CHAPTER 27 JARED #3
The dying forest has truly been healed, and I never would've imagined that my tiny, almost insignificant gift could become something so powerful once it was amplified through the strength of the Forest Guardian…
And what about the pendant? Did it really change Silvio into a tree?
To think I treated it as an ordinary pendant when it was actually an ancient artifact!
Then this dark thought comes back again. I wish Silvio hadn't been forced to give the last of his own life, the human part of it, at the same time.
"Do you understand now why you're Mauro’s True Mate?
" Renato asks quietly as he looks at me.
"Nothing happens without a reason, Jared.
You come from an incredibly rare lineage that has barely survived into the present day.
You and Tommy both carry that gift, something almost unheard of, and it's woven into your blood. "
"So… I am an elf after all? I thought it was only fantasy tales."
"Yes, you and Tommy."
I just stare at him with my mouth hanging open, probably looking like a complete idiot. I've heard those words directed at me plenty of times, as a joke.
Renato chuckles softly. "You should've seen yourself while Silvio was drawing on your energy. You grew a pretty nice pair of pointed ears. Your heritage revealed itself."
For one absurd second I almost burst out laughing. Things like this only happen in fairy tales… or at least that was what I wanted to say, until the thought dies in my throat.
Plenty of people believe forest folk and small forest deities belong only in fairy tales too… and yet I just witnessed their power with my own eyes.
Still, the words slip out automatically.
"That's impossible."
"And yet it is." Renato smiles sadly before turning toward the tree beside us. He rests his palm gently against its bark and closes his eyes. "Thank you, Dad. I love you… and I always will."
Emilio is crying so hard he has to lean against Tony just to stay on his feet. Gianni clings to him from the other side, sobbing and whimpering.
And again, I feel sick to my stomach.
Rocco came here for me, but took another life instead. No matter how you see it, Silvio as he was is no longer with us.
This whole day has become an unimaginable nightmare, and none of it was supposed to happen.
My lips tremble as I say, "Please, forgive me…
I never wanted to bring death and chaos to your home," I whisper.
"I only wanted to find happiness, but Fate…
hates me." The last word breaks apart as a horrifying realization crashes into me.
"And the bastard is still alive. He will never stop. " My voice breaks into a painful sob.
With a sudden realization, I turn around and look at the three people crying, the tree that was once Silvio, and Renato, whose green glow is gradually fading.
"I have to leave," I add hoarsely. "I’m a danger to all of you."
"Jared." Renato reaches out to rest a hand on my shoulder, but I instinctively step away.
"Listen to me. Rocco signed his own death warrant by shooting the Guardian of the Forest. He will never return here. I promise you that. The forest won’t forgive what he did. Fate has already set his life on a path with no way back. Rocco will be dead within two days. You'll be safe here."
"Where Rocco lives, there isn't a single tree… it's the middle of the city. The forest can't touch him there."
"Where the forest cannot reach, Fate can, Jared." Renato's eyes never leave mine. "Cross nature, and see what happens. Rocco will meet his end within forty-eight hours."
But I’m too far gone to be convinced. I saw Rocco run away, and the image is ingrained in me, stirring my trauma and fear. The bastard is free to continue his revenge.
"He won't stop. Believe me, I know exactly what he's like." I back away another step, my whole body trembling. "That man is walking death."
I don't want to talk anymore.
Maybe Renato truly believes in some inevitable punishment, but this beautiful, almost fairy-tale world of theirs has its limits.
It exists here, hidden inside this little town and its scenic woods. Beyond it lies the brutal, merciless world I know, one where people like Rocco rule with guns instead of magic, and where the forest has no voice at all.
But I can't bear to say any of that out loud. They'd already suffered enough today, and they'd be safer without me anyway. I spin around, run past the soldati still pinned to the lawn by the vines, and sprint toward my car. No one tries to stop me.
I jump behind the wheel, start the engine, and drive away.
It can’t be over. This nightmare will be back. No matter what Renato claims, I've seen too much in my life, and I've clung to too many false hopes before. I'd even fooled myself into believing I'd finally escaped, when the truth is that I was never truly safe anywhere.
As I drive, I catch sight of my reflection in the rearview mirror.
The shock nearly sends me off the road because my hands jerk so violently on the steering wheel.
My ears aren't rounded anymore. Their tips have become noticeably… pointed.
The fuck?
I swallow hard, quickly pull my hair forward to hide them before tightening my grip on the steering wheel.
It's going to be a long drive home.