Page 43 of Penance

Not here.

I lurch forward, throwing myself down the hallway, my bare feet slapping against the cool tile until I reach the door one floor above my own. I had never been here, but I knew this was the right door.

Apartment #777.

I slam both fists against the wooden door, letting the rest of my pain escape with a shivering sound, a mixture of a sob and a scream.

“Please,” I cry, my voice shaking. “Please be home. Draco please? I need you.”

I glance back over my shoulder, my eyes darting to the pitch black staircase and every single shadow.

My eyes are playing tricks on me.

I can see demons coming to grab me, figures racing towards me, only to watch them melt away when I turn to look. I turn back to the door, knocking harder, until my palms burn and the bones in my hands ache.

What if he’s not here?

What if he doesn’t want to help me?

What if he tells me to leave, to save myself for once?

I would deserve it.

I would deserve all of that and more.

“Draco!” I call, louder. “Please!”

The sound of footsteps on the other side of the door silences the whirlwind of thoughts inside my head. I hold my breath, my heart throbbing in my ears as the lock clicks and the door swings open. Draco stands in the shadows, his tall frame shrouded in a crisp white t-shirt, and a pair of black sweatpants, his eyes narrowed with annoyance.

He looks like he was sleeping.

Did I wake him up?

How late is it?

But when his gaze lands on me, the shadows shift. Those cold, unfeeling eyes widen, raking from the top of my head down to my bare feet, curled against the cold tile floor. Something flickers in his gaze, an emotion I can’t quite place.

Surprise?

Disbelief?

“Mercy,” he says, his voice low. “What happened?”

There’s no warmth in his tone, but there’s no harshness, either. Just a quiet intensity that makes my stomach twist into knots. At the sound of his voice, something inside me snaps. Icrumble, my knees folding in on themselves as I collapse against the door frame.

“Draco,” I gasp, my voice raw. “I didn’t know where else to go. I—I can’t…”

My words dissolve into incoherent sobs, my body shaking so hard I have to dig my nails into the wooden door frame just to stay standing. I feel his arms loop around my waist, holding me up. He’s so warm. I can finally feel how cold I am, and he’s so warm.

“Who did this to you?” Draco demands. His fingers bite into my flesh, holding on to me in a way that’s painful, but comforting.

I just stare at him.

I can’t breathe, can’t speak. I try, but all that comes out is a choked sob. I shake my head, my hair whipping around my face like tangled vines, sticking to tear soaked cheeks.

“Mercy,” he says, his voice softer this time. “Tell me what happened.”

“I… I was…” I grasp for the words, but they float just out of my grasp, leaving me with jumbled thoughts and broken sentences. “In my apartment. He-He hurt me?”

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