"My dearest Mireya..." His cold hand wraps around her wrist and guides the blade away from her heart.
"...Do you believe your death is something I want?"
***
Aitháli was an empire known for its lush for...
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Cold.
Everything felt so cold.
The candles couldn't provide the warmth Mireya was looking for. She sat on the edge of the bed and looked around the room that she had been sleeping in just hours or so before.
She hadn't a clue of what to do for the time being.
After making the deal, she was brought back to her room.
"I shall be in the library looking for a way to help you home." Ciaran, as Ariel called him, said. "If you need anything, just call my name."
Mireya nodded, almost ready to be rid of his intimidating presence when she realized.
"How do I call for you?" She asked. She already know his name, but he didn't aware of that.
"Of course. Where are my manners." He bowed slightly and held out his hand for her.
"Ciaran." He introduced himself. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
Mireya hesitated, but took his hand for appearances sake. She needed to appear approachable and innocent in order for him to open up to her. Establishing a good, first impression was key.
His hand felt the same as before. Cold. The places his skin touched both chilled and burned her at the same time. No words could truly describe how it felt. She wondered if he could feel it too, or if it was just an aftereffect of being in this unfamiliar astral plane.
She wondered if her hand was warm to him. It was probably a little sweaty; she should've wiped it before taking his hand.
Mireya sensed the, now, familiar pull tug at her chest. She looked up from their joined hands to see Ciaran's transfixed gaze on her.
She realized she hadn't introduced herself and had been staring at their hands. Mireya tried to regain her composure and quickly introduced herself.
"Um... My- my name is Mireya..."
"I know."
He took his hand out of her grasp and slipped it back behind him. He gave her one last once over before walking past her in the direction they came from. Mireya turned around to watch him leave and she did so just in time to see him opening and closing his fist behind his back.
He felt it too.
_________________
There was nothing much to do but wait. She stood up multiple times, looked out the window, trailed her fingertips on the surprisingly undusted vanity, looked through the drawers for anything of interest before finding herself seated on the bed once again.
Every now and then, she would flinch as a dark shadow would zoom past her window. She tried to lay down and close her eyes, hoping she would be able to sleep through her boredom, but the sound of wings and the occasional hiss from the demons flying at the top of the castle had her on alert.
