Black Lace (Complete)

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍

Chapter Eleven

I could barely wait to sleep. I was exhausted from the day of riding, and I was more than ready to retire to my warm bed. I felt like something was waiting for me. I knew nothing more than darkness awaited, but my nerves still buzzed as I laid down in my nightgown and pulled the heavy duvet up to my chin. My toes ached with cold so I curled them under my legs, trying to warm myself up. I closed my eyes tight, trying to block out all else. It was dark and my brain should have been ready to fall asleep.

Should have been.

Time passed by in a blur, and each second ticked with the nervous beat of my heart. I was too anxious. I would never fall asleep at this rate.

Sighing, I tossed my covers off and slid my legs to the side of my bed, letting my feet fall to the floor. Thick wool greeted my cold toes. I wrapped my arms around my chest as I stood and wandered towards my door, trying to keep the cold at bay.

I considered grabbing my night coat for extra warmth, but I wouldn't be gone for long. I would just head to the kitchens for a cup of warm milk and hope that settled my restless self. I found a mug of milk and microwaved it for a few seconds. When I took it out it was hot and steamy. My shaky fingers wrapped around it, holding it close to me. I rushed back to my room as quickly as I could, subconsciously scared of the dangers that could lurk in the hidden shadows of the house; mind worried about what Father would say if he found me walking around nearly unclothed, shoulders and upper chest exposed, in the middle of night, unguarded.

When I reached my room, I closed my door behind me louder than I had to. It slammed, and I winced. My breath caught as I waited for someone to come check on me, for someone to suspect an intruder or disturbance.

And then I heard it. The faint shuffling of feet from behind my room's wall. Aziel's room.

My cheeks reddened as I realized I must have woken him. I prayed he wouldn't come visit me. But another part of me hoped he would.

The irregular patterns of his feet went around his room in circles, pacing back and forth. I walked over to the wall connecting our rooms and placed my hand on the wall. I felt close to him; separated, but together. Safe. He was there. He was one room over.

All men are dangerous.

Everything is dangerous, I thought. But that doesn't mean they're dangerous to you.

I curled my knuckles into a fist and wrapped against the wall once, twice. It was loud, and my heart thumped wildly in my chest as I just realized what I'd done. What would this even accomplish? Make him think there were rats in the walls?

His footsteps suddenly stopped. There was that moment of silence—a string that hung in between the darkness of my room and the unknown of Aziel's. My eyes were wide as I stared at the wall, so tentatively you would have thought I could see through it.

His footsteps started again. Towards me.

My chest was rising and falling quickly as he stopped right before the wall, right before me. Centimeters apart and yet so, so far away.

He knocked back.

I found a smile teasing my lips before I could stop it. I knew he couldn't hear me, but I let out a small laugh. This was a game we were playing.

I knocked three times on the wall, pausing and waiting for his reply.

"Romina, shouldn't you be sleeping?"

I jumped back and fell onto my ass when I heard his voice. He could hear me. He had heard my laugh. Stumbling to my feet, only then did I notice the shattered mug at my feet. Hot milk spread over the wooden floor, teasing the edges of my feet. I began walking backwards, staring at the ground I could not see. It was so dark. But there were shards of ceramic everywhere. Shards that could cut my skin, pierce my feet.