Heartless

❆ Six ❆

Six

Blood oozed down the side of my face and dripped into the snow.  I aimed my black pistol at the wolf. His golden fur glistened a dark red in the setting sun. He growled, feinting one direction as I jerked back in another.

"P... please," I begged. My knees quaked out from under me and buckled. I clawed away from the approaching shadow. He loomed over me with his chops drawn back in a furious snarl. Why did I have to be so stupid? Why did I ever think I could get away from him? "Beast, please!"

His silver eyes flared dangerously. I flipped onto my back and crawled away. The snow around me shimmered crimson. He stepped closer. His face came within a foot of my own. A growl burst from his lips. His mouth opened wide, teeth glinting in the sun. My blood dripped from his tongue. Then he lunged.

I woke with a scream on my lips and sweat dripping down my face. The sheets were balled in my fists. Dim light waved about the room, the candle still burning on the table beside me. Sitting up and wiping my brow, I glanced about the room.

It resembled Kenji's in decor save the fact that it was much larger. Animal hides were hung on the walls and draped on the floor as rugs. I swung my legs over the edge of the bed, pushing the white canopy aside, and slowly limped over to the desk. Blank sheaves of paper were folded neatly in the middle, several shimmering crystals and ornate candle holders decorating the top. A coat rack stood in the corner with several shawls and cloaks hooked on it. A dark chestnut bureau, several garish paintings. What captured most of my attention was the mirror. Several feet long and reaching from the floor and halfway to the ceiling, encompassed with gold leaves, it reflected the entire room from the canopy bed to the large oak doors. Completely immovable. And strangely terrifying. I didn't like looking at myself in it. There was something about the way it was centered in the room that gave me an uneasy feeling whenever I stepped inside. It almost felt... alive.

Grabbing the candle from the table, I tiptoed out into the hallway and crept to Kenji's room. I didn't feel comfortable sleeping in my own. No matter where I moved, I always felt eyes latched onto me. I couldn't stay there. 

I knocked on his door and waited for a moment. "Kenji, are you awake?" No response. I tried again. "Kenji?" I twisted the knob and pushed it open. His outline was a lumpy silhouette amongst the covers. Light snores filled the air. He looked peaceful. And he was taking up the entire bed. I couldn't slip in even if I wanted to.

I stepped back out and closed the door. I shifted the candle to a different hand and walked the retreat to my room. Instead of choosing the same hallway, I took the other one and wandered further away from my door and prison. I skimmed my fingertips along the stone walls, glancing at each painting that I passed. Several were just of past family members, the women in grand dresses with brooches and the men in fine military robes. Gold and silver crowns topped their heads. There were several in just the one hallway. At the very end, there was Lumea.

She wore a beautiful red dress that exposed a brief clip of her chest and circled her neck midway, a cape flowing down her back. Her face, heart-shaped and slightly tan, held a deep blush in her cheeks and passion in her dazzling blue eyes. She was stunning. But what really surprised me wasn't her beauty or her finesses: it was her hair. It was pitch black— a stark contrast to the snowy color I knew now.

And then there was Beast.

His portrait hung at the very end of the hall, apart from all the others. His dark hair was longer and slicked back, gray eyes vibrant and narrowed in a challenge. His lips were quirked upward into the smallest of smiles. He looked dangerous and— to my dislike— handsome.