I have noticed with Marabella that she is one to just exist in a space and not leave it like it is her own personal bubble, and I have no doubt that she will refuse to leave the room unless I make her. I twist the handle to find it locked and roll my eyes. Letting my magic seep up my arm and through my fingertips, the door handle melts under the heat, falling apart. Opening the door, I find the room empty, but I can smell her scent.
“Ella?” She doesn’t answer, but her beating heart has me walking around the bed to find her leaning against the wall in the corner. I can feel her urge to make it stop, make everything stop. I also know the only reason she currently isn’t hurting herself is out of embarrassment and the fact I will feel it and know straight away.
She has her eyes closed before she laughs, muttering to herself. I observe her aura like the other day, the slight changes in it tell me something is off. It matches when she speaks to my father. Somehow it doesn’t bother me that she can. I am just glad he also has someone to talk to.
Although I would have preferred it to be me, at least she isn’t trapped in her own thoughts. I sit next to her, reaching over and gripping her knee, and her eyes fly open, glowing with the tears she had shed. “They left, and Jonah has gone to help find Rose,” I tell her.
“You shouldn’t have said anything,” she says before sniffling.
“They should have noticed,” I whisper.
“Yes, but I was also good at hiding it. I get sick of being the bad one; sometimes it is easier just to not be seen,” Marabella mutters.
“You mean it’s easier to suffer in silence, become comfortable in your own misery?” She rolls her eyes.
“Maybe,” she mutters.
“I used to think that,” I tell her. “Until I met Jonah and realized silence wasn’t really his thing,” I laugh.
“No, it’s not,” she laughs. “When will he be back?” I shrug, unsure, but he would probably come back if she asks him to, or if I did.
“Are you uncomfortable being on your own with me?” I ask, but she shakes her head, dropping it on my shoulder.
“No, but I already miss him,” she laughs. I nod. “Did you know he doesn’t have a mate? Seline and my mother never paired him with anyone? He is a loophole.”
My brows furrow at her words. “What do you mean?”
“Mom and Seline tried to pair Jonah with me. Our auras were supposed to be together, but ours kept forging together, Jonah’s just hovered around following,” she mutters.
“So we weren’t supposed to be mates?” I ask her and Kaif.
Kaif shakes his head. “No, she was ours. I just think Jonah was also hers. My mates aren’t picked by the goddess, they are picked by the shadows, yet the shadows that taint her would have sought us out, even if she was Jonah’s only.” I relay that to Marabella, and she sighs.
“Well, that makes sense why mom couldn’t forge us, or Seline.”
“Does Jonah know this?” I ask her.
“No, I was pissed off at first when I found out. I thought mom was originally depriving him of his mate to stop me from being with you, but it turns out you wanted to stop that, anyway.”
“Not anymore,” I tell her, and she looks at me. “But we need to break the curse first; I won’t risk Kaif hurting you. That’s why your mom wants you to leave. I know she would have seen it, seen Kaif kill you.”
“What do you think?” I shrug and kiss her head.
“I don’t know. I’ve seen you die twice because of Kaif, so I am not sure. I don’t know if the future is changing or if some other force is in play.” I tell her honestly.
“What do you mean?”
“The first vision I had, you were dead. I know you were dead. It looked like I strangled you, but the second you still had the same markings around your neck, and in that one, Kaif killed you by marking you.”
“I died from you marking me?”
“No, from Kaif marking you in his form, not mine.” I squeeze my eyes shut at the memory. The only thing I hate is seeing things I can’t explain.
“So you had two visions of me dying,” she states, and I nod.
“Yes, but I can’t explain how you came back the first time, only to die the second.” I mutter.
“And I definitely died the second time?” She raises an eyebrow at me.
“I think so. The vision cut out, but you were bleeding out.” I can smell her fear, but also her confusion.
“What about his previous mates? How did they die?”
Kaif growls, and that is one thing he tries to keep from me, yet I envisioned it so many times, felt the shadows of them tainting me, and could hear their screams. It always had something to do with the children born. Once they were born, he marked them, and they saw the things he did, which changed them. Changed him.
“I don’t know?”
“But you said?” she mutters.
“I have seen their deaths, but not what causes it. Just that Kaif tears them apart.” I chew the inside of my lip and glance over at her as she pulls away. She swallows and seems deep in thought.
“Does Kaif know?” he growls, and a sickening feeling washes through me like he is holding something back, like there is something he doesn’t want me to see.
“They always do the same thing; I can’t let that happen. I can’t control the urge to kill them when they try.” That’s all he offers me.
Still, I have a sinking feeling I didn’t want to know whatever it is, and I pray I never see it because the emotion emanating from him is murderous, yet longing because he loved each one of them.
“I am going to shower. You can use my bathroom. If you want, I will use the communal one,” I tell her, ignoring her question. I stand up, pulling her to her feet.
She follows me to the hall, and I grab a fresh towel from the linen cupboard and hand her one. Going into my room, I grab some clothes and place some on the bed for her to wear. I really need to organize clothes for her; she must feel strange wearing mine although she hasn’t complained.