I enter my room with Thomas tailing me like a bloody stray dog. I didn't even try to close the door behind me, because I knew we'd follow me anyway. I was doing a good job at ignoring him, but I couldb't overlook the wicked grin that appeared on Bee's lips as we entered the room.
"Don't you introduce me to your friend, Ally?" She says and I roll my eyes.
"Thomas, this very noisy girl is my room mate, Beatrice." I say, looking at him, then I turn to Bee. "And he's my ex."
"So he's the reason you abandoned me in the fricking Uber?" She asks, faking being mad at me.
"No, I've met with my brothers," I answer her and I gather my things to go have a shower.
"Your very hot brothers?" She asks and I just nod. "Why didn't you let me tag along?"
I don't respond to her whining and just enter the bathroom. One of the few good things Yeti did was donating an absurd amount of money to the university, which resulted in us, the hunters and a few selected students, are given better rooms. I'm glad it is the case, because I wouldn't have resisted if I had to share the shower room with the whole female study body. I strip of my clothes and lose a few minuted just sitting under the warm water. I've started spending a less time in the shower, since I'm deadly scared of being alone with my thoughts for too long. I'm sure I'd go crazy if I have more weeks like the ones since the Ancestors' Day.
But now I'm strangely feeling okay, reminscing today's events and find myself debating what should I wear for my date. Where will Asher take me? Should I dress elegant? Or just be myself? What if I'll seem out of place? With every new worry, excitement builds up inside of me and I jump out of the shower, not wanting to waste another minute. I step out of the shower and wrap myself with a towel. I let my hair draining naturally and brush my teeth. I go back to my room and find Thomas and Bee chatting about me.
"Oh, here comes the devil," laughs Bee and I frown at her. "It's a saying, it means that we were talking about you."
"I've heard you," I say, shrugging. "Bee, will you do my make-up please?"
"What for?"
"I'm going on a date," I say and she grins at Thomas.
"What do you have in mind, Adeline?" He asks me, but I ignore him and try to find some clothes. I choose a pair of blue dress pants. I choose a white and baby blue floral blouse and a pair of blue Superstars. I go back to the bathroom and get dressed quickly. I look in the mirror and I find myself too plain and casual. I stomp angrily back in the room and continue to stare at my wardrobe. Why is so hard to find the perfect outfit?
This time I get a red, tight skirt that has a deeper cut on my right leg, a white crop top with a deep v-neck and a pair of red-bottoms. I change into my second outfit and I'm really happy with the result. I feel sexy and courageous, so I step confidently back into the room. I hear Bee's giggling when Thomas mouth drops open and I smirk, happily by the impression I made. I brush my hair and put some primer on my face. Béatrice comes to help me, applying a red lipstick on my lips a nude eyeshadow, along with a perfectly winged eyeliner. A little blush and contour later and I'm off to go. It was only a quarter to seven so I was way too early. I put my stuff in a little clutch, I grab a leather jacket and decide to wait on the terrace. As I prepare to exit the room, waving Bee, Thomas reminds me of his existance. Which I've easily ignored since he appeared in front of the halls.
"Where do we want us to go, beautiful?" He asks, grabbing my waist and I scoff.
"Nowhere," I pry his hand off of me and exit my room. I walk to the balcony and sit on the beat-up couch. I lit a cigarette and enjoy the nice sunset, until Thomas finds me.
"Here is where you want to have our date? Really, Aline?" He asks and I laugh a little.
"I am going on a date, Thomas," I inform him. "You're not."
"What? With whom?" He's next to me in a heartbeat, watching me with an angry frown.
"None of your bloody business."
"Fine, then I'll wait here and make sure you're not going on a date with someone other than me tonight," he says and I laugh harder this time.
Right, like you'll have a chance against Asher.
"Spare yourself of this humiliating situation and go back to the hole you crawled out from. I don't want you near me, Thomas."
"We'll see about that, baby. I know you still love me, you always will." He says coyly to me and then comes closer. "Just like I'll always love you."
In the past, those sweet words whispered to me would've made me sparkle with joy from the inside out, but now I don't feel a damn thing. If anything, I want to get the hell away from him. He rests his hand on my bare thigh and I get up. I throw my cigarette in the ashtray and decide to wait Asher in my room. Away from this idiot bastard that thinks I'll be stupid enough to forgive him, after what he's done to me.
"Don't you dare follow me around like this, Thomas, or else..." I threaten him when he follows me out of the balcony, being sick of his presence.
"Or what, baby?" He steps closer to me and I cross my arms around my chest. "Will you shoot an arrow through my heart and make me forever your lover?" He take a stray strand of my hair and plays with it between his fingers.
"I mean it, stay away from me." I say, standing in place, because I'm not running away from him. I'll fight him, if it comes to that, but I'll never chicken out. "I don't want you near me, ever again."
"That it'll be hard. Because I'm adamant on keeping you very, very close to me." He steps even closer, our bodies almost touching.
"Too bad, because I'll make sure to keep myself the hell away from you."
"You seem to be relatively close to me right now."
"I told you I'll never forgive you if you ever betray me again." I inform him, putting my hand on his chest and stopping him when he tries to come closer. "Maybe I would've if it was one of your regular slips. I wouldn't have been surprised if you cheated on me again, because I was really used to that. But you had to outdo yourself, hadn't you?"
"I never wanted to hurt you, Adeline." He assures me and I laugh at how easily he still lies to me.
"At least be honest, for the first time in your life. I deserve better than childish lies and excuses."
"You know I can't lie."
"I also know that you're the most deceiving and despicable creature to ever walk this Earth, so I doubt anything you say anyway."
He doesn't respond and I'm happy that my words left him speechless. As I prepare to walk away from him, he catches me and kisses me. For some stupid reason, his charms work like magic and I succumb myself to the familiar warmth of his body and the bitter-sweet taste of his lips on mine. I don't know if I'm naturally dumb or my brain just logs out everytime Thomas enters the picture, but he has been my only weakness for far too long. I've never been able to outrun his tender touches, empty promises that always fool my foolish heart, neither his undoubting influence on me. He always sets the trap perfectly for me to fall back to him.
We part for a moment, looking at each other. I try to calm my foolish heart but to no avail. My whole body tingles everywhere his hands touched me during our kiss and the more I stare into his blue eyes, the more I want him. He catches my hand and I follow him back to the balcony. We seat on the loveseat together and I stare and the early evening sky, playing its beautiful colours for our eyes. He puts my legs on top of his and kisses me again. I feel one of his gand cupping the back of my neck, while the other one caresses my waist and thigh. I throw my hands around his neck and get myself on top of him. I wasn't aware how much I've missed me, because I didn't allow myself to think about him. I was sure he wasn't ever coming back, but he managed to find me even on another continent.
He leaves a soft kiss on my lips, then I rest my head on his chest. A thousand burning questions were building up inside of me, but I didn't want to ruin the moment. I knew I'll have to ask eventually, I need to know what he had to do, in order to be here. Because if I was only sent across the continent for that mistake, he surely was sent to a far worse place. One no soul should ever return from.
"Come back with me, baby," He tells me and I quickly lift my head to face him.
"Back to London?" I ask and he nods. "I can't Thomas, my mother is out for my blood again, if I return home I'll be thrown in the Sewers."
"I know your mother is the devil incarnated, but she can't chain you because of what happened last year. You already served your sentence, you're free, Adeline."
"No, I'm not," I sigh and sit back on the couch. He puts a hand on my legs, to keep me from distancing myself from him. "Trust me, I'm one step away from prison."
"Why?" He asks and I for a second I wonder if I should tell him.
"How did you escape the Hunt?" I divert the subject and I see his jaw clenching as soon as I say the last word.
"They let me out," he says, not looking at me.
"I though no one ever left the Wild Hunt," I further push the subject, much to his annoyance.
"Isabel decided I've repented for my sins enough," he says in a sigh. "Honestly, if she wouldn't have left me go now, I don't think I'd ever been able to return."
I've hear many tales about the dreading Wild Hunt, fae folk's worst nightmare. They don't believe in locking up their criminals, but condemn them to a fate worse than death. They're cursed to ride on Cheval Gauvins, demonic horses that kill their riders in horrible ways. If they do die during the Hunt, they become Nuckelavee who are later hunted by the remaining, living hunters. The more a Nuckelavee is hunted, the more wicked it becomes, turning into a monstrous entity that kills everything it touches. Fortunately, Thomas looks the same spare for his eyes. There's a sense of troubled thoughts crawling in his mind and tormenting him everytime he dozes off.
"But the Hunt wasn't all bad, it made me realise some stuff I always knew but choose to ignore." He looks at me with loving eyes and I smile waiting for him to continue. "I know I never treated you like you deserve, but it won't happen again. I missed you more than my own freedom in that hellish place. I don't need my life, if you're not in it, Adeline."
He places a quick kiss on my lips, then I hear him whispering, "I love you, baby."
"I love you too, Thomas." As I speak the air changes around me and I look directly to the door. I gasp when I see Asher standing there, fury radiating from him as he watches us with fiery, red eyes.