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"We have to get up," I pant, trying feebly to push on his chest. "We can't stay here."
"You're alright?" he asks, and I nod. "You can move?" I nod again, pushing against him harder.
"Yes! I'm fine," I assure him, growing frustrated at his lack of movement.
His eyes drift to my lips for one infinitesimal moment that feels like it goes on forever. The cold, lifelessness of his eyes is nowhere to be found, blistering heat and hunger replacing them for the second he stares at my mouth.
"Kairon," I nearly shout. "Get up before we get fucking trampled."
Blinking rapidly, he shoves off the ground, reaching out a hand for me to take while using the other to push away any person who gets close enough to nearly step on me. With great difficulty, I get myself up, not daring to take his hand for fear of what emotions might be swirling in him right now.
Clambering out of the mess of canvas, I see the man who had been following us, towering above the crowd, peering around, looking for someone. When his eyes find us, he becomes a predator who has just spotted his prey, eyes locked onto me as he shoves people out of the way.
He raises his gun, shooting at the sky to startle the crowd into moving, as if they needed more encouragement to run. The king and I try to push through the people in front of us, but the man gains on us slowly. Kairon hasn't spotted him yet as he's too occupied with pushing people out of our way.
A gunshot rings out again, and it whizzes by, barely missing me and landing with a hard thunk in a woman a few feet in front of us. Kairon takes notice, turning toward the sound, finally spotting the man trying to kill us.
"Do something," I beg. "Kill him before he shoots anyone else."
He sighs, pushing another man to the ground and dragging me with an iron grip around my waist. "If I use my abilities on him in front of all these people, they'll all have to die, too."
"What? Why?"
"No witnesses," he shrugs. "We're almost to the carriage, and one of the footmen will take care of him. Just keep moving. Unless you want me to kill everyone here. Not ideal, but I don't mind."
He is so unbelievably frustrating. "That's unnecessary," I grit, moving faster while also trying to avoid all the bare, deep olive skin he has on display. Gods above, did he rip the buttons on his shirt somehow?
A carriage that is certainly not the one we arrived in comes barreling towards us, the crowd nearly leaping out of the way to avoid it. I try to move out of the way, only to be stopped in my tracks by the king's footman, running up and roughly grabbing around my waist. I scream in protest, but Kairon doesn't seem to notice, too occupied with opening the door so the footman can throw me into the carriage they've apparently stolen.
"Hey! What is-"
"Be quiet and get down," the king orders, climbing in behind me.
The sound of gunfire continues, nearly drowned out by the screams and shouts of people attempting to flee. The king sits, seemingly unconcerned about the madness happening outside. When I try to open a curtain to peek through, he tells me again to hide.
"Don't you want to look and see if he's getting closer? Why are you just sitting there like everything is fine?" I spout at him.
With a shrug and his lifeless facade back in place, he explains, "Everything is fine. You are unharmed, and my guard will end that man as soon as he's within arms reach."
I cannot believe how cavalier he's being. "And if he shoots your guard?" I ask.
Amusement graces his handsome face, "I assure you, a bullet will not harm Gerald."
"So Gerald is bulletproof?"
The amusement grows. "Something like that."
A horrible crunch sounds outside the carriage, the gunfire abruptly coming to an end. Though the screaming doesn't stop, it sounds further away, scattered, and slowly becoming less frantic.
I reach for the curtain again, only to be stopped by the king's command, "Do not look."
"Why not?"
Carefully, slowly, as if choosing the right words, he tells me, "Because you won't like what you see."
I nod, sinking into the seat across from him, my mind spinning from what it's just been through. The carriage begins rolling without even a moment's pause, leaving behind the horrific scene. In the distance, the unmistakable sounds of loss and sorrow fill the air, the type of wailing that can only be described as earth-shattering.
I stare at the floor before me, willing the images swirling through my mind to give me a moment's peace. The king gives me the smallest mercy of remaining silent for our journey back to the fortress he resides in, letting me grieve for the lives lost today without interruption.
