Page 10 of Knox

"No, really, it’s fine. Just go."Please just go.

Knox didn’t say or do anything for a moment as if he was contemplating the situation, or his next move. "Why are you scared of me?" he asked finally.

That question was way too loaded for Adrian to answer. He wanted to lie and say that he wasn’t, but he knew there would have been no point. Knox could likely tell.

Seriously, what was wrong with him?

He should be in heaven right now. His impossible fictional crush, hisbook boyfriend, had literally materialized in the real world. In his bed room.

And he was terrified.

He’d known he had issues, but damn. He bit his lower lip, hard.

"Please just go."

Knox waited another long moment, watching him. Then, finally, he moved past Adrian, out of the room.

Adrian exhaled as the door clicked shut behind Knox. He could breathe again.

Inhaling, he rubbed his face.

Why did he have to be such a fucking coward?

Knox stood in the middle of the living room, scanning the unfamiliar surroundings. The beige walls and mundane furniture felt alien to him, a far cry from the grandeur of the Shadow Court—where he should have been. His mind raced with unanswered questions.

Where in the seven hells was he? And what of his companions who had ventured into the shadow realm with him? Had they been scattered to the winds as well, cast adrift in this strange, magicless world?

He began to pace with restless energy. As he moved, his gaze fell upon a peculiar device resting on the coffee table. It was a small, rectangular object with an array of buttons, each one marked with cryptic symbols. Curiosity getting the better of him, Knox reached out and pressed one of the buttons.

Instantly, a large, flat rectangle on the wall flickered to life, bathing the room in a soft, flickering glow. Music and images poured forth from it, like some sort of arcane scrying pool. Knox stared, transfixed by the moving pictures, trying to make sense of what he was seeing.

Was he gazing at people far away?

Was this a sorcerer’s work?

Adrian’s grandmother poked her head back into the room, drawn by the noise, no doubt.

"Is everything alright, dear?" she asked. "I heard the television turn on."

‘Television.’ Was that what the device was called? "My apologies," Knox said. "I’m not familiar with this." He waved the small rectangular object in his hand.

The old woman shot him an odd look, then she smiled and took the object from him. With the press of another button, she turned the television off. "Let’s not worry about that tonight, all right?" She looked at the sofa bed. "Where did my grandson go? He did not leave you by yourself, did he?"

"I believe he needed some space."

A shadow stole across the woman’s face. "That boy," she murmured sadly. "He doesn’t mean to be rude, I’m sure. He’s just had a bit of bad luck with people, I’m afraid."

Knox regarded the old woman curiously. What sort of misfortune had befallen Adrian to make him so skittish and withdrawn? He could sense the vulnerability emanating from the young man, a wound in his soul that called to the darker, predatory side of Knox’s nature.

The side of him that wanted to reach out and touch Adrian. To exploit him. To still his hunger.

He knew Adrian wanted it too…

Was his 'bad luck' responsible for his denial?

It wasn’t any of Knox’s business.

"I won’t pry," he said, offering the grandmother a reassuring smile. "But perhaps you could tell me more about this world I find myself in? It’s all quite foreign to me. Also, could you tell me your name?"