2473

I stare out the window, the rain trailing down in rivets suiting my mood.

The building in front of me that block my view of the city seems to be taunting me today. I feel trapped, confused and even a little bored. I haven't heard from Cian in over two weeks, and because I'm scared of facing Lev after him encouraging me to decide whether I want to be with him or not, I'm bound to my room.

Everyday I've gone to work, and Cian hasn't been in his cell. It made the staff panic for awhile, some even too scared to come to work, although it hasn't bothered me. I know that wherever he is gone, it's far away, and his intentions are to hurt other people, not me or that staff at the facility.

Because Cian has been gone, I haven't been able to do my job in gaining his trust, although it seems I may have already blew it.

And if I'm honest, I'm worried. I'm worried for Noah, and even a little for Cian.

A knock sounds from downstairs, making me flinch. Lev and I don't have guests often, and since Cian has gone missing, I've been on high alert. Pulling my attention away from rainy view outside, I look out into the living room, seeing Lev passed out asleep on couch, his movie still on.

Releasing a long breath, I stalk down the stairs, wary of whoever stands by the door. It could be Renna, who I have encouraged to come visit me, although something tells me I'm being too hopeful.

Opening the door, it reveals Stace.

He stands there in the rain, dark hair plastered to his forehead, although that smirk on his face isn't diminished by the foul weather. I flinch back, Stace being the last person I expected to be standing at the door of my apartment.

"Woah...Stace," I breathe.

"May I come in?" he asks, motioning to the sky and then to clothing, which is almost completely drenched through. How long has he been standing in the rain for? When I look out onto the street, I don't see a car anywhere, which means he either walked, or appeared out of nowhere.

What is more pressing, is that Stace wants to come into my home. I'm not sure whether I want him to, at least not while Lev is here. The last thing I want is to involve him in any of this business with Noah, Stace and Cian.

"No, my friend is home," I tell mutter lowly, closing the door until there is only crack for me to look through.

"He won't mind," he says dismissively, pushing back onto the door so I have no other choice but to back up, nearly stumbling over my own ankles.

"You can't just-"

I'm cut off, as he steps inside, closing the door behind him. He regards me silently for a moment, raising a taunting eyebrow, daring me to physically push him back out. He terrifies me enough as it is, with those strange tattoos, tall stature and obsidian eyes that seem like dark pools of endless shadows.

"We have a lot to talk about, Abella," he tells me firmly, dripping all over the wooden floor. I shift uncomfortably, already knowing this is about Cian, and how I told the Immortal way too much. "And not very much time."

Stace starts walking up the stairs toward the main apartment, making me roll my eyes, knowing I have no other choice to follow him. "Can we at least keep it to my room?"

"Do you invite all your guests into your bedroom?" he questions, looking over his shoulder at me before he emerges into the living room, making me wince, knowing my best friend is going to hear that and be suspicious. I watch Lev startle at the sight of him, sitting up in his chair anxiously.

Stace gives him a brief smile. "Hello Leven."

"Uh, hi," he mutters, gaze fluttering between me and Stace, trying to figure out why he's here. I know Lev's seen him before, but I never think any mortal could get used to see someone who looks like him in outside of a mystical book.

"How about next time, wait until I invite you in," I growl lowly, closing the bedroom door behind me. "And don't talk to Lev."

1

Stace wanders around the room, looking it over with a sweeping gaze.

"Are you always so protective over your friends, or just Lev?" he asks, raising a questioning brow at me. I know he isn't asking that because he cares or has any interest. He's asking to tease me, to make me uncomfortable, clearly seeing the tension that is going on between Lev and I despite there being nothing to suggest that at all.

"What do you want?" I question, folding my arms over my chest, standing with my back against the door in case Lev decides he wants to try come in here. "Is this about Cian?"

"No Amolet, I'm here to seduce you," he says flatly, motioning to the bed. I narrow my eyes, knowing he's messing with me, which seems to be an endless game of his, that I still haven't figured out. "Yes, it's about Cian."

I swallow, my throat suddenly dry.

"I haven't seen him in weeks. He just disappeared after..." I break off, looking up at Stace warily.

He narrows his eyes. "After?"

"After I told him I knew about what he did to Alpha Noah's mate," I admit meekly. There's no point lying to him and pretending Cian has disappeared for no reason. I still want to help Noah, even if I'm skeptical about whether Cian actually killed Abella or not. What Stace has to do with any of this, I'm still not sure.

Stace closes his eyes for a long moment, threading his hand through his thick, dark curls. I watch his expression contort into mild frustration before it vanishes, and he focuses on me again.

"Tell me you're not that foolish," he mutters, almost sounding close to begging. He already knows the answer to that...

"It just...came out," I admit pathetically.

"Great, now he's run off and we will likely not see him for a couple decades," he exasperates, throwing his hands up. I wince, knowing I've made a bad mistake that I wish more than anything that I could take back. "By that time you'll be...well, dead."

I grit my teeth, irritated by the look he is giving me. He's clearly immortal or something close to it if he is looking down at me for living such a short life. It's obvious he already finds me incapable after telling Cian that I think he killed Noah's mate.

"I'm sorry, it just came out," I repeat, wishing I could disappear out of this room right now. "He seemed so sure it wasn't him who hurt her."

I don't know how to explain it...It just didn't feel like a lie.

"He's going to say anything to not come across guilty," Stace reminds me, almost like he can read my mind, or maybe my doubt is plastered obviously across my face.

"Why though? He doesn't care about me enough to lie to me like that...To act so genuinely shocked," I exclaim. The only reason Cian would lie to me is if he already is aware that I'm working with Stace and Noah, which I'm almost certain he doesn't. If he does, I doubt he would have hesitated to come kill me himself.

Stace looks off out the window as if Cian may be standing atop a nearby roof. "I may know where he has run off to."

"The Immortal realm?" I ask, my throat dry.

"No, actually," he sighs grimly, turning back to look at me, the darkness in his eyes like a never-ending, inescapable pool. "I know of a cabin the mountains he may have fled to, to be alone."

So he is still in the mortal realm then. I can't tell if that's a comforting thought or not. All I know is that he hasn't yet killed Noah, as Stace would have mentioned it, meaning that he must be creating a grand plan. I wonder if I should tell Stace that, but by the sounds of it, he already figures.

"Okay, so go get him then," I say, even if I'm quite sure I don't want to have to be the one to do so. I'm the mortal who he could kill without a second thought, and after what I told him, I don't want to be on his bad side.

"Perhaps you should go there and get him back, since you're the one who sent him there," Stace exclaims tightly, as if he can sense my apprehension. "Unless of course, you want to end this deal with Alpha Noah."

I sigh. How about neither?

"I don't want to end the deal. I want to help him," I say uneasily. I agreed to help Noah because I think Cian killed his mate, and if I'm the only one to gain his trust, then I'll do it.

"So?"

"So...I can't do that," I exasperate. There is no way I'm going to go to a cabin in the middle of nowhere with Cian there, who is clearly disgruntled and unpredictable right now. He may have even decided he is over accommodating me, and wants to end this. "What if he doesn't want to see me, and kills me?"

Stace shakes his head, the tattoos that reach his jawline seeming to shift magically. "You know he isn't going to do that. Me on the other hand..."

"Then what? What do I say to him?" I question. I don't know how to deal with him. He may have questions that I can't answer without risking this mission with Noah. And if I show up wherever he is, then surely he will know Stace took me there.

"You tell him you misheard, that Abella is fine," Stace says, although even he looks skeptical of that idea.

I frown. "So I would lie to him?"

"Clearly he's unhinged right now," Stace explains, taking a step toward me. My back is still pressed up against the door, which I suddenly wish I could melt through. "It's out best option, honestly."

"I think it will turn out worse if I lie to him," I exhale. Cian is awfully observant, and as a Sin, has no issue telling when someone is lying to him. And what good would it do telling him I suddenly think Abella is alive after I made it clear I blame him.

"You have to do it, Amolet," he insists.

I fold my arms over my chest, narrowing my eyes on him. "Did Noah tell you to send me off to do this?"

"Would it change anything if he did?" he asks.

"Cian seemed really sure he didn't kill Noah's mate," I respond sceptically. I want to believe Noah above Cian, since Noah is my Alpha and Cian is a Sin. But something doesn't feel right in the pit of my stomach, the look on Cian's face when I told him Abella was dead is ingrained into my mind, haunting me.

"Who do you trust more?"

"I don't know, actually."

"I can assure you that if Noah is lying, I wouldn't be trying to help him so much," Stace assures me gently. I believe that, that he is trying to do the right thing. Above anything else, Stace clearly has something deep and poisonous against Cian that goes beyond Alpha Noah's mate.

But because of that, he makes me nervous.

"Stace, I don't trust you," I breathe, my voice shuddering. He winces, probably wondering if Noah is the one who should have come here, not him. Had Cian not planted the seed of doubt in my mind, I would be believing and agreeing with everything he is saying right now.

"I know," he replies softly, actually looking physically torn about what to do. "Let me take you there. If he hurts you, I'll come back to save you."

"And how would you even know if he did?" I ask, wanting to trust that, but not sure if I actually can.

Stace looks back out the window, frowning. "Call it a sixth sense."

I know what that means - magic. Stace may not want to admit to me to the extent of his abilities, but if it's enough to tell if Cian is hurting me from a distance, then it's definitely not a small amount of power. If I can trust that he will keep me safe against Cian if things go badly, then I don't have an excuse for not going to fix the problem that I caused.

"Fine. But only because I want the money so I can get away from all you...magical people," I mutter, stepping toward Stace, hoping I'm not going to be gone for long. Lev will panic if he comes into my room to find I'm missing.

"Take my hand," Stace offers, reaching out for me.

Somewhat reluctantly, I slide my hand into his, the warmth of his skin making me shiver. I stare into the depths of his dark eyes as the world around us starts to fall apart, and everything turns to black. I'm not sure I'll ever get used to this unnatural feeling of falling, my eyes slamming shut until I feel ground underneath me again.

An icy gust of wind rustles against me before I open my eyes. We are on a mountain, which doesn't seem steep until I turn around and have an extensive view of some unknown territory. For a moment the view is breath-taking, until I realise how cold it is, and suddenly I want out of here.

"It's freezing up here..." I mutter, wishing I was dressed in more than leggings and a shirt. Turning around, I see Stace standing amongst the snow doused pine trees, looking unbothered by the troubling weather.

"I'm sure he will take great pleasure in warming you up," Stace murmurs, the smile on his face painfully devious.

He gestures up the hill some more, where a small cabin sits, nestled between a cluster of thick trees and a mess jagged rocks. It's a truly solitary place to come, especially for a troubled immortal.

"Goodbye Stace," I mutter, brushing past him as I trudge up the hill, anticipating Cian's reaction.

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Sophie_Midika

Midikacrane

~Midika 💜🐼