced his voice, and my eyes opened of their own accord, my teeth clenching tightly together, preparing for what I might see.I was glad my jaw was firmly closed, otherwise it might’ve fallen all the way to the floor.
Rhydian had removed his so-called Veil, revealing what lay beneath.I hadn’t been sure what to expect, maybe a monster with horns or red eyes.But, for all his bravado, he didn’t lookthatmuch different.It was more of an…enhancement.His features had sharpened, as if he had been blurry throughout our entire interaction but I’d never noticed.The light-caramel color of his eyes brightened, swirling with the golden ring around the outside.His skin was perfectly tanned, despite the cold climate we were in, and his dark hair shone like a raven’s feather.He was slightly taller too, his muscles more defined.
To top it off, pointed ears poked out from beneath his hair, the strangest part of his lackluster transformation.
I loathed to admit it, but he was actually kind of…beautiful.
If I had any ounce of self-preservation left in me, I would have thought before I spoke.But instead, I said, “I thoughtyou said I’d be terrified.”
Rhydian’s eyes widened, once again stunned, as if it was unfathomable that I would have such a reaction—or non-reaction—to seeing this version of him.
Was he really so full of himself that he thought I’d faint from his beauty or something?Last time I checked, seeing a beautiful man wasn’t an actual cause of death.Rhydian had the audacity to stalk up to me and wave his hand in front of my eyes, as if I were blind.
I took a giant step back, my heart jumping into my throat at how close he’d gotten, at the way he raised his hand.I tried to say, “Get away from me,” but my words stayed choked in my throat.
Lightning fast, he grabbed my arm, his nails digging into my skin, though they didn’t draw blood.“Human, there are few who rival me in this world, in both power and appearance, so I suggest you watch your tongue.I don’t think you understand the danger you’re in here with a Dark Fae.”
I fell silent, my body locking up the moment he touched me, my brain recognizing that there was danger and shutting down.
When he released his grip on me, I took a step back from him, rubbing at my wrist.My eyes found the floor, and I couldn’t get my feet to move.His gaze was a brand on my skin as he studied me.
After a few more quiet, tense moments, he sighed, giving a dismissive wave of his hand.“I’m not going to hurt you, human.”A pause.“Not more than I already have,” he muttered quietly, as though I weren’t supposed to hear it.Then he turned and walked farther into the cave.
Wait.That was it?After all that, he was walking away?A deep breath finally worked its way into my lungs, the tightnessin my chest releasing.
“W-where are you going?”I called out.
He said over his shoulder, “I’m going home.”
“You live in a cave?”
His snort echoed between the walls.“Don’t be ridiculous.This simply leads to my home.”
I started to follow him, not wanting to lose him in the dark.“Why would we be taking a cave passage to your home?”
Rhydian cast an annoyed glare over his shoulder.“Because this is a dangerous place, and I don’t particularly feel like saving your life a second time.”
“You wouldn’t have to save it at all if you hadn’t brought me here.”
“An act I’m greatly regretting,” he retorted.The darkness started to swallow him up, and I quickened my steps, not wanting to be left behind and die from the elements.
Down, down, down the cave tunnel went until I was sure we had to be underground, maybe even under the volcanoes themselves if that were possible.The cold air constricted my lungs, and I struggled for every breath.My fingers and toes were filled with needles as they fought to hold on to any sliver of warmth.
Rhydian’s earlier words began to replay in my mind.He had said that he was a powerful Dark Fae.What was that?I had never heard of such a thing.I wanted to ask, but it was taking all of my stamina to keep up with his long strides and not lose him in the dark.If it weren’t for the faint glow of his magic he held aloft in his palm, I was certain I’d have been lost in these tunnels long ago.The one positive side to having to follow him was the long walk provided the barest relief from the cold, especially when the earth started ascending and my calves and heart began to burn from the exertion.
When the tight tunnel walls finally fell away, revealing more winter landscape, with even more of those lava mountains in every direction, Rhydian came to a stop.We were in a valley between the volcanoes, and built into the side of the only mountain without lava sliding down its side was an enormous stone castle.It was so large that it was nearly half the height of the mountain itself.The two moons in the sky illuminated just enough to see that the grounds surrounding it were clearly in decay.Thorns and leaf-less bushes littered the yard beyond the front gate, making it appear as though it were abandoned.
“You…you livethere?”I breathed, unable to tear my eyes from the castle.
He smirked, looking at me out of the corner of his eye.“Where else would I live?”
“In a normal house?Not a giant castle surrounded by lava that could kill you?”
He waved a hand in dismissal.“Don’t be silly.With my magic, it can’t hurt someone like me…” He trailed off, looking me up and down.“You, on the other hand…” A treacherous smile spread across his lips, as if he were toying with the idea of pushing me in.
