CHAPTER 44: THE QUIET BETWEEN NIGHTMARES

The Storm outside rattled the windows, and the air inside Zeke’s room carried the scent of wet earth, along with the candle burning in the corner of the room.

Zeke lay on the bed, tangled in the sheets. His ragged breathing filled the room, and his body had begun to twitch again.

His jaw cleaned every now and then, groans of pain leaving his lips. Sweat covered his pillow, and the veins around his neck were beginning to pop and turn black.

He was about to start sleepwalking again.

Then, the air shifted.

It became somewhat colder, and the shadows by the corner of the room thickened and stretched. The candlelight was instantly snuffed out, and when the stillness returned, a man putting on a Black and Golden mask with runes stood there.

Sylas.

He looked like a silhouette in the darkness, and the hood of the black coat he wore dripped with rainwater.

He stepped forward and took off his mask. His expression was as cold and unreadable as always, with a dangerous calmness to top it off.

His eyes glowed faintly blue in the dark, pulsing with something that didn’t seem normal.

He crossed the room without making a sound, and his aura remained sucked in so as not to wake Zeke up. As he moved, the air bent around him with quiet obedience.

He stopped next to Zeke’s bed, and for a long moment, he just stood there watching Zeke twitch and groan with a flicker of a conflicted expression on his face.

Then, he brought his palm down and hovered it just above Zeke’s chest, and the air between them shimmered like heat rising from embers.

Sylas’s fingers curled slightly, and the temperature in the room dropped even more instantly. Frost formed along the edges of the window, and a low hum of struggle rolled out from his lips.

Blue light moving like smoke flickered out of his palm, and slowly spread around Zeke’s chest, then it began sinking into Zeke’s body, passing through his pores. It wasn’t wolf energy - it wasn’t even like anything anyone has ever seen before.

Zeke stiffened, and a strangled noise tore from his throat. He twitched again - once, twice - then, his body began to slowly relax. His breath evened, his trembling limbs relaxed back on the bed and his brows unfurrowed.

Sylas’s blue eyes glowed brighter, and his eyes trembled with what looked like pain. Then, the glow vanished along the rest of the light coming out of his palms.

The sound of Zeke’s slow breaths followed. He was sleeping peacefully now.

Sylas stayed there a moment longer, trying to swallow the pain of the process. As he watched Zeke, something about his quiet expression softened, even if it was just for a moment, then he turned around to leave.

His knees buckled. Slightly.

He caught himself quickly.

It was a small price to pay. He already saw it coming. It would have been much worse if he hadn’t been ready for it.

Sylas straightened again, then reached back and put the mask back on. When he took a step to leave, the shadows around him began to grow even denser again, folding around his figure till there was no sign of him anymore.

A faint sigh escaped Zeke’s lips, and he reached down and tugged the covers over his body to protect himself from the cold. The duvet was warm, carrying the familiar scent of pine and a little bit of wild jasmine - and he brought it close to his nose, inhaling deeply in his sleep.

Somehow, it made him fall even deeper into sleep.

Hours passed, and by the time Zeke stirred again, the storm outside had settled. The windows no longer rattled, and the first sign of sunlight was gently falling in through the window.

Zeke lay on one side of the bed and subconsciously threw an arm out, trying to feel something or rather, someone that should have been on the other side of the bed.

Or between his arms.

His touch was met with cold. A cold, empty bed.

His eyes flew open.

Zeke stared at the empty side of the bed, looked at his arms seeking the comfort that side usually brought, and instantly withdrew his arm.

He really had to get a grip!

But as he stared further, a feeling spread through his chest. Hellcat did not return last night.

His Jaw tightened as thoughts he disliked rattled his mind about his roommate, making him groan with an upsetting look and he stood up and headed into the bathroom.

But the moment he threw the duvet off, he paused.

Why did it feel like winter suddenly sprout inside his room?

His limbs shivered under the cold, and they would have probably fallen off if he weren’t an extra warm-blooded creature due to his Alpha Wolf.

*Someone was here* Moon whispered, his long ears perceiving a faint, cold presence.

Zeke’s eyes sharpened, *What do you mean?*

*You weren’t alone for the whole night* Moon continued, *The being was good. Left no scent, no trace. The only reason I know he was here is because of this unnatural cold*

Zeke searched the room slowly, trying to find anything that could lead him to the culprit.

There was nothing.

*Any idea why he was here?* Zeke asked.

*None* Moon replied, *But...we slept better without the Hellcat, without the pendant, without anything, for the first time in a very long time,*

Zeke gritted his teeth, *There’s no reason for anyone to help me, even if they could!*

*True,* Moon answered, *But that someone did, and it doesn’t feel random.*

Zeke thought about it for a moment. He wondered if it had anything to do with Hellcat not returning last night.

He couldn’t tell. Until he sees Hellcat.

Then, he walked up to the windows and threw them open to let some of the cold out.

Then, he walked into the bathroom to get a long, hot bath.

And then, he threw on some clothes and left his dorm.

He walked past a few rooms, and stopped by a particular door, then raised a fist and banged on the door.

He waited for a few seconds and did it again.

Liam answered the door moments later, snapping angrily as he threw it open from the inside, "Who on earth is...,"

He stopped when he saw Zeke.

Zeke ignored his tantrum and went straight to the point, "Is Hellcat here?"