Page 12 of Heart of the Cursed
She dumped her sticky clothes on the kitchen floor with the rest of her dirty laundry before turning her attention to the wax. Before she could do anything, she had to finish making the candles.
Thankfully, she had already made a start before getting in the bath, so it didn’t take her long. The most time-consuming part was the cooling off.
Selene made a variety of different sized candles. The larger ones wouldn’t be ready for hours, but the smaller candles she would be able to use straight away. They were the ones she preferred to use when performing spells.
Her mother had taught her a trick to make the wax cool a lot quicker than it would normally. It still took a while for the larger candles, but by placing the moulds into a cool bowl of water, the candles would set in half the time.
Since moving into the bunker, Selene didn’t go through half as many candles as she used to. She wasn’t sure how, but the electricity was still working in the bunker. It meant she was able to turn on the lights with a flick of a switch for the first time in her life.
It was a luxury she wished she’d always had, and was reluctant to give up. Which was why she had stayed living in the bunker for as long as she had.
It wasn’t safe to stay in one place for too long. Not since the war broke out. But she refused to give up her bunker. None of the others she’d stayed in were as homely or comfortable to live in, and they certainly didn’t have electricity or running water.
Selene wished the hot water was working as well as the lights, but no such luck. She couldn’t complain too much. At least she didn’t have to drag bucket loads of water home with her anymore.
As she was packing away the last of the spell candles, a shiver raced down her spine as the silent alarm she’d placed on the door was set off. Someone had breached the bunker. But worse than that, they had managed to break through the spell she’d placed on the entrance, preventing anyone from opening the door.
“Fuck!”
There was no way of knowing how many people had entered the bunker. It could be one person, or it could be a hundred people. The only way to find out would be to go in search of the intruders.
Selene wasn’t going to do that. It would be like handing herself over to the bad guys. There weren’t any hiding places along the corridors of the bunker, only doors, most of which led to dead-ends.
So nope, she wasn’t going to investigate. She was going to get her arse as far away from whoever had entered the bunker as she could, as fast as she could.
Luckily, there was another way out and the spell on that entrance hadn’t been disturbed… yet. The downside was, it was on the other side of the bunker. Depending on who had entered, she might make it to the other side, or she might not.
She could easily evade Humans, but if there were any Shapeshifters, she had no chance. They would catch her within minutes, if not seconds.
Selene pulled on a coat and then quickly filled a bag with essential supplies as well as a handful of books and candles. She grabbed her shoes and was out the door in under a minute.
She didn’t bother stopping to put her shoes on. It would only waste precious time. Not to mention, it would be a lot quieter running through the bunker barefoot than in shoes. The empty corridors echoed with the slightest of sounds, and she needed to be as silent as possible. So, she stuffed them in the bag as she ran.
She clung tightly to the bag as she weaved her way through the maze of corridors. Her heart was racing and sweat began to bead on her forehead, but she refused to slow down or stop to catch her breath.
Every second counted if she wanted to escape without being seen, especially if the person… or people… in the bunker weren’t Human. The slightest hesitation, or slip-up, could cost her her life. Even though life was hard at times, she wasn’t ready to give it up just yet, and definitely not without a fight.
If it came down to it, she would fight to her last breath, but she wasn’t opposed to running. However, if she didn’t get her arse in gear, it would turn into a fight. She might win, she might lose. Either way, she wasn’t hanging around to find out.
Hope began to flare as she closed in on the exit. She was so close, she could almost taste freedom.
Just a little bit further.She chanted the words in her mind.You can do this. You can make it out.
And she nearly did. The door finally came into sight, and she raced over to it. Just as she reached for the handle to open the door, she heard footsteps racing towards her.
Fuck!
Selene didn’t dare look back as she quickly removed the spell that was stopping the door from opening. As soon as it was down, she threw the door open. But before she could run through it, a strong hand wrapped around her upper arm, stopping her in her tracks.
“Wait, I just want to talk,” the intruder said.
His deep masculine voice sent shivers down her spine, and not in a bad way.
Selene didn’t have time to question her body’s react to the sound of his voice. At that moment in time, she was more interested in getting out of there alive. She didn’t know if he was lying about only wanting to talk, but she wasn’t going to hang around and find out just in case he was.
Hoping to take him by surprise, she quickly spun around and slammed her free hand into his chest with a bolt of magic. His hand ripped free from her arm and she was pulled forward a step as he went flying backwards.
Selene caught a glimpse of his face before it disappeared into a cloud of white hair. The look of shock on his face was enough to make anyone laugh, including her.
The smallest of giggles escaped her lips before she turned and raced out the door.
