Chapter 29 : Nameless But Not Blameless
Maeve
"Aaron?" I said into the dark as my door opened and closed, a shadowed figure moving through the room toward my bed. I sat up, pulling the sheets over my bare chest.
I blinked rapidly to adjust my eyes to the darkness. A drawer squeaked as it was roughly opened, the sound of fabric falling to the ground overwhelmed by murmured curses.
"I thought you weren't coming back until tomorrow," I said, scooting to the side of the bed and slipping my legs out of the sheets. "What are you doing?"
"Get dressed, Maeve. We have to go."
"Go where?" I laughed, standing and reaching over to my bedside table to turn on the lamp. Yellow light filled the room, washing over his face. "Aaron, what's wrong?"
"Turn off the lamp, right now!" he exclaimed, panic flashing in his eyes.
He was filthy, and his clothes were damp and smelled sharply of rainwater and dust. He had dark circles beneath his eyes, and he looked exceedingly wary. I stepped forward, narrowing my eyes as I closed in on him, ignoring his demand.
He had blood on his shirt. Lots of it.
"Aaron?"
"That's not my name, Maeve."
I froze, any warmth I felt by his presence evaporating into thin air and leaving me feeling suddenly exposed. I crossed my arms over my breasts, not taking my eyes off of his. “What kind of game is this? Why are you covered in blood?"
"My name is Troy." He took a step forward, his eyes boring into mine. I opened my mouth to speak, but the only sound that escaped was a choked laugh.
"Okay, Troy," I said sarcastically. But he looked at me, coldly, his eyes vibrant gems in the lamplight.
"Turn off the lamp, Maeve. I'm serious.”
"Not until you tell me why you're covered in blood.” I felt the sudden urge to step away from him. Troy? Who the hell was Troy? All the suspicions I had had about him came rushing forward as I looked over his face, the face I hadn't recognized. The eyes that seemed so new, so incredibly unique. And his chest, scarless, when I knew it shouldn't be. "You're not Aaron, are you?"
"I'm not. I never have been. Aaron is on an island somewhere. He’s safe. He'll be returned to his family."
"I don’t understand," I said, an edge to my voice. "Why are you here?"
"A mission," he said as he took another step, his hands outstretched in a show of surrender. "I didn’t come here to be your breeder. I never meant to even touch you. I was here to free Romero from the tower."
"Who?" I took a step away from him.
"I need you to listen to me. I need you to know that everything that has happened between us, everything... that was me. Troy. Not Aaron. I meant everything I've ever said and done with you."
strange feeling beginning to well in
echoing in my ears. I felt bile rising in my
was right all along, Maeve. I know you had your own suspicions. I don't have the scar, do I? That's because I never fell out of a tree when I was a kid. I've never been to Winter Forest. We met for the first time that day in
of deceit. Everything he had said to me, everything he had done to
"Leave my room, now!"
off after I met you in
crowd. You pulled me in. I didn't know who you were. Then you were... not who I
changed, panic and confusion lining his face as he tensed, looking slowly towards the door. I felt his fear. The downy hairs on my arms stood on end as the sounds of rushing footsteps echoed through the corridors below. Something was wrong. Very, very
I was interrupted by the sound of Troy struggling to pull my dresser along the wall and positioning it against the door, preventing it from opening. I heard the shared door open and a similar scraping sound coming from his room. He came back into my room,
"What are you doing?"
time." He was ripping the sheet into strips, cursing under his breath as he wound and knotted the strips together to form
Voices echoed
was in front of me, gripping my upper arms so tightly I could feel his fingernails pinching
him, slamming my fists into his chest. He grabbed the back of my head, twisting his fingers into my hair and pulling me into a kiss so intense it made
kiss, his lips lightly brushing against mine as another scream echoed from somewhere
away and
"Put it on, now!"
destruction began to reverberate through the castle, snapping
"Ouch!"
up!" he said as spun me around, so my back
away from the door as the sound of footsteps began to sound
go. We're
door, her fearful sobs cutting through the sound of violence echoing through
grasp enough for me to be free of him and run toward the door. I pushed against the
the door as Gemma continued to hammer on it
cried, hot tears
"Troy, help me! Please!"
only sound from her was a few
"I am."
get her out.
I promise
him, fire
go with him. Please. You have to trust me-" "I'm not going anywhere without you!” I screamed, desperately pushing against the dresser. She was crying softly now, her sobs muffled
now. You have to get
"I'll get her out."
by a crashing sound, followed by shattering glass and the menacing yelps of wolves coming up the stairwell down the hall.
my fists against the dresser. "HELP
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