obsession chapter 15

“Fire! Fire in the distance!” A distant cry seemed to reach her ears. But what were the odds it was her house? Waking to find her home ablaze, Shariette was dumbfounded. A few more moments of sleep and she’d have been roasted along with her bed. 

‘Wake up.’ 

She’d been having such a pleasant dream, too. The soothing voice that had gently nudged her awake dissipated like sugar in water, leaving no trace. She scrambled to the counter, grabbing the vine-covered box first. 

The front door is about to collapse. The windows…probably the source of the fire. The flames are too strong.

Shariette calmly assessed the situation, searching for the escape route with the highest probability of survival. 

The second floor is less affected. There’s a tree near the attic window. I’ll jump. 

A broken shoulder, arm, or even a leg was a small price to pay. Waiting for rescue wasn’t an option. But as she reached the halfway point on the stairs, the burning staircase crumbled beneath her. 

“Ah!” For a moment, she flailed in the air, then a strong hand gripped her arm. 

“…!” He’d jumped from the upper floor, catching her with one arm and landing effortlessly. 

“Your judgment wasn’t bad. Your luck, however…”

“…Noxian Rubelot?” Just as he’d said, they were now in the middle of the inferno. 

“What are you doing here?” Shariette asked, bewildered. Hadn’t he said he was staying at the inn in Ronya? And who in their right mind enters a burning building? Instead of an answer, a firm hand pressed the back of her head against his chest, while the other held his sword, reversed. 

“Hold tight, Shariette.” His low, resolute voice resonated near her ear. “Hold your breath.” As soon as the short, clear instruction was given, an intense pressure surged from behind them like a massive wave. 

Bang! Crash! Boom! A series of deafening explosions erupted. Shariette felt a storm of aura sweep away the surrounding flames, heat, and air. A momentary vacuum left her deafened, yet she understood. 

If I get caught in this, I’m dead.

Suddenly, her feet left the ground. Save me! Instinctively, Shariette wrapped her arms around Noxian. Unlike her, who was tossed about in the tempest, he remained unshakeable. While she clung to him for dear life, he even had the composure to pat the back of her head with his free hand. 

…?

As Shariette puzzled over this gesture, the inferno, pushed back by overwhelming force, dispersed in all directions. Finally, as if time had stopped, silence descended.

***

“Who’s saving whom?”

“We operate on different levels!” Shariette bristled at Noxian’s mocking tone. While he checked her for injuries, she was preoccupied with examining some sort of jeweled box. She’d been trying to ignore it, but Shariette was, naturally, in her nightclothes. The thin negligee, almost translucent in the summer night, revealed her pale skin. The arms that had just clung to him, the waist he had easily held, formed slender, soft curves. Averting his gaze was proving difficult. He removed his robe and draped it over her.

“This is dragging on the floor.” Seemingly oblivious to the fact she’d almost been incinerated, the nonchalant woman fumbled with the heavy fabric, gathering it up.

“Keep it on, even if it’s uncomfortable. It’s not exactly appropriate attire for public viewing.”

“It keeps getting caught on my…!” Shariette’s complaint abruptly ceased. Noxian’s face suddenly drew close, his breath warm on her skin, and her feet lifted off the ground as her body tilted backward. She quickly ducked her head, covering it with her arms. 

Cervical fracture, skull fracture, brainstem injury!

Instant death, no time to boast about her healing abilities.