Heir of Deception

Chapter 33

Della sprinted down the hallway. Running as fast as she could stand, her lungs and legs burning from the exertion of it. She knew that if she ran fast enough that she would be safe, that her attackers would disappear and she would find herself in her room. But this time he was gaining on her. Closing the distance, it was like she was running in sand and he was still on solid ground. He was on her in an instant, tackling her onto the now hard ground pinning her there. Her panic so intense she could feel herself choking on it, why couldn't she escape him?  The faceless man had her by her biceps and shook her violently. Della tried to fight him off but she couldn't breathe, she clawed at his face and neck. What little air she could fill her lungs with she's used to beg him to stop.

"Please, stop" she whimpered or maybe screamed, she couldn't tell, her fear too potent. "Don't hurt me please," She thrashed some more trying to break free of his grip.  Della exploded with magic, releasing her wind and ice in a violent terrible storm of terror and desperation.

He shook her, "Della!" He shouted. "Della!" He shouted again.

She squirmed and twisted, shutting her eyes hoping to end this nightmare, hoping to lose consciousness. "Della!" he yelled again, fear lined his voice.

Why is he afraid? She thought to herself, she was the one being attacked. Still terrified, she cracked her eyes open just a touch and slowly the world came in to focus.

She was in her room on the floor beside the couch, Fenrys knelt before her, holding in his arms, deep panic in his eyes. "Della?" He said, so incredibly gently, as if afraid that she would shatter into a million pieces. There were small, healing scratches on his face and neck. She watched numbly as the blood slowly ran down his cheek towards his chin.

Della looking beyond him to her room. It was destroyed, the furniture and windows all smashed a part, massive icicles stuck out at odd places around the room and from the broken windows more snow and wind spilled into the room contributing to the frost that coated every surface. She watched a snowflake flutter in, tracked it with her eyes as it made its aimless journey through her wrecked room before settling on the overturned chair just to the side of her and Fenrys. She looked back to him. He was looking at her intensely.

"Della?" He said again. She opened her mouth to speak when she heard aggressive pounding on the door.

"Della!!" Aedion shouted from the other side. "Are you alright?" He paused briefly waiting for her response before resuming his efforts to break open her door.

"She's fine!" Fenrys shouted over the pounding. Aedion stopped again, there was a moment of silence before responding to call for him if they needed anything.

Fenrys turned his attention back to her. Della was shaking violently, whether from the cold or terror was unclear. Tears still ran down her cheeks, the salt in them keeping them freezing directly onto her skin. Della was looking at him, though her eyes were glassed over, her mind was blank, her distress still clung to her like a massive blanket and she was trying to shake the heavy thing off. Fenrys swiped a thumb across one cheek and then the other, but more tears readily took their place. Then he shifted her around in his arms, one extending across her back and the other secured under her knees where he scooped her up and began walking towards her bedroom. Della instinctively burrowed into his chest, the warmth and firmness that it offered against the biting chill of terror.

There was a tight squeezing as Fenrys stepped through the folds of the world. It was silent and Della thought a bit peaceful in an odd, slightly unsettling way. They appeared in Fenrys's own bedroom, his massive, ornate canopied bed against the wall opposite of the hearth holding embers that did little to warm the room. Fenrys set her down gently on the bed before quickly adding a couple of logs to feed the fire. Della watched him vacantly, the shaking had yet to to cease but she could slowly feel herself coming back to awareness. There was a strange tingling in her fingers and toes the slowly spread its way up her limbs. She became aware of the tears that wet her cheeks and did her best to stop them, she was somewhat successful as opposed the shaking which despite her efforts would not stop.

Fenrys returned to her, sitting beside her on the bed. His shirt was slightly damp from the frost he had been coated with, it had since melted into his skin. Della could also sent blood on him. She scanned him, spotting a gash along the inside of his left forearm. Dread curled deep in her stomach as she realized she was likely responsible for the wound. The tears returned anew as guilt threatened to overtake her.

"Shh shh shh. It's okay, I'm okay." He said scooping her up into his lap. The shaking became more intense as sobs wracked her body. Fenrys pressed her against his chest saying "I'm okay Della, its already healing. And you're safe too Della. It was a nightmare but its over now." He rocked her softly from side to side. "I'm right here, there's guards and Aedion and Lysandra are just down the hallway." He continued to murmur comforts in her ear, talking about how she was awake now, and it was just a nightmare, that she was safe and he would protect her. He told her that her father and Aelin would protect her, that Aedion, Lysandra and even Vaughn would all helped keep herself. He assured her that he was fine and that her room could easily be repaired. All the while he clutched her against his chest, rocking them soothingly from side to side. Eventually her tears slowed and the shaking reduced to slight tremors in her hands.

"I'm so sorry," she croaked, her voice hoarse.

"I know you are," Fenrys said' "but I'm not upset, I'm just glad that you're okay."

Della pulled back from him so that she could look him the eyes. Assess for herself if he was actually not mad and that he was alright. All she saw was concern. He gave her a weak half smile and tucked a loose strand of silver hair behind her pointed ears.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked.

She fought the urge to flinch. The nightmare wasn't anything new. She'd dreamed that same dream hundreds of time. The difference was that she couldn't escape this time. Normally she woke up when she ran away but this time...this time...

Della voiced her thoughts. After the scene she'd just caused there was no use in downplaying it. "I couldn't escape, I- I couldn't wake up." He nodded silently. She wasn't sure if he entirely understood but she didn't feel the need to continue and he didn't press her. Instead he continued to hold her while she worked to sort through her emotions.

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