1775

~Amolet

I grit my teeth, pushing him off me.

Surprisingly, he relents, stepping. Adjusting my clothing, I look over him. Whoever he is, he's tall and well built, wearing all black clothing. Is he Aven's brother or something? He wrestled me against the wall with ease, and is acting as if he has every right to do so. Part of me is tempted to punch him across the face and let him know how much I don't appreciate his brute force.

"Freak..." I mutter, looking toward the stairs. I'm going to march down and ask Aven what is going on, and why one of her household members decided to slam me against the wall like I'm an intruder.

He steps in front of where I can walk, trapping me in again. "Who are you?"

"My name is Amolet," I say warily. If he lives here, he might think I am an intruder, and that perhaps I'm stealing. I look like a mess, too, with my strange shirt and pants I received in Death's realm, and the jacket Abella gave me.

"Why are you here?" he demands, crossing his arms over his chest. His gaze pins me in my spot, daring me to make a move to escape.

My eyes narrow. "Why are you here?"

"I'm protecting Aven." He seems reluctant to tell me anymore than that. I expected him to reveal some kind of relationship to her, that maybe he is her mate or her brother. That would be very beginnings of justifying his bizarre behaviour.

"Seems like she can protect herself," I note.

"Her mother hired me," he explains calmly. "Now tell me why you're here, before I kill you."

I blink. It's obvious Aven belongs to a affluent family, but I had no idea she would have a bodyguard protecting her...Especially one she didn't mention to me when I came in. Her families money must have drawn in a lot of enemies.

"I'm here because I was freezing outside, and this was the first place...I'm just trying to get back to my mate," I explain calmly, trying to make it clear my only intention is to get out of this place.

He leans against the railing of the stairs, looking down. "Have you contacted them?"

"No, I don't have any way to do so." It's not exactly like there's a phone line that all purebloods are tapped into. I'm going to have to find a way back to the Harmony Pack and hope he is there, and hasn't returned back to the immortal realm, because if he has, then there may truly be no hope for me to see him again.

"You need to work on that." He tilts his head back and forth.

"Why are you trying to protect her so much? Is she in danger?" I question, stepping forward. This guy is getting on my last nerve.

"Yes, now work on getting out of here." He backs away from the stairs, clearly deciding I'm not a threat, and that conversing with me for a moment longer is a waste of my time. How can Aven stand to be around someone like this all the time?

I sigh through my nose. "Fine, I'll ask her."

Stepping toward the stairs, Eryk reaches out and grabs my arm suddenly, yanking me away. I yelp, tugging my arm from his tight grip.

"Wait...No," he insists.

"Why?"

"She doesn't know her mother hired me," he admits, long borderline frantic. I frown. I knew something was off about him, and now it seems his secret is one I can use to my benefit. "And she can't know, understand?"

"Who is trying to kill her?" I demand.

"Bad people," he says in a hushed voice, pulling me further away from the stairs. I shouldn't be so curious about this. I should be taking this as my sign to get out of here before I wrap myself up in something darker than I'm already involved in, yet my curiosity burns deeply. "She is mated to a very powerful man."

"Well, she can join the club. Why don't I have someone trying to protect me?" I say, more to myself than anyone.

Maybe if I did, I wouldn't be an immortal right now.

"Her mate...He hired me. He is from another realm. As am I," Eryk continues. I realise coldly that he's terrified of her mate, of what he could potentially do to him.

And then it hits me.

"Stace..." I say aloud, unsure of whether I'm right about it, but who else is from another realm, currently occupying this one, who has enough power to elicit fear in this reasonably capable man in front of me?

Eryk's eyes widen. "You know?"

"I know Stace. He killed me," I snap. Digging my hands through my hair. I can't escape the man...I thought I would at least have a few days where I could reunite with my mate and not think about my murderer.

Eryk tilts his head, confused. "But you stand here, alive."

"I'm Immortal. I got out," I say dismissively. I shouldn't even be here explaining this to a complete stranger, even if we are connected by this one, large problem in our lives. "Not that is matters. I need to get back to Cian."

"Your mate is a Sin?"

I nod.

"Then there is no way I can trust you around Aven. I cannot be sure you won't hurt her." He's suddenly serious, seeming to remember his job title. I step back, aware that he isn't going to let up until I leave, and I'm not stepping back into that snow right now...

I roll my eyes, backing toward the stairs. "Get over yourself-"

He lurches forward, grabbing for me. Having already anticipated that, I slide back, trying not to slip as I concentrate on my thoughts. I imagine my hands wrapping around his neck, that he is helpless, and sure enough, Eryk halts his attack, hands coming up to his neck.

It works.

I don't let my surprise knock my concentration, as I back away, letting him choke on his knees for a moment, before I finally let him go.

"I can kill you, but I don't want to," I say slowly, my voice shaking. Eryk coughs, breathing heavily as he looks up at me, trying to figure out how I managed to render him useless. "Now find my mate, and I won't tell Aven you exist."

He doesn't say anything, but I know he isn't going to follow me.

Rushing down stairs, my mind whirs with information. He's from another realm...he told me so. Which means my powers work, regardless of where someone is from. That means they can work against Stace, giving me a chance to render him useless enough for one of the purebloods to finally kill him.

"Everything alright?" Aven asks as I approach.

"Yes, of course," I assure her, although I'm sure I look flustered.

"I have a heated pool. Would you like a swim?" she asks, grinning. I smile back, enjoying the sound of something heated.

"I can't say no to that."

Aven wasted no time getting me something to swim in. When she came back downstairs, she seemed none-the-wiser, meaning Eryk is gone. If I stay here the night, there is a chance he will kill me in my sleep, but I'm just going to have to take that chance.

"Have you found your mate?" I ask curiously, unable to help myself as I dip into the pool, following Aven, who has already submerged herself.

She seems so relaxed and unbothered...She has no idea.

"No. I'm not sure I will, any time soon," she says with a shrug. By the sounds of it, she may not have to wait very long, although I don't think that is a good thing. I envy her, for being so ignorant to her future. I wish I had enjoyed my dull life before I was thrown to all of this...

"I hope that they will be everything you want them to be," I tell her honestly.

"Me too," she sighs distractedly. "It's not like I expect anything in particular. I just hope they are a good person."

"They will be, I'm sure of it."

Dipping my head under the water, I linger a moment, aware that holding my breath under the surface my not be enough to kill me again. Not that it matters. I still feel vulnerable, even with my powers. Being immortal should feel better than this.

"And what about your mate?" Aven asks when I remerge. She has a glisten in her eye, a curiosity. "What is he like?"

"I was unsure about him at first. I mean, that's an understatement," I ramble. "Now.."

I draw off, noticing Aven has widened eyes, staring over my shoulder. Frowning, I follow her gaze, nearly fainting at what I see.

My mate, leaning against the doorframe, a smirk on his face.

"Now what?" he asks.

I waste no time wading toward the edge of the pool, pulling myself out. Cian's dark eyes track me as I approach him. Unbothered by how soaked I am from the pool, I wrap my arms around him. The feeling of his body pressed against mine, the way his arms embrace me. This is exactly what I've been craving since the moment I left his side.

"You're here..." I breathe, unsure if I ever want to let him go. He feels so warm and real, like I was never parted from him. Now that I'm back, I realise I can't leave him again, that I need him by my side forever.

"Seems so," he chuckles, resting the palm of his hand on the back of my damp head.

"How did you..." I pull away slightly.

"I felt you, the moment you were back in this realm," he explains. Has he always been this handsome? I feel like I've always noticed it, but now it's hitting me, and I can hardly believe he is my mate.

"I can't believe it."

"So what were you saying?" he questions, a smile tilting his lips up. "Now you're what?"

I can't help but smile, even though I know he's aware of exactly what I was going to say. "Now I think I love you."

His expression softens, his hands holding either side of my face.

"I love you too," he murmurs.

❤️••❤️

🐼••🐼

Sophie_Midika

Midikacrane

~Midika 💜🐼