Taken

Chapter 10 (Part 2)

Fuck.

My teeth ground together as my toes and fingers curled tightly at the pain that struck when the back of my foot slammed into the corner of the bed when I went to take a step back. It set a precedent for the day to come.

Letting go of my shirt and releasing a slow breath as the pain began to fade, I stretched my ankle before lowering my bare foot back onto the floor, testing it with my weight. The circular rug that protected the old wood from the metal frame of the mirror and one of the bed's legs felt rough and bristly.

With the pain no longer overwhelming my attention, the undeserved worry that had struck at the large crash I had heard returned. Though Hilda had done enough to make me hesitate to help, the thought of her possibly being murdered on the floor below me as I listened had my feet silently carrying me toward the door.

I wouldn't intervene if it seemed too risky too, I told myself as I made my way across the room. If they didn't notice me, I could just turn around and come back here to hide until it was over.

Reaching the door, I turned the knob and released a breath of relief when I found it unlocked. Cracking open the heavy and solid door, I took a moment to listen to the voices traveling up the stairs as they became clearer without the obstruction.

"Undo it!" Silas demanded, the fury in his voice making me second-guess my decision to exit the room.

"There is nothing to undo. All that's left is for you to complete what's already been started," Hilda answered. She didn't sound like she was hurt or distressed.

The calm tone of her voice had me venturing out into the hallways and towards the stairs. Or perhaps that was just curiosity and the possibility of hearing some answers. Gripping the railing, I crouched and peered down into the living room for any signs of them despite knowing from the sound of their voices that they were further than that. Tightening my grip, I straightened to silently make my way down.

"Undo it!" He repeated in a roar that had my hand trembling on the railing as I neared the last steps.

"It cannot be undone. I wouldn't even if it could," Hilda steadfastly stated. "Fate brought her to us, Silas. She was the answer to my prayers-"

"Fuck your prayers!" The seething shout had me pausing as I made my way toward the kitchen. It was accompanied by an impact and rattle of dishes that had me picturing Silias slamming a fist down on the dining table. "We don't know who she is or why she's here."

"All we need to know is that she is human and that she is here. It won't matter why once she has returned-"

A burst of cynical laughter cut her off. "You're a fool if you believe that. The Winter King is looking for her. His men already brought her here from the earthen realm once, who's to say they won't again? What will you pray for when that time comes? Right now, we don't know what they want from her, but once they discover what you gave her-"

"They won't. There's a reason that humans are no longer permitted here and it isn't the one you grew up hearing. The courts couldn't care less if they destroyed their realm in a poor attempt to replicate ours, all they care about is power. A power that their bodies can hide."

Making my way across the living room carefully to avoid any creaks in the floor, I plastered myself against the wall before peering inside the kitchen as I listened in on their ongoing argument. Silas had his tensed back turned to me while Hilda's pinched expression was partially hidden by his wide shoulders. The floor was littered with broken pieces of glass and the cracked and splintered chair that lay off to the far side where Silas seemed to have thrown it. That must have caused the crash that had me moving.