Chapter 14 #4
“Let’s get one thing clear,” I sneer, shooting a stern glare at him as I point at Emrys. “He and I are one. I chose him, and I will always choose him. Don’t ask or tell me to pick you, because I never will. Don’t threaten what he and I have, as you will never be able to sever our bond. EVER!”
Pain shoots through my head as if I’m struck by lightning, the curse showing me its dismay at my actions, and I grit my teeth as I speak the words, not willing to give in to the pain.
It will not prevail this time. This time, I will fight for my love for Emrys, for our genuine bond.
Elijah needs to know that I will never choose him out of free will.
His and mine would be a relationship of empty souls, souls not meant for each other, not genuinely recognizing one another, because there is nothing to identify.
I tell Emrys to hold me as I start to feel my feet slip out of my control, slowly shuffling toward Elijah, the curse set on driving me past that barrier.
I’m no fool; I will no longer have sensible control over myself once I pass that boundary.
If Elijah tries to hold me, or worse, kiss me, I will likely let him, and I have no idea how that will affect these surface-level false emotions.
Emrys is at my side in seconds and puts his arm around my waist, holding me in place. I can feel the fury rippling over my skin as my actions resist the curse again.
I see the anger flare in Elijah’s hazel brown eyes, too.
His muscles are going rigid at my words, the sight of Emrys holding me, the curse encouraging him, his false love for me numbing his actual senses.
He tries to reach for me, but the wards block him, sending him flying backward.
I gasp as he lands with a sickening thud, but, entranced, he scrambles to his feet, running back to the gate entrance—the undetectable blanket of magic, the only thing standing between us.
Emrys pushes me behind him in a split second, standing in front of me defensively, shielding me.
Elijah tries to look around Emrys, craning his neck, but my tall, broad monster obstructs his view.
I press myself against Emrys’s back, silent tears leaving my eyes.
I need Elijah to understand, to oppose the curse, and to grasp that his emotions are not genuine.
I’m convinced that if we defy it together, we can defeat and erase it from our lives.
“If you ever try to touch her against her will again, I will hunt you down, tear off your filthy hands, and set your face on fire,” Emrys growls.
Emrys’s breath becomes sharper with each inhale, his rage building. His disdain and fury for this human are palpable, the one who tries to lay claim to what is his—me.
“She wants me, leech; she’s just too afraid to act on it because you refuse to give her free will,” Elijah spits back.
“You’d be surprised how strong-willed she is. If she’d chosen you, she’d be in your arms right now, yet she is in mine. Consider this my final warning: if you dare to touch her without her consent, you will die by my hands, and it will be far from pleasant. I’ll make sure of that.”
A third voice enters the conversation, a deep, dark voice that makes my skin crawl.
I can’t contain my curiosity as I peek around Emrys, ignoring Elijah’s burning stare.
A large man, almost the same size as Emrys, stands next to Elijah.
His eyes are the brightest green I have ever seen, unnatural and cold, dead.
He waves at me derisively, his smirk revealing his pointed teeth—the Dhampir.
Elijah truly is affiliated with this group of hunters, out to kill those who belong to the darkness.
A feeling of disappointment and loathing settles within me.
The Dhampir focuses his attention on the bane of my existence, the human that haunts me, standing on the other side of the wards.
One who stubbornly holds on to his fictitious, cursed emotions, something he isn't even aware of.
Elijah barely acknowledges the Dhampir; his attention is solely focused on me, on my every move, and he is watching me like a hawk.
His nostrils flare like a bull ready to storm and attack.
Instinctively, I push myself into Emrys, into safety, who wraps his arm around me.
“Elijah, an Umbra is not one whose wrath you want to provoke. Especially not one as strong as this one, who has shown unprecedented patience with you. He could snap your bones in a mere second if he willed, without the need to move.”
The Dhampir curtly nods to Emrys, respecting and acknowledging his power.
Emrys politely returns the gesture, clarifying that he has no issue with the Dhampir…
yet. Then, despite the wards, he refocuses his attention back on Elijah.
I can tell my monster is on high alert, not trusting either of them.
“I don’t give a fuck what he is or what he can do, Faas! She belongs to me! Sunshine is fucking mine, and she knows it; she is just too afraid to admit it because of that fucking bloodsucker,” Elijah yells in return.
“Mine,” Emrys growls possessively.
The raging, violent energy exuding from Emrys makes even me shiver.
I am relieved I am not on the receiving end.
His shadows spring from his skin and swirl around us dangerously, ready to annihilate whoever crosses their path.
Shadows from the walls also start to ripple and move, closing in on Elijah and the Dhampir.
In response to Emrys’s aggressive snarl and intimidating shadows—a forewarning—the Dhampir, rather than escalating the situation, grabs Elijah roughly by the collar, like a scorned child.
“Enough!!” Faas sneers at Elijah.
“We did not come here to make an enemy out of an Umbra over some girl. She’s his, of her own free will, as she just said.
I can tell she’s speaking the truth. She made her decision, and it's not you, Elijah. You leave her alone; she’s of no concern to you.
I, for one, will not rouse the Umbra, nor will you.
I enjoy staying alive. Mark my words, boy; if you decide to disobey me, you will not only have the Umbra to contend with, but also me, Elijah.
I will do things to you far worse than he will. ”
Elijah's eyes dart from the Dhampir to me, torn by the decision being made for him. Unable to go against the pull of the curse, he keeps talking and ignores Faas’s warning.
“Harlot, don’t do this to me, please, don’t.
I know you love me. I love you, please. I know you feel the same as I do.
Please, fight the compulsion that damn vampire holds over you.
You and I are supposed to be together; if only you would let me hold you, you would know…
You would instinctively know, just like when we first met.
You knew it then, too,” he pleads in a rambling tone.
“Pick me, Sunshine. I am better for you. I will make you happier than he ever can. Trust me, I am the better choice! I love you!”
Tears well in his eyes as he fights his false instincts fed by the curse to defy the Dhampir in front of him, to fight for what is not his in the first place. To put his own life on the line just to confess his love for me, a false love not worthy of dying for.
“Never,” I say, agitated, as a burning sensation crashes through me, spreading like wildfire through my veins until I feel it buzzing under my skin.
“I chose him, Elijah. I already did. I am his, and he is mine; why can’t you understand that?! I. Don’t. Want. You.”
I grind my teeth, fighting the torment coiling inside me.
I feel as if with each rejection, the soulmate connection slowly tears apart a little further, and it hurts; it hurts so goddamn much.
A necessary pain I need to suffer if I ever want to live in freedom, released from these unnatural shackles.
Emrys responds to my distress immediately, an act that does not go unnoticed by the Dhampir.
I see him eyeing us with interest from the corner of my eye.
The Dhampir, Emrys, he’s watching us.
I don’t care, my love. You are with me, mine, and everyone can know that.
I look at Emrys; I feel adoration now as he dotes on me. My monster, a flaming Hell for any who tries to defy us, a safe Haven for me, and me alone. My heart is full of love, only for him.
Yours always, Emrys.
“Keep your human away from her, Faas, or I’ll do it myself, and I’ll add you to the mix,” Emrys bites at the Dhampir. “She is mine. She is my mate,” he adds.
A flicker of fear is written on Elijah’s face at the evident threat.
The Dhampir nods at Emrys, understanding the implications if he is unable to put a muzzle on Elijah.
He comprehends Emrys's statement: I am his mate, and he will hunt down anyone who touches me. He will know, and you’ll be unable to hide from him and his torment.
An Umbra is a lethal creature for any darkling, even a dhampir, no matter their strength or magic.
Faas starts dragging a crying, screaming Elijah away.
Elijah tries to catch a glimpse of me, calling my name, but I intentionally ignore him, hiding myself, almost cowardly, behind Emrys, out of his sight.
I can’t stand the look on Elijah’s face, the fear, the sadness.
I have to pull through for Emrys, myself, and even Elijah; once I have severed the magical connection, he, too, will be free and can find the love he deserves.
One who is not me, his person, will never be me.
I dismiss the feeling of fallacious dismay that floats to the surface.
It seems with each rejection of Elijah, my soul feels a little lighter, and the part of my mind reserved for him grows numb after every confrontation, as I choose Emrys again and again.
As Elijah’s voice is fading, pulled away by the Dhampir, Emrys picks me up, removing me from the source of my misery, my cursed soulmate, a man whom I feel false affection for and true hate simultaneously.
DIARY ENTRY:
We refuse to let you win. This will be our choice and not yours. This will be our loophole.