Chapter 45

I toss and turn most of the night, I can’t help but think that I was too harsh to Mihai when he was just trying to help me, which is shit because guilt can eat away at the mind; and it is. It’s filling me with a sense of dread that I can’t shake.
I groan in anger and climb out of bed, deciding to leave the bedroom, something that I haven’t done since I arrived in this new house. I don’t even know where everything is, but I’m about to find out.
I wrap a robe around my shoulders, mainly to keep me warm and slip into my running shoes, you never know when an enemy will attack, and it’s better to be prepared. With that in mind, I slip my knife into the pocket of the dressing gown, my hand wrapped around the handle, just in case I need it.
I don’t think that Mihai’s staff would attack me, but the hunters could find us again, and if they do, I don’t want to be found without a weapon. That would be a death sentence, and I’m not going to let myself die when I have barley lived.
I click the door shut as quietly as I can, surprised to see that no one is guarding the door, does that mean that he trusts me now?
He wouldn’t leave me without a guard if he thought that I would run, and he’s right to trust me, mostly because I have no where to go. I’d never make it on my own. I know that. The council would find me in a heartbeat, and then my story would be over, just like my mother.
They would make an example of me, I’m certain of it.
I look around the dark corridor, deciding to search for Mihai, I need to apologise to him. I was wrong to speak to him the way that I did. He’s been nothing but supportive and I threw it back in his face. I shouldn’t have done that. But I was so angry, it was like my body reacted before my mind did, and I almost attacked him.
I would have probably lost in a fight against him, but the difference is that he wouldn’t have hurt me the way that I wanted to hurt him. He would have stopped me, but he wouldn’t have hurt me. Not really, knowing Mihai he would have only used the force necessary to make me stop.
I wander down the hall, trying different doors, but all of the rooms were empty, and the house was eerie quiet. It was creeping me out.
It shouldn’t be this quiet, should it?
I stop at the top of the stairs and strain my ears to listen, but again, I hear nothing, not one sound.
I’m on the top floor, maybe that’s why I can’t hear anyone.
I slowly walk down the stairs, peering over the banister nervously after every step I take, the stairs are loud, too loud. They’re going to give my position away.
I stop hallways down, almost certain I heard something, but again, there were no sounds coming from the lower levels. I need to find Mihai.
This feels like a horror movie, and I’m the dumb girl who gets herself killed because she wanders the haunted house alone. I need to go back to my room, before I’m mauled to death or something.
“What are you doing stood on the stairs?” Comes a voice from behind me, my body going rigid as I scream.
I turn around, pulling the knife from my dressing gown and launching myself forward, trying to gain the upper hand before they take me down.
I barely make it three steps before I’m pinned to the wall, the back of my head slamming back, the pain blinding my vision.
“Let go of me!” I scream, thrashing my body as hard as I can.
When did I get so pathetic?
The old me would have fought a lot better than this.
“Calm down spitfire! It’s me.” Garne chuckles, making me feel even worse.
I stop fighting, my body going limp against his as I sigh, “sorry, I’m a little jumpy.”
It’s a lame excuse, but it’s better than saying I was terrified out of my mind just a second ago.
Garne puts me back down on the floor, being more gentle than I deserve, and he hands me back my knife, which I promptly place back into the dressing gown.
My cheeks blush red when he laughs again, “it’s not funny you know, I thought that we were under attack.” I say coldly, trying to defend what is left of my honour. “Why is it so quiet anyway?”
Garne shrugs a little, “well, I guess that’s because Mihai is having all the staff questioned.”
I frown, “Why would he do that?”
“That’s an easy one.” Garne smirks, “he thinks there is a traitor here, and I don’t blame him, our location has been found too often and too fast for there not to be a traitor.”
My eyes wander back to the stairs, “Then why aren’t you being questioned?” I ask.
I know Garne, he was with me when I was at my worst, but that doesn’t mean that he is my friend. He could still betray me. Not that I think he would, but I can’t be too careful.
“Don’t look at me like that, spitfire, I’m not the traitor Garne snaps, crossing his arms, “if I were, you’d already be dead.”
I hold my hands up in surrender, “sorry, I just don’t trust you, not yet.”
“Well you better start, because it’s me and you for the long run kid.” Garne smiles, messing up my hair with his massive hand.
The guy could crush me with just his hand, and the rest of him isn’t exactly small either.
“What do you mean by that?” I ask, shoving him backwards.
“Mihai decided that because you are so comfortable around me that it would be a good idea for me to stay close to you.” He explains, forever smiling. “He doesn’t want you to be alone, but he also doesn’t want you surrounded by people he can’t trust.”
That makes sense.
Garne was with me almost the entire time I was in the Nati hospital, he almost made me feel better. Almost.
He’s also the first Nati who has been kind to me expect for Mihai.
I guess I can trust him, for now.
“Don’t think I won’t kick your ass if you annoy me.” I joke, “and I’m not a morning person so you may want to write that down.”
He laughs, shaking his head, “I take it you were looking for Mihai before I scared the shit out of you?”
“I wasn’t scared.” I murmur, “I was just startled.”
Garne winks at me, “Anything you say, spitfire.”
“Just take me to Mihai already,” I growl, slapping his arm.
He fakes injury, falling to his knees, “you wounded me!”
A few members of staff walk past the bottom of the stairs, watching as Garne pretends to be wounded. Some laugh, some scowl, but none of them pay any attention to me.
It’s like I’m the plague and they have to avoid me at any cost.
But I’m not diseased, they’re just assholes.
I slap him again, “get up, you’re embarrassing me.”
He turns to where I’m staring and frowns, growing so loud that the ground shakes beneath us, “disrespect the lady of this house again and I’ll report you!” He shouts at them, the staff hurriedly running in the opposite direction.
The hall is deathly silent again with seconds, all except for Garne’s heavy breathing.
My eyes are wide when he finally calms down and turns to look at me, “you didn’t have to do that!” I whisper, mortified.
“I did.” He says, the playfulness gone, “They need to know who you are, and they need to respect you, if you let them walk all over you then your life here will be nothing but hell.” He leads me down the stairs, “trust me Mae, it’s better that they fear you, because if I were Mihai, they’d already be dead.”
“He wouldn’t kill them for that.” I argue, rolling my eyes.
“He killed one of his own because they shook your hand.” Garne counters, raising a single eyebrow, “Do you really think he’d let anyone disrespect you?”
He’s right, Mihai wouldn’t stand for it.
And to be honest, neither should I.
I’ve spent a lifetime letting people use me and walk all over me, enough is enough.
I need to get stronger, not just physically, but mentally too.