Chapter 134: Chapter 18

ADELIE

Ebenezer strolled into my cell, swinging the door wide open without a care in the world. I noticed a few figures lurking outside. “Sleep well?” he asked, a smirk playing on his lips.

“Like a baby,” I retorted, forcing a smile. “Mind stepping out so I can catch a few more winks?”

He let out a chuckle. “You’ve got spirit, I’ll give you that.”

From his coat pocket, he produced a syringe. “We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” he said, inching closer. “Your choice.”

“What do you want with my blood? You don’t even have that damned book.”

“Your blood has other uses, healer. And I need to stock up before I decide to end your life,” he said, a cruel smile tugging at his lips.

Two more men stepped into the cell. I tried to summon my powers, but there was nothing. Not a spark of energy. All it took was an iron box to strip me of everything.

“I’ve informed your friends that I need that book. But just to be clear… I don’t think they should know about your slim chances of survival.”

So, even if they handed over the book, I wouldn’t be set free. No one knew where I was. I was cut off from nature. They were keeping me alive just to drain my blood.

He studied me, his eyes cold and calculating. “It must hurt, having your power taken away,” he said, his mustache twitching with each breath. “I don’t mean to harm people, or any creature. But I believe I can rule better than anyone else.”

“How did you know my powers would be nullified here?” I asked. Everyone seemed to know more about me than I did.

“You’re unique, Adelie. But there have been others like you. And if you put all the pieces together, you get a pretty successful formula.”

He was obsessed. He handed me the syringe. “I don’t plan on torturing you. Even when I kill you, I’ll make it quick. I’m not a monster. But I will get what I need.”

I took the syringe from him, not wanting his hands anywhere near me. I jabbed the needle into my vein and filled it up. He looked pleased as he took the filled syringe from me. It wasn’t much, but judging by his expression, it was enough.

“What’s the price for my freedom?” I asked.

He looked at me, chin raised high. “You tricked me once. You gave me a fake book. That’s what I wanted. And now, you won’t hesitate to kill me once you’re free. I can’t take that risk.”

His gaze dropped to the floor. “But I regret that a child will be left motherless,” he said, his voice heavy with feigned sincerity.

I didn’t think he was inherently evil, not like Aldred. But he was willing to do anything for power, and that was just as dangerous.

Could I blame him? I would kill him the first chance I got. He was right.

But I walked into his home, his lab, willingly. I still felt powerful. I could have defended myself. If only I had been wary of that poisoned table.

He was clever. And now I was trapped in a cage because I touched a damn table.

I still had my marble. Sooner or later, Death would come calling. The one thing Ebenezer didn’t know was my connection with Death. He could pinpoint my location, and I could relay that to Kairos through the marble.

But there was a problem. They would come to rescue me, and that would get them killed. And I knew Ebenezer was ready for them.

After a while, he left me alone with my dinner. He must have wanted my blood in top condition, considering the lavish meal he provided.

I held the marble in my hand. “Kairos,” I called out.

“Hey,” he responded. “Are you okay?” he asked.

“Yes. I’m fine.” I was fine, just powerless. “How’s Elias?”

“He asked about you. I didn’t get a chance to answer before Maeve whisked him away…”

“She told him. It’s for the best. He should know. I never keep him in the dark.”

“He’s very brave,” I said, a smile creeping onto my face. He was. Braver than me. “Your influence must have rubbed off on him. He’s a lot like you.”

And if I die…Kairos would read that letter and he would understand just how similar to me he was.

“Why did you decide to take him in?” Kairos asked after a moment.

“Why do you ask?”

“You…you didn’t want children, but you took him in. Why?”

I always knew Kairos wanted children. I was the one who wanted to wait. Because I was scared of him getting hurt. Of bringing a child into a world full of danger.

But it happened. And he was the best thing that ever happened to me.

“I wanted children…just not then. And Elias…it just happened.”

“What happened to his parents?” he asked.

“His father abandoned him.” That wasn’t a lie.

“And his mother?”

“She was never in the picture,” I answered quickly. “But I don’t see why my son is any of your concern.”

“I just want to know.”

“If you had stayed, you would have known everything.” That shut him up. “Now, why do you want to kill me?” I remembered our previous conversation.

He didn’t answer. “Tell me,” I urged.

I heard him take a deep breath. “Christopher Price left my body, Adelie. But a large part of him stayed behind in my mind. And he wanted you dead more than anything.”

I gasped. “Would you have? Could you have killed me back then?” I asked.

“Would you have let me?” he countered.

His question hung in the air. I don’t think I would have had the strength to fight him. Not physically, but emotionally, I wouldn’t have been able to fight back if the person I loved the most decided to end me.

“You left because you wanted to kill me?” I asked. “But you had Kye. He swore he wouldn’t hurt me.”

“It wasn’t enough!” he snapped, clearly irritated by my questions. “There was no place I could go where I wouldn’t see you in my mind. With your blood on my hands. And there was no one I could trust to protect you from me, not even myself.”

But I was angry too. “Why didn’t you tell me?! Why did you just leave?”

“I hoped you would go with them. With the other nymphs. They offered you the life you always wanted. The life you needed. Your dream life among your own kind.”

“You clearly didn’t know what I wanted! I wanted you! I always wanted you. If you had told me…” my voice trailed off. “Everything would have been different…”

“You don’t understand, Adelie… I never got better. I just learned to cope with it. I still see those images in my head. They’re still there! Can’t you understand that I was too sick for you? Too far gone?”

“You want me to feel sorry for you? To pity you when you were too much of a coward to even tell me you were leaving. Even if you had explained and still left, I would have had closure. Instead, I spent my nights wondering why I wasn’t good enough. What I didn’t give you that made you want to leave. You made me think that everything you said was a lie!”

“It never was,” he retorted, “everything I ever told you is the truth. Everything I ever felt is the truth. I left because of you. To give you a chance at a normal life.”

“Do you want to know what your biggest flaw is, Kairos?” I asked, not waiting for an answer. “You think that a great leader sacrifices himself for his people. But a truly great leader fights alongside them. And you’ve never been good at fighting alongside someone, because all you ever do is decide what’s best for everyone else.

“I lead my pack like a place where I want to be. Where I want to grow old and see my son live. I lead a pack where I listen to what people say, where I let their actions speak for them. You say that your love was so true…then why didn’t you ever see that I didn’t want normality?

“I didn’t care for comfort, for the mundane…you decided that that’s what I wanted. And that’s why you ruined us.”

“I ruined us?” he asked. “All you ever did was lie! Hide things from me. You constantly put yourself in danger when all the things could have been solved if you had a team instead of going solo.

“I’m glad that you have a son now who makes you realize that it’s better to work in teams, to take care of yourself. To let you see that there’s someone who worries for you. But at the time, I wasn’t enough to make you see that. You didn’t care enough to let me in on your secrets. To ask for my advice.”

“Did you ever consider that maybe I didn’t want you to get hurt because of me?” I shouted back at him.

“Did you ever consider that there would be no greater pain than losing you?”

“Well, you did survive! And you’re not six feet under. Perhaps not everyone gets a second shot at life.”

“Maybe you should’ve stuck with your first love.”

“Or maybe you should’ve kept your distance instead of bringing me into your world. Maybe you should’ve turned me away when you had the opportunity. It would’ve saved us both a lot of time and emotional turmoil.”

“I ended the life of my first mate. Why not the second!” he taunted.

“I despise you!”

“And I adore you!” he roared back. No, it was more of a beastly growl.

I noticed the light reflecting off the marble fade. A sign that he was no longer alone. Which meant I couldn’t hear him anymore.

~And I loved him…~

Perhaps our timing was off… Maybe we weren’t destined for each other in this life.

Maybe in another life, we’ll be better suited for each other.

Just maybe…