Chapter 9 – Part 7

Allana ran.

Somewhere behind her she could hear someone call her name but right then she wouldn’t stop for anything. She couldn’t stop. It was too dangerous, she thought, her vision unfocused by the tears she refused to cry. She could feel her heart beating too fast, the air rasping inside her chest, burning everything on its path, leaving only a dark black hole.

She entered her room without a thought and darted to the open window above her bed, where she finally stopped as the cold wind brushed her hair back, cooling her burning face and drying her uncried tears away.

Outside the day was dying, a slow painful death as the sky was tinged in bright red, the same red that now painted all the small white houses down blow, houses where no one lived anymore, like empty shells that just stood there, waiting … forever waiting … waiting for nothing.

Just do it. And I’ll set you free, she thought she heard inside her head, the same voice that laughed like madness itself every time she used her deadly gift and blood was spilled.

She looked down, to the ground far below her.

It won’t hurt, I promise.

Liar, she thought but still couldn’t avert her gaze, the idea suddenly sounding too appealing. After all, she should have been dead for quite some time now, if the prophecies were correct. If she was still alive was because Elian was … too good, she concluded feeling her empty chest grow warmer at the mere thought of him. He was too good, too honest, too honorable to do what had to be done. He was like a bright light in the lives of many people. And his gifts were true gifts, gifts that could save another’s life, not take it. And he shared them freely, without asking for anything in return. And she … she had tried to kill him too, the same way she had done with Heric, and before … because it made no difference who was standing in front of her. She’d probably do it again, too. And maybe next time it would be Elipson, or Denar, and she was sure Elian would hate her forever if something like that were ever to happened. She clutched her chest as pain seared through her … That was the worst thought of all. Might as well die right now, she thought looking down once again.

“Allana!!” That sudden shout startled her, but not as much as the hard, strong arms that surrounded her waist, pulling her back, robbing her of her balance and making her fall back onto her soft bed. She blinked, still stunned, and felt her cheeks burn bright red at the sight of him, his face floating right in front of hers as he pinned her down under the weight of his own body, making her unable to move. Elian was breathing hard and his dark eyes faced her angrily, an idea reinforced by the deep frown that split his forehead.

“What were you thinking?!” he demanded, clearly scolding her, his hands closed in two tight fists, one on each side of her head, and yet she wasn’t afraid. On the contrary. The moment she had laid eyes on him all her previous dark thoughts had magically disappeared. And she could almost believe that not everything was lost, that as long as he stood beside her things would work out somehow … Which was terribly selfish, she added to herself, feeling even more ashamed.

Elian dropped his head on her shoulder, startling her again, his deep sigh warming her naked neck … no, warming her entire body, and so she just laid there very still, her body growing tense as she became increasingly conscious of the places he touched her.

“Please don’t do this anymore …” She heard him plead, his words brushing her skin, making her heart beat faster. “I promise … I’ll take away everything you don’t want. So, if you don’t want your gifts, I’ll make them mine somehow. If you don’t want to see Heric’s face again, I’ll erase him from your life. And if you don’t want your life, please give it to me. Just don't throw it away …”

She couldn’t help but smile, even as tears filled her eyes.

“You’re really strange. Normally, in this kind of situation, people would say that they’d give me anything I want, not take things away,” she contested and wiped her eyes as she felt him raise his head to face her again.

“I know there’s nothing you’d want me to give you …” You’re wrong, she thought averting her gaze. “Allana … I’ll always stay by your side. Won’t you trust me? Won’t you come with me? Won’t you stay by my side too?”

“You’re only trying to take care of some small, lost girl …”

“I’ve waited for fifteen years, just to see you again! I came all the way from Mithir, knowing all too well that both your mother and my father would be quite displeased if they knew about it. You really think I’d do all that for some small, lost girl?”

“Because you’re too good …” His hand on her face made her heart jump one beat as he made her look up at him.

“You’re wrong! I’m a very selfish person that will stop at nothing to get what he really wants! Even if it means convincing a young girl to go against everyone and leave everything she knew behind; her mother, her people, even her crown, just to have her within reach … Just to be able to see you whenever it pleases me. And that’s what I’m asking of you again. Come with me! Live your life somewhere where I can reach you! Where I can see you! Where I can talk to you! Where I can touch you …” he added, his warm fingers caressing her face and she couldn’t help but nod, taken aback by his strength, by the fire burning deep in his dark eyes. All aspects of him she’d never knew, and that somehow were hard to believe they belonged to the gentle Elian that always held her hand.

Elian bent his head and leaned his forehead against hers, the warmth of his breath caressing her face. His thumb touched her lips, making her blush, and yet she just couldn’t move or even avert her gaze, her mind completely mesmerized by the sight of him, so close to her. He had closed his eyes and his long, dark eyelashes cast shadows on his face. And the feeling of his warm skin slowly tracing her lips made her entire being shudder.

Slightly raising his head he gently turned her face to the side and pressed his lips against her cheek. And they felt so hot that her heart started beating wildly. He just laid there for a moment, with his lips pressed against her skin, and then sighed making her shiver.

“I’m sorry …” he whispered near her ear and finally released her from his weight, helping her sit up. “I never meat to scare you,” he told her, gently straightening her hair, and Allana nervously averted her gaze, unable to stare him in the face, her heart still beating too fast. “I was just … scared,” he admitted and suddenly held her hands, squeezing them lightly. “Please promise that you will never, never do something like that again!”

She nodded, still deeply embarrassed, and took a peek at him from the corner of her eye.

“I promise … If I don’t want it, I’ll give it to you …” she mumbled and he smiled, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead. She looked so adorable, her cheeks bright red all the way to her ears, her golden eyes, that refused to face him, glowing like melted gold, and her lips had felt so warm and soft beneath his fingers. He could still feel his skin tingle where he had touched her. Not to mention the feeling of her small, soft body beneath him … It took everything he had to simply kiss her forehead and leave things at that.

“Come. There’s still things we need to do,” he told her, holding her hand, pulling her to her feet, and Allana simply nodded, still refusing to face him as she followed him outside.