Chapter 26 - Ellie
I fly into his arms and he wraps them around me in the embrace I’ve been craving since the day I left Greenville. Maybe since the day I walked away ten years ago. He holds me close and I bury my face in his broad chest. I inhale that intoxicating smell that’s exciting and comforting all at once. My heart beats faster as his hands pull me close.
I wrap my arms around his neck and feel his hands press against the small of my back. I breathe in deeply and let the sobs swell inside me. He growls and groans and I tremble, sending waves of comfort through my body with every sound. Derek grips me tighter and I melt into him, feeling the way his muscles shift and move against me. His breath is hot against my neck and I sigh as my body shivers.
Finally I feel him pull away as he moves his hand to the side of my face. I look up and see his eyes, shining bright in the dim light of the room. His hand slides from my cheek and tangles into my hair, pulling my chin up towards him.
The second his lips touch mine I feel an explosion of passion coursing through my body. A quiver passes through my spine as his kiss devours me, his body tensing as he pulls me deeper into him.
This is more than a kiss, it’s more than an embrace. It’s the passion of ten years of lost chances, ten years of missed opportunities, ten years of denial and misplaced pride. I wrap my fingers around his neck and melt into him. I’ve never felt so good, so safe, so loved.
After an eternity that was somehow still too short, we pull away from each other. I bring my fingers to his face and caress his lips gently. He kisses the tip of my finger and closes his eyes as I watch him.
“You came here for me,” I whisper. It’s not a question, but I still can’t get over the feeling of wonder.
“I’d go anywhere for you,” he responds as his eyes laser in towards mine. A rush of warmth passes through my body and I soften in his arms. He pulls me in closer and I rest my forehead against his shoulder. He shifts and kisses my temple. Nothing has ever felt as good or as right as being in Derek’s arms.
The only moment of comfort I’ve had in three weeks evaporates when Jang-mi clears her throat. My body stiffens like a board and Derek tenses as well. We turn towards our two travel companions. I’d almost forgotten where I was.
“Miss Walters, Mister Hart,” the man says. “We must be gone.”
I feel Derek nod his head. “Alright, Lee. But you’re going to have to tell us what’s going on.”
The man, Lee, bows his head. “We will talk. But now we must run.”
The words are like ice in my veins. The danger around us rushes back to me and I realise that even though I’m with Derek, I’m nowhere near out of this mess. I glance up at him and see his face darken. He slips his hand into mine and nods to Lee. Jang-mi is gathering some things in a small bag. My dress is tossed in the corner where I took it off when she handed me the plain black clothing I’m wearing now.
She slips the bag onto her back and looks at all of us in turn. She nods, and turns to the back of the room. She walks up to a large gilded frame and reaches behind it, feeling for something with her fingers. In a few seconds I hear a soft click and the frame swings outwards, revealing a dark passageway.
Derek and I glance at each other and I see his Adam’s apple move up and down as he swallows. I feel a chilly draft drift out of the dark opening.
“We must go,” Jang-mi says softly. She leads the way and I follow, then Derek and finally Lee.
Lee closes the frame behind us and what little light we had disappears. I reach out to the sides to feel the damp walls beside me. I can hear Jang-mi in front of me, steady soft footsteps in the darkness.
Derek’s presence behind me is like a balm on my nerves. This may be the most dangerous, craziest, riskiest place for us to be but at least we’re together. I can hear his deep breathing and hear his footsteps behind me.
“Jang-mi,” I say to the darkness in front of me. “Do you have a light? I can’t see anything.”
“Too risky,” comes her whisper in the darkness. “Within the palace walls light can be seen through other entrances. No talking.”
I take a deep breath and keep walking. After a few minutes, I see a thin band of light at eye level on the left. We walk by and I glance over to see a small room, decorated as elaborately as the rest of the palace. It looks like I’m looking through a vent into the empty room. That must be why we can’t have lights.
We walk in darkness, punctured by half a dozen of those types of openings until finally Jang-mi stops. I bump into her, and Derek bumps into me as our small convoy comes to a halt. I feel Jang-mi’s hand on my arm, steadying me and telling me to be still with one touch.
Just then, I hear noises - heavy boots rushing towards us. It sounds like they’re all around us but I realise they’re right beside us. The tunnel must be exactly adjacent to a corridor in the palace.
Loud voices and heavy boots get louder and then fade as we stand still, only a few inches and a thin wall separating us from them. Even my breathing sounds too loud. Once the noise dies down, Jang-mi presses my arm slightly and I understand that we need to keep moving.
One foot in front of the other, one silent command after another, she leads us through the darkness towards some unknown destination.