I shook my head. “I don’t know how he did it. I was too weak to comprehend anything. But somehow, he managed to set fire to the Timehunters who held me captive. He carried me away from that place. Took me to his home. Helped me regain my strength.”
A harsh intake of breath. Then?—
“Who is this man?” Olivia blurted, leaning forward, her eyes wide with anticipation.
I cocked my head, studying them, deciding how much I was willing to reveal. “The only thing I will tell you is his name—Alastair. That’s all you need to know.”
Olivia’s frustration was immediate. “Come on, Malik! Tell us more. Is he still alive? Where is he? Do you still speak to him?”
I sighed, shaking my head. “I won’t tell you, Olivia, so stop pushing.” My voice carried finality, but it did little to deter her curiosity. “All you need to know is that I owe Alastair my life. And for that, I will always be grateful.”
I let my gaze drift past them to the fire’s dying embers. “When I was strong enough to stand again, the only thing I knew how to do was kill. And so, I did. I relapsed into my old, insatiable ways. The rage consumed me—I hated everyone and everything. I became the monster Balthazar always wanted me to be.”
Silence stretched between us, thick and heavy.
Then Olivia asked softly, “But Alastair found you again, didn’t he?”
I nodded. “Yes. He pulled me back from the abyss. He taught me that darkness doesn’t have to be a curse.” My voice turned quiet, reverent. “He showed me that I could serve a purpose. That I could turn my hunger into something… necessary.”
I met Olivia’s gaze, my words deliberate. “I learned to kill for a cause. The wicked. The rapists. The sadists. The murderers. I became a cleansing force. A shadow that rid the world of true evil.”
A flicker of something crossed her face—understanding, perhaps, or wariness.
Then she asked the one question I had hoped she wouldn’t.
“Is Alastair the darkness?”
I shifted my focus to the dwindling fire. “It’s not important.”
A chill hung in the air, creeping in through the stone walls. Without another word, I picked up a log from the iron holder and placed it into thefireplace. The dry wood hissed as I stoked the embers, coaxing the flames back to life.
The warmth returned, but I felt none of it.
I leaned against the mantel and closed my eyes as the turret clock chimed. The deep, measured tones echoed through the silence.
Three in the morning.
The hour of ghosts. The hour of reckoning.
And the hour when the past felt the most alive.
My voice embodied years of purpose when I opened my eyes. “Just know this—Alastair cured me of the need to kill indiscriminately. He gave me a purpose beyond my own suffering. He told me I must travel to another time, heal, regain my strength… and when the moment was right, I must destroy Balthazar forever.”
I let those words settle, watching the flicker of firelight dance across their faces. “That has been my focus ever since I was rescued. My vengeance. My retribution.”
I leaned forward, my fingers grazing the arm of my chair. “I time traveled. But I was still weak. My body hadn’t fully recovered, and the strain of traveling shattered my sense of time and place. I could barely hold myself together.” An exhale escaped me. “But when I finally came to, I realized where I was—Britannia, the year 1359 AD.”
I smiled, warmth creeping into my tone. “That’s where you lived. That’s when I met you both.”
Roman’s brow furrowed, his fingers tightening slightly around Olivia’s.
“You had a wonderful life,” I murmured, tinged with bittersweet nostalgia. “Two daughters. A son. A home filled with laughter.” I held their gazes. “You took me in. You gave me a place in your world. Because of you, I found my strength again. Because of you, I healed.”
I turned to Roman. “You found me in a field.”
Recognition reflected in his eyes. “I can almost recall it.”
I chuckled softly. “And Olivia, you were a healer. You nursed me back from the brink. You fed me herbs and good food from your own hands. Rabbit stew. Roasted venison. Vegetables from your garden.”
