Page 246 of Bound By Crimson
Each step creaked beneath her weight.
The walls on either side pressed close like they didn’t want her passing through.
She moved slowly, careful not to rush, hands brushing the sides to keep her balance.
Halfway down, she had to duck. The ceiling sloped sharply, pressing her into a crouch.
It was suffocating.
Then—at the bottom—she saw it.
Another door.
Small. Square. Set low into the wall.
She would have to crawl.
Lyric crouched lower, heart pounding.
No knob. Just a rusted latch—already unhooked.
Lyric stared at it for a moment, a shiver running through her. The last person to open this door… must have been her mother—Eden.
She reached out with trembling fingers and pushed.
The wood groaned but gave way, revealing a tight passage.
She brushed cobwebs from her face, dropped to her knees—and crawled.
The crawlspace was narrow. Low.
Her shoulders scraped the walls. Dust choked the air.
Wood creaked beneath her palms. Something scurried nearby.
She froze. Her breath caught—heart hammering, ears straining in the dark.
Was it a rat? Something worse? She couldn’t see. Could barely breathe.
But this was for Noah.
She forced herself forward, eyes burning, limbs trembling. She had to keep going.
Then—up ahead—light. Faint, but there.
She continued forward until her fingers met cool iron.
A grate.
She peered through it—and froze.
On the other side—dark wood. Neatly hung suits. Polished leather shoes.
The scent hit her next—clean, spiced, unmistakable.
Kai.
Her chest tightened.
