Chapter 44 #2
“Don’t blame yourself, girl. He controlled everything in her life—monitored every thought she had, every word that left her mouth.
Ivanov was so twisted that he put mental shields in her mind so no one could see her, so she’d be practically invisible to any psychic.
His plans were flawless. There was no way to help someone who was a ghost.”
“So what happened? Why is she in the hospital?”
“When she got home, he was waiting for her with an iron rod. I won’t tell you what happened—I can sense your mind is unstable.
Just know that I protected her mind, and for the first time, she was able to fight back.
Her nails tore up Ivanov’s face so badly that not even you could fix it.
But in the end, he managed to retaliate and break some of her bones.
I intervened a few minutes into the fight.
I broke through his mental barrier, and if I’d been close enough, I could have stopped him.
But distance weakens my gift, and since he’s a psychic, he managed to keep control.
I only scared him enough to make him flee.
Right now, we’re preparing a squad to go into the sewers after him. ”
“And Zion’s going with them,” I concluded, thinking about how quickly he’d rushed out of the house. “But can’t Zion just materialize near Ivanov and get him out of there?”
“He could, if he knew the sewers, but he doesn’t. Zion can only materialize in places he’s already been, so he’ll have to search just like anyone else.”
I sighed.
“Why don’t you kill him yourself?” Normally, it was psychics who dealt with other psychics.
“Blood pact. I don’t have authorization to kill.”
I frowned, even more confused. What about the 5% massacre? That wasn’t a myth. When Serguei killed Ravena, he’d emerged from the tunnels and started the slaughter. He’d actually done it—there were books and reports about the killings.
“That’s exactly why: Elitium placed a killing restriction on me.”
“You’d already made the blood pact before the massacre. Why did he only restrict you afterward?” I asked, even more confused.
“He couldn’t deprive me of it.”
“Why not?” Nothing made sense. Why couldn’t the king stop him from killing if they had a blood pact? Why only afterward?
Serguei huffed on the other end, sounding annoyed.
“Look up the Law of Succession—maybe you’ll understand. Now I need to go.”
“What are you going to do when you find Ivanov?”
Serguei was quiet for a moment.
“I’m going to have a little fun,” he said, his voice growing animated again. Like he couldn’t wait.
“How can you be so eager about this?”
“I already told you. It takes a monster to deal with another monster.” He sighed, as if reliving old memories.
“Okay,” I mumbled to the ceiling, resigned.
“Don’t worry, little one. When you wake up tomorrow, everything will be taken care of. Now I need to go.”
“What can I do to help?”
“Nothing. Let the monsters deal with each other.”
“And what exactly would I be?”
“The princess in the castle?”
I grumbled at that. Then the presence vanished.
Δ
After showering and eating almost an entire box of chocolates to calm my anxiety, I texted Ambrose asking how Adele was doing.
He told me she was fine—she’d had a dislocated arm, but they’d already set it and now she was waiting in the recovery room.
Ambrose had finally learned what had happened.
He and Dr. Liriope were part of a national project that treated women traumatized by violence or abuse.
Liriope was a level 400 psychic who’d studied medicine and specialized in psychiatry—the best in the field.
She’d treated me with such care when I arrived, spent an entire year by my side, helping me deal with my shattered mind.
I sighed sadly. Adele would have a long climb out of her wall of pain, just as I had, but she wouldn’t have to go through it alone.
I put on my pajamas—a short panda nightgown—and burrowed under both blankets, leaving all the lights on because of my fear of the dark.
It was already midnight and I still hadn’t heard from Zion or Serguei.
I called Kiara over to lie down with me and hugged her furry neck, nestling into her warmth.
She seemed content with the cuddle, but as soon as I closed my eyes, my phone rang, making her shift.
I sat up with a start, grabbing it from the nightstand. It was Ambrose’s number.
“Hi, Ambrose,” I answered quickly.
“Kyller, sorry to call at this hour, but we have a problem here at the hospital.”
I threw off the blankets and jumped to my feet.
“What happened?”
“Adele.” He sounded distressed. “She fled the hospital. We found two empty vials of morphine beside her bed. She’d hidden them in the cleaning supplies closet.”
My world started to spin.
“How long has she been gone?” I rushed down the stairs.
“The cameras show it’s been twenty minutes. Do you have any idea where she might have gone?”
“Yes. I think I know. Get the overdose team ready and wait—I’m going to try to find her,” I said, throwing open the front door.
I didn’t wait for an answer. I hung up and left the phone in the mailbox as I ran barefoot and in my nightgown through the empty neighborhood streets. I had a pretty good hunch where she was, and I prayed to the gods it wasn’t too late.
Δ