Page 24

Twenty-Two

HARLOW

I have to get out of here.

I pace towards the right side of the room.

I have to get out of here.

Towards the left.

I have to ? —

On and on my laps go, my pace quickening after the first three.

For all the temporary peace that seemed to have been present between Alec and me when he shared his story, that’s all it was: temporary. His kindness is nothing more than an act, a ploy to get me on his side.

Do I want my powers back? Obviously. But not to be a bloodsucker’s revenge.

Which means needing to figure out how to get my magick back, if that’s possible, but not tell him. Or to escape.

I stop in front of the window, staring at the afternoon sun. The very sun that’ll burn Alec to death, which means if there’s any hope of freeing myself, daytime is crucial. At the very least, hours would pass before he figured it out, and by then, ideally I’d be far away.

With a deep sigh, my forehead falls onto the glass. If only I had a way. I’ll have to convince him to trust me enough that he starts keeping the bedroom door unlocked, but how long will that take? Probably years of scheming, and even longer to have it unlocked during the daytime.

No, I decide. This ends, and soon.

My hand comes up to touch the glass, imagining the fresh air beyond it. It’s that singular act that makes me realize what’s right in front of me.

The window.

Making a fist, I knock on the glass, its echo telling me it isn’t too thick. Breakable.

I twist, scanning the room in excitement. With something to break it, that could be my answer. The bed’s too large to drag over and, even if I tried, I probably only would manage to get it a few inches by the time the sun sets and the vampire comes stalking me. That’ll be a last resort. The bathroom? I could possibly rip the towel rod from the wall and stab it through the glass. That’s only if I get it off the wall…

My gaze lands on the two chairs occupied by Alec and me earlier. They’re very movable, large, and heavy. With enough force, I could potentially push them through the glass. At this point, anything’s better than dying on his terms.

I head for the nearest one, turning it until the back is pressed against the pane. That’s when I stop, when doubt creeps up. What am I thinking? This room’s at least three storeys high. Jumping will be my death. I’d need a way to get down from this height.

Another scan of the room takes me to the bed again—and the blankets. A method used so many times in movies, where stunt people make it possible. It’s a cliché…but a cliché that could work. It’s a king-sized sheet and should, at the very least, cover one storey of the castle. Maybe?

Alec will wake up to find me splattered on the grass below.

But it’s something. Right now, my only other plan is to somehow gain his trust, which would take years. It’s now or never. While Alec is tucked away for the daytime, I have to do this, because nighttime when he’s prowling isn’t possible. Besides, running aimlessly over lands I have no clue how to navigate will be easier with sunlight.

With my potentially painful death now planned out, I head for the bed.

“Hecate, give me the damn strength. If you’re still watching over me, make this work.”

The pillows land on the other side of the room before I strip the bedding. First the top sheet, then the fitted one, tying them together with a million knots. I probably lose a few inches of material doing this, but I’d rather fall the extra few inches than have my rope unlink midway down.

With the two sheets tied together, I head for the second chair and loop the material around the leg in a tight knot. A firm yank proves it’s tight, hopefully enough for my weight.

Weight. I’ll need to weigh this chair down, or else it’s falling through the open window with me, and my rope ladder will be useless.

I toss Gram’s grimoire onto it, the thick and heavy leather-bound book a start, and then top it with the bag of clothing. In the bathroom, I grab every towel possible, adding it to my stack. Nothing besides the book is overly weighted, but hopefully all together, it’ll be enough; they’re my only options. There’s nothing heavy in this place, annoyingly enough. Plus the weight of the chair itself may help.

And now, for the grand finale…

I again line the empty chair up to the window and walk backwards, all the way to the bed, for a running start. I don’t let myself breathe or think, just push off and shove the chair against the window.

It successfully cracks the glass, a crooked line running down the centre.

“Yes!”

Feeling energized by the possibility of escape right there —that my stupid, maniac plan is actually working—I reposition the chair to repeat the process. This time, it makes the crack expand, the splintering of glass music to my ears, before tumbling through, taking most of the window with it. The sound of freedom whooshes in, followed by the smell of escape. Euphoria runs through my veins, and I bounce on the balls of my feet, happy something in my life worked for once.

Taking one of the towels from my weighted stack, I clear the shards of glass still around the window to avoid injury when I climb through. Once satisfied with the cleaning, I push the chair beside the wall, hoping the corner will help keep it in place.

“I can’t believe I’m about to do this,” I murmur to the empty room. To Alec, who’s tucked away in his quarters, wherever those are. I wonder if he heard the noise, if he’ll be here soon.

Just in case he will be, and before I question my sanity a moment longer, I toss the tied-together sheets out the window, watching them fall the length of the castle’s siding. It stops about a dozen feet from the ground.

Grasping my end, I sit on the edge of the window and carefully inch myself out, twisting until my feet are on stone and I’m somehow successfully propelling myself down.

This is actually working. By some miracle, the chair hasn’t moved, everything seems to be going as planned. I begin to slide down faster, spurred on by freedom being so close. Just a few dozen more feet to go.

Halfway down, the sheet slides me a few inches farther down.

“Shit.” My gaze darts above me, spotting the chair now on the edge of the window and not where it should be.

Gotta hurry before this gets bad.

My hands move faster, but my jerky movements cause the chair to inch closer to the sill.

“Fuck.”

Suddenly my grip is useless as it all comes crashing toward me, chair included.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck!”

The ground rushes toward me, my arms scrambling to retain a pointless grip on the sheet.

This is where I die. Goddess, save me.

Clenching, I brace for the impact, trying to angle my body in a way that’ll be the least painful. Back or feet, I haven’t decided yet, but I have mere milliseconds before it’s too late and?—

The air freezes. The chair hovers above me, the sheet suspended midair.

I’m the only thing still moving, but now at a much slower rate. My back meets the grass, and I scramble out of the way of the suspended items right before everything unfreezes and comes crashing down, landing around me, my clothing and Gram’s grimoire scattering.

“Thank you, Goddess,” I breathe, pushing to my feet.

I scan the castle’s side, all the way up to the window I managed to escape from. It worked. It actually worked. A bubble of laughter explodes from my chest, the mingling of pleasure and excitement that I’m free is overwhelming.

Free as long as I can get the hell away from here.

“See ya, Alec Dormer. It’s been fun.”

I turn and take off down the grassy field, not sure where I am or how close I am to civilization. I might be running towards nothing or everything. I might be running for a while before finding humans. But I’ll keep going, running as long as he’s hunting me.

By the time I reach the edge of the treeline and immerse myself in the forest, the sun is lowering. There’s only hours until nighttime.

That’s when Alec will come.