CHAPTER 28: CHAPTER 28

Tia said nothing but just stared at him for a while, then pulled Rhea towards the exit.

Zeenare watched as they left, quietly following until they took a taxi.

"Hey, what was that about?" Hexma slightly nodded his head towards the girls’ direction.

With a storm-shadowed face, Zeenare turned to him. "Where is he?" Zeenare rasped.

"Restraint."

They made their way inside after Zeenare gave him a soft nod.

The air smelled of metal and old blood. Loud smooching sounds of wind could be heard outside the cold, timid concrete and brick room, with chains in almost every corner and two long metal tables.

A man stood in the middle, dressed in a cheap scrap suit.

"Fucking bastards," the man cursed at the sneering freezing water that jolted him up.

"Who do you think you are? Tying me up like this?" the man from earlier shouted. His feet bounced, his hands chained above his head.

His eyes darted to the figure in the room, staring down at him.

"Are you out of your mind, pulling this crap in the middle of Lithuania?! All because of something like a woman?" Contempt laced his voice, glaring at Zeenare.

Zeenare’s jaw twitched. "That woman is mine. The very essence of my being."

"And you are about to suffer the consequences of touching what you shouldn’t have stood close to."

With a simple wave of Zeenare’s palm, the man’s bones cracked, his skin instantly turning purple.

The man let out a horrible screeching scream. Then another one, and another.

As though the essence of his life was being ripped from him. And it truly was.

Zeenare placed his hands in his pockets, sitting relaxed on the wooden chair placed opposite the man.

"Zohxudäzßêümœhùëxßq," Zeenare chanted softly, as his hair began8 turning silver, his eyes turning black. His ring thorn-shaped pupils wiggled frantically, then changed into slants like a reptile’s.

The man’s eyes turned plain white, his head faced up, mouth wide open, tears streaming down his face. His nose bleeding. His body stretched, but slightly bent over.

A muffled sound emitted from his lips. A small spot in his stomach protruded, as if he had swallowed a round object.

But the object formed and came from within him. It slowly crawled its way up, as the man shook violently, but Zeenare didn’t stop.

As the object got to his throat, Zeenare stopped. The man struggled to breathe, wiggling against the chains. His eyes bulged out, a little trinket of blood at the corner of his eyes, coherent murmuring echoing from him.

Zeenare watched him as he suffered, but it wasn’t enough for him. He needed more. If only he could carve on his soul, he would have. But this was the only way he could get closer to the man’s soul.

A glistening blue, tennis-sized glowing ball, with icy steam oozing from it, gradually came out of his mouth, elevating above his face.

Zeenare strode up to it, gently stroking the ball.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhh." A guttural scream sliced out of the man’s throat.

The colour of the ball faded as its broken shards hit the ground from Zeenare’s hand.

"You are going to become nothing but a wandering or a vessel soul, now that your essence is destroyed. And that is what you deserve."

The door creaked open, and from the shadows, Dreycen stepped in, arms folded as he observed the scene unfolding before him.

"Why’s he suddenly meddling in the lives of the mortals?" Dreycen pondered out loud.

Lorain stood, hands tucked in his pockets, scrutinising Zeenare. "He doesn’t care about these mundanes. He only acts like this when someone is involved."

"Her. That human girl he met in Auxe Fortress," Hexma chipped in.

Dreycen burst into laughter. "That guy is cooked. He has gone and dug his own grave."

As Zeenare walked out the door, Othimise tagged alongside him.

"But sir, he is a human," Othimise urged.

"What is the relevance?" he asked plainly.

"It’s against the mutual agreement we shared," he answered, walking behind Zeenare.

"And? You think they still remember that? They have forgotten about their connection to their leyline." Zeenare dropped a handkerchief on Othimise’s arms. "And I believe I have warned you never to speak about this before!" The air sliced in half for a beat.

Then he continued, "A waste like him won’t be counted among why we had an alliance with the humans. Make him drown painfully after he wakes."

"Understood."

The tree downstairs rustled gently from the warm morning breeze. Birds chirping could be heard from the rooftop and the electric light, and the city came to life as the morning light beacons on people and cars.

A mixed blue and pink butterfly found its way into the world as it flew through an open window, into a cosy, well-arranged room, gently landing on Rhea’s hair.

Her skin shimmered under the warm morning sun bathing her as it illuminated the room.

Her bag from last night lay on the floor, and the gown hung on the clothes basket close to her bathroom entrance.

"Rhea, Mommy called. She said we should come over for the holiday," Tia glided to sleeping Rhea, vigorously shaking the sleep off her.

"Who? Why? Oh, let me sleep," Rhea muttered everything all at once.

"C’mon, she said we should make it home by today. It’s my dad’s birthday," Tia started, staring at her head which was dangling off the side of the bed. "So we are going to Miami," she announced.

"What? When?" Rhea’s eyes snapped open, already at her closet in an instant, bringing out her suitcase and clothes.

"Babe, calm down. You literally just woke up. Why don’t we eat, bathe, and book a flight, then you start packing?" Tia explained.

"Umm, ohh, yeah. You are right." She scratched her scattered hair and stopped what she was doing. "I’ll come join you in the kitchen after I shower," Rhea informed.

"Cool." Tia threw both her index fingers like a gun and a wink.

The warm water cascaded down as she applied soap to her skin.

The moment I touched your body, you belonged to me. Zeenare’s words flashed in her head. And I’d teach you what it feels like to be mine.

Rhea’s face turned crimson as his face came to light. She clamped her mouth with one hand when she remembered the look in his eyes while saying that. Her breath slightly shifted.

She pressed her legs together as her body remembered how he had touched her.

"He was there too?" she muttered, her flushed expression staring back at her.

He’s no longer hiding that he’s a stalker anymore.

"Tia," Rhea called, finding her way to the kitchen. "Zeenare was there?"

"Could you do me a favour and not drink too much even though you were offered?" Tia gave her a pointed look.

"I’m sorry. Did I destroy something last night or fight someone?" Rhea asked, avoiding her gaze.

"You almost got me killed instead," Tia corrected.

"What?" she shouted. "Did I push you into a moving car?" Rhea asked, her expression darkened.

"Worse than that. It was a human stare," Tia said half-heartedly.

A faint crease formed between her brows. Her face twisted, like the words didn’t make any sense. Rhea didn’t understand what she meant by that.

"Whose was it?" she inquired.

"Mr. Zeenare’s. What were you guys even saying, that you were that close to him?" she turned to Rhea.

Rhea chuckled nervously. "I... I don’t remember." But she does.

She remembered every single detail—from his hand that slid down her waist, pulling her into his warm body last night, to the way his fingers gently and slowly stroked her skin. To how her face was heating up and flushed when he tilted her face to his. Even to how she got hot from his words.

She remembered it all and how her ears turned pink.

It has to be the drink from last night. Because I’m cooked if it’s not.

"Fine. Don’t tell me if you don’t want to," Tia’s voice was low and bitter.

"No, no, no. It’s not like that. I think he saved me from some guy, and he was telling me how dangerous it was at the club," she said with a hint of apology in her voice.

Tia stared at her for a beat, before turning to the bowl in her hand.

"Okay, come help me with this then." She handed Rhea a bowl of pancake mix. "Make them while I slice the beef."

"Okay."

Minutes later...

"What can I get your dad now?" Rhea said rhetorically, placing the last portion of food in her mouth.

"You know you don’t need anything, right? He just needs to see your pretty face and he would be happy," Tia said, her eyes glued to Gojo on the screen.

"That won’t be enough. I think I’ll go get him something before we leave. Anyway, thanks for the meal, Chef Tia," she added.

As Rhea made her way to the sink, a high-pitched sound echoed sharply in her head. Her steps wobbled a bit as her head spun.

She shook her head twice and it stopped, then proceeded to the sink.

"I’ll be going to pack my stuff," she informed Tia with a soft smile, skipping to her room.