𝐒𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐓 𝐃𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐌𝐒

016. stabby stabby

NAOKI AND ILLIAS RAN INTO THE MALL, high on alert. Their hands twined together as they peered around the corner, hearts thumping.

"Safe," Illias whispered, moving forward into the sprawling hallway.

Naoki scampered after him, led by his hand wrapped securely around hers.

"Why did you find me?" Naoki murmured as Illias slid to a stop, glancing around another corner cautiously. "You should have let me die."

Illias gripped her hand with white knuckles. "Don't say things like that."

She squeezed back. "I'm glad you came."

"You're the lynchpin, Noki," he softened his voice. "I love you. You're important to me. But even if you weren't, I would still have come for you."

For some reason, that was reassuring. To know that she was important to him.

But for some reason, her hands felt like they were burning, the one interlocked with Illias' heating rapidly. Smoke billowed from their fingers, black and thick.

Naoki flinched back, hand flying to her mouth.

Illias jerked towards her. "Noki! What's wrong?"

She blinked. Nothing. Naoki trembled.

"Nothing, nothing it's fine," Naoki gave him her best grin. "Just thought I saw something. I'm sorry, I'm a little jumpy."

"It's fine. I've got you," he reached for her. She stopped his hand gently.

"Just a little space," she gave him an apologetic smile. "I feel like sprinting. And you holding my hand was a little claustrophobic."

His face fell, sharp features dulling. Illias opened his mouth.

Before he could say a word, black smoke poured along the glowing gold hallways of the mall like a tidal wave.

Naoki gasped again, staggering away. "Illias, do you-- Illias do you see that?"

He did. His face was pale, his body tense. "Naoki, you need to run. Right now you need to get out of--"

Too late.

The black shadows exploded, erupting like geysers before them, suspended in the air for a brief moment of terrifying beauty, until the splayed droplets solidified into fingers.

Two shadow hands stabbed out. One grabbed Naoki, the other squeezed around Illias.

The Queen of Shadows' head pushed through the smoke churning on the floor, as large as her hands, and glanced at the two struggling captives in her fists.

"My, my," the Queen purred. "Tricky ones we've got here. Illias, pleasure to see you in the flesh."

"You don't have a right. You can't do this yo--"

Shadows swarmed over his face, gagging his mouth.

"Shh, shshsh," the Queen hushed, looking extremely tired. "I can do what I please. Now. Naoki, lovely. We had a chat about this didn't we. The consequences."

Naoki's stomach felt as if it were falling down, fifty feet below, and splattering onto the marble floor. Dead man. Deadly woman.

"Please," Naoki begged, her voice hoarse and strained. "I'm sorry. I'll do whatever you want, just let him go."

"Gladly," the Queen of Shadows smiled. She turned, her massive chest and shoulders sending ripples through the shadow-water. Behind her, a glass-encrusted Cartier store sparkled.