Chapter 37
My whole body blazes with anger as I clutch Elly tightly against my chest. All I can think about is how it doesn’t matter that they’re my child.
It doesn’t matter that they can’t be killed.
I’ll rip them to pieces, make them hurt, wait for them to put themselves back together, and then repeat.
I should have done this when they broke into our house.
Nagamaru looks far too pleased with themselves. The fact that they deemed it necessary to suppress Elly’s memories only confirms what I already knew: they’re responsible for what happened to her, for the things that drove her to see suicide as the only viable escape.
Before I can act on my fury, Elly stills in my arms. Her hands drop from her face, and hate burns in her eyes—so strong and powerful it almost makes me flinch.
She rises to her feet, and before I know what’s happening, she steps into the circle.
Nagamaru looks as surprised as I feel, especially when she looks up at them, smiles, and wraps her arms around their neck.
Not knowing what the hell she’s doing, I leap up to pull her away.
Nagamaru reaches out to her in return, but before they can reciprocate, Elly’s magic wraps around their neck like a noose.
Their eyes widen in surprise as her lips curl into the most vicious snarl I’ve ever seen.
Her magic tightens, and then a loud crack is heard as their head snaps back.
Nagamaru collapses to the ground, their body limp and lifeless, their green eyes unseeing.
Elly sighs, rolling her shoulders and shaking out her arms, her magic dancing against my skin and entwining with my own. It’s so casual that, for a moment, I wonder if she knows what she just did. But when she turns to look at me, I realize she’s very much aware. That smile says it all.
Elly bends over, her fingers briefly touching Nagamaru’s neck. “Still has a pulse.” Disappointment rings clear in her words. “Such a shame.”
“That was pointless.”
“It felt good, though.” The coldness in her gaze sharpens as it lands on me. “Care to explain how my blood was able to call out to you? To them?”
She steps out of the circle, her eyes not straying from mine. “Was it the same for Sophia and Isra? For every other woman you chose in between?”
“It wasn’t, actually.”
My hard words catch her off guard, and Elly falters. Something different flickers in her eyes, a polar emotion that wipes away the ice.
“Yes, your blood is compatible with mine. It’s what created that... pull between us.” Her eyes flicker again, telling me she feels it too—less now that we are bound to each other, but still there from time to time.
“It’s what brought us together, how I was able to find you, and later, it proved to be the reason our magics could be bound together. Something that was never possible with Sophia and Isra. Believe me, I tried.”
My voice grows softer as I gaze at her, at my beautiful, strong wife whom I’m proud to call mine.
“You had the potential I needed, just like the others. But when I first found you, that pull told me that maybe, just maybe, you could be more. So much more.” I reach out to Elly, gently cupping her face.
My heart swells when she nuzzles into my touch.
“Like two lost souls calling out to each other, desperate to find their other half,” I whisper, my heart nearly overflowing.
Her eyes fill with emotion, the blue and green sparkling with it.
A soft tilt of her lips tells me that Elly agrees, that it felt like that for her too.
But then she steps away from my touch, turning her head to look at Nagamaru’s temporarily lifeless body.
“Seeing how they are your child, I guess that’s why they feel it as well? ”
“It’s plausible,” I answer, my voice harsh once more.
Elly deflates slightly, sadness filling those beautiful orbs. “What are we going to do about them?”
I take her hand in mine, intertwining our fingers—a simple act that grounds me effortlessly. The sight of her skin against mine makes me weak, yet I constantly crave the feel and sight of it.
“Whatever you want, love,” I tell her, my voice soft while my eyes take her in. “Do you want to keep them locked up forever? Kill them whenever you feel like it?” I brush her hair out of her face. “Say the words, and it will be done.”
Elly thinks for a moment, then shakes her head. “No. Surprisingly enough, I’m starting to grow tired of revenge.” She laughs, clearly strained, as if she can’t believe her own words.
“You know, back when I activated the curse, there was a small part of me that warned against it. It told me it was too much, that I should just let it go.” She sighs, her posture drooping slightly, but her hand remains firm in mine. “I should have listened. I should have found another way.”
She looks at me, and in her eyes, I see that she genuinely believes she should have done things differently. “Is it so strange that all I want is for this to be over and done with? If they make a blood vow to leave us alone, they can go and be someone else’s problem.”
“You’re sure?”
“I’m sure. I want to leave the past behind me—my old life and the descendants, but also Nagamaru and what they represent.”
“What about the curse?”
She shrugs. “I’ll find a way. Seeing Nagamaru’s obsession with me, how far they’re willing to go…
It makes me realize I’ve gone a bit too far myself, at least when it comes to that part of my life.
I’m tired of seeking nothing but vengeance for what was done to me in the past.” She hesitates.
“I’ve been growing tired of it for a while now, so it’s time to let go. ”
“Should have gone for sterilization after all?” I laugh, and Elly rolls her eyes at me. But there’s that little smile on her lips, telling me she’s amused even if she doesn’t want me to know.
“Before,” she starts, her voice trailing off slightly, “I had nothing to live for. I was hurt, betrayed by someone who should have had my back. I guess it made me a little crazy. Now, on the other hand…” Elly looks at me with a new kind of determination.
It’s beautiful, and it fills my heart. “I have a reason again, so I’m ready to move on from that. ”
I’m glad to hear she’s ready to let go. Her hunger for revenge served her well in the beginning, and we both know it’s the reason she became who she is today. But she’s right—it might be time to move on.
“But”—she frowns again, glancing at Nagamaru—“their obsession doesn’t explain their meddling with—” Elly falls silent, her frown deepening as she looks at something behind me.
She opens her mouth to speak, and I start to turn to see what she sees. But before I can, Elly shoves me with such force that I fall to the ground, her weight on top of me.
Something whooshes past us, grazing the tops of our heads, and she hisses between clenched teeth.
Elly rolls off me, grabbing at her neck, where a collar now firmly clasps around it.
It’s made of a leathery material that hugs her skin tight, spikes digging painfully into her flesh.
Her fingers tug at the leather, but it doesn’t budge.
“It won’t come off.” Elly frantically pulls while scrambling off of me. “Why won’t it come off?”
I peel her hands away from the collar and touch it with my magic.
It absorbs my energy, and Elly sucks in a breath as it tightens around her neck.
She desperately tries to remain calm, but her panic is almost palpable.
The collar’s reaction to my magic reveals that it wasn’t meant for her. It was meant for me.
I look around and spot someone flying above the castle grounds. They’re so high up that all I can distinguish is a pair of white, feathery wings.
Nagamaru wasn’t working alone. Their obsession with Elly should have warned me—should have told me she was their one and only true goal.
I curse under my breath, everything making sense now.
I was just too preoccupied to see it. Nagamaru doesn’t care about my company. All they care about is my wife.
I rise and help Elly to her feet, preparing to unleash my magic on the creature hovering above us.
A loud crash erupts before I can act, followed by the splintering of wood as the front gate explodes into a thousand pieces.
I quickly raise a protection around us, and the shards turn to dust on impact, swirling around us and momentarily limiting our vision.
“Mal.” Elly’s voice is filled with alarm. She tugs at the collar again. “I think it’s laced with Nagamaru’s poison. It… it feels the same.”
With one eye on the broken-down gate, I take Elly’s hand in mine and give it a soft squeeze.
“It should only be my magic. Focus on your earth magic. Try to separate it from the rest. And take this.” I reach into my jacket and pull out my dagger.
She gratefully accepts it, the blade appearing overly large in her small hands.
Elly takes a deep breath, and I sense her magic crawling to the surface.
She mumbles something under her breath before saying, “It’s all woven together.
I can’t…” She swallows, her fear threatening to take over.
“I won’t be able to get the collar off, but I should be able to use at least some earth magic. I hope.”
“Whatever you can use will have to suffice.” I place a kiss on her head and glance up. That feathery bastard is still circling above.
Nagamaru starts to twitch behind us, signaling that they won’t be out much longer. Their neck emits sickening cracking noises as it heals, slowly but steadily.
I turn back to the gate and see someone step through. “Shit,” I mutter the moment I recognize him.
“Is that William?” Elly gulps. “How? I thought he was with Alix and Rae’s coven?”