Protection

Chapter Thirty One

“Alex!” she screamed. “Alex, is it you?”

He heard her, somewhere far away. He was on the alert, looking around. Where was Adrien?

Shrugging, trying to calm himself, he pushed Adrien to the back of his mind.

  He had to-

He heard it before the object struck him, felt the wind on the back of his neck, and had only a millisecond to react. Alex ducked, and the butt of the gun smashed against the wall. It broke in many pieces, but it could still inflict damage.

   The pain in his face was getting harder to ignore, and he swiped some of the blood away. He ground his teeth in regret, through the pain, and spun around to see his attacker.

   The man was tall, and wider than Alex was.

“Is it you, Alex?” He heard her voice from the cell, and, throwing caution to the wind, Alex tackled the man. Again, the rifle went flying. They flew back, the larger man landing on his back.

  Red, Alex thought. He swung, grinding his fist into the man’s face.

“Alex!” she screamed, voice painful.

He pushed harder. He knocked the man in the face, and, the man struck back. In the most painful place of the moment- Alexander’s broken nose.

   Openly, Alex bellowed in pain. It angered him, and he opened up every bit of strength he had to the unlucky guard.

   

   Three men lay unconscious and bleeding on the stone floor when Alex was finished. He was weaker than before, and in pain.

  The keys had been on one of the men, and he fumbled gracelessly, through the hall. Which one, which one?

 His hands trembled, and he called, “Alayna!”

“Alex!” Her voice was only a few feet away. He felt so much relief- but he-

“Alex, hurry!” she said, quicker, and he knew she was crying.

He shuffled his nose burning, eyes misty, blood wet and metallic down the front of him.

“I’m coming,” he reassured her quietly.

Was he really- her breathing was shaky.

“Alex,” she whispered, back pressed to the wall, and her heart leapt whenever she saw his face through the small, barred window on the door.

She must be dreaming! She was dreaming! Oh, her poor mind must be making this up…she was so fearful of tomorrow.

   Again, she burst into tears, her heart wrenching and pouring out all her love to him.

“How did you-“

“Hush,” he replied.

Her mouth made an O. “Alex,” she persisted.

And he looked up. It was then that she noticed the crimson flowing from his nose- and her heart was tender. In a sudden wave of affection, she forgot her dirty clothes and shorn black hair, and she forgot her chains.

    The door was open then, and he stared at her. Alayna blushed in the dark, thankful it was unlit, and soon remembered, and was mortified at her appearance.

   He dragged himself in, bleeding profusely and she loved him so deeply, her heart flew above the clouds and the streets and the people.

  “Alex,” she said, “my…the chains.”

He eyed her, seeming defeated and ready to give up. But there was a triumphant, conquering light shimmering in the depths of his eyes.

  Her chest rose and fell, but she did not feel as though she was breathing, when he relieved her of the chains. He was near, and he was real. Unlike…unlike Adrien, he was here. He was with her now, unlike her dearly loved Adrien, who had been slain- who had been left in old dreams.

    He said nothing, to her surprise. Words bubbled to her thin, faded lips- but her brain did not comprehend what to say.

   Surely, she must be a skeleton. What must he think of her, so emaciated and undernourished? She knew how unsightly she must appear, to his eyes.

    He must be thinking how stupid she was. Stupid, yes, stupid! How could she have trusted Sterling-?

“Alex- you- Sterling-“

“Don’t worry about Sterling, we’re getting the devil out of- oh, dear God!”

“Your nose,” she said quietly, overlooking his exclamation.

“I know,” he responded, voice scratching.

She rose quickly, sensing they must be secret; they must be careful and swift. But she held out a piece of semi-clean cloth, for him to sop up the river of blood running from his broken nose.

   He snatched it from her hands, trembling, and she felt warmth at the brush of his fingers against her petite and bruised hand.

   Shuffling stole her attention. Alex reacted quickly, stepping in, and closed the door to the cell without a single syllable.

 He did not breathe; he only jerked her close to him, and leaned silently against the wall.

Oh, was she truly here? Truly in his arms, while he rescued her?

The last time Alayna had so frighteningly faced death in Paris, she had been her own savior. But God- fate- something, or Someone, had sent Alex.

She allowed her weary head, though itchy and unclean, to rest on his shoulder. Alayna did not listen to anything but the sound of his heart- her mind had pushed away the fact that-

  Oh, but death was inevitable, wasn’t it? She stomach dropped at the sound, and she began to listen to the noises, eerily feeling something she hadn’t felt in years.

    A moment later, he silently pushed her back, into the corner, when footsteps approached.  

 He stood beside the door, invisible in the shadows to anyone else, but her. She knew he was there, and she felt him.

     The footsteps fell closer, closer the cell she had been in.

She was positive that whoever the walker was heard her blood pulsing, as loud as it was. She clawed at her dress, craving to reach out for Alex. But she remained still.

  The walker stepped past the room, and continued down the hall.

A second later, the cell’s door was rammed open.

She felt the color bleed from her face when she spied the figure’s face.