I was not entirely sure this was real. Perhaps I had been cursed or walked upon a spell that I had yet to wake from. Maybe I
was the one with a broken body and Norok was the one making desperate deals to save me.
“Will I still be allowed that freedom and escape if I go with you?” I asked.
“You will have everything you have ever asked for and more. All I ask is that you let me rule you, devour you in every way
possible and I will be your ever devoted servant.”
I didn’t have much time to think about my answer. I heard my mother shouting from nearby. And I wasn’t too sure on who
else was shouting from my bedroom. I had run out of time, and it was now or never.
“I accept. But heal my brother first, that is my deal.”
“You must say the words. You must ask me to save you, to take you away. Otherwise it won’t work.”
“ORNELLA?!” Mother’s voice shouted just as I saw the shadow of her body heading towards the balcony doors and my
heart began to race.
Swallowing down my fear, I said, “I ask of you—I beg you—save me and take me away. Take me away from this place and
I will be yours.”
That same devilish smile I saw earlier returned, widening more as Mother stepped out of the doors. Her gasp echoed
through the air. Suddenly his lips were on mine and a cold embrace wrapped around me. His shadows circled me along with
his arms, pulling me close to his chest.
In the distance I could hear Mother’s scream. She was screaming out in terror.My name being shouted at the top of her
lungs. I had no idea where we were going. All I felt was the wind against my skin. My stomach twisted into knots and my head
began to spin.
And then the world went dark.
Chapter 18
ORNELLA
Ifelt dizzy as the world slowly began to fade back into place around me. Nicholas’s arms were still holding me tightly and I
was lost in what to do. There was no time to think. The instant his shadows disappeared, he immediately let go, took hold
of my hand, and began pulling me behind him.
The sky was dark. A blanket of night and starlight had taken over. It had been a warm, sunny day before his shadows
enveloped me.
Where was I?
His speed picked up as he pulled me into a room. The same room I visited that day during a dream. Sitting me down a little
bit too forcefully onto the side of a bed, he quickly turned away. I could only silently watch him throw off his jacket then put on