Page 104 of Hidden
Miles was in a deep sleep by the time I’d gathered the courage to leave the bed.
Damen still wasn’t finished with my room—one more day, he promised—and while I enjoyed being around the boys, I needed a moment to myself.
I couldn’t leave through the door—lights from the hallway trickled in under the door. At least one of the others was still awake, and Julian was due home at some point. I may run into him while trying to escape.
I liked him, but right now I wanted to be alone.
Which meant there was only one more way to leave the room.
The window creaked, but Miles didn’t stir. Still, it was heavy. And I grumbled under my breath while my thoughts drifted over the many ways to kill Damen.
Structural integrity my butt. There was no thought behind this disrepair. I knew the method behind his madness—he was too lazy to update his home. Hopefully, though, the roof was sturdier than it appeared. With my luck, it would cave under me and I would land directly on top of someone’s head.
The tiles were rough under my bare feet, and I inched myself the rest of the way out of the window. The waning moon gave just enough light for me to see my immediate surroundings, but nothing too far. I tentatively began to move across the surface until I’d reached the ledge.
Damen’s bedroom light was on, and I tried to give him his privacy. Really I did. But while hidden in the shadows, I was close enough to see him. He stood in front of a floor length mirror, apparently having a passionate argument with himself. I could see his expression thanks to the reflection. And the look there gave me pause.
Fury blazed in his eyes, and there was something distinctly demonic surrounding him as well. The strong angles of his face seemed sharper, and the shadows that had been under his eyes these last few days had grown darker.
And unless I was mistaken, he was talking to his reflection.
My brows furrowed, concern lacing through me. Although no one else cared, I still remembered. I still didn’t trust Kasai, and it seemed as though this possession was becoming a rather serious thing. Unbeknownst to the others, Damen had begun conversing with the Lords of the Underworld.
I was going to have to do something soon. This was turning into a serious issue.
But first, it was time for my moment of self-reflection. Then I could worry about Damen.
With that thought in mind, I pressed from the roof, trusting the branches below me to break my fall. My aim was true, and without injury, I scurried away from the house.
I already knew where to go.
The first time I was here, I’d sensed it—a place where a creek cut through the forest, and the moss grew deep. When I’d run from Damen a few days ago, it was the opposite direction. My thoughts had been in turmoil. It hadn’t crossed my mind to seek out refuge there.
But this time I was prepared.
It wasn’t so far. No one would ever know I’d left.
The sound grew louder as I stepped out into the small clearing.
It was a tiny space, no larger than one of the university’s smaller lecture rooms, with thick foliage caging in the clearing on every side—almost as if they made up walls, separating this land from the outside world. In the center of the space, beside the creek, was an old hunting shack. It was barely more than faded two-by-fours and a tin roof, and no glass covered the small window, nor door on the rough doorframe. It looked old, as if a strong gust of wind would cause the entire framework to come tumbling down.
Despite the possibility of it collapsing on my head, I found myself drawn to it.
Moonlight filtered through the trees, and I picked my way toward the building. But the illumination didn’t reach to the floor of the shack.
My heart was pounding in my ears, and there was a nervous energy in the air.
But still, I was curious. Bracing myself, I stepped into the darkness.
I’d only crossed three or so feet when my foot brushed against something soft. Whatever it was jerked back from me, throwing me off balance. The world tilted as the ground rushed up to meet me, and a strangled scream escaped my lips as I fell onto a warm, hard body.
The man let out a sound of alarm as his arms closed around my back, triggering the panic that had been hovering on the edge of my awareness.
But my voice had barely squeaked out before a hand pressed over my mouth, throwing me into helpless silence.
“Bianca?” Finn’s sleepy voice broke through the blackness threatening to overwhelm my thoughts. As he pulled himself up, and me along with him, his hand dropped from my mouth. But he made no move to release my shoulders, and when he spoke next, his voice was only marginally more awake. “What in the world are you doing out here?”
“Finn!” My voice broke, my nerves still on edge, although my heart-rate was returning to normal and my breathing evened out. I glanced at him, and his shadowed eyes watched mine.
