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CHAPTER 8:
“Do you even go home anymore?” Michellie asked me as I came downstairs for breakfast. I snagged a pancake from her plate, making her growl at me.
“Cyan said it was fine for me to stay in one of the spare rooms.” I informed her, sitting down beside her. “Speaking of, where is the queen this fine morning?”
“Probably sulking.” Michellie laughed to herself. She leaned into me, making sure the children weren’t listening before saying, “A certain little blood angel broke his silent treatment with Elijah yesterday and… well mostly they fought, but then they either murdered each other or had some very, very rough hate sex. Only time will tell.”
Time did tell a few moments later when Cyan entered the dining room, followed by an unexpected addition. “Good morning.” Cyan said cheerfully, sitting down beside Kieran. Elijah took the seat beside Ciel, his entire body stiff.
“So…” Michellie trailed off as no one jumped in to make conversation.We all sat silently, eating without making eye contact. I knew my usual brand of offensive comedy would definitely not be appreciated right now, so I kept my jokes to myself.
Our awkward, silent meal was interrupted when Marco walked in, lighting up Cyan’s entire face. “Marco!” Cyan exclaimed. “Come sit and have breakfast with us!”
“Here! Sit beside Michellie!” i said quickly, jumping to my feet and rushing to sit beside Cyan. I ignored Cyan’s questioning look and just gestured for Marco to take my old seat. So far, I was still playing keep away with the clueless king and lovesick Vampire.
“Hey mama?” Iris spoke up, helping with the tense silence.
“Yes baby?” Michellie asked, taking a sip of blood orange juice.
“Yesterday, King Cyan kept yelling ‘fuck me, fuck me’ to King Elijah, but now they aren’t fighting anymore. Are they friends again?”
No one said anything for almost thirty seconds.
“Daddy, what does ‘fuck me’ mean?” Ciel asked Cyan.
“Ciel! You can’t say that!” Cyan cried, his cheeks turning bright red. “That’s a bad word!”
“But Iris said you said it!” Ciel argued.
“It’s- I…” Cyan trailed off, too flustered to parent. He looked desperately to Elijah, who seemed just as unsure of what to say. “No more talking. Everyone eat!”
The room sunk back into silence… for a few moments. “Why does Ciel call king Cyan daddy and King Cyan call King Elijah daddy?” Iris wondered.
“Wow.” I whispered as Michellie choked on her juice and Cyan buried his face in his hands.
“I didn’t say that.” Cyan insisted, his face still hidden.
“Of course not.” I agreed, looking to Michellie who was shaking her head in dissent.
“I didn’t!” Cyan whined. “That’s it! No more breakfast!”
“Come on, just because you got to eat something last night doesn’t mean the rest of us aren’t hungry.” I joked, unable to help myself.
Cyan narrowed his eyes at me. “That doesn’t even make sense.”
“It does. Just give it a second.” I assured him.
“It’s okay King Cyan. Mama calls Papa-“
“That’s enough conversation for today Iris!” Michellie cut her son off, wiping his mouth with a napkin and pulling him up.
“Hold on!” I cried. “What does mama call papa?”
“I will fight you kric.” Michellie warned me. “Let’s go for a swim iris.”
“She calls him-“
“Nope.” Michellie covered his mouth. “We’re going upstairs to get ready for the pool. Oh, Cyan, Iris invited Incendio for a swim too. He should be coming in an hour or so.”
“Awesome.” Cyan mumbled, still hiding his face.
“It’s okay Cyan.” i assured him, ruffling his hair. “You’re not the only person at this table known to dabble in some daddy kink roleplay.”
“I don’t have a daddy kink!” Cyan cried, jumping to his feet.
There was silence again.
“Daddy, what’s a daddy kink?”
—————
Life was unfair.
There was Incendio; so smooth, so perfect, so scantily clad… and here I was playing cock block so Elijah didn’t kill my idiot ex.
Marco lifted Cyan from the water once again, Cyan’s legs instinctively wrapping around his waist. Michellie gave me a look and I obeyed, rushing to the pair and swiping Cyan from Marco in a fake attempt of playfulness.
Elijah entered the pool area a few moments later, closing his cell phone in annoyance. He looked over at me and raised an eyebrow. I dropped Cyan, causing him to screech and cling to me with his nails. I hissed, reluctantly grabbing him and going to set him on the side. “That hurt you dick! You got water in my eye.” Cyan whined, rubbing his eyelid.
“My bad. Let me see.” I sighed, moving his hand and lifting his chin to get a better view at the affected area. One second i was using my thumb to keep Cyan’s eyelid up and the next Cyan was being tugged away forcefully.
He was in Elijah’s arms, practically melting although he still seemed a bit miffed at his partner. Elijah kissed his eyelid, rubbing it much gentler than I had. Cyan seemed to bask in Elijah’s affection, leaning into his touch desperately. When they finally kissed, I had to look away, unsure if it would stop at the passionate lip lock.
I decided to abandon my cock blocking job for a moment and swam toward Incendio, who sat at the rim of the pool in a pair of Cyan’s spandex shorts. “Hello butterfly.” I chuckled, after swimming up and nestling myself in between his legs. “Aren’t you going to come for a swim? The water is wonderful.”
“I prefer to watch.” He sighed, his eyes focused on something behind me. “Are you very close with the vampire?”
“You mean Marco? Kind of. We bonded once upon a time.” I told him, watching to see his reaction. His face remained unchanged, focused on something in the distance. “Is something wrong? Don’t tell me my sweet little fairy is jealous?”
“Do I have a reason to be jealous?” Incendio snapped, turning his moss orbs on me. I was a bit shocked at the ferocity of his glare. “I… Jealousy is the cousin of regret and resentment. To be jealous is-“
“I think it’s cute how you start spouting nonsense when you’re flustered.” I blurted out, unable to stop myself.
“What?” Incendio blushed.
“You told me, when we first met, that when i’m uncomfortable I cover it up by flirting. Well when you’re uncomfortable, you start talking in analogies and similes.” i pointed out, grabbing him by his waist and yanking him into the pool. He squealed, clinging to me tightly like Cyan had, but his nails somehow didn’t bother me. “If you were jealous, i’d tell you not to be. Marco has his eyes on a different prize… and so do i.”
“It’s funny, I think.” Incendio mumbled, still gripping me tightly.
“What is?” I asked, in no rush for him to pull away.
“When I first met you, your eyes had never opened before.” Incendio explained, reaching one hand to slide my eyelids closed. “And now… you will not close them no matter what i do.”
“Maybe it’s because I like what i see.” I teased, tightening my grip on his waist. “Don’t you?”
“No.” he said sadly, holding my eyes closed with his hands. “That is the problem.”
“Ouch.” i chuckled, a bit hurt.
“No, I mean… I find you very handsome, but-“
“But what?” I released him, allowing him to float in front of me.
“You forget Kric… I see everything.”
“Kric! Heads up!” I spun around as Michellie spike a ball at my face, smacking it away just in time. She cocked her head to the right, showing how Marco had maneuvered Cyan into a position I had Incendio in only moments before. Fortunately, Cyan wasn’t clinging to him how Incendio had clung to me.
I groaned, swimming toward them to play cock block once again.
————
“Solar, I love to spar.” I chuckled, stretching my arms across my chest. The children copied me, eager for their lesson. “Now, first thing’s first. Before you go charging into battle, it’s important to size up your opponent. So look me up and down, tell me what you notice.” Kieran’s hand shot up, and I nodded for him to speak.
“Your shirt is black.”
“Okay, good observation, but not what i meant.” i chuckled. “Focus more on me, and less on my outfit. Okay, who wants to try next?”
“You have silver eyes!” Ciel cried.
“Okay, how about a demonstration.” I sighed, looking over to the group of adults who suddenly tried to pretend they weren’t paying attention. “Come on, be men… and one woman. Pair up.”
Michellie, Incendio, Cyan, Elijah and Marco all stood. I almost cursed myself when Cyan paired with Marco, most likely because the odds of Elijah even pretending to physically assault Cyan was impossible. Incendio fluttered toward me, a bit cautiously, distracting me from the issue at hand. “Come on lizard boy, instruct us.” Michellie groaned, taking my attention.
“Okay, fine.” I sighed. “Size your partner up, and say what you notice about them. Michellie, go first.”
“Well, he’s taller than me and has more muscle mass, which means he’s probably physically stronger than me. He’s relaxed, his stance is straight, not attacking me yet.” Michellie pointed out.
“Good. In Michellie’s case, she would need the element of surprise which she might have because he’s relaxed and not expecting a fight. Her best bet would be to use his weight against him.” I instructed, turning to Incendio. “You’re up. Size me.”
“Um… You’re tall, muscled, tense…” Incendio trailed off, floating up so we’re eye level. “But your gaze is kind. Your heart is gentle.”
“Hear that kids? So if you’re a fairy and can see kindness in eyes and stuff, awesome. If you’re not, and a big, tense guy is standing in front of you run. That means he’s ready to attack and you need to be on the offense.” i told the kids, turning to ask Marco to go, but his entire attention was focus on devouring Cyan with his eyes. “Okay uh, let’s switch partners. Cyan, you’re with me. Marco, come with Incendio.”
“Why?” Marco asked, confused.
“Because we’re going to actually spar next and i’d break Incendio in half on accident. I’m closer in strength to Cyan than you are anyway.” I reasoned, but that wasn’t the entire truth. The entire truth was I didn’t trust Marco to touch Cyan while sparring and if I paired myself with marco, Incendio would definitely misunderstand. Normally, I didn’t care if my possible partners misunderstood things, but the thought of hurting Incendio’s feelings had me watching my every move.
“Fine.” Marco grumbled, switching places with me. Incendio, although visibly unchanged, seemed to radiate an aura of malice as marco approached him. However, I seemed to be the only one who noticed Incendio’s unhappiness.
“Alright, we’re going to start with a move to catch your partner unaware. If they’re not ready to attack, and they’re bigger than you, it’s easier to use their weight against them.” I explained, motioning for cyan to grab me. He did, easily flipping me over his shoulder. “Fuck!”
“That’s the word-“
“Shush Iris!” Michellie cried.
“Anyway,” i groaned, standing to my feet, “Cyan’s actually much stronger than me even though he’s smaller so let’s try it with Michellie and Elijah. Michellie, flip him.” She did, struggling a bit because Elijah didn’t seem eager to play the dumb victim. “Good, but the issue is most of the time, if you’re defending yourself, you’re being attacked. Alright, i’m going to attack Cyan and he’s going to use my weight against me, okay? Watch closely.”
I grabbed Cyan around his waist, pulling him back against my body in an attempt to subdue him. Before Cyan could put up much of a fight, however, I was being tossed across the room. My back hit the wall hard, shattering my spine. I groaned as it healed, faster than would be normal. I remained on the ground for a second, pretending to heal slower as I tried to figure out what happened.
“Oh solar, Kric are you alright?” Cyan cried. “What is wrong with you?”
“What is wrong with you?” Elijah countered as I shakily stood, remaining by the wall for support. Cyan attempted to rush toward me in concern, but Elijah held him back, his eyes red. “Don’t.”
“Don’t what? You could’ve hurt him Elijah!” Cyan tugged against Elijah’s hold. “Let me go!”
“No! I want you to stay away from him Cyan! I mean it!” Elijah growled.
“What’s going on?” I finally managed to speak, the pain almost completely gone. “Elija-“
“You think I wouldn’t notice?” Elijah scoffed, yanking Cyan behind him and then stalking toward me. I remained by the wall, confused and defensive. “Everytime I show up, you’re touching him again. You’re putting your hands on something that’s not yours.”
“Eli-“
“Silence!” He cut me off, the power of his voice forcing me to my knees. I help up my wrist, mentally kicking myself for getting in this situation. “Don’t deny it.”
“I’m not.” I groaned. “It’s not what you’ve made it out to be.” I’m not the one trying to steal Cyan, I mentally added, i’m the one keeping that person away.
“Stop it Elijah!” Cyan spoke up again.
Elijah spun around quickly, backing Cyan against a different wall. I watched everyone else rush to the other side of the room, each carrying a confused child. “Why are you defending him?” Elijah hissed.
“He’s our friend Elijah! Why are you attacking him?” Cyan countered.
“Can’t you see? Are you that oblivious? He’s always grabbing you, stealing you away, monopolizing you, hanging around where he’s not wanted!” Elijah was fuming and I could kind of see his point. From the outside perspective, these last few weeks had seen a lot of me squeezing up close to Cyan because I was squeezing in between him and Marco. I could see how it looked bad. Every time Elijah appeared, I was with Cyan, taking Marco’s position in the compromising situation to protect him. Still, Elijah and I had been friends for centuries. Did that not earn me a bit of trust?
I stood up shakily, still weighed down by the weight of Elijah’s anger. “I am not after your bonded!” I yelled, forcing my hand into my pocket and pulling out a shiny piece of metal. “I’ve been watching out for you two, protected you both with my life!” I dropped Cyan’s ring on the ground, Elijah’s eyes slowly registering it. “I picked it up when Cyan dropped it, because I have faith in you two. I’ve spent weeks trying to prevent this very thing from happening!”
“What are you talking about?” Elijah asked, his eyes still narrowed at me, his friend.
“I am not the one trying to get in Cyan’s pants!” I yelled. “I-I can’t even believe you could think I would.”
“Kric-” Cyan started, but I shook my head.
“My presence isn’t wanted? After I pledged my loyalty to you, after I risked my life over and over again for our people, for my friends… fine.” I tried my best to stand up straight. “As you wish my king. I’m gone.”
“No!” I looked over, watching as Ciel fought to get out of Marco’s grasp. “Kric don’t leave!”
“Hey, buddy, I-“
“Don’t talk to my son!” Elijah growled, stepping in front of me and cutting off my view of Ciel. My heart clenched at that, but i said nothing. “Don’t come to this castle, don’t come near my family, don’t show your face to me again.”
I could hear Ciel wailing and my heart was breaking at the sound. While my pride wanted me to storm out, my body couldn’t find the will to leave while one of my favorite little people sobbed that loudly. “Elijah,” I tried, “I am not your enemy. I am not your rival.”
“I know. He’s mine.” Elijah agreed, pushing me back into the wall a bit roughly. “You can’t have him.”
“You’ve misunderstood.” I repeated. “I wasn’t trying to take him.”
“What were you trying to do Kric?” Elijah asked, his voice stern, but I sensed the part of him that wanted to relent. He wanted me to give him a good excuse, but doing that would be throwing Marco under the bus. I knew, from experience, that Elijah was going easy on me because he liked me. There would be no mercy for Marco.
“I-“
“He was trying to make you jealous!” Incendio jumped in. “Kric came to me, worried about you two. He saw the struggle between you and it pained him to see you both unhappy. He… he asked me for guidance. I told him that for the conflict to resolve your hearts must be swayed away from it’s current path… I suggested jealousy.”
“See? Now stop Elijah! You’re scaring the kids.” Cyan grabbed Elijah’s arm, pulling him away from me. “Please, calm down.”
“I’m sorry.” I told him, trying to appear sincere. “I shouldn’t have interfered.”
Elijah looked… destroyed. He seemed to want to say something, but he couldn’t get the words out. He regretted attacking me. It was obvious. I’d experienced the regret of a hot temper first hand, but forgiveness didn’t come as swiftly as I expected. I didn’t blame Elijah for attacking me, but I blamed him for expecting a betrayal from me in the first place.
Eventually, he just nodded and stepped back, allowing Cyan to pull him further away. I appreciated the distance immensely. The closer Elijah was, the heavier the force of his power weighed on me. I attempted to stand up straight, but found it easier to kneel on the ground. My spine was still healing, the bruising slowly but surely dissipating.
A few seconds later, Marco released Ciel who rushed toward me, still crying. I hugged him tightly, ignoring my sore back and trying to calm him by making a joke. Elijah watched us, his face pained. “Please don’t leave Kric. i love you.” Ciel sobbed into my shoulder. “Please don’t leave.”
“He’s not leaving.” Cyan assured Ciel, his grip still on Elijah, who had begun to shake. “Right Elijah? Tell him.” Ciel looked up at his fathers, waiting patiently for confirmation. “Tell him Elijah.”
“Kric is our friend.” Elijah said softly. “He can stay if he wants to.”
“I’ll stay.” i assured Ciel, trying to appear calm. My mind, however, was a mess of thoughts. Were Elijah and I really friends? Would a friend have so quickly jumped to the conclusion he had? Did he not trust me, after centuries of protecting one another? Had a man I once considered a brother resented me all this time? Was he still angry? Was I angry? Did I even have a right to be angry when, as his friend, I thought the worst of him and hid the real situation from him out of fear? Maybe, in different ways, we were both wrong.
“Thank you King Elijah.” Ciel told him, seeming to break down the last bit of Elijah’s control. I could see the effect of Ciel’s words knock the wind out of his sails. At that moment, any anger I felt for my lifelong friend was gone.
He pushed Cyan’s hands off of him, ready to leave the room like normal. “Do not call your father ‘King Elijah’, Ciel.” Cyan spoke up, gripping Elijah’s hand tightly. “He’s your dad. We’re both your dads.”
“What should I call him then? You’re already daddy. What’s his name?” Ciel asked, genuinely curious.
“Well…” Cyan seemed taken aback, trying to come up with a good answer. “You can call him father or dad or papa or pa or-“
“Daddy Elijah?” Ciel volunteered.
“Um…” Cyan looked at Elijah, who seemed amazed to hear those two words leave his son’s mouth. It was amazing the instantaneous effect that Elijah’s child had on him. “Sure. If that’s what you want honey.”
“Thank you daddy Elijah.” Ciel rephrased his earlier statement. “Kric is my friend. I want you to be his friend too. He’s really nice and he makes daddy smile when he’s sad. He always… he always tells me really cool stories about you. When I miss you, he tells me you love me a lot and that you miss me too.”
Elijah sat down on the ground beside me and Ciel. “I do miss you… I miss you all the time Ciel.” A part of me wondered if that was the first time Elija admitted that out loud.
Ciel seemed a bit uncomfortable, curling into my side to hide his embarrassment. They both seemed reluctant to share their genuine feelings when they were unpleasant. Like father, like son after all. “Daddy misses you too. At my surgeries, when you didn’t come, he looked the most sad. Kric made him smile because he says you would be really mad at him if he left daddy sad like that. I… I don’t want you to send Kric away because he’s the only one who tells me about you.”
“Come here.” Elijah held out his arms and, cautiously, Ciel entered them. “I’m not going to send Kric away… and i’m not going to let you and daddy miss me anymore.”
“Do you promise?”
Cyan looked on the verge of tears, hoping desperately to hear the answer he’s wanted for years. “I promise.” Elijah hugged him tightly, lost in the warmth his child could provide.
I stood up, trying not to shatter the family moment and tapped Marco on the shoulder, motioning for him to follow me outside. He frowned, but agreed, and followed me outside the palace. I sighed, turning on him once we were out of earshot. “You need to leave.”
“What?” Marco frowned, shocked by my words.
“Marco, what happened in there should have happened to you. It will happen to you if you’re not careful.” I told him, placing my hands on his shoulders. “I know how you feel about Cyan… I know you can’t help it, but it’s getting out of hand. Elijah almost killed me and i’m his friend. He knew I would never look at Cyan that way and he still broke my spine. Be smart and go before Elijah catches on to how you really feel for Cyan.”
“Kric, I don’t…” He trailed off, the denial lost on his lips. He knew I knew. He knew no matter what he said, I would know the truth. There was no use denying what we both knew was true. “I don’t want to leave.”
” I know you don’t.” I pulled him into a hug. “staying won’t change anything Marco… you have to know that it only puts you in danger.”
“I know.” He chuckled, the sound so sad I couldn’t tell if it was a laugh or sob. “I know, but… I just can’t let him go Kric. What do I do? What do you do when you love someone so much, but they just… they don’t want you?”
“You cry to your heart’s content.” I told him, hugging him tighter when he seemed to break apart against me. He sobbed loudly, mourning a love he could never have. He didn’t deserve this. He was meant to die, these feelings washing away with his mortal body, and begin anew as someone who wasn’t hopelessly attached to a man that would never be available. “And you go. You leave because if you stay, you’re trapped hoping for something that’s impossible to have.”
“I don’t mind… being trapped in this useless love.” he whimpered. “I don’t mind. I really don’t.”
Then why are you crying? I wanted to ask, but his sobs just got louder as he seemed to realize he was lying. “Tell me what to say to help you.” I pulled his face from my chest, genuinely saddened by his tears. We may not have been in love, but we surely loved each other. I wouldn’t have tried so hard for him if it had all been for fun. I wouldn’t have destroyed what we had so early, if I didn’t genuinely care for him. He deserved better than who I was back then and I knew it. I ruined us, but in a way, I think I saved us too. If I hadn’t ruined it before we were too invested, he definitely wouldn’t be bearing his heart to me right now and he needed this. “Tell me what you need to hear to make this easier.”
“Tell me… tell me he’s happy.” Marco sobbed, gripping my hand that rested on the side of his face. “Tell me… tell me he’s happy as my friend. Tell me how happy he is with king Elijah.”
“He loves you dearly, as an irreplaceable best friend.” i told him. “He misses you when you’re not here… but he’s happy.”
“He’s happy.” He repeated. “He’s in love.”
“He’s in love with Elijah. They’ve been in love… for lifetimes and they’ll be in love for as many more as they’re given. They were meant for one another.” I told him honestly. “Elijah is Cyan’s happiness. Your happiness… is not here.”
“It’s not here.” He repeated me again.
“Go. Go find your happiness.” I told him, rubbing the tears from his cheeks. “I wish you well my friend.”
“You too, Kric.” Marco laughed through his tears. He gripped my shirt, almost hesitant to continue. “It’s funny… I really hoped, for a moment, that we were each other’s happiness.”
“Me too.” I agreed, kissing his forehead. “For a moment, you were mine.”
“It was a nice moment.” Marco sniffled, relieved that it hadn’t all been his imagination. Eventually, he sobered up enough to pull away from me. “So, Cyan and Kric… the two great loves of my life. I hope wherever my happiness is, it can remind me of you two. Mostly Cyan though.”
We both laughed again, as two people who have loved and lost each other can laugh after some time has passed. the wounds had healed and the scars were no longer tender. Now, it was just an interesting story, something funny to look back on, but you knew you should never do again.
“Thank you Kric, for protecting me. You didn’t have to.”
“Of course I did.” I ruffled his hair. “I know your happiness is out there. I want you to find it and tell me when you do.”
“Oh yeah, i’ll send you a postcard.” He joked, rubbing his eyes again. “Am I wrong to think that you’ve already found yours?”
“I… I don’t know.” I thought of Incendio. “If this is happiness… I can’t wait for you to find it.”
“How unfair.” He sighed. “You fuck a whore in a coat closet and i’m the one who winds up with nothing.”
“Not nothing.” I countered.
“Just not the thing that matters.”
“Not yet.”
“Thanks for everything kric.” He said again, taking a step away from me. “I… I’m glad I thought I loved you. It was the best bad decision I ever made.”
————————
Incendio’s p.o.v.
I hid myself behind a giant stone pillar, cursing myself for chasing after them. It had been stupid to follow Kric, but my body had decided to go after him the second he tapped on Marco’s shoulder. Now here I was, hiding, intruding on another moment that wasn’t mine to experience.
My heart fluttered when Kric said he might have found his happiness and I found myself hoping, even though I shouldn’t, that he was talking about me. My chest swelled with pride at that thought, happy that Kric saw something in me that he didn’t see in the whimpering vampire before him. I knew that thought was cruel as well, but love had made me selfish. I didn’t want to share Kric, even though I had no right to call him mine when I continued to push him away.
When Marco agreed to leave, I almost jumped for joy. Compose yourself, I thought, that is not how fairies behave. I listened to them say goodbye, feeling my skin crawl when they kissed. My mind knew it was friendly at best, but my body was repulsed by the thought of someone’s lips touching what it wanted.
Oh solar, how my body wanted. It had never asked anything of me before, but now it spent every second craving Kric, forcing me to do things that I knew I shouldn’t. It had been my body that forced me to lie to the kings, something that was very much illegal and not at all fairylike. Watching King Elijah toss Kric at a wall and feeling the breaking of his bones had almost made me collapse in grief. If it weren’t for Kieran in my arms, my body might have sprinted forward to shield my mate.
I sunk to the ground as I heard them walk away, my will to interrupt having gone away the second I saw Kric consoling the sobbing man. I felt for Marco, I did, although I didn’t want to. I felt the pain of wanting something that you shouldn’t. The difference was, Kric was mine. All I had to was reach out and- “Incendio?” I looked up, my heart jumping at the way Kric said my name. “I thought I smelled you. What are you doing here?”
“I am a bad fairy.” i said instead, burying my face in my hands. “I have never been a bad fairy before. I am so ashamed of my actions and my thoughts. Goddess have mercy on me.”
He sat down beside me, seemingly amused by my statement. “So what you’re saying is… you’ve been a very bad boy?”
My face flushed and I ignored him, wondering why all of this had happened. Why was I mated to a dragon? Why must i fall in love with him if it meant he would die? What was the point of loving each other at all, if that was how this would end? “Kric, I can feel my heart breaking.”
“Mine too.” he sighed, seriousness taking over him. He threw his arm around my shoulder, pulling me into his side. “I just told my ex bonded to leave town because the person that he wanted, he could never have. I’m starting to feel that maybe… maybe I should take my own advice.”
Here it was, I told myself, he’s finally willing to leave. “If that is what your heart tells you, then you must.”
“Here’s the thing,” he grabbed my hands, forcing me to lift my head, “my heart has never spoken to me before. I’ve been around for a thousand years and out of every single second of those thousand years, my hearts been silent… so silent there have been times where I wasn’t even sure it was there. So I’m trying my best to make sense of how I’m feeling because for the first time in my life, since I met you, my heart just won’t shut up. I have no idea what it’s saying because it’s never done this before, but all I know is I want to be near you every chance I get. I want to listen to you speak riddles and steal kisses from you when you’re flustered. I want to chase after you, no matter where you go… because I think my heart likes you. I think that’s what my heart is telling me. What is yours telling you?”
“A lot of things.” I mumbled, unable to lie twice in one day. “Kric, if I listen to my heart, the future says I betray you. What my heart wants and what the future wants are not-“
“You told me that the future can change with every new decision we make.”
“This future isn’t changing.”
“Maybe because we’re not making the right decisions.”
I was at a loss for words. A part of me wanted to believe him, but another part of me refused to take the risk. “I do not know what the right decision is.” I admitted.
“Unless you tell me to stop chasing you, I won’t.” He informed me, not a single hint of joking in his voice. I knew this was the moment. I had to tell him to stop. Kric would live a better life without me. He didn’t need me. I had to release him. If he kept chasing me, my walls would continue to crumble. My resolve would waver until there was none left at all. It was best, for both of us, if he stopped.
“Don’t.” I whispered, shocking us both.
“Don’t what?”
“Don’t stop.” I clarified, burying my face against his chest. The lingering scent of the vampires tears remained, irritating me and solidifying my decision. Kric was mine. no matter how hard I tried to postpone it, our love was inevitable. “Stay with me. Help me change the future, please.”
“I will.” He pressed his lips to mine, pulling away quicker than normal, as if we were promised a million lifetimes more to kiss. “Remember, to change the future, all it takes is a single, wonderful moment. All I had to do is open my eyes. I opened them and I saw you… what do you see?”
“Everything.” I mumbled, resting my head on his shoulder. “I see so much I’m scared to move. I’m scared to set anything in motion. Which small decision will destroy everything? Which dumb thing will ruin us? I look and I look and I can’t figure it out.”
“Well then let’s try something different.” His hand came up, covering my eyes with his giant palm. “What do you see now?”
“What?”
“What do you see? Come on.”
“I do not see anything.”
“Good.” He kissed me again.
“How is that good?” I asked, letting him kiss the frown from my lips.
“Maybe this works best when only one of us can see.” He guessed. “Trust me. Stop looking toward the future. Just close your eyes and exist with me, right here.”
“But-“
“Right here.” He uncovered my eyes, letting me slowly blink them open. His face filled my vision, making my heart race. “This is the only moment that matters. You taught me how to see. Let me to teach you how not to.”
I nodded, closing my eyes again and finding comfort in the nothingness. I could feel Kric pressing his lips to mine again, something I would never get tired of no matter how many times he did it. Yes, I told myself, this could work. I had to believe it would.
Hey guys! Sorry for the long wait! School and work have been hectic, but I managed to write this in my spare time. So i’m going to try to get back to updating once a week since things are slowing down a bit. Also, I recently reached 1k followers! thanks so much you guys! I appreciate your continued support since we started this fantastical journey together
Remember, you’re guaranteed an update that same week if you comment on every paragraph of the most recent chapter! I’ll follow and dedicate the next chapter to you as well!
Anyway, feel free to leave me the feedback I so desperately crave:
-What do you guys think about Elijah after his outburst?
-How do you feel about Marco leaving?
-How do you feel about the update on Kric and Incendio’s relationship?
-What are you guys still waiting on? Any questions?
Thanks so much for reading my darlings <3
Vote, comment, follow, etc. <3
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