1919

¬Amolet

Stace doesn't respond for a long moment, he just stares at me.

"I hope Cian hasn't been manipulating you," he responds quietly after a moment. It may be the wrong thing to do, to reveal my hand right now, but if I go behind everyone's back to find out the truth about Abella, the fallout will be worse. Now I just have to prove to Stace that the need to know whether Abella is okay or not is fueled by me, and not Cian.

"Tell me the truth, Stace," I demand, taking a step toward him, making him step back warily, even if he is the one with some unspoken power that he is holding back from telling me about. He looks past me, almost like he is looking to see if Cian followed me here.

"I've told you nothing but what I know," Stace explains slowly, shoving his hands into his pants. I narrow my eyes, trying to figure out whether he is lying right to my face or not. He's hard to read, his expression like some expertly arranged mask that changes depending on who he is talking to. "Abella is dead. Cian killed her."

At this point, I'm finding myself wanting to convince him. "What if he didn't Stace? What if it was Noah who killed her?"

"I trust Noah more than I trust a Sin, who is built to lie," he mutters.

"But what kind of messed up freak kills his mate?" I question, demanding the answers from him with such ferocity that it's clearly catching him off guard, a worried look seeping into his eyes.

The reason why I have so many doubts about Cian killing Abella is because how could someone kill their mate? I would sooner believe Noah has locked her away somewhere, or perhaps accidentally killed her and is blaming it on Cian, than for either of them to have done is purposefully. The mate bond is special, and no matter how demented someone may be, it's unlikely that anyone could get past their true nature to kill their mate...even a Sin.

Stace shakes his head at me, lowering his tone to sound like he is speaking to someone who doesn't understand. "An immortal, who doesn't want to be tied to someone from a realm that is not his own."

I blink. "What are you talking about?"

"What you don't know is that I come from another realm completely. And Abella came from that realm too, as well as Noah," Stace explains slowly. Closing my eyes, I try to make sense of that. It's possible that Stace could be lying to me right now, but it's obvious Stace isn't from this realm, so another must exist to accommodate someone like him.

"That doesn't make any sense..." I say regardless, shaking my head. Surely if there is another realm, I would have heard about it by now, or surely I would have come across someone else who has come from there. I can't help but wonder if they all have tattoos similar to Stace, or if he is unique.

"The only reason I'm in this realm is to rid this world of pure-blood Sins, all of which have tried to kill off my kind who once lived here," he explains, a sense of anger playing in his dark gaze that suggests that not a single lie is coming from his mouth.

"This is so confusing," I mutter, placing my hands on either side of my head. "What other realm?"

"It's hard to explain, but clearly I'm not from here." He motions over himself. He is far taller than me and most people here, and his tattoos are otherworldly and controlled by some kind of magic. "I'm helping Noah because I want to kill Cian. And I need your help to do it."

"I'm not helping you kill him if that's your only reason," I growl.

The thought of killing Cian...I'm not sure why, but it makes my stomach twist in knots, to the point I could be sick. Maybe it's because I'm terrified of Cian. Both him and Stace could kill me whenever they pleased, so who am I to side with? Stace is on some revenge kick, although I suppose Cian is too. Maybe I should just run and hide away from the both of them instead of being willing to work with either of them.

"He killed hundreds of my kind who lived here. Him and his demented siblings," Stace growls. I flinch. Cian is immortal, and has existed for centuries...It's possible he could have killed an entire race of Stace's people and I would have no idea.

"How am I meant to just believe you on your word?" My voice shudders.

Stace narrows his eyes. "Would you believe him on his?"

"I don't know..."

"What is it about him that is suddenly making you doubt Noah and I?" he asks, stepping toward me. His tone is suspicious, meaning he is aware that I may be changing sides. Now I can't imagine him telling me anymore information about Abella. "Is it something he is saying to you?"

"No, I'm just trying to not let myself be manipulated by anyone," I assure him. I don't trust Cian, and I don't trust Stace. That's how I want to keep it.

"I'm worried you're compromised," he mutters darkly. Is he about to kill me?

I hold my hands out in front of me as if I would stand a chance in defending myself against him. "I haven't told anyone anything. Not even Lev."

Lev is just behind the door, which means that If Stace doesn't believe me, he may kill me, and then Lev, who doesn't deserve to be involved in any of this. If he does want to kill me, I'm either going to have to try to fight my way out of this, or let him kill me. If I run, he may use Lev to get to me.

"It may be better if you come with me for awhile, so we can figure this out properly," he decides, reaching out to me. I step back again, my back bumping against my wooden door. I silently pray Lev doesn't come knocking to see what is going on.

"I don't want to go with you, Stace," I warn.

He sighs. "You're safe, don't worry."

This time, he lunges for me and I have no space to dodge him. The moment his hand grasps my wrist, the world starts to fall apart around me, and the feeling of falling has me reluctantly grabbing onto Stace, unable to shake the feeling that I'm about to die, even though I know that in a second, my feet will be touching the ground.

Sure enough, I feel a hard, glossy floor appear beneath me. When I open my eyes, I'm almost blinded by white all around me, even if it's still nighttime. Lights illuminate the marble path in front of me, and thick pillars rear up out of the ground, bracing a sweeping ceiling. It all leads up to the front door, emerald green pools framing each side of the walkway. I've been here before...It's Alpha Noah's estate.

"Take me back, right now," I growl, whirling around to face Stace. He is smiling now, like this is all some kind of joke.

"No," He says simply. "Here it is unlikely Cian can get to you. I doubt anyone is important enough for him to risk coming anywhere near Alpha Noah or I right now."

"Is that meant to make me feel better?" I demand. I'm struggling to decide whether I should trust Stace, but now I'm sure I can't. If he wanted this to be fair, he wouldn't have grabbed me and whisked me off to Alpha Noah's estate, where I doubt I will be able to leave, even if I ask.

"It should...Cian is dangerous," Stace comments, looking as though it should be obvious.

He grabs my wrist, pulling him with me down the extravagant entrance toward the front door. I try to pry his fingers off from around my wrists, but it's near impossible.

"I can look after myself..." I snap.

"Everything alright?"

Both Stace and I pause in our step, only a few paces away from the front door. Alpha Noah has emerged, dark hair slicked back, a dark green shirt matching his eyes. I shudder at the sight of him, at the tension in his shoulders. Something is stressing him out...I'm going to take a wild guess and assume it's Cian. He knows that the Immortal is free from the prison, which puts Noah in danger.

"I brought Amolet here to protect her against Cian," Stace explains, finally letting me go. Rubbing my wrist, I stumble away from him. "I'm getting the impression she is being manipulated by him."

I face Noah, hoping he will be more reasonable. "I'm not, and it's for me to decide, not him."

"I'm glad you're here Amolet, it will make it easy to speak to you," is all he replies with. He motions into his beautiful home, but the sight of it makes me sick. They truly have no intention of letting me return home. When I look over my shoulder, I wonder if I should run, but standing between Stace and Noah, I doubt I have much of a chance.

"I don't want to talk to any of you, I want to go home," I respond.

"Let's speak about this over dinner, shall we?" Noah offers.

Gritting my teeth, I refuse at first, although it's little use. Soon enough, I'm being led into the formal dining room, where I'm seated, right in front of Noah, and beside Stace.

"As you know, I truly do not like Cian," Noah comments, his eyes darkening, fists tightening around his fork. "He killed my mate, and although it is hard for me to talk about it, all I feel is anger for him, and I want him dead. I don't think I can do that without you."

I let out a long, deep breath. I know why I'm here, and how to achieve what I need to. I need to lie.

"I know. And I'm willing to help you," I reply.

"I'm worried he's seducing you. That's all he's really good at," he comments. I swallow, hearing that makes me shiver. Cian isn't seducing me, I know that for a fact. He is trying to gain my trust, but not trying to make me attracted to him...I mean, he's immortal, and beautiful, but that doesn't mean he's capable of seducing me.

"He isn't." I shake my head. "He's immortal, he couldn't care less about me."

"Let's hope not. Because being the object of an immortal's affection is how innocent people get killed," he notes, taking a long drink from his glass. I watch the movement carefully. "Like my mate, Abella."

"I won't be falling in love with him..." I assure him calmly, trying not to let him see that I'm shaking.

He gives me a lasting look, emerald eyes burning. "Hmm, let's hope not. For your sake."

🤎••🤎

🎇••🎇

🐼••🐼

Sophie_Midika

Midikacrane

~Midika 💜🐼