Jonah
I wait for Marabella to fall asleep before I leave her. She is too scared to touch me, too afraid to even be close to me, and she spent most of the night trying to avoid being near me.
It’s almost like she thinks Kyan will jump out and try to take her by force again. I hope Kyan understands the impact of his stupid mistake. I know what his intention behind it were, but it is a stupid move to make.
I know he wouldn’t have gone through with it, and I know that without a doubt. I felt his intentions were to scare her. Kyan is trying to scare her away, but that does not make what he did right. He deliberately let the shadows out to take over him. It is wrong and would surely cause a ripple effect. All choices lead to an outcome. And I believe Kyan’s attempt to push her away is the wrong approach.
When will he see that he is the cause of the damage? He thinks he will kill her. I can tell you now that driving her away is killing her more than any physical death. She hides it well. Mara has always been good at masking her pain, but I see through her facade. I’ve always been able to see the real her. I see the pain behind her eyes every time she looks at Kyan, the guilt behind them every time she looks at me like she is somehow betraying him by wanting me as well.
Pulling up out the front of the manor, I notice a few lights on. I can hear the yelling from inside the house. The moment I step inside, the harsh bite of the cold seeps into me, and my breath leaves smoke clouds in the air. He is breaking down, or should I say, Kaif is breaking him down.
I grab the banister as I climb the stairs; the wood is so cold I jerk my hand back, the coldness burning into my palm. “Fuck,” I curse under my breath. This place has never felt so cold to me before. It always feels off, the ripple of energy in the air is almost toxic most of the time, but this place feels like death, cold, vacant, and lonely.
Rounding the corner of the stairs, I see Kyan’s bedroom door open. However, the noise comes from the floor above. About to climb the next set of stairs, I catch sight of Lucas out of the corner of my eye.
He steps out of Kyan’s room and freezes for a second before realizing it is me and letting out a breath. He looks shaken, and I don’t blame him. I can feel the darkness looming around, seeping into every corner of this place, suffocating any glimmer of light. And I know it is like walking into the claws of death itself.
I notice Kyan’s phone is clutched in his hands and the screen is on. “Phew, it’s just you. Ah, Kyan is upstairs. Kaif and he are arguing, been at it for a while,” he says, and I point to Kyan’s phone in his hands.
“Oh, just putting it on charge for him; he will need it for tomorrow,” he answers, rushing past me and down the stairs. I am nearly tempted to ask if Kyan knows he has it. Kyan is strange with his phone, and I often joke that he has a secret porn stash on it with how protective he is about it.
Sighing, I let it go and continue my climb of the steps. I stop outside the “altar” as Kyan calls it. I just refer to the room as a creepy witch voodoo storage room.
Pushing the door open, I step inside only for a rush of air to slam me against the wall, pinning me. Kaif’s fluorescent, gold swirling patterned eyes pin me in place. Kaif is in control of Kyan’s body; I have seen it plenty of times, but never witnessed Kaif using Kyan’s magic on himself. My heart is thumping louder now as I try to remain calm. I take in the sight before me, very aware of the beast’s deadly aura swirling around me.
Kaif is powerful, and more destructive than Kyan, and sometimes Kyan needs to realize that the control he has over Kaif is an illusion. Kyan controls what Kaif allows him to. Sure, he manages to tame the beast in a sense.
Still, Kaif is never one to be controlled, he is not a puppet, and he has beliefs and thoughts of his own. Power of his own that could only be controlled by the talisman that Kyan tossed away thoughtlessly not understanding the true power behind it.
Even now, we don’t understand the talisman’s true meaning for existence, only that it keeps Kaif from using his own magic bestowed to him by the God Hades. What a shitstorm that arrangement is.
Kyan possesses the powers of Demi-goddess Celeste, his so many whatever relation, and that of the God of Death Hades, his distant grandfather. Celeste’s mate. A true God, and now one mistake on Celeste’s behalf, has left a reigning terror on the Octavian bloodline.
Octavian was Hades’s surname of choosing when he roamed the earth along with Celeste. Celeste was his wife and mate, a lover and enemy in one. I am yet to fully understand the story, but I know I would have to if I want to help break the curse on him one day.
“You allowed it,” Kaif roars at me.
“Leave him, Kaif,” Kyan suddenly says, caught between two people inhabiting one body, and it is odd to hear two voices coming out of the one source. Kaif growls, his growl becomes cut off by Kyan’s voice as he fights against him.
“He wasn’t there; he is innocent.” Kyan forces out the words.
Two entities, one body like a split personality. Jekyll and Hyde, eat your fucking heart out. He ain’t got shit on these two psychos.
“Where were you? You’re my guardian. Why did you not protect, mate?” Kaif growls.
“Like Kyan said, I wasn’t there,” I spit at him, and the invisible hands around my neck grow tighter, cutting off my air before I am suddenly dropped to the floor on my knees.
“He touched her, he hurt her, he hurt what’s mine!” Kaif snarls, and I nod, rubbing my neck.
“Why the fuck do you think I am here for? A tea party?” I snarl at him. Jax presses forward, and he is not in the mood. We may be no true match against Kaif, but we can still do some damage. Kaif, seeing Jax press beneath my skin, smirks.
“I have a better punishment for him; you want revenge?” Kaif says, his voice octaves higher and more transparent.