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2 - Star-Crossed Lovers
publish date:
2024-06-07 17:20:38ARAH
“Still at the coroner’s office.” She threw him a puzzled look. “Why?”
“Nothing,” he said, returning to his dinner. “And no, I won’t come.”
Her shoulders slumped. “It’s Plumber Paul’s funeral, Gildeon,” she said, frustration slipping into her voice. How many times had he let her attend community gatherings alone?
“Will it kill you to show up just this once?” She stabbed her fish harder than necessary. “I’m sick of making excuses for you.”
And sick of the gossip that she was an incompetent wife or that she was trapping Gildeon in a loveless marriage. If only they knew what was really going on within these walls…
The irony made her want to bang her head on the table.
“I’ve got better things to do,” he said dismissively, not even bothering to look at her.
“Like what?” She scowled, feeling the air thicken. “You never tell me what you're up to when you're not at home or at school.”
His face froze, his eyes darting at the space surrounding her like he was seeing something she couldn’t.
“Whatever I do is for our protection,” he said firmly as he finally leveled his gaze at her.
She was reminded of his story about how they used to be star-crossed lovers, born into feuding families from the Middle East. Eventually, they’d defied their parents, eloped, and married in secret.
“How did I lose my memories again?” she demanded after a moment.
His chiseled jaw ticked, his mouth twitching tensely. “How many times do I have to tell you this?”
“Indulge me, Gildeon,” she insisted, lightly scraping the tips of her fork against the edge of her plate.
He held her gaze before resting his elbows on the table and clasping his hands together. “Our parents were hellbent on breaking us apart,” he began, sounding as if he were in his class, giving a lecture. “Your parents sent henchmen to assassinate me, and mine did the same to you. We were driving away from them fast, but I lost control of the car and we flipped over.” He paused, watching her reaction closely. “You were unconscious, but I got you out in one piece.”
The rest unfolded: a friend helping with fake passports and documents, arranging a secret trip on a private plane to Caylao Island...
The more he told the story, the more it sounded rehearsed. She still couldn’t wrap her head around waking up in this house as her first memory. She’d been in and out of consciousness during their travels, he said. That the meds had somehow messed with her head.
She believed some of it, but she knew he was hiding more. And if she was going to figure out his secrets, she needed to start with that study room he kept locked at all times.
“This is the last time I’m going over this, Arah,” he warned before taking another bite of his tuna.
“Can you blame me?” she retorted. “I don’t have the memories you have.”
“We’ve been under the same roof for half a year now,” he said pointedly, his knuckles white around his spoon. “What’s it going to take for you to trust me?”
“You’re not making it easy.” Her voice rose, frustration bubbling up. “You don’t talk to me. You hide things. You haven’t even done anything nice for me—” She paused, her breaths jagged. Her free hand clutched at her skirt as she went on, “And you expect me to submit like a mindless sheep?”
The tension was thick enough to cut. Her heart jumped as Gildeon pushed his chair back and stood, leaning over the table. Damp hair fell over his eyes—eyes that reminded her of a snake and something ancient she couldn’t quite place.
“Don’t make me force you to sleep in my bed, Arah,” he said in a low, ominous tone that made her skin tingle.
“You promised we’d have separate rooms until I’m ready,” she reminded him, her throat dry.
“I’ve granted you liberties.” A faint, predatory smile curled his lips. “I won’t be patient for long.”
As he walked away, she let out a shaky breath. Barky came up to her, rubbing his face against her leg as if to console her.
She smiled weakly. “Hey, I’m okay,” she reassured Barky, petting his head.
The sound of the door closing from Gildeon's study eased her chest. Her husband had never forced himself on her. Never. Except maybe for that other thing he made her do whenever he wanted to punish her.
But what was she supposed to do once he finally grew tired of waiting?
Latest chapter
MAD END'S DECEPTION 398 - Farewell, Shamibar
GILDEONWhen they returned to Shamibar, they found their people had already wiped out the remaining beasts and were cheering in grim celebration even as they tended the wounded and gathered their dead.Araheen told him what had happened to Kohina—her last words, the sacrifice she had made—and then he strode to the seer’s lifeless body.He dropped into a crouch beside her, wrapped a hand around her arm, and muttered, “Thank you for everything, Kohina. You’ll never be forgotten.”Then he gathered her into his arms and carried her while the salamanders prepared to return to their main base, where their fallen comrades would be given the funeral they deserved. By tradition, only the claws of slain warriors were taken from their bodies and burned on the battlefield. The seers were honored with a different rite.The sylphs offered them passage on their eagle mounts. He and Kohina rode behind Araheen on
MAD END'S DECEPTION 397 - Three Wishes
ARAHEENAfter Yonah had been brought down, she and Gildeon returned at once to the Shining Keeper’s domain, shadow-walking once more through the Dark Plane. Both of them were exhausted, drained to the very marrow by the battle—Gildeon especially, his body still struggling to mend the grave injuries he had sustained. Even so, they pressed onward, spending what little strength remained on the journey.Araheen had also chosen not to tell him about Kohina just yet. She would not burden his mind while something far too important still remained to be done.When they arrived back in the domain, they found the Creator exactly as they had left her.She lay upon an elevated bed of flowers at the heart of the garden, a stab wound in her chest where Gildeon had driven Yonah’s dagger. Fresh golden blood still welled slowly around it, as though the wound had been preserved in the very state of her death.Araheen drew out her ph
MAD END'S DECEPTION 396 - Saving The World
ARAHEENShe stared at Kohina, wide-eyed, unable to summon an answer at once. First, the Shining Keeper had offered up her life so they might have even the slightest chance of saving the world from utter ruin. And now, if Yonah was to be brought down, Kohina had to die as well.A part of her wished to dismiss it as some cruel jest, absurd even in the midst of war against the beasts. But this was Kohina. The seer would never speak of such things lightly, least of all now, when they were losing, and Gildeon was in grave danger.Araheen parted her lips to ask another question, but Kohina cut her off before the words could leave her.“You swore never to ask questions, Araheen.”“But what you’re asking of me...” The sentence broke apart in her throat.Above them, another pained roar tore from Gildeon. One of his wings was badly ripped, and his spiritual wings were bearing most of the burden of keeping
MAD END'S DECEPTION 395 - One Fated To Save It
ARAHEENShe watched Gildeon shift into his ultimate True Form. She had once believed nothing could surpass the majesty of his full dragon form.This was way beyond that.What rose into the ravaged sky now was not merely a dragon, but a coronation made flesh.His body had grown broader, longer, more sovereign in every line. The black of his scales remained, but now it was overtaken by more gold—rich, molten, radiant gold that streamed over him in commanding patterns, sheathing his throat, his chest, the curve of his ribs, and the heavy arches of his limbs. He looked to be wearing a gilded armor blessed by the divine light.Fire flowed along the ridges of his spine like living silk, pouring from one spiked crest to the next in bright rivers. His eyes, twin orbs of black and gold, became deeper and blazing all at once, like eclipsed suns lit from within.His wings alone could have undone her breath. The first pair was his
MAD END'S DECEPTION 394 - Yonah's True Form
GILDEONThe end of the world had begun by the time he and Araheen stepped out of the Shining Keeper’s domain.Shamibar met them in ruin.Breaches hung open across the land like fresh wounds in the world, and beasts kept pouring out of them in numbers too great to count. There was no rhythm to it. No sign of slowing. Just a steady flood of teeth, claws, hide, and hunger. Sylphs and salamanders had been forced to stop tearing at each other long enough to fight the things trying to swallow them all.The air reeked of carrion, spoiled flesh, and old magic ripped wide open. Even for his kind—who had been raised amid the stinks of the ancient beasts—it was enough to make the gut tighten. All around them rolled the sounds of the creatures: deep, ancient bellows, wet snarls, bone-thin shrieks, jaws clacking like stones in a grave. The noise crawled beneath the skin and settled in the blood.Araheen’s grip tightened
MAD END'S DECEPTION 393 - As The Pandemonium Began
NARRATOR’S POVThe wound in the fabric of the world pulsed at the center of the crater, a black tear that throbbed like something alive. Around it, the earth had caved in, forming a wide basin of broken stone and loose dirt. Dense forest ringed the crater on all sides, dark and still, its trees packed so tightly they looked like a wall.The elder witches who had tried to seal the breach lay scattered across the ground where they had fallen. Their mouths hung open. Their bodies were shriveled and dry, skin pulled tight over bone. Their eye sockets were empty. Their limbs had stiffened into bent, twisted angles.Yonah sat at the crater’s edge, cross-legged, his back straight, his eyes closed, his white hair shifting in the wind. He was deep in a trance, waiting.Then the cold reached him.It started in his core, frosting upward into his chest until his whole body went numb. Fine grains of ice seemed to gather over his ski
MAD END'S DECEPTION 53 - Blocked It Out
ARAHShe craned, scanning the store for any sign of the cat. Nothing. “The black one who just—”“Hey, cute boy!” A husky, melodious voice cut through her words. The green-eyed guy leaned casually against the counter, a basket brimming with pet toys next to him. “How much for all of these?” His intense
Last Updated : 2026-03-19MAD END'S DECEPTION 52 - Never Meant to Upset You
ARAHShe woke up late in the morning. Last night, she had waited hours for Gildeon to come home, but he never did. The door to his room was slightly open. Peeking through, she saw his bed was untouched.A soft snore drifted from the living room. Was he sleeping over there?Combing a hand through her ha
Last Updated : 2026-03-19MAD END'S DECEPTION 41 - Let Me Forget
ARAHShe barely had time to breathe. Gildeon caught her off guard in the most titillating way. His lips were fierce, his fingers tangled in her hair. Her heart thumped loudly as she melted under him. His tongue demanded entry, and her lips parted instinctively, their mouths melding. The taste of the
Last Updated : 2026-03-19MAD END'S DECEPTION 55 - Are You Happy With Him
ARAHJeric offered to escort her home. He admitted to overhearing her conversation with Gildeon and catching the word “threat.” She tried to assure him everything was fine, but he insisted. Eventually, she agreed. Maybe it was a good thing. Whoever meant her harm might think twice when they saw her w
Last Updated : 2026-03-19
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