Page 107 of Midnights
And then what? Yell at her? Drag her back inside?
No, I’ll probably do nothing. Absolutely nothing, because the truth is, I’m not even mad. I’m just fucking worried.
And maybe that’s the real problem.
The wind rips my words away with the rumble of distant thunder.
The rain’s holding off for now, but the storm hasn't let up. Lighting still splits the sky, and the air feels heavy, like it’s holding its breath before everything breaks loose.
At least she was wearing a hoodie, so that’s something. If she heads back to the house, I'll know, but for now, I know she’s still out here.
I move deeper into the woods, and I can see the shadows stretching between the trees. Doubt creeps in, twisting in my gut. Did I miss her? I pause, forcing myself to stay still and listen.
The forest hums with the kind of silence that’s never really silent. I can hear the leaves shift in the breeze, the raindrops hitting branches, but underneath all that, there’s something else. It almost feels like someone's pulling on a thread. My boots sink into the damp earth as I cut through the trees.
“Where are you, Princess?”
I’m halfway to the house when it hits me again. That same unshakable feeling tugs at me to go a different direction.
Instead of heading back to the house, I veer left, moving toward the garden. The trees start to thin out and I can see the stone pathways come into view.
Today’s been a fucking roller coaster. And now she’s out here, in the dead of night, with a storm at her back.Seriously?
The frustration simmering inside me starts to mix with something else.
The rain picks up, soaking through my shirt and dripping down my face. When I find her, we’re definitely going to have some words.
It's been long enough that the knot of concern twisting in my gut feels like a fist. I can’t believe she managed to sneak out of the house without me knowing, and what the fuck is going on with my system today?
I'm about to pull out my phone to check the cameras but something moves to my right, over by the garden.
My instincts kick in and I move closer. She's sprawled out on the wet ground with her arms spread wide, staring up at the storm like she doesn’t have a single care in the world.
What the hell?
It’s strange how completely at peace she looks with rain running down her face.
I pause, standing there while thunder rolls overhead.
She doesn’t hear me approach, she's completely lost in her own world. Lightning splits the sky again, lighting up her face.
Fuck.
Ever since I met this woman, she’s been a fucking enigma. The most unpredictable person I’ve ever met. Who in their right mind sneaks out of a castle in the middle of the night, during a raging storm, just to lay on the soaking wet ground like she belongs there?
Her hair fans around her like a wild halo, tangling with the earth beneath her. She’s so still, and utterly unbothered by the storm raging around her. It's almost like she's part of the chaos.
I shake my head, and a small, reluctant smile tugs at the corners of my lips. This woman defies logic.
And they said I’m supposed to be the onion?
I take a slow step forward, scanning the sky, trying to see whatever the hell has her so mesmerized. But all I see are thick, rolling storm clouds. There's not even a single star in sight.
Lightning tears across the sky in a violent, jagged streak of white-hot electricity, ripping through the dark. The thunder that follows shakes the air with a sound so deep it feels like the earth itself is growling.
I look back down at Raven, and she’s smiling.
Completely fucking absorbed.
