Dancing with the Devil // Jim Moriarty

•Chapter 12: The Aftermath•

It felt as if I was laying on a cloud that slowly carried me through the air by some invisible force. My body was tingling everywhere, almost like hundreds of feathers were tickling me at the same time. No matter how hard I tried to force them, my eyes refused to open. For what felt like days, all I was able to register were muffled voices around me. Sometimes, there was movement next to me and I felt warmth surging through me. However, a fog had taken over my brain, forbidding me from sending signals into my nervous system. I remained useless and in a comatose state without dreams or nightmares.

So when the mist finally lifted and I was able to feel every inch of by body again, my eyes fluttered open. My brain recognized the soft mattress beneath me even before my eyes did. The curtains were closed, the room bathed in darkness, yet I knew I was back in Jim's bedroom. Multiple blankets were weighing me down, engulfing me in eternal warmth. The pillows next to me where crumbled, indicating the consulting criminal had laid in the exact spot hours before.

With wobbly limbs, I slid out of the blankets and carefully managed to stand on two feet. Fuzzy socks adorned them but the floor heating was still a nice bonus. Confusion took over as I looked down on myself and noticed I was wearing a pair of sweatpants and a sweater which was definitely too big for me. It must have belonged to Jim.

Oh no, did he change my clothes? My cheeks warmed in embarrassment. Get over it, Lilliana. It was a life threatening situation.

Deciding it was best not to ponder over it any longer, I dragged myself out of the bedroom. My vision had trouble adjusting to the almost blinding daylight shining through the windows. Thankfully, this was still Winter in London, so the sun was hiding behind a thick layer of clouds.

There was no sign of Jim or Sebastian in the living area but the closer I wandered towards his office, the louder Jim's voice resonated through my ears. Hesitant to enter, I slowly and very carefully tiptoed till I was standing in front of the door and leaned my head as close as possible, trying to eavesdrop.

"I want every single one of them gone. They had one job and that was protecting me and her. These imbeciles failed at doing even the simplest task!" Jim was full on raging, his voice loud and stern. I imagined his wide, almost black eyes staring down the poor soul in front of him. Which was probably Sebastian. "Useless, pathetic, all of them. She could have died!" Something clattered to the ground and hit the wooden flooring.

"I could have lost! No one ever gets to me!" More objects were thrown to the ground and I winced softly. "So tell me, how come that pesky bastard nearly won?"

I decided that now was the perfect time to interfere before anyone got hurt. Carefully, I pushed down the doorknob and opened the door as quietly as possible. Not unusual with Jim, I was met with a chaotic sight. Books and documents were scattered all over the floor, having been carelessly thrown off the huge desk. Sebastian stood a good few feet away from the desk, keeping a safe distance from the consulting criminal and any possible flying objects.

Moriarty himself was pacing the space behind his office chair and continually ran his hand over his face. Deep creases had formed between his eyebrows and his jaw was clenched so hard his teeth were grinding against each other. The murderous look in his eyes caused a shiver to run down my spine and almost made me turn back.

However, my desire to see him, to speak to him, was far greater.

At my first cautious step into the room, Jim instantly stopped pacing and turned his whole body to me. His dark eyes snapped towards me, locking with mine. His gaze didn't soften but I swore the brown got a bit lighter.

"Leave us." He ordered, obviously addressing Sebastian despite not removing his gaze from me. "You know what do to. No survivors."

Sebastian nodded wordlessly and turned to leave the room. He stopped only to smile softly at me, whispering reassuring words. "I'm glad you're awake and well again, Lilly. Still got those pudding croissants you need to try." With a wink in my direction, he walked out of the office and closed the door behind him before I could respond.