Chapter 010

I could not do anything when I got back home. Nothing at all.

I had ignored my parents who were talking in the sitting room and went straight upstairs to my room, where I had thrown myself on the bed.

My heart was still beating fast, my body quivering like a frightened cow.

Anytime I tried to close my eyes, all I saw was the monster, the creature I had seen in the library. And no matter how much I try to push the fear away, to forget about the whole memory I couldn't.

Because with flashes of the monster flashing through my mind, came dozens of questions that just contributed to my headache.

What was that?

What…? Goddess above!! What the fuck was that?

Where did it come from?

How long had it been in the abandoned library?

And then there was the small question which kept coming up even though I brushed it off severally - why didn't it attack me when it had the chance to?

I mean - it would have killed me right there and then but why didn't it?

But it had been moving towards me - though not fast enough. It has allowed me to get enough.

What was that?

One of the Voltarks maybe? But that couldn't be right? Those were said to be very beautiful creatures and there's no way I would have encountered one and survived it.

What on earth was that?

I shivered slightly, shut my eyes and tried to force myself to sleep.

How, oh how did this become my life? What on earth is this that I had gotten myself into?

How did this become my whole fucking life?

I groaned, shifting on the bed to face the wall. But nothing I did could calm my mind enough for me to just sleep.

I was still tossing around on the bed when a knock interrupted my mad thoughts.

I dragged myself out of bed, to the door and pushed it open.

“Not you again!” The words left my mouth before I could stop them at the sight of Kael standing by the door.

He flashed me a grin, “Swear you didn't miss me, Seraphina.”

Something about the way my name rolled off his tongue made me shiver and I cursed myself for it.

Fucking mate bond. About everything would make me shiver - hell just staring at him right now, his tousled hair that looked like fingers had run through them several times the past few minutes, his blue eyes, the way the shirt he was wearing so highlighted his biceps and muscles - the whole sight was making me quiver and I could have sworn I felt my getting damp.

Fucking mate bond!

Kael's nostrils flared and I just met his gaze with a neutral one of my own, resisting the urge to blush in embarrassment because I knew that he could smell my arousal.

Thankfully, he didn't say anything - I was expecting a taunting remark, but instead he brushed past me and swaggered into the room.

I closed the door and turned to him with a frown, “is it now a thing for me to be seeing you on a daily basis, Kael? I mean, is that necessary?”

Kael smirked, “What's the matter, Seraphina? Why are you so scared to see me?”

“I'm not scared of shit. I don't want the misfortune of having to see your annoying face every single day.”

“Say what you want, beautiful…but I can smell how warm and wet your pussy is right now. Is that it? That's the problem isn't it? You don't want to see me because you can't control yourself around me?”

I tilted my head and met his gaze squarely, “That is the mating bond, Kael. Don't get so full of yourself. What are you doing here?”

“Why are you so intent on fighting this, Sera?” He drawled and stalked closer to me like a prey, “why? I can see the heat, the passion in your eyes…I can literally see your body struggling and you know that the harder you fight the more intense it gets - so why are you fighting this?”

I Clenched my fists, “because I hate you, Kael. Because I despise you and can never find it in me to forgive you for all you did to me! Because I can't believe that you are acting like nothing happened and just expect me to toss it all away and run into your arms.”

His smirk dropped at my outburst and his face became clouded with something that looked suspiciously like a mix of pain and remorse. He took a step closer but halted when I took two steps away from him.

“Seraphina…I am so sorry for what I have done. Words can't begin to express…”

“I don't want your apology,” I snapped and looked away, “I don't need your apology, they won't change anything. You did what you did, I'm entitled to feel how I feel about it. Now you promised that you would not lay a hand on me. If you know that you can't keep to that and stay away from me, I suggest you reject me right about now.”

Kael didn't say anything, and when I shifted my gaze to him again he was just looking at me with a blank expression.

“Well?”

He sighed, “I have no intention of breaking my promise, Sera. Now…the reason I came here is to ask if you have been able to find anything.”

I hesitated.

Yeah hesitated because a part of me was surprised and also disappointed that he had agreed to drop the topic so soon.

And I hated that part of me for being stupid.

“What have I found? What about you, Kael? What exactly are you doing or is the whole work supposed to be on me?”

“Sera…please. Can we not fight for once and just talk like the adults that we are?”

I shrugged and went to sit down on my bed.

“I reached out to a friend of mine.”

Slowly I told him what Derek had told me and intentionally left the part about the zoo, or any other thing related to the zoo.

Those are for me.

When I finished, Kael was frowning deeply, “Voltarks. That's weird. I have never heard of them before. Do you know anything about them?”

I didn't answer him and after a few seconds of me staring at him with a blank expression, Kael grinned and threw his arms up into the air in mock surrender.

“Fine. I'll see what I can find about them.”

“How typical of you, Kael. Take up an assignment then dump the work on me while you waltz in whenever you want to ask for answers.”

“I'm sorry..it's just bee ... .I've been…” he sighed and rubbed a palm over his face and I frowned at the look of despair that crossed his face.

I felt pity for him. Pity, because truth be told I know how hard things must be on him right now. It wouldn't be that easy to recover from losing a wife so soon.

I took a step close to him, to touch him, or offer some sort of consolation I have no idea. Thankfully before I could decide or do anything stupid like getting closer than I should…a knock cut me off and with a sigh of relief I sprinted to the door and threw it open to see my mother standing there, with a solemn look.

“Mum? What's wrong?”

“Sera…it's…it's..oh goddess. It's Becky”

My heart paused, “What's wrong with Becky”

“She was found dead in her home this afternoon with her husband too.”

My hand flew to my mouth to cover a scream, “what?”

“And…and they were butchered too.”

A scream found its way out of my throat which had suddenly become so tight and dry.

I staggered back as my vision became blurry with tears, staring at my mum with wide eyes.

Liar…I screamed in my head as she walked into the room, face red and eyes filled with grief.

Liar!

She's a bloody liar, that's all she is.

She can't be telling the truth now.

Sickness coiled in my stomach as her words replayed themselves in my head over and over again and I didn't realise I was still staggering backwards, until I felt strong hands grip my arm from behind.

“No!” I whispered hoarsely, “no, no that can't be.”

Not Becky. Goddess please, not Becky. She can't be dead…she couldn't have just fallen victim to whatever this thing is.

“I'm sorry, Sera. I know how much she meant to you…”

How much did she mean to me? I hiccuped as I felt tears strolling down my cheeks.

Becky was my best friend!

Becky was…was my best friend. How was it possible for her to be dead? She was too…too lively, too full of light and life to just be killed like that.

Kael's palms started rubbing circles on my arm, and those touches…which were meant to soothe me only made me break down completely as I turned into his embrace and sobbed - loudly.

“Shhh..it's fine. It's fine.”

It was not fine damnit. It was not fine in any way.

I would never see Bianca again? It's been just one week since I last heard from her. Just one week and now she is dead?

I won't hear her laughter, her jokes again?

Bianca is dead?

How on earth was I supposed to believe that?

I held Kael tighter, sobbing and soaking his shirt with my tears and mucus.

Bianca had fallen a victim of whatever these bastards are. She had fallen victim to the most brutal type of death I could imagine for anyone.

"I'm so sorry, Sera. I just wanted to let you know because...well, we found out that you are registered as her daughter's legal guardian."

That made me freeze for a moment and for that moment I was able to get my mind out of the painful haze it was on- at least enough to hear and comprehend my mum's words.

Bianca's daughter.

Damn, I had almost forgotten about her.

Avery. Avery, I knew Bianca had made me her legal guardian. At first it was a joke between us, but she did it.

So now she's gone, that leaves me...with Avery. A three years old girl who had just lost her parents.

Just the same way I did.

I turned and saw my mother staring at Me with a little question in her mind - perhaps because of the way Kael was holding me.

"Where..." I sniffed, "where is she?"

“With social services for now. Also she's been taken to the hospital to make sure that she is unharmed. She'd be lightly questioned too to see if she saw anything.”

I shuddered as I imagined just that. What if…what if Avery was there? What if she actually had to experience the death and butchering of her parents?

Such a little girl?

But if she did, why did the monsters spare her? Why did they spare me?

Mum nodded when I didn't respond and turned to leave the room.

The moment she closed the door behind her, I got out of Kael's hold and walked to the bed with shaky legs, sitting down.

“Seraphina, I ..”

“Don't.” I snapped, shaking my head. I didn't want any pity or sympathy from anyone especially not him, “I am not going to sit here just crying. We need to put an end to this before something happens again, before another innocent soul dies. We need to find out what these things are, what they want and most importantly, how to stop them.”

Kael nodded, but there was still pain in his eyes, “You are right. I suggest you just rest today though. I'll leave you to mourn…there's nothing wrong with grieving. Bianca has been your best friend for years.”

Yeah.

But while I will be grieving another person or family could end up getting murdered just like the previous ones.

What the hell was going on?

I ran my fingers through my hair in frustration as Kael left the room, closing the door.

What was going on?

Why the murdering? Why now? And what could be done to stop them? What solution is there to solve this problem?

I wiped my tears away but they wouldn't stop coming.. wouldn't stop flowing.

Oh Bianca!

I'm going to end this.

I'm going to put an end to whatever this is…for the sake of my parents who I never got a chance to know, for the sake of my sister and for the sake of Bianca.

I clenched my fists and turned to the wall.

Whatever it takes.

For the sake of the fallen ones.