Lover

Spymaster

Bella:

I sat in my room, pouring over A Court of Wings and Ruin for the third time, no matter how many times I read this damned book I still couldn't understand why people didn't like it. My highlight was reading about Azriel. I loved Rhys, don't get me wrong, but if I had to choose between him and Azriel, I would choose the ladder, also because I seemed to fall for the quiet brooding ones. In fiction, not in real life. Not only did I not have time for real people, but I wasn't allowed to date, also no one really caught my attention.

I was up to the part where Elain was kidnapped, and Azriel threatened to rip out the chains and fly with the tree on his back. I swooned. As much as I shipped myself and Az, I shipped Elriel more. They were just so perfect for each other that I wanted to cry, because finally, people were starting to like them more too. Now it had turned into a hopeful cannon and we were all waiting for the next book.

As I was reading, the lights turned out. My head snapped up and I scanned the darkness, I shivered, feeling my heart jump into my throat. I hated the dark so much, was so petrified of it that once I had three panic attacks in a row. I wanted to claw at my skin, wanted the floor to open up and swallow me whole so I could get away from whatever felt like was in my room.

I could feel it, see the dense shadow standing in front of my bookshelf, waiting, watching. I didn't know what was happening, and by the screaming in my head, the prickling at the back of my eyes, the way I pushed to the corner of my bed and brought my legs us to my chest, shaking-I could feel my panic attack rising.

I couldn't breathe, my lungs were straining for air. My heart was pounding painfully against my rib cage and I wanted out. But I couldn't seem to look away from that tall darkness, the way it stared back at me. It felt wrong, it was cold and dangerous and I knew that with all the horror movies I had watched, I was still prone to being stupid. Because I got up, legs shaking, almost crying.

It was if I wasn't in control of my own body, and I knew I was going to die, knew that that abyss of darkness was going to swallow me whole. I got off my bed, long shirt and small shorts and all. My legs wanted to give out, I wanted to scream, cry, run away but I didn't. Like the fool I was, I reached out with a shaky hand and felt those shadows. Stifling cold sliced into my skin and I gulped. I reached forward, and if possible, the shadow straightened even more. My hand met something hard, cold and-leathers? Armour? What the? My fingers splayed.

The shadows curled around me, pressing in, humming and purring and urging me to come closer. I did. My eyes were wide and unblinking as I trailed my hand up a muscular arm, a broad shoulder, a neck. I yanked my hand back, crying out, jerking backward and falling to the ground, slamming into the side of my bed. I curled around my legs, hiding my face in my knees, shaking-praying that whatever this was in my room would leave me alone.

I could feel something emerge from the shadows and I shook even more, the shadows hissed and whispered around the being before me. The sensation of touching those shadows, of seeing them was the same sensation I'd had for two weeks now, when I was alone somewhere, or when I was simply hanging out with Sylas, during class or with family. The darkness and pickling sensation that someone was watching me had been following me for ages now.

The lights flickered on, but I was too afraid to look up, too afraid to see what was standing in front of me.

"Open your eyes." The voice was deep, sultry, elegant. Nothing like what I expected. I opened my eyes but didn't look up, I stared at his feet. They were big and clad in thick boots that went to his knees. His legs were long and strong and I was too afraid to look up. But I knew those leathers, read about them. They-they were Illyrian leathers. What the hell?!