Chapter 12
Naya
A creaking sound rousesme from my sleep, and I sit up in the cold bed, instantly noticing the vacant space beside me. For a moment, confusion hits me as I try to pinpoint where the noise came from.
Outside the room.
Another sound comes through, echoing in my head as I brace myself, quietly standing up. It’s louder now, coming ever closer, until the handle turns slowly, as if it’s taunting me. My eyes widen—it has to be Grey, right?
The door creaks open, and for a split of a second, my mind conjures up pictures of it being Arthur or Emilio. My lungs constrict with the way I hold my breath, not daring to make a sound, as I wait for the door to fully open with the silence suffocating me.
It’s just Grey.
A figure steps through the doorway, his posture slumped and clothes dirtied, a backpack slung over his shoulder—one I recognize well. He moves with deliberately careful steps, like a phantom in the breeze, trying to close the door behind him soundlessly.
My eyes trail down to his knuckles. They’re bruised, skin split and bleeding, but the blood has dried into crips. As the silhouette turns, I see Grey’s familiar features, along with the stubble after not shaving for days, and a fresh cut on his lip. Despite that, there’s a contentment in his expression that wasn’t there when I saw him before I fell asleep.
An anxious flutter echoes in my chest as a tight knot ofapprehension coils in my stomach, intermingling with unease. Where did he go, and what did he do?
Grey stops in his tracks when he sees I’m awake, awkwardly smiling at me in a way to feign innocence, but I can see through his bullshit. Something is up.
“Morning.”
He did something—fought someone—but I cannot figure out why or who.
“Where were you?” I ask, suspicion coloring my tone.
My eyebrows raise when he steps closer, footsteps creaking through the silence. His posture is tensed, shoulders drawn tight.
“I was out. Don’t worry about it,” he says, words clipped and cryptic. “I have something I’d like to do with you.”
“What?”
He extends a hand for me to take, his fingers open, inviting mine to tangle with his. My hand hesitantly hovers in the air for a brief moment before I finally place it in his.
“Don’t worry.” His smile is kind yet full of mischief. He leads me out of the room, leaving our things behind the now open door.
The hallway is even colder than the room we slept in, but sunlight filters through the windows and offers a soothing touch of warmth. The ancient floor groans under our weights as we make our way down the stairs.
“Where are you taking me?”
“You’ll see.”
I cannot help but fear the worst. What happened while I was asleep? More importantly, why didn’t he wake me up instead of going out alone?
“Tell me, Grey.”
“Patience, my love. Have I ever taken you somewhere against your will?”
“Last time you took me out, we ended up by a lake with a corpse.”
“Figured you could use a break from the whole ‘dead bodies’ scenery. This time, no crime scenes.”
I roll my eyes, a faint smile tugging at my lips. Fine, if he won’t tell me now, I’ll let him tell me later.
“Relax and let go, little doll. We still have time to live a little.” He nudges me with his shoulder before stopping me in my tracks.
I look up at him questioningly. “What is it?”
