Ardena'sPOV
Darkness.
It
is the first thing that happens. One minute, I am staring at my reflection in
the mirror, and then the next, the whole room is plunged into nothingness.
What the hell is happening?
It
takes a second for my eyes to get used to the darkness. I make out the angles
of the room easily, moving away from where I stand to the candle standing at
one end of the room. My hands cover the matchbox when I hear a loud thud at the
other end of my door.
And
then, another piercing scream.
My
lips fall open and my heart thuds hard against my chest. Even though my hand
quivers, I strike the match and turn on the candle, the warm glow filling the
room.
I
can still feel the person on the other side of the door, their raging heartbeat
audible to anyone close by. No part of me moves. I just stand there by the
candles, my pulse racing and my hands squeezed into fists by my side.
Blood
roars in my ears when I see the handle twist, when it becomes more insistent,
tugging under the opening, and a click whispers into the night.
My
dress is still hanging limply on my shoulders, the mark on display. I move to
cover it hastily, just as the door gives way.
She
rushes in suddenly, panting like she has been running for miles.
Rose.
My
chest hurt when I doubled over from relief, but it barely lasted as she closed
the door behind her, aiming for the candle still burning.
"Rose…"
Air
falls from her lips as she blows harshly, throwing us back into the darkness.
Her eyes find mine only for a fraction of a second before she moves again,
pulling the blinds over every window. She walks on her toes, as if trying to
make sure no one hears her downstairs.
"Rose…"
She
shakes her head, bringing a finger up to her lips. I would have found that
disrespectful if it didn't feel like something dark was happening downstairs.
Moving
back to me in another minute, her gaze drops to the floor. "You can't turn the
candles on, Luna. They must not know you are here."
"What's
going on?" The whisper falls from my lips easily, and I am surprised I can hear
myself amidst the loud roaring against my ears. "What happened to the lights?"
"The
factions…." she begins, then drops her tone into a whisper, moving closer. "The
factions are at war right now. And you are the direct line to the Alpha King."
I
blink. "What?"
"It's
someone from the Aurens," Rose continues, her eyes frantic. "We were dancing in
the ballroom and then suddenly, someone attacked."
"Who?"
I edged closer to her, certain she could hear my heart beating so loud. "Which
Auren?"
She
shrugs, already pulling away, but I can tell that she is hiding something from
me. I walk behind her, insistence in my steps as I increase my speed and block
her before she reaches the doors.
"Which
Auren, Rose?"
She
swallows again, her gaze darting through every inch of my room. Something
changes in her eyes when they fall on the blinds closest to my bed. She moves
again, heading in that direction.
My
breath hitches in my throat when her hand reaches for the blinds, but not from
fear.
It
is from something totally different.
Rose
steps away from the open, pushing the blinds apart. She keeps the windows ajar
and her eyes narrow at once. "This was closed," she whispers, her head snapping
back into the room. She goes on her knees then, searching the entirety of the
space while I just stand there, watching her.
Coming
up with nothing, she closes the windows and pushes the blinds close
again.
"Luna,
did anyone come in?"
I
shake my head, the curls on my head threatening to let loose. "You are the only
one who has been here since I returned from the ball. You have searched the
room yourself."
She
gives me a look that tells me she doesn't believe a word. But it is the last
thing I care about. "Who attacked, Rose?"
"Alpha
Draven has instructed that you stay in here until the fight dies down."
"Rose…"
"And
you have to please tell me if anyone comes in here."
"I
don't understand," I snap suddenly, raising my hands in the air exasperatedly.
"What has this got to do with me? Why do you keep asking if there is someone in
my room?"
"Because
the Auren who started the attack has piercing green eyes."
Every
part of me stops, and a gnawing thought pushes its way into my subconscious. I
turn to look at the door leading to my closet, and Rose does the same. But she
doesn't move.
And
a part of me thinks she does.
"Do
the right thing, Luna."
"I
still don't know what you are talking about," I said, whispering. "What has the
man with green eyes got to do with me?"
"He's
the one you were speaking to earlier, in the middle of the ballroom."
I
shake my head. "Rose…"
"I
have been your servant since you were a little girl, Luna Ardena, and I know
you never mean any harm. But do you know what happens if your witch power
suddenly becomes activated tonight?"
"It
isn't. I have tried everything. I can't even memorize the spells properly."
"It's
different tonight," she murmurs, her eyes straying to the closet door again,
lingering a second too long. "Do you remember the last time the moon goddess
spoke?"
I
nod.
"Aurens
and Obsidians can never mate, fated or chosen. Think about it properly."
"I
am mated to Alpha Draven."
She
touches my cheeks slightly as another scream tears through. "I know you more
than you know yourself, Ardena. Never forget that."
And
with that, she saunters out of the door, the resounding click echoing behind
her. I wait until I hear her retreating steps fade into oblivion before turning
around.
The
door leading to the closet pulls open, and he steps out, the darkness wrapped
around him like a weapon.
"What
did you do, Taren?"