I forced a shrug, feigning indifference I did not feel. “She was horrified, as you’d expect.” I hesitated, then let out a humorless chuckle. “Thank God I didn’t tell her my life’s mission was to eradicate Timebornes.”
I drew in a breath before delivering the final blow. “Because I nearly swallowed my tongue when she told me she was one.”
A beat of silence.
“She what?” Roman said, eyes wide.
“Oh, my God! You’re kidding!” Olivia gasped.
“I’m not.” The memories churned, raw and relentless. “I loved Layla so much that I vowed never to kill again. I tried—I truly did. But it was difficult. The hunger clawed at me, weakening me in ways I hadn’t expected.”
I let out a breath, watching Olivia and Roman. “Layla and I kept everything a secret from her parents. Or so we thought. Somehow, they found out. And when they did, they wanted me dead.”
A wary glance passed between them, their bodies stiff with anticipation.
“You see, her father was a Timehunter. And Layla… she was born on a solar eclipse.”
Roman’s brows furrowed. Olivia leaned forward. “If he was a Timehunter, and Layla was born on a solar eclipse, how did he spare his child from his murderous rampages?”
I shrugged. “Perhaps he loved her too much.” A wry smile ghosted across my lips. “I don’t know the answer.”
Another gasp escaped Olivia. “Malik… this story.”
“Yes, this story.” My voice was laced with quiet sorrow. “So, once her father discovered what I was, our lives were in danger. He had managed to suppress his rage toward Layla, but I knew I wouldn’t be so fortunate. There was no reason for him to spare me.”
I inhaled, feeling the echoes of old fear pressing against my ribs. “We ran. God, how we ran. We traveled by boat to the Papal States—what you now call Italy. Then, by horseback, we went to Britannia—England.”
I allowed the fire’s glow to warm my face, but it did little to thaw those icy cold memories. “There, we built a home. But we were always looking over our shoulders, constantly fearing discovery.”
Without hesitation, Olivia patted my knee—a small, grounding gesture.
I swallowed past the lump in my throat and pressed on. “While we lived in Britannia, Layla became obsessed with unraveling the mysteries of what we were. She devoured every scrap of knowledge she could find about Timebornes, Timebounds, Timehunters… and the darkness.”
The words felt heavy on my tongue. “That’s when she discovered something else—scholars who claimed they could teach me another way. A way to control my hunger. A way to stop the killing.”
I lifted my gaze to Roman and Olivia, my voice softer now. “For the first time in my life, I felt hope.”
The air in the room grew thick with unspoken things.
“I had managed to survive by killing only when Layla was asleep, just enough to maintain my strength. But I wanted it to end. More than anything, I wanted to be free from the bloodshed.”
I met their eyes and whispered the only truth that had ever mattered.
“The killing… I mean.”
They both nodded.
“The scholars spoke of the original blades—the first forged under the light of a solar eclipse. They claimed the daggers could cure the thirst for killing.” My voice was quiet, but the words filled the space between us. “Layla and I clung to that hope. We resumed our travels, searching for these mysterious blades, desperate for salvation.”
A bitter chuckle escaped me. “I was so inspired, so foolishly hopeful,that I sought out Balthazar.” My jaw tightened at the memory. “I found him here in England.”
I could still hear my voice from that day, trembling but resolute. “We can change,” I’d told him. “Our lives don’t have to be endless murder.”
But Balthazar… Balthazar was beyond saving.
“He was obsessed with power, consumed by it. The idea of restraint, of redemption—it was meaningless to him. So, when I told him about the blades, he fixated on them.” My fists clenched at my sides. “He already collected the daggers of his victims, hoarding them like trophies. But if he could possess the Sun and Moon Daggers? He believed he could rule the world with his darkness.”
I shook my head, a wave of regret crashing through me. “I rue the day I told him about the knives.”
