The Majors, Cold Fury (Book 2)

Chapter 75: Scott POV

I frowned. I had never recalled seeing it before. I brushed the shredded paper and dust littering the cover. In the center was the Rivendale antler crest, in a dulling gold that must once have been bright and defined.

I was about to open the cover to find out what it was, when I heard a shuffle and the door open. I looked up to see Erin standing in the doorway. I sighed, setting the binder down on the desk, turning towards her. She looked beyond tired, dark circles under her eyes and a blank expression. She slumped against the frame, her wings limp behind her and dragging the slightest against the floor.

"Can't sleep?" I asked after a few moments of silence where her stare bore into me like knives.

She just nodded yes, despite the look of exhaustion she wore.

I sighed again, before making my way towards the door. "C'mon, I'll start some hot chocolate." I said, gesturing for her to follow me out into the hall.

"Okay..." she mumbled, rubbing one of her eyes with her knuckles as she trudged behind me, her feet dragging against the carpet.

I was half worried she'd topple down the stairs while we walked down them, but she stayed on her feet, following me to the kitchen.

I flicked the lights on after we entered, the white glow filling all the empty, shadowy spaces. I put a pot of milk on the stove to boil, before taking my seat beside Erin on a barstool pulled up next to the island. She rested her forehead against the counter, her tangled hair spilling over her shoulders.

"You okay?" I asked quietly, trying not to disturb the comforting silence of the palace at these hours.

"Yeah..." she sighed, turning to rest the side of her head against the marble. She closed her eyes a moment later, looking close to a corpse as she sat there motionless.

"So, are we going to talk?" I asked after several more moments of silence.

Erin didn't respond.

"No?" I questioned gently, to which this time she shook her head. "Okay then." I sighed, rubbing her shoulders lightly. She hadn't yet told me if her back had bruised over yet, and I didn't want to put to much pressure on it if it had.

We sat there in utter silence except for the sound of our breathing and of the stove burner gently hissing for the next few minutes. I rested my elbows on the countertop, staring down at the patterns dragged through the marble. After a while I got up, pouring the heated milk into mugs for the hot chocolate.

I slid back onto the seat beside Erin, handing her a mug of hot chocolate once I had finished. She looked up, lifting her head up, before reaching up and taking the mug from me. She took a sip before setting it down on the counter. "I want to sleeeeep." She whined, her voice straining as she stretched out the word.

"Then sleep." I answered.

"I can't..." She murmured, her eyes fluttering shut again.

"Why can't you sleep?" I asked quietly.

"I just can't..."

"Alright then." I said a few seconds later, biting back another sigh. So we just sat there, drinking hot cocoa in the silence of the palace.

It felt like an eternity since this kitchen was bustling with servants and cooks at all hours of the night. Since I couldn't walk down a hallway without bumping into a member of my parents' court. Usually then, silence meant something was gravely wrong, but now it was normal. Peaceful, you could say.