CH.74

Killian and Seven's frame went stiff almost comically at the sight of the two imposing figures that had just materialized out of thin air before them:

They were those of Enzo and Meredith.

Killian and Seven both placed one hand on their left chest and bowed their heads.

Enzo's youthful face split into an amused and almost mocking grin as he raked his gaze over Killian's utterly disheveled appearance.

In stark contrast to her husband's look of amusement, Meredith's expression was one of utter revulsion and disdain as her hawkish stare fell upon Killian's indecent state of undress.

Her delicately arched brows knitted together as her lips pursed into a tight, bloodless line, seeming to disappear entirely into the harsh creases etched into the corners of her mouth.

An audible sniff of distaste escaped the regal witch as her nose wrinkled, as though assaulted by a foul stench.

“Must you be so crassly indecent?" Meredith's voice dripped with condescension as she eyed him with naked displeasure.

A blush crept up Killian's neck to stain his cheeks a vivid red as he hurriedly tried to adjust his clothing into some semblance of modesty.

His fingers fumbled and tugged at the scant fabric, trying in vain to preserve what little dignity remained. "We were...uh...in the middle of something," he mumbled sheepishly, unable to meet Meredith's withering glare.

Damn it! Why were this entire family so domineering?

They couple’s gaze drifted back on the unconscious Knox and a frown settled on their faces as they moved to join Killian and Seven inside the elevator.

The heavy steel door of the secret elevator slid closed behind them with a resounding boom that seemed to reverberate endlessly down the shaft.

The group descended in tense silence. The only sound that could be heard was the faint hum of the elevator's mechanisms as it carried them downwards to their destination.

Killian and Seven exchanged puzzled sidelong glances, their brows furrowed as they silently wondered just how Enzo and the powerful witch Meredith had so swiftly uncovered Knox's situation.

"How did you guys know something was wrong with Knox?" It was Seven who eventually broke the loaded silence.

“Did you two think anything goes on without my knowledge?” Enzo gave a nonchalant shrug of his broad shoulders, the simple gesture seeming almost dismissive. "Call it a grandfather's intuition, my boy. That, and Meredith sensed quite the magical disturbance brewing." His words were accompanied by a sidelong glance towards his wife.

Seven gave a hum. Of course, was he forgetting who this man was? He was too protective of his grandson to not keep a close eye on him.

The soon arrived at the infirmary and gently maneuvered the unconscious Knox on one of the plush beds.

Meredith immediately set to work. Her fingers traced intricate patterns in the air as she wove her magic, casting it over Knox's motionless body like a shimmering veil of ethereal light.

Her brow furrowed when the magic settled over his form, and she caught sight of the smattering of faint reddish marks that marred the tanned skin of his neck and collarbone.

The unmistakable evidence of fervent kisses blossomed in mottled patches was vivid against his sun-kissed complexion.

Meredith's nostrils flared. How could she have missed the unmistakable scent of recent intimacy wafting around them. The heady blend of sweat, musk, and the tang of arousal that hung thick and cloying in the air.

It didn't take a genius to deduce that Knox and that wretched girl had clearly been engaged in amorous activities prior to his current unconscious state.

Meredith's lips pressed together in a tight, bloodless line as she visibly struggled to contain the surge of anger that rose up within her at the mere thought of Serena.

"That wretched girl," she hissed through gritted teeth. "I knew she would only bring ruin and devastation on my grandson."

“What do you mean she will only bring Don ruin? She is his mate.” Seven stated.

Meredith glared at him. She focused the full force of her powers, trying to discern precisely what catastrophic events had transpired to leave Knox in such a dire state. But as her magic probed the depths of his subconscious, it was met with an eruption of dark, roiling energies that burst forward from Knox's prone form with staggering, malevolent force.

Darkness swirled and clashed against Meredith's own blinding white magic in a fierce duel of light and shadow as the two opposing forces whipped around the room in a frenzied vortex.

The sheer force of the energies colliding sent Meredith stumbling back, almost landing on her butt if Enzo hadn’t act quickly to catch her. Her eyes went wide with disbelief as she gaped down at the churning vortex of darkness surrounding Knox's body.

She shot Enzo a concerned look before turning her gaze to Killian and Seven whose mouths were agape as they watched the unfolding scene with unmasked trepidation writ large across their features.

"I've always known that girl would bring disaster upon my grandson," Meredith spat, her displeasure towards Serena dripping from every acrid word like venom from a snake's fangs. "But this..." She waved an elegant hand towards the churning black mist, tendrils of darkness lashing out like living tentacles. "This is far beyond even the most catastrophic vision I had of their ill-fated future together."

Enzo's expression was grave. The deep creases in his face seemed to deepen further as his brow furrowed with mounting concern.

He urged his wife to explain precisely what unholy forces were at play to have left their beloved grandson in such a harrowing predicament.

Meredith's painted lips thinned into a grim line as she revealed the harrowing truth that her magic had uncovered.

"It appears this foolish boy has given up a part of his very essence - his life force - to perform some manner of forbidden, ancient spell.” Her tone was heavy with dread and foreboding.

"From the glimpses I could gather from his subconscious, he had turned back the very wheels of time itself in order to save that girl’s life. Not just once, but twice." She paused, seeming to struggle with the weight of her own words as her gaze flickered briefly towards the swirling vortex. "The first time he did wasn’t much of a big deal but how could he be so foolish to alter the fate of someone who had already perished?"

A collective gasp went around the room as Killian and Seven absorbed the full, devastating implications of what Meredith was saying.

Killian ran a shaky hand through his already tousled hair, his eyes wide with shock and disbelief as his mouth worked soundlessly for a moment before he found his voice. "You mean she died, and he went back in time to try and save her life?" he exclaimed.

"What do you mean Donna died?" Seven chimed in, his brow creasing in utter bewilderment as he struggled to make sense of it all. "I thought she was just upstairs finally bounding with her husband? I mean, we heard them. This can't be right..."

“He should never have gotten intimate with her! That’s the very reason he is fighting for his life right now. A weak human who can’t even match his sexual prowess or bear the mate mark isn’t worthy of him!” Meredith snarled. "Such magic dealing with the manipulation of time itself always comes at a terrible, dire cost. To restore her life, his own life force would have to be forfeited in return. That’s the sacrifice to maintain the delicate balance of existence."