Share
33 - You're a Disappointment
Related chapters
MAD END'S DECEPTION 34 - Planning a War
GILDEONHis fingers clenched around his phone, the continuous ringing clawing at his gut.“Damn it, Arah,” he muttered, tossing the phone onto the dashboard. The loud clack made Ghulik jump in the seat next to him.Arah going off alone to an amusement park wasn’t part of tonight’s plan. Given her stubbornness, he might have to lock her up from now on.He unfastened the top buttons of his shirt as if to help him breathe, and he reflected further on the situation. The witches wouldn’t kill Arah. Not right away, at least. They’d take her somewhere to drain her power, slowly and painfully. The thought made his knuckles turn white as he gripped the wheel tighter.The amusement park wasn’t far. Chaos greeted him: headlights cutting through the darkness, people fleeing, some on foot. Uniformed staff—at least he assumed they were—struggled to maintain order by the gates. No way he could drive through this mess. He parked by the side of the road, put on his glasses, and hopped out. He weaved th
MAD END'S DECEPTION 35 - Will You Interfere
GILDEONHe couldn’t tell if the cloaked witch was surprised to hear he knew about the coming war. No immediate response, no visible reaction. Even the teenagers remained silent and still.Gildeon put his hands behind him. He was spent—couldn't muster another lethal flame tonight. He could probably still conjure a small fire, just enough to create a distraction.As he prepared to shift a finger, the boy spoke up. “If that time comes, we need to know what you will do, salamander.”“Is this why we’re talking instead of fighting?” Gildeon asked, buying time, aiming to catch the witch off guard. He needed a way to strike without harming the teenagers. They were victims too, and he wasn’t about to use them as collateral damage. Involving innocent lower mortals would only complicate things for him.“Will you interfere?” the girl asked, her voice heavy with the gravity of the situation. Gildeon realized this wasn't a random discussion.This was a warning.“You want me to back off.” It wasn’t
MAD END'S DECEPTION 36 - Raised Like Soldiers
ARAHShe woke to the dim glow of lights. The steady beep of machines and the distant sounds of footsteps and hushed conversations filled the thick silence. The room smelled of antiseptic and clean linen, and the air was cool against her skin. She was lying on a bed, not too soft but still comfortable, with a tube connected to her hand.Where was she? A hospital? She tried to move, but a familiar ache shot through her ribs as if she’d been kicked there. Her muscles were sore, her throat raw, and her mouth dry.She turned her head, pain flaring in her neck. Gildeon was asleep on the couch, one leg propped up on the other, his elbow on the armrest, his head resting on his fist. She noticed now that his clothes were dirty and torn, with dried blood on his sleeve and collar. It wasn’t his own, as he didn’t seem to have been hurt anywhere. Still, what had happened to him? All she remembered from their last encounter was what she had told him right before everything went black.Her chest tig
MAD END'S DECEPTION 37 - A Chance to Start Over
ARAH“Come on, Arah, tell us the truth.” Tonio leaned forward from the couch, his eyes more insistent than teasing. “It was you who killed those fugitives, wasn’t it?”It hadn’t been a week since the incident, and this was the first time she’d let her friends come over. They wanted details—details she couldn’t share. All they knew was that she and Gildeon had a dinner date, strolled around the amusement park afterward, and ended up separated in the chaos.“Nope. Do I look like I can take out two brutes all by myself?” Arah took a chunk of seafood lasagna Tonio had brought from his restaurant. The mouthwatering smell of cheese filled her senses.Tonio and Mabel narrowed their eyes at her, tilting their heads almost in unison. She nearly choked, trying to suppress a laugh.“There were witnesses, sis!” Mabel waved her phone. “They said it was a girl in a dress with blue hair. Kinda on the nose, don’t you think?” She pouted, scrolling through her phone again. “It sucks that no one got a d
MAD END'S DECEPTION 38 - Loopholes in the Story
GILDEONHe inspected Agent Durante’s ID and badge, his eyes narrowing slightly behind his eyeglasses. He couldn’t be certain how legitimate this was, but so far, he wasn’t sensing any deceit from the man. Still, why would a bureau agent need something from Arah?“Hi, sir, is this about the incident at the amusement park?” Arah's voice was soft but steady as she stood beside him. “We’ve already talked to the police.”Gildeon put his hand on the small of her back, drawing her close, her soft curls brushing against his arm. “My wife has nothing else to say about the case, Agent,” he said, handing back the badge. Durante didn’t take it back yet.“I understand.” The man smiled, his brown eyes glinting under the sun. He looked mixed-race, probably half-European. “But I’d like to get the information firsthand,” he explained. “The case I’m working on might be related. Mind if I come in?”Gildeon felt Arah’s hesitation as she glanced back at the house before saying, “I actually have guests ins
MAD END'S DECEPTION 39 - About Having Kids
GILDEONJust when he thought he’d dodged a bullet with the witch business—at least for now—Harlan Durante added to the complications Gildeon had to deal with. The disappearances the agent mentioned earlier plagued him. How many victims had already been reported?He gripped the knife tighter, slicing through the nearly ripe Indian mango. He imagined the fruit as the heads of those pesky witches screwing things up on this island. He might need to break into Arah’s studio to get the records of all the clients she’d given her Clover Wish tattoo to.The sooner, the better.Arah's voice from the living room cut through his thoughts. “You think Agent Durante suspects something?”“He might, but whatever he finds out won’t harm us,” he replied confidently, setting down the knife and lifting the platter of mango slices. “Besides, our families have always been careful at covering their tracks.”He crossed the living room in a few long strides and found Arah lying on her side, her blue curls sprea
MAD END'S DECEPTION 40 - You're Worth It
GILDEONHe waited for her reaction, but she simply leaned her head against his chest again. One arm slid across his back, the other snaked along his abdomen, making his muscles taut. It was deliberate but hesitant, testing his reaction. He pulled her closer with a firm grip, showing it was all good—that he wanted to feel her soft body against his too.“Was he good to you?” she asked again. He could barely concentrate with her breasts pressing against his side. He wanted to rip off her bra and feel their fullness through her blouse. “Your adoptive father—Haemos?”Hearing the name made him pause, a familiar twist in his gut. “I used to look up to him,” he said, voice steady but strained. Memories flashed, but he forced them back with practiced control. “Even when the family did violent things, he lived by a code. He treated captured enemies with decency.”“Used to? What happened?”He sighed, masking his frustration and resentment. His fingers traced along Arah’s arm to distract himself,
MAD 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 Indian mango they’d eaten lingered, sweet and tangy, contrasting with the raw, assertive way he kissed her.Her mind swirled with faint memories and sensations. She'd been kissed before, but it had never felt like this. At least, that was how it seemed. This was unrestrained, wild, making her pulse do somersaults. The thought of how intensely Gildeon must've missed her all this time made her belly flutter. Their breaths mingled, hot and rapid, their heartbeats a frenzied duet in her ears. Even the air itself seemed to hum with a gentle, electric charge.Arah mimicked the movement of his tongue, savoring every bit. Her skin tingled with the thrill of not knowing what to expect. Her trembling
Latest chapter
MAD END'S DECEPTION 118 - Should Be For Real
MAD END'S DECEPTION 117 - Just A Combat Test
MAD END'S DECEPTION 116 - When the Truce Finally Broke
MAD END'S DECEPTION 115 - Fight Me
MAD END'S DECEPTION 114 - War to Plan
MAD END'S DECEPTION 113 - I'm Not Powerless
MAD END'S DECEPTION 112 - Coven War Code
MAD END'S DECEPTION 111 - From the Beginning
MAD END'S DECEPTION 110 - Bleeding Brides
