Enigma

Chapter 52

Last chapter before the Epilogue! Enjoy!

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Lillian thought she was imagining things.

After Blazius had left, the witch loaded her with so much silver Lillian could barely feel her neck anymore. She'd lost track of how many silver shots the witch had stabbed in her neck.

Flashes of hot and cold racked her body, and the burn in her cheek where Blazius had slapped her with his magic itched like crazy.

She'd stopped feeling her legs long ago, the trickle of blood had formed a pond around her chair. Blazius had stabbed her in a way that kept her awake but weak, and that was scarier than him stabbing her in the first place.

The scent of her own blood was thick in the air, and the sluggish beat of her heart rang in her ears.

Her head lolled to the side. She just wanted to rest, sleep, but the throbbing pain and the noise were too much.

Noise?

Lillian blinked her eyes open and looked around, her breathing was heavy and loud, but under it all she could clearly hear the sound of... explosions? What in the world was happening out there?

Then the door burst inward, flying out of its hinges. Noah.

Lillian blinked hard. Was she imagining things? She took a deep breath, and beneath the blood and silver and pain, she could clearly smell Noah. Her heart picked up.

He was running inside towards her, his face a mask of calm before the storm.

"Noah?" Lillian whispered, still unable to believe her senses.

He crouched in front of her, his hands hovering and his eyes flickering all over her body, lingering on her cheek and her neck and her legs. He took a deep breath. His eyes glowing an angry amber.

"You're alive. You'll be fine," he muttered, more to himself than to her. His hair was ruffled and messy, the scars standing out more than usual in his face.

"The twins?" She asked, her throat dry.

"Safe, the twins are safe," he said.

Lillian's chest shook with a relieved breath, her shoulders slumped. Thank God.

Harvey and another vampire, Lillian remembered her from the Senator's house, dragged the guards who'd been posted outside her door into the room.

Noah took hold of the chains binding her to the chair. His skin hissed against the silver, but he didn't seem to care. He pulled, his arms straining and muscles bulging from the effort.

"They're silver," Lillian said. "Stop."

Harvey was looking through the dead guards' clothes. He glanced their way. "They're made to withstand shapeshifter strength, Noah. Wait, we'll find the key-"

Crack.

The chain broke into two.

Harvey and Salma looked at Noah with wide eyes. "Well. Never mind the keys, then," Harvey mumbled.

Noah pulled the chains off of her. As soon as her arms were free, Lillian hugged him, burying her face in his neck. Tears sprang to her eyes. He smelled like home.

"I'm sorry, baby," he rubbed her back and kissed her hair. Pulling back, he looked at her thighs.

"Should we take them out?" Salma asked, coming closer. "The wounds won't heal quickly because of the silver, and the knives might be the only thing keeping the wounds from bleeding profusely."