12. Chapter 12
Josiah
Being around Kyril and Athia was unbearable.
We were less than a week from the meeting with the world leaders.
I was supposed to be getting all of “our brothers and sisters” ready for the planned takeover.
Little did they know, I hadn’t prepared anything for that day at all.
As a matter of fact, I had actively destroyed many of the vials by just barely cracking them, destroying the being within.
I had done as many as I could without getting caught but unfortunately, not all of the vials were located in the same place.
And I had quickly deduced that Athia had an entire batch of them hidden somewhere so that if anything were to have gone wrong, there would be more to try again with.
Where those others were located, I wasn't sure.
Was this risky? Absolutely—but what the hell did I have to lose now?
At least I could make sure I spent whatever time left of this life, protecting a woman I would never have again.
A woman I would spend the rest of my existence wishing was mine.
My brother’s mate. A shiver rocked through my spine as I walked aimlessly down the corridors of The Authority.
In all reality, I was definitely feeling sorry for myself, which meant my mood wasn't very optimal for the mission and neither Athia or Kyril would leave me the fuck alone.
I was hoping to get a break in their consistent checkups, just so I could sneak away to get back to Jovalia.
I was so lost in my wallowing, that I somehow ended up outside of Athia’s office.
I could hear the muffled sounds of voices coming from inside of the room, the door just barely cracked open.
Athia’s moans suddenly assaulted my ears.
My eyes grew wide in disgust, recoiling internally, I quickly spun on my heels to turn away.
“If you’d like to join us, you’re welcome to come in,” Kyril’s voice barked, deep and sultry, from within.
How the hell did he always know someone was near him?
I closed my eyes in frustration. I inwardly sighed as I opened the door and got a full eye full of Athia completely naked on her desk, head back, legs straight up, mouth open and breathing heavily. Kyril was actively slamming into her like a fucking jackhammer. He looked bored.
“Oh… uh… Gods… Sorry for interrupting,” I stuttered, looking away.
Kyril kept going like he didn’t have a care in the world. “Athia likes the experience in this body. You may use her for your own needs if you’d like. I know Salioan's get urges like Athia experiences as well.”
“Uh… thanks for the offer, but I’m good,” I said, trying to suppress the building grimace at the very thought of touching Athia.
Kyril dug his nails into her thighs as he pumped into her faster. She was bleeding down her leg. I wasn’t sure if she understood blood loss, but I guess she’d find out if he did too much damage. I internally shrugged and hoped she met that fate.
“So… I’m going to go now,” I said awkwardly and walked back out of the door.
“Suit yourself,” Kyril shouted.
So, they were completely indisposed. I wasn’t sure how long this would last, but I decided there was no better time than now. I thought of the palace and rifted to the meeting room.
I’d never get used to just showing up in front of people, but I definitely just took years off of this poor guards life.
His high pitched scream rang through the room as I stood almost directly in front of him.
He quickly regained his composure and his entire stance changed as he prepared to actually guard the castle with his life.
“Sorry man, I didn’t think anyone would be in here,” I said chuckling. “I’m Josiah. My brother is the leader of the Salioan Council.”
He immediately calmed at my introduction. “Ah, yes, we have been instructed to bring you to The King if you were to materialize indiscriminately again.”
I chuckled at his description of how I rifted in here.
He quickly led me to their training facility.
Everyone in the room was crowded over by the far wall.
The loud chatter of the crowd was making it impossible to figure out what had happened.
I moved over to the group and pushed my way through, only to find Camille in my brother’s arms.
“Is she okay?” I said as I shoved past everyone else.
“She’s fine,” Jerrod said softly as he continued to hold her. “She just had a vision.”
My heart clenched at the notion that it was no longer my job or my right to hold her. “I hate to interrupt, but I don’t have a lot of time.”
I absolutely didn’t feel bad about interrupting in the slightest. His hands on her made my stomach knot up. The rage I felt seeing them together made me want to burn the world down. The jealousy was so distressing that it actually caused a wave of embarrassment.
“Go ahead and say what you need to then,” Jerrod said, barely paying any attention.
I sighed, “I’m not sure how much more I can do, but I’ve at least slowed down the takeover.”
“How?” Camille asked softly.
“All of the parasites are contained in glass vials. I just put hairline cracks in many of the containers. It will simply look like time was the culprit and I didn’t destroy all of them to try to decrease suspicion, but it will at least reduce the amount of people they can infect,” I explained.
“If I am found out, I don’t know that I’ll even be able to warn you.
I don’t know that any of us are a match for Kyril. ”
“Josiah, you need to be careful! I appreciate you doing all of this to try to stop them, but you’re going to end up getting yourself killed,” Camille said softly.
I looked straight into her eyes, feeling a sadness I just couldn’t quell. “Honestly, Camille, what difference does that make anymore?”
I got up and started to walk back toward the door. I didn’t belong here. I couldn’t stand to see her with him. I was getting ready to rift when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned and found myself face to face with Jerrod.
“Your attitude about this situation is going to lead to mistakes. Mistakes are not something I will stand for or forgive, especially if they harm my mate. Get your head out of your ass before you kill us all.”
“Yeah, got it,” I scoffed.
The emphasis on MY MATE, made me want to puke. I could honestly say that none of this conversation mattered. None of what happened after this would matter either. I couldn’t compete with their bond. I couldn’t compete with anything anymore.
I felt as if the world was sucking me in and the floor beneath me was swallowing me up. I probably would be hasty. I probably would make mistakes, but as long as Camille was alive and safe, my very existence didn’t really matter anymore. That alone was a scary thought.
“Please, Josiah, just take care of yourself. Don’t be reckless. For me?” Camille asked softly, the look on her face was full of anguish.
I know she didn’t choose this path purposely. I surely hadn’t.
I looked into her eyes, “I can’t make any promises.”
And just like that, I was sitting back in my office. I sighed deeply, wondering if things had been different, if she would still be mine. Had I just been more vigilant and noticed Akuma in his most vulnerable form, maybe I wouldn't be suffering like this.
“Where exactly… did you just go?”
I swung my head around toward the intensely low-toned voice and knew immediately who was standing behind me. This day couldn’t possibly go any worse or at least that was my new assumption. I sifted through my mind trying to come up with an excuse. Any excuse really.
The silence was deafening. I was completely and totally fucked. I knew it and based on the face Kyril was making, he knew it too.
“Just stepping out,” I said as nonchalantly as possible, barely missing a beat.
“And that requires you rifting around, huh?” Kyril said with a mocking laugh. “I’m not sure if you knew this, Akuma, but I’m fairly in tuned with our kind rifting.”
I sucked in a jagged breath and instantly realized my mistake. A mistake I wasn’t even aware I had been making by going back and forth. I had been doing it a lot—going to Jovalia—and Kyril had been completely aware that I had been leaving the entire time.
“You thought you were being sneaky, didn’t you?” Kyril taunted in a mocking tone. “Thought I wouldn’t realize you were going somewhere far from here?”
I had no words for him. I didn’t even know what to say because I had thought I was being sneaky.
I had thought he’d never know what I was doing or that I was even leaving.
That assumption was clearly wrong. Jerrod was right and feeling sorry for myself was going to lead to mistakes and people dying.
This would be my fault—when it all blew up in our faces.
“I just thought I could check back on Salioes to see if there was any news,” I lied.
“Ah, that would be a decent excuse, surely. I probably wouldn’t have even suspected anything… if I hadn’t noticed something unusual about the vials our brothers and sisters wait idly in. Or should I say, waited idly in.”
It was in that moment that I knew he had found the cracks—the ones I had made purposely to look natural.
He was already a million steps ahead of us and I was too weak, too self absorbed, that I thought I was the one with the upper hand.
I was na?ve, so na?ve, to think I was capable of stopping this by myself.
And even more so, assuming it would be so easy. Camille was the chosen one, not me.
“You’re mind is scolding you right now, isn’t it? You’re catching up to where I’ve been for quite some time,” he snickered. “Be careful how you decide to answer this question next. Who are you?”
Before I got a chance to answer him, I heard the soft groaning of the floor behind me. The pain of something solid slamming into my skull had barely registered before I disappeared into the darkness of unconsciousness.