Adrian's POV
The marble floor was firm and smooth. Coldness it held in the beginning slowly disappeared under my naked body. The sound of running water was the only thing besides my breathing that could be heard.
All the windows were opened. Still I was hot. The heat made it seem like everything was red, even with my eyes closed. I couldn't control my body and it scared me.
I slowly got up and walked to the tub closing the tap. The water glimmered in the sun inviting me in. I entered feeling ice cold water creep up my burning skin. It gave me relief, but I knew it was temporary. I breathed out trying to clear my mind.
Was the possibility of sickness an option? What was I supposed to do?
The water was slowly heating up. I closed my eyes and dived in cooling my head. Maybe my eyes won't burst out after all. I opened them looking at the surface cursing every ray sunshine that fell on it.
Small footsteps could be heard in front the door quickly pacing towards it. I moved my head up just enough to see clearly. The doors opened and I saw piercing gray eyes - the same ones my mother had.
"Hay, Adri", she said in a small voice. She wanted something.
I cursed under water but all that could be heard were bubbles of air going out. Nimueh giggled.
I lifted my whole head out. "I'm not feeling well, Cupcake"
She narrowed her eyes and took a few steps towards the tub. "Why?"
I shrugged. She was standing near the doorway not really sure what to do with an envelope in her hands. I pushed my lips together.
"I'll get over it, don't worry", she looked up, "What do you have?"
She ran to the tub with her flowy dress swaying around her legs. "A letter"
"For Luke?"
She nodded energetically and showed me the envelope with his name written in her beautiful handwriting. She was way too young for boy trouble.
"But I wanted to ask something else", she said as she bounced from one leg to another, "could he come so we can play here"
I frowned. "Why don't you ask Kael?"
She frowned too and crossed her arms on her chest. "You said I couldn't say anything to him - remember. And he never listens to me anyway"
I shook my head. Right.
"So, will you ask him?" she pleaded. I scratched my head and yawned. I was so tired after the longest sleepless night in a dangerous row, but she seemed so hopeful - her eyes glowing and little hands gripping the envelope.
I nodded and she instantly started jumping up and down ecstatically. I closed my eyes. What did I get myself into?
Standing up from already warm bath with drops of water gliding down and pulling every last ounce of energy drained every happy thought from my exhausted body. I headed to the wardrobe in my room with Nimueh trailing not far away talking non-stop. I took the most breathable clothes I owned and put them on. It felt like adding petrol to the fire.
She took my hand almost dragging me to Kael's workroom. "You know you're like the best of the bestest brothers that ever existed and I promise I won't run away again like ever..." she jabbered, but I couldn't listen. All I felt was magnifying fire inside of me threatening to burn me alive. It ate away my patience leaving only menacing anger. I was angry at every sound, every move I took and every fucking drop of sweat that slid down my forehead. I kept my mouth shut and swallowed it.
Fucking big ass house. Who fucking needs that big of a fucking house? The symbol of power and respect they said. Fucking respect is fucking earned not built into a useless mansion. Stupid human materialism.
I stopped. Nimueh looked up and stopped talking. I wiped away the sweat and forced a smile for her. She frowned.
"You really don't look that good", she stated.
"Don't worry, Princess", I repeated and continued walking leaving her behind. I could feel the wheels in her head turning.
"You don't have to do it right now", she said and ran to my side.
I looked at her and gave her a small but genuine smile. I ruffled her hair and crouched down to her level.
"You go to your room and I'll try to sort something out, but I can't promise anything, okay?"
She nodded and gave me a little kiss on the nose before she turned and ran away.
I closed my eyes and slowly got up feeling every single move of any muscle heat me up. Kael's workroom wasn't that far, but the weakness slowed me down making little trip excruciating.
So fucking slow.
The door was partly opened and two voices could be heard. I pushed it and slowly walked in acknowledging my uncle Vaughn with a nod. He stood with his hands crossed on his chest leaning to the wall, and Kael was sitting in his enormous chair with digital 3D map on the extravagant table in front of him. They stopped talking and Kael raised his eyebrow.
"You look terrible", he noted.
"Thank you", I retorted I sat down on one of the elegant chairs relaxing my muscles but the red fabric covering it already started thinning my nerves by capturing the radiating heat.
"Nice of you to join us, little Prince", Vaughn said and gave me one of his political smiles, "It's about time you learn a thing or two about ruling"
I looked at him and raised my eyebrows. What was that supposed to mean?
"Luckily Kael is perfectly good at his job, as his future children will be", I said clenching my jaw, "so, there's no need in my training"
Vaughn chuckled and move away from the wall. "You should be always ready, Adrian", he explained, "Nevertheless politics and ruling are your future in any case"
"Just because of my bloodline not my abilities", I added getting angry about the same old disagreement.
"Your bloodline guarantees your abilities", he insisted.
"Magical myths"
"It doesn't matter if people believe it and it keeps peace", he argued confidently and then dramatically waved off the argument from the air, "enough about that"
I breathed out and shook my head.
"As we were saying, the regions across the sea are getting restless", Kael said as he minimized the map and moved across the globe, "they're not rioting or trying to escape, but killing each other"
"So much violence", Vaughn said slowly as he neared the table.
"I don't know if the problem is leadership there or humans", he said and massaged his temples, "The first step of integration can't be even thought of there. Things are not going to get better"
"So what will you do?" I inquired.
He moved his stern gaze from the map to my face, "What should I do if only thing they bring is chaos to our society?"
I frowned and got up feeling dizzy all of a sudden. "I don't understand"
"Adrian, don't be child", he said slowly as if I was mentally disabled, "only thing these people are able to comprehend is violence. They are killers you know that."
"But we are not", I argued as my vision became red with anger and fucking heat.
"No, but we are intelligent enough to know that communication with another species demands learning their language and they only speak in cruelty", he said rising his voice as he stood up from his chair.
"Not all of them, bratu", I emphasized the last word and clenched my fists.
"Well, I'm trying to separate them, but there will always be innocent victims of peace", he said and I opened my mouth to speak but he cut me off, "Don't you remember the day we came"
I closed my mouth and opened them again like a fucking fish unable to talk.
"Don't you remember our parents?" he asked acting indifferent to the pain his question caused.
"Don't you dare bring them up in this", I drawled as I pointed at him.
He shook his head dismissively.
"Your brother is not trying to avenge anything, he's just trying to make things work â you know that", Vaughn said in a calming voice that only irritated me further. Kael sighed.
"Integration is a long and complicated process", Kael explained, "sometimes it doesn't work, sometimes it does - like here"
"Yeah, it's going very neatly", I mumbled.
"The incident in school was just a one-time occurrence", Kael retorted, "we'll find the culprit among them"
I raised my eyebrow and laughed humorlessly, "Them?"
He tilted his head and just looked at me. His stare was infuriating. I took a breath trying to calm down my racing mind. With every second that passed I was more certain of Kayden's theory. He was onto something very important which made him a target that needed to be neutralized.
"What are you insinuating?" he asked finally crossing arms on his chest.
My breathing speeded up. "It doesn't matter", I turned my back to him tired of his bullshit.
"Where are you going?" he asked. As I reached the door I turned back meeting his burning gaze.
"I'm going to see Kayden - he's alive and well, just like nothing had happened", I spat the words at him, "He'll be more careful next time for sure"
With that I closed the door and headed out.
Long and angry steps were closing the distance rather quickly, but made my head want to burst into a million pieces. I slowed down the pace trying to soothe my racing heart from pumping so much hot blood. Cold outside air seemed to have gotten warm by my body. Everything glistened under the heavy light. I felt my conscience waver slightly as the fatigue embraced my whole body.
Sudden dash of cold wind cooled me down clearing the clouds from my brain. I inhaled deeply.
That damn warmth was going to drive me insane. It made no space for thoughts of any other kind. Just burning heat.
I opened the door of Kayden's flat and went in. I just had to sit down for a bit.
My erratic breathing completely stopped as I neared his room. The sight of Layla's bare back slowly rising and falling while covering Kayden's naked form underneath, shocked me for some reason. Her head was laid on his chest with her hair scattered around. One of his hands rested on her back. The rest was covered with a thin blanket.
I expected it, but not really at that exact moment. He seemed peaceful though. His face wasn't that relaxed even under all the medication doctors have given him these last few days.
I cleared my throat and leaned to the doorframe crossing arms on my chest.
Kayden squirmed lightly and opened one eye. He huffed and closed it again. It made Layla wiggle around. "Stop being so uncomfortable", her muffled grumbling could be heard.
"I'm sorry that my gunshot scars are hurting your delicate skin", he drawled grinning.
"Don't be a little bitch", she said and rolled off of him burying her head in the pile of pillows on the other side of the bed. Kayden opened his eyes and looked at the ceiling for a moment and then propped himself up on his elbows locking his eyes with mine.
"Adrian tell her not to be so rude", he said and smiled mischievously. Layla's head shot up. She looked at me through her messy hair and widened her eyes pulling the blanket up to her neck. Her cheeks turned deep red.
"Hi Adrian", she squealed, "look, I took good care of your friend"
Kayden's burst of laughter filled the silence in the room echoing in my ears and shrilling my brain. I shook my head and went to the window. After opening it, I sat on the windowsill feeling cold breeze cool my burning body a bit.
"This was utterly and most entirely unneeded act in the moment", I said looking at the dark hallway where I stood a few moments ago. I stood in the same hallway the day I found Kayden in a pool of his own blood. An Ultrrian was standing over him with a gun pointed at his head. All I wanted was to protect my brother, but I ended up a killer. Again. There was so much blood on my hands that I shouldn't be worrying why I was seeing red.
"Oh, come on don't be so uptight", Kayden remarked, "You know she wanted it"
Layla gasped and punched him with a pillow. "Shut up"
"Am I wrong?" he asked smiling victoriously.
"You know, Adrian, he was protesting so hard I had to tie him up..."
"Freaky", Kayden interjected.
"...and ruin his innocence all by myself despite his desperate cries", Layla rented ignoring Kaydesn's chuckling.
I rolled my eyes and wiped sweat from my forehead. "You're acting like children when you should be focused on not dying"
"It's not that dramatic just yet", Kayden said, "if you ask me, it was an isolated incident"
"For fucks sake", I massaged my temples infuriated by his choice of words, "don't play dumb"
He stood up and slipped into gray sweatpants. "I was trying to lighten the mood, bratu", he said as he took a closer look at me, "you look like shit"
I raised an eyebrow unnerved.
Layla also got up wrapped in the blanket and started picking up her clothes from the floor.
Suddenly I felt Kayden's cold hand on my forehead. He jerked it away and frowned.
"You're burning up, Princess", he stated.
"It will pass"
He eyed me suspiciously, "Yeah, right"
"I'm leaving, boys take care", Layla shouted from the hallway, "need to see if Rose froze"
She giggled and slammed the door shut as Kayden started coughing frantically.
"Are you fucking choking?" I asked in disbelief as he bent over sharply. I shook my head and gave him a punch between shoulder blades. In a few moments his coughs died down and he looked up to my questioning gaze with his hands still on the knees.
"I just had an idea that shocked my saliva and it jumped into my windpipe", he said and stood up straight.
"What idea?"
"I'll tell you when I see into it", he said and gave me a tap on the back. I sat down at the cold floor by the window as he directed to the bathroom mumbling about almost dying again.
I smiled and closed my eyes.