Chapter 302: Into the Woods
Fast footsteps echoed through the dense forest, followed by the crunch of dry leaves and twigs under Aliana’s shoes as she fled from the man who resembled her husband, but his demeanour was nothing like the man she knew.
When he had first told her to run, she hadn’t been able to move. Not until she saw his dark powers bleeding from him as he took a threatening step towards her. Pure terror had driven her to flee as if he were about to attack her.
Why? Why would he do that to her? She asked herself as she continued to push forward until her lungs burned.
When she couldn’t take the strain any longer, she pressed her back against a rough tree trunk and tried to catch her breath.
In the quiet darkness, she couldn’t stop her mind from comparing this version of Gavriel to his former self, when he had been nothing but kind.
He had protected her, shared his warmth with her, and she... she had leaned into him... trusted him.
She had trusted him with her life.
Never in a million years had she imagined running away from the very man who had once made her feel safe. She had always known he was dangerous, but he had never terrified her like this.
Her heart bled at the thought.... ’What if... what if she had been nothing more than entertainment to him all along? Just someone to amuse him in his endless lifespan?’
Otherwise, why would he go to such extreme lengths to marry her? She genuinely didn’t know anymore.
The initial shock that had overwhelmed both her body and mind was finally beginning to fade as Gavriel’s changed behaviour allowed Aliana to think of him beyond his identity as the Devil.
Memories of their time together flooded her mind, moments when he had shown her a tenderness like no one else. He had held her so close that his touch seemed to reach her very heart, until she felt as though it no longer belonged to her... but to him.
A sharp pain continued to shoot through her chest as his cold, piercing red eyes overlapped with the tender, icy blue eyes he used to look at her with.
Raising her shaking hands, she covered her face and whispered, "Why... why is this happening to me?"
The sting on her head and hands burned, but the ache in her heart completely overpowered her physical injuries. A soft, broken sob escaped her lips, and she quickly pressed a palm over her mouth to muffle the sound.
Where could she even run from him, now that she finally thought about it?
In the heat of the moment, she had declared that she would run away from him when he was trying to reach her, but she had been the one continually stepping away from him. Maybe it was his words that had finally jolted her out of her shock when he told her to run.
Aliana felt utterly torn.
A large part of her wanted to turn back, run to him, and demand answers. Yet the other part remembered who he was now, and the sinister way he had threatened her made her hesitate.
"Stop it," she whispered to herself. Wiping her eyes with her trembling hands, she scolded herself softly, "Stop crying."
The terrifying memory of him stepping toward her with those dark wisps leaking out of his form snapped her back to reality. Pushing off the tree, she began to run again.
If he was truly going to hurt her, if she was nothing more than a temporary amusement to him, then why was she hesitating to take this chance to escape?
Sharp branches tore through her light dress, scraping against her legs as she pushed through the dense brush, but she refused to stop.
She didn’t know where the forest began or where it ended, or which way to turn to escape. If only she could reach a main road, maybe she could ask for help.
Her mind wandered towards the dark possibilities of what could she do next.
After all, she was the one who had gone to ask him for help in the first place, didn’t she?
If she weren’t backed into such a corner, she would have laughed at the cruel irony. Once upon a time, Gavriel had been the one pushing her away, while she had rushed towards him instead, like a silly moth drawn to a flame. And now, it seemed to be the other way around.
But her scattered thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a loud crunch from the bushes nearby, and her head snapped toward the sound. Distracted for a single second, her foot caught on an exposed root, sending her falling face-first onto the ground.
"Ugh," she hissed in pain.
Sitting up slowly, she lifted her hand, only to wince at the sight of the sharp wood embedded deep into the cut on her palm. Biting her lower lip hard, she yanked the twig out in one swift motion and squeezed her eyes shut against the sharp spike of pain.
Blood gushed out of her palm, but she didn’t get to process it when the rustle in the bushes once again pulled her attention.
Carefully, she rose to her feet and stepped back as her mind screamed, ’What now?!’
Her eyes narrowed in the dark before widening in horror as something emerged from the bushes.
’Fuck! A wolf!’
A low growl escaped it as its eyes locked onto Aliana, who had already gone pale. When it parted its jaws, revealing its drooling canines, she swallowed hard.
’Correction: A very hungry-looking wolf!’
Aliana genuinely thought this had to be the worst day of her life, with the way the disastrous night just kept unfolding.
And with the haze in her mind finally beginning to clear, there was only one person she could blame for her current predicament. A vicious curse slipped from her lips as the anger boiling in her veins finally found an outlet.
"Fuck you, Gavriel!"
At the sound of her voice, the wolf snarled and launched itself straight at her.
But before Aliana could even try to dodge, the beast was slammed violently against a tree by an unseen force. The wolf let out a pained whimper before scrambling to its feet and quickly running away.
Aliana turned around just in time to face the man she had cursed, only to hear him remark, "Mm, that was not a very nice way to address your husband."
Having had enough of his little game, Aliana glared at him. At this point, even death didn’t scare her, and she ran her mouth without hesitation. "You deserve it!"
His blood-red eyes flickered with genuine amusement before lingering on the fresh cuts bleeding across her skin.
"Hm, perhaps," he murmured, stepping closer. "It seems like you are finally getting your wits back. Let’s go home if you’re done with your little night run."
"L-little night run?" Aliana repeated in disbelief before she spat, "How dare you! You’re the one who threatened me too!" Her anger rose as she took a defiant step back.
"Threatened?" Gavriel raised an eyebrow. "I thought I was simply indulging my wife’s little whims. You seemed hesitant, so I only gave you a little push."
He stepped closer, his voice softening as he added, "Now come. Let’s go home."
Aliana gritted her teeth. "Why should I go anywhere with you?" She took another step back until her back hit the tree. "Tell me why! So that I can continue to entertain you?"
It was Gavriel’s turn to frown. "Entertain me?"
"Yes!" Her voice trembled. "I-Isn’t that why you married a human like me in the first place? So I could continue to entertain you while you play your little games?" She glared at him through eyes brimming with fresh hurt, though she adamantly refused to let the tears fall.
Gavriel remained quiet, studying her face for a few long seconds before answering flatly, "Yes, that’s right."
Aliana froze, completely stunned by his answer.
Before she could even react, he loomed over her as he added, "I’m the Devil, right? Why do you look so surprised, baby, when you’ve already made up your mind about me?"
"W-what?" Aliana whispered.
A sharp gasp escaped her lips when Gavriel suddenly moved and effortlessly scooped her into his arms.
"W-wait! Let me... let me go, you jerk! I’m not going anywhere with you!" Aliana began thrashing against his chest. But Gavriel simply ignored her protests and held her tighter.
"Stick your limbs out too much, and you might end up losing them," he murmured nonchalantly.
Aliana stilled instantly, and her eyes widened in horror as thick, dark shadows began swirling around them. In a surge of pure panic, she threw her arms around his neck, gripping him tightly and pulling her legs close.
Gavriel’s lips curled into a faint smirk at her sudden change of attitude. With that, the shadows consumed them completely, vanishing from the forest without a trace.