Her Hidden Half (War Songs of the Courts #1)

Chapter Nine

I checked the small map Mr. Woodward gave me again and continued down the darkened hallway. I hadn't seen another person for about five minutes too long and I was getting more anxious by the second.

Dark hallways gave me the creeps.

Dark hallways should give everyone the creeps.

Everything in me screamed to go back and I was about to do just that when I felt myself being pushed face first against a wall. Before I could process what was happening, my arms were pulled behind my back and a large hand came over my mouth, preventing the scream that fell into the flesh of the palm. A man's body pushed against my entire length as breath brushed against my ear and cheek. I recoiled, shaking against his hold. Cold fear ran through my veins as my heart thudded against rib cage in fast, hard pulses.

His face pressed roughly against me, just above my ear as he leaned down to whisper in my ear, "You're late."

Kieran.

I managed to gasp even with his hand over my mouth. My body vibrated with an uncontrollable rage as understanding dawned on me. I breathed in raggedly, relief and fury creating a small hurricane within me.

Kieran squeezed my arm slightly. "Calm down," he ordered in an even voice.

I wanted to tell him to go shove it, but his hand still preventing me from doing so. The asshole had the nerve to pull this kind of crap then order me to calm down when I got angry?

Oh, fuck that.

I bit down on his hand, drawing blood. He hissed in a breath through his teeth and quickly let go of his hold on me. I turned on the wall and gave him a deadly stare as he gaped at his hand.

"You bit me," his voice filled with disbelief and what I thought might have been a hint of amusement.

I gave him a withering look. "Yeah, well, you should have let me go," I seethed, my breathing unsteady.

"Actually, you should have never touched me in the first place," I said with accusation in my voice. My throat felt raw for some reason and it showed in my voice. Everything in me was jittery with anger and the leftover effects of fear. My breath came out in shaky huffs and my hands trembled with the adrenaline that still flowed through my body. Even standing became a challenge when the legs I stood on felt as if they could give out at any moment.

Basically, I was a mess.

I haven't felt like this in years. If a week ago something like this had happened, I would have been fine, but this on top of everything else was too much. I was out of control in every aspect of my life and my entire being rebelled at the thought. It was screwing with my head.

The sting behind my eyes made me curse and squeeze my eyes shut.

Don't you dare cry, Echo. I told myself sternly.

I swallowed hard and forced my tears back, only opening my eyes when I knew I could keep myself in check. Kieran was closer to me than before, as if he stood a step forward, but left enough room for me to breathe. He watched me with a concern that was unexpected considering how much of a dick he was.

"What the hell is your problem? Huh? What was that about?" I growled through clenched teeth.

He relaxed and his demeanor switch back to his usually uncaring ways.

He crossed his arms and gave me a blank look. "Training. You were late and I needed to see how much work you'd need. Unsurprisingly, it's going to be a lot," he said as if it was a perfectly reasonable explanation.