Forbidden Knots (Shadow Duet #1)

16. SIXTEEN

SIXTEEN

Storm

I stood in front of him, feeling like my entire world was spinning beneath my feet, and he was there, steadying me. I felt like a broken doll, finding solace in this demon of darkness. He was the shadowy cloud that loomed over me, and all my emotions and feelings mixed within, creating the storm he had caused.

He wanted rain , but he had given me countless tears . He brought the storm , but he also created a strange peace in the eye of it.

I hated myself for falling for it, for craving him, for trembling under his touch. I despised myself for letting him touch me. But I needed his gaze, his hands on me, his lips on mine. I needed someone to love me for who I was, to embrace every shade of my darkness.

This sickness was killing me inside, poisoning my mind. Yet, I found a twisted beauty in it and made peace with it. I finally felt like I belonged, somewhere with someone.

Even if he chose to pull me into the pits of the darkest abyss, I was ready to stay. And it broke me. It was breaking me.

"Shadows hide from the light," I said, moving through the crowd, his eyes never leaving me.

"Shadows will forever hide in the dark," I repeated, turning to him and then quickening my step.

"No," he whispered, catching my hand, "Shadows will always follow the light."

I walked backward, his hand holding mine, pulling me closer as I tried to pull away until my back hit the wall.

He didn't care about the eyes on us. He reached under my dress, his hand gliding up my bare thigh.

"Stop," I said, pushing him away.

I turned around, feeling like I was in a trance, the earth shaking under me, the castle walls closing in. I saw a door, opened it, and he shouted my name, "Thalia, no!"

I spun around, seeing his eyes. Castle lights flashed before me, and it felt like I was hallucinating. Something pulled me inside the room, and the door slammed shut.

I hit the ground, enveloped in pitch blackness. I needed Shadow. I heard him slamming the door, but it was as if something was holding it shut. My heart raced as my hands felt the ground. I was crawling when something grabbed my leg, dragging me down. I screamed so loudly I scared myself with my cries for help. For the first time, I was afraid of the dark.

I screamed again, kicking and dragging my nails on the wooden floor. I felt hands in my hair, and then I heard laughter all around me.

My voice weakened from screaming, but the music outside was deafening. The piercing violins felt like they were scratching me from head to toe.

When they finally stopped dragging me, I turned my back and tried to get up. But a boot pressed against my chest, making me cough.

Lights turned neon white, and I found myself surrounded by mirrors. There was no one else, just me. I looked at my reflection, seeing scratches on my face and blood already seeping from my neck. My hands reached up to my face, frantically wiping away the blood. With each touch, it felt like I was pulling the skin down, scaring myself even more.

In front of me, was a mask—black and purple, with eyes staring like those of a bird from hell and a beak so sharp it seemed to pierce through my hair. Behind me, a red porcelain face appeared, ripping my dress apart, hands scratching my back as I screamed for help.

I looked into the mirror and saw a new mask—a court madwoman in a red suit, holding a stick that snapped over my shoulder. My body collapsed against the mirror, leaving a trail of blood as I slid to the floor.

Step by step, they moved away from me. Then another mask appeared—white, completely white, nodding left and right. With gray hair as shiny as snow, cold eyes, and a white suit, he took out a whip. Every step back I took was met with a blow from the whip.

My body turned blue and exhausted, shrinking into the shape of a fetus as if I wanted to be reborn. Bloodshot and watery eyes, voiceless, my mouth dry, and my body bloody. My hair was disheveled, falling over my shoulders, strands reaching into my wounds and burning them. I trembled with fear, now afraid of the light and the mirrors. But somehow, in my brokenness, I saw a reflection of my true self in the mirror and a memory of who I used to be in my mind.

A final cry of hope and strength lifted me up, and I ran. Behind me, they chased, their masks becoming more menacing. The hallway was lined with mirrors, each turn bringing them closer.

Barefoot, my soles hurt from the rough parquet. In the alternating dark and light, I ran, searching desperately for an escape. My body no longer had the strength to scream, only to fight for survival. All I could think of was that this might be my end.

They laughed, throwing wet paper at me, getting closer and closer. I saw the first door and tried the lock, but it wouldn’t budge. The second door was the same. Everything was locked, except for the balcony that led outside. It was without a railing, perched on the edge of a cliff, with only the sea below.

My only way out was to jump. I stood on the balcony, trying not to get too close to the edge. But they were closing in. The white mask had already taken out the whip, swinging it in front of me as I crouched down, trying to dodge.

I stood up again, barely able to keep my body upright until I heard the breaking of wood behind them. They turned around, but the white mask kept swinging his whip toward me, pushing me to the edge.

Then, they ran. I knelt down, covering my ears as tears streamed down my cheeks. The whips struck my body, but then they stopped. I saw a Shadow pulling the white mask away, slamming the figure against the wall. As the mask slipped off, our eyes met, and behind it was not the person I expected.

It was Sophie. As he saw her, he let her go.

Shadow let her go.

I shook my head, stepping back, my hands in the air, my face swollen from hits and tears. I looked at him. As he stepped forward, my body leaned toward the edge, and I felt like I was falling. My heel teetered on the edge, rocks cutting into my skin. As I felt the air behind me, his hand reached for mine. He was pulling me up, but as he did, his mask slipped off, falling into the sea.

"Tristan?!" I said, my voice raspy, tears in my eyes.

My hand was slipping away from his as he pulled me from the edge, but my feet betrayed me, slipping away.

"I won't let you go," he whispered, his eyes catching the moonlight.

He was my stalker, the one I hated myself for loving. He was the one who wanted to save me, but also the one who broke me.

Our hands parted. He was fading, screaming as he knelt, his hand reaching out to mine, his face red with desperation. He was fading, and I was falling.

I closed my eyes, accepting whatever ground I would hit. My mind raced in so many ways, but I never saw the light they say exists. Was I wrapped so much around Shadow that I forgot there is light even for a dark soul like mine?

Water.

Splash.

My eyes now saw darkness as my mouth opened, the impact burning my back. I screamed inside, my eyes closed, my body slowly drowning.

The depths were pulling me down.