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I remained frozen inthat position, Reaper’s large frame enveloping me. A breeze caressed my arms, blowing some of my hair into my face. A cool breeze. Like we were outside. There were sounds of traffic somewhere close, too.
“You’re alright now.” Reaper tried to be reassuring, but I was too dazed.
His voice raised goosebumps along my arms. Soft moonlight illuminated the floor at my feet. I picked up my head, the biting wind nipping at my exposed skin.
The moon loomed large in the distance. Randomly illuminated windows dotted the surrounding buildings. We werealone on a rooftop.
Reaper pulled back. His gaze sent goosebumps cascading down my arms. A slow grin curved his lips, sending a ripple of apprehension coursing through me. He stroked his fingers down my arm, electrifying every nerve.
In the blink of an eye, the world around us had shifted and warped, the solidity of the mansion replaced by the disorienting embrace of freedom and emptiness. The clear air filled my lungs, and disbelief pierced my head.
Despite the vertigo-inducing height, I refused to give in to the fear closing in on me. “What the actual fuck?”
He smirked, his head cocked. “Awww, you’re welcome, monstre.”
“What happened? Where are we?”
“Top of the Starlight Guild building. I always come here to calm down…” He shook his head in awe at the fae-owned building, the worst-kept secret in the city. “Figured you’d need it too.”
Stunned to silence again, I stared in disbelief, my jaw opening and closing as I grappled with something coherent to say. I settled on, “What happened to Ivan? Did he blow up?”
He gave a nonchalant shrug. “I assume so.”
“So you what? Teleported us out?” He nodded. “You could have gotten us out of there at any time?” He shrugged. “Why didn’t you?”
“You wanted to get Ivan, right?”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“What, and show my hand to a stranger? You’re hot as fuck, Tess, but I’m not stupid.” He gazed up at the stars, and I followed his eyes. “It helps calm the brain to be up here, don’t you think?”
From the rooftop, the twinkling stars were initially just a blur to my overwhelmed senses. One minute, I was about to be face-fucked by Ivan, and the next, he was on the floor, and I was on a rooftop with Reaper. It left me reeling, my breath coming in shallow, rapidgasps. My mind raced, a chaotic whirlwind of thoughts too fast to seize, glimpse, or make sense of.
I felt the urge to run, to flee from this disorienting new reality, but to where? The dappled night sky stretched endlessly. I kept my feet planted, Reaper’s solid presence beside me; his hand was still on my arm, a steadying grip anchoring me to the moment.
Trying hard not to show my internal panic, I forced myself to continue staring up at the midnight sky. With each breath out, the stars came more and more into focus, their silvery brilliance piercing the night. The cool night air brushed against my skin, carrying the faint odors of city life far below and something burning. My shallow breaths lengthened, the tightness in my chest easing as the rhythmic rise and fall matched the slow twinkling of the stars.
I searched the horizon for the source of the burning and found a bright glow in the distance.
“Is that the mansion?”
He followed my gaze to the faint orange hue in the distance and grinned. “That’s the one.”
“He blew the whole thing up…”
I wondered what Valorsyn would make of his favorite event literally exploding in his face. A hysterical giggle escaped my lips—they hadn’t even taken the contestants’ details. The last decade of my life… about to vanish like smoke.
The city sprawled beneath us, an obsidian tapestry speckled with muted lights. The distant hum of traffic reached my ears, a surreal reminder that the world still turned. My hands gripped the cool metal of the rooftop rail, the tangible sensation anchoring me as my mind reeled.
I was still alive.
I’m still alive.
The realization hit me like a thunderbolt. I leaned against the railing, letting out a shaky breath that seemed to carry the weight of ten years. My forehead pressed against the smooth metal as I fought to steady my breathing, my entire body trembling.
Safe. I was safe.
Ivan is gone.
