Chapter 21: Run Away From The Devil
Ivan woke up early the next morning to the quiet sound of breathing beside him. His head ached, but it wasn’t what caught his attention. It was the soft pressure on his shoulder.
Lydia was still sleeping. Her head rested gently against him, her body curled slightly like she was trying to protect him. The warm towel he had placed on his forehead during the night had already turned cold. He reached up and removed it slowly, careful not to move too much.
He wanted to sit up. He wanted to push her away and tell her to leave. But he didn’t.
She looked tired. Even her breathing was soft and uneven, like someone who hadn’t rested properly in days. Her clothes were stained with dark, dried blood—his blood. She hadn’t changed or cleaned up. From the looks of it, she hadn’t left his side at all the previous day.
He just stared at her.
She was quiet, peaceful, and fragile in that moment. And yet... something about her didn’t sit right with him. She didn’t fear him like everyone else. She didn’t look at him with hate either. If anything, she looked at him like he was just a man—not a monster, not a devil.
Even when he threatened her... she didn’t flinch.
She had saved his life. Again.
He kept staring at her, eyes tracing the dried blood on her sleeve, the way her eyelashes rested lightly against her skin, how her mouth was slightly parted from sleep. A storm brewed in his chest, one he couldn’t name.
Outside, the sound of a horse arriving echoed faintly through the cold morning air.
Ivan was still lying down, with Lydia still on his shoulder, when a knock came at the door.