Within These Wicked Walls(37)

“Oh my God,” I gasped. “Help me…”

And then I heard muddled pounding. There was a rush and a shadow of something coming toward me, though it seemed to be taking the ground instead of the air. I panicked briefly, shielding my head and face with both arms. Instead of an impact, a metallic clang echoed, scaring me out of my cower.

Someone stood in front of me, feet wide apart and ready for action, whatever was in their hands blinding me as it reflected in the firelight. I swiped my wrist across my eyes to clear my vision, my heart suddenly racing faster.

Magnus stood in front of me, a metal serving tray in both hands. My heart swooped in excitement as I watched him use it to swat an incoming book out of the way.

“You made her angry, Andromeda,” he said. “I think she likes you even less than me.”

I chuckled, despite the life-threatening situation.

I tried twice to get up, the third time mastering it just in time to lift my hand in defense against a book. Magnus smacked it out of the way for me, but I was too disoriented to protest as he herded me into the little corner nook between the edge of the mantel and the wall, his body blocking me in, the tray held over our heads. It blocked out most of the light, and I had to blink to adjust.

“Get ready to run,” he said. “I’ll cover you.”

I wiped the remainder of the blinding tears from my eyes with the back of my hand, so I could really look at him. He looked tired, his eyes dark, his brows grave and creased with annoyance. I wondered if he had gotten any more sleep than I had.

I flinted my pen. “Do you mind standing there while I work?”

“Standing here?”

I heard the tinny clang of a book hitting the tray, but it didn’t stop me from carving a few strokes into the silver. This arrangement was working perfectly. “And blocking the books while I work. I promise, I’ll make it up to you.”

“Are you out of your mind? We have to get you out.”

A book hit the wall beside us, and my breath caught as Magnus leaned closer. I couldn’t press my back any closer to the wall, as if that was any logical way to escape what I was feeling, anyway. His body did more than warm me, now. Everything in me wanted to continue what we’d started the other night.

But I had work to do. And he was infuriating.

“Magnus,” I said firmly.

“Andromeda?” he asked, almost too lightly, with a hint of teasing that drove my nerves up the wall—and, my God, was that a good or bad thing?

“I know you’re fond of this Manifestation, but they all have to go at some point.”

“Not at the cost of your safety.” He wrapped an arm around my waist, and for a moment I thought my knees would collapse beneath me. “Consider it a settling of my debt. A life for a life.”

“You don’t owe me your life, Magnus.” He positioned himself in front of me, taking small steps, using his body to try to prompt me in the direction of the door. I stopped him with my hands flat against his chest. “Just stand in front of me. It won’t take long.”

“She’s eventually going to get around to throwing an entirely too large atlas, and this dinky tray won’t be able to handle that.”

He moved his fingers on my waist for a moment and I raised my eyebrows at him. “What are you doing?”

He looked a bit discouraged, shifting to poking my neck and underarms. “You’re not ticklish? I’m trying to tickle you and loosen you up enough to move you—Ow!” He cradled the hand I’d just slapped to his chest.

I escaped backward, ducking under a book. “If you’re not going to help me then get out of the wa—”

Magnus had dropped the tray and rushed at me, taking hold of my shoulders, forcing me backward—he was bigger, and with his momentum I had no choice but to go along for the ride or else fall flat and vulnerable on my back. If I were in the wild, I’d send my knee into his groin, but this wasn’t desperate enough for that. I didn’t want to hurt him. Still, his method angered me.

“I didn’t ask to be saved!” I tried to break his grip, but he held my upper arms in such a way that they weren’t of much use. “I don’t need to be saved!”

“This isn’t worth getting your face smashed in by a dictionary!”

“Yes, you are!” I gaped at my own words, but I’m not even sure Magnus noticed.

We stumbled through the doorway, and I dropped my silver and pen. I gripped his shirt to balance myself, just as he released me in preparation to catch us against the wall. But, somehow, we were able to trip to a stop before impact. For a moment we just stood there, panting.

And then the sound of a throat clearing dropped my heart into my feet.

When I looked over, Tom was standing in the hall, holding a basket of firewood, grinning like he’d just learned a scandalous secret.

“U-um—” I shoved away from Magnus, wishing I could melt into the wall. “Magnus was, um, protecting me while I worked.” My face burned, and I quickly knelt to gather my things to hide it.

“That so?” Tom said, and I could hear the amusement in his voice.

I examined my pen. No damage, thank God. “You could’ve broken my pen, Magnus,” I said, just to be talking about something—anything—else.

Magnus scoffed, and I noticed he’d turned his back completely on Tom. “You could’ve been concussed by Tolstoy, Andromeda.”