Chapter 122 Closer and closer.
It was all one big blur that Doris could barely register. William grabbed her arm and took off in a run towards the trees. She felt as if her feet barely touched the ground as they pounded through the snow. She knew that William would start to drag her if she didn’t hury and she didn’t feel like losing an arm to him.
An arrow zipped past her head and thudded into the snow in front of her. William forced her to start to run diagonally instead of a straight line. Doris almost tripped over her own feet, but William straightened her before she could fall. She didn’t know how close they were to being caught, she didn’t know if they were right behind her about to clasp their hands around her body—she only ran. Even when the back of her throat burned and her body tried to give up on her, she ran.
They disappeared into the trees and the silence engulfed them. Doris heard her breath almost burst her ears as they dodged the trees and turned a different way. There was no time to think, only move. She trusted William enough to follow him blindly through danger and hope he would lead them out on the other side. It wasn’t that long ago that she would have refused to trust him for even a second.
“Down there!” William called to Enzo who was slightly ahead of them. Shouting erupted from behind them and she desperately wanted to see how close they were behind them. She resisted the urge, if she turned her head it would’ve been over for her. Up ahead, Doris saw Patrick and the rest of the guards waiting down a small hill.
1
They mounted their horses and several had taken off already at Patrick’s command.
“Come on!” William said. She wasn’t sure if he meant himself or all of them, but Doris pushed herself just a bit more even though her insides wanted to bleed. How did he seem so unaffected?
William picked Doris up at her waist and skidded down the hill, passing Enzo on the way down. He lifted her on an empty horse and pulled himself up without a second to breathe. Doris gripped onto him tightly and saw Enzo mount his own horse and take off seconds after they did.
The group of guards halted at the top of the hill and started shouting at them as if it would make them stop. Faster than she expected, they were out of sight. She faced forward again and allowed herself to breathe despite the harsh gallops of the horse. Her throat burned so bad, she thought it would start bleeding soon.
Her mind started to catch up with her, she gripped William tighter and was thankful they were even alive. She closed her eyes and let him take her somewhere far and safe. If safety even existed in these lands.
They rode the horses hard until she could no longer recognize their surroundings. Her face was completely frozen by the time they finally stopped to rest. Snow started to fall slowly around them, she only hoped there was no storm headed their way after everything else they had to deal with.
William slid off the horse and helped her down. He glanced around once before he lifted her sweater.
“Hey!” Doris snatched the fabric and forced it back down with red cheeks. “What are you doing?”
“Doris.” William said impatiently. “Let me see. I need to know if you need some of my blood.”
“Some of your blood? For what?” Doris lifted her sweater herself and saw blood covered the side of her stomach. She didn’t even feel the arrow that must have skimmed her skin when it hit the ground. Her fingers traced the wound as if it was some sort of alien thing that wasn’t a part of her body. She winced at the touch. “I… I didn’t even feel it.”
“That’s because of your adrenaline. It’s normal to not feel anything in the moment for smaller wounds.” William gripped her hand to move it away. He leaned closer to see how deep it was. His warm breath caressed her cold skin and sent a shiver down her spine. “It seems to be more of a surface wound, but I want you to have a taste just to close it faster.”
William dropped her sweater instantly when Enzo came over to them. He looked even more haggard than before.
“Your guard spotted a few caves up ahead. They’re a bit small, but I think you two should manage.” He brushed his hand across the horse they stood by. “I’ll have them hide the horses as best they can, but I won’t be able to move until morning. Don’t worry, I won’t be dead.”
“Enzo, we can take care of the horse. Please, go rest.” Doris rubbed his arm. He offered a small smile and turned away from them. He staggered a little on his way into one of the small caves up ahead.
He turned his gaze on her and she only then realized how close they were. His eyes lingered on her lips for much longer than a normal amount.
“Yes. I’ve been planning this for years. I wouldn’t have come all the way here and tore through some of their trust if I wasn’t sure.”
“Then that’s it. All you can do is try. People are unpredictable, but that doesn’t mean they can’t change.” Doris reached her hand up to brush across his face. She offered a smile.
William gripped her hand. “I don’t know what to think when I’m around you.” He admitted.
“What do you mean?”
“Half of me wants to throw you out in the snow and the other half wants you beneath me every time I hear you argue with me.”
Doris felt her cheeks flush a little. “I could say the same about you.” Doris whispered. She allowed herself to be a little bold and ran her hand up his thigh. 1
William’s eyes darkened with desire almost instantly. “I don’t like to be teased.”
“I heard it could be fun.”
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