Chapter 9 - Upstairs In The Quiet Dark

I locked the heavy deadbolt behind Viktor, sliding the iron security bar into place with a solid, definitive thud that echoed softly through the high-ceilinged foyer. The house was entirely silent save for the rhythmic patter of rain against the tall sash windows on the landing. I climbed the curved wooden staircase slowly, my hand sliding along the smooth banister, every muscle in my body aching with a cold, exhausted tension that no amount of sleep could wash away.

At the top of the landing, the door to the guest bedroom stood ajar by a few inches. A sliver of warm, amber light spilled out across the dark hardwood floor. I pushed the door open without a sound and stepped inside.

The room was warm, heated by a small radiator that hissed softly in the corner. On the massive mahogany bed, completely swallowed by my oversized black cotton button-down shirt, Liliana lay curled on her side. Her messy dark hair was spread out across the white linen pillow like spilled ink, and her face, scrubbed clean of the cemetery mud, was pale and serene in sleep. Her right hand was tucked tightly beneath her cheek, clutching the silver locket so hard her small knuckles showed white against the metal.

I walked quietly across the carpet, kneeling down beside the mattress so my eyes were level with hers. The bruised purple smudges beneath her eyes were still faint reminders of what she had survived, but her breathing was slow, deep, and steady. For the first time since I had stepped out of the black car at the cemetery gates, the heavy hammer pounding inside my chest slowed its frantic pace.

I reached out, my tattooed fingers gently brushing a stray lock of dark hair back from her forehead. Her skin was warm, vibrant, and undeniably alive. She stirred slightly at the touch, her eyelashes fluttering against her cheek before settling back into stillness, a soft, untroubled sigh escaping her lips.

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"I've got you," I whispered into the quiet dark, the words falling like an oath against the empty room. "Nobody is ever taking you from me again."

I stood up, pulling the wool blanket higher over her thin shoulders, and stepped back out into the hallway, leaving the door cracked open just enough to keep watch through the rest of the long, cold night.