“Why is it so hard for you to understand? To listen to me when I tell you something. Are you that stupid?”
“Stop, Fynn, please, you’re hurting me, this isn’t like you. Stop,” she begs, but her pleas fall on deaf men’s ears.
Once again, he hits her, and more blood flows from her mouth as her lips split. Tears stream down her face. Jodelle attempts to pull away, but Fynn grabs her arm, which is still bruised from the previous times he grabbed her too hard. Only now do I notice the purple and yellow hues that dance across her skin. Part of me feels sorry for what she has to endure, but it’s none of my concern.
“Next time you try something funny like that, I won’t be so kind to you. Understood?”
Jodelle nods. Fynn shakes her violently. “Understood?! Use your damn words!” he screams at her, and she cries back. “Yes!”
He gets up, drags her up as well, then pushes Jodelle to the stairs, and she tumbles forward.
“Get back into that damn room and don’t show your face unless I tell you to.”
Without saying a word, she sniffs and follows his orders. Fynn returns to his seat and plops down. He picks up his drink and takes a big gulp.
“I told you, it would all be fine,” he tells me.
His eyes kind again, not a trace of the violent man I just saw in action. I blink at him, then give him a pursed smile, unsure what else to do. I still need him on my side.
“Besides, if anyone is going to experience my wrath first, it’s going to be my dear sister. That’s why Faas and I are here, to discuss a strategy.”
“You’re going to fight against the Umbra?” Reiner asks, stunned.
Faas looks at him as if he’s stupid.
“Of course not, I don’t have a death wish. This young man, however, seems to be convinced he stands a chance. Who am I to tell him no? Well… I tried, but he’s quite stubborn. Seems to be a family trait, given his sister’s situation.” The dhampir chuckles.
I glance quickly at Reiner, unable to believe Fynn wants to take on the Umbra. I almost want to smile at the idea of that monstrosity gone, but then realize, if he’s powerful enough to take down the Umbra… It means I have to be very careful.
I take in Faas, who sits there, a faint tug at the corners of his mouth as he listens to Fynn, who explains to him in detail how he wants to do all of this. I wonder what the dhampir wants from Fynn if he’s not going to partake in the supposed fight against the Umbra.
Uncertain Restlessness
Fynn
Chapter 7
There’s something wrong with me; I can feel it as it slithers inside my mind, nesting and festering. It's as if it is slowly corrupting my soul, making me lash out at those I hold dear. I've been struggling lately to contain myself around Jodelle; even her breathing sometimes gets on my nerves. And Caria… I sense it in my bones; part of me is tempted to hurt her in the worst ways possible. It’s as if my skin is constantly burning, with little pinpricks urging me to give in to the darkness that’s desperately clawing at me. Giving in is the only time I experience relief, a sensation that numbs me. My mind seems to be less my own with each passing day, as a shrouding darkness poisons me slowly. Until now, my mind was consumedby thoughts of Harlot and how I wanted her dead in my hands, but that seems to be shifting. At first, not as often, but nowadays enough to instill a harrowing fear in me. I see the bruises I leave on Jodelle's fair skin, the purple and blue hues blending together like a watercolor painting, and the way she flinches when I come near or touch her. It pains me to see her like this; my heart aches for her, yet not entirely. Oddly enough, she doesn’t run away from me, as if she’s shackled to me by an invisible force. Although I can see in her eyes that she doesn’t want to be close to me, especially after my explosive behavior lately. Is that what a soulmate entails? The inability to leave one another? Or is it that curse Caria spoke of?
I pinch the bridge of my nose and let out a deep breath. Caria gives me a troubled mind as well, with her fickle nature and blatant lies. She seems to believe I fell for her made-up stories. Her running away from her coven. I scoff at the idea. But how can I trust Caria when both Faas and Lucian, albeit unwittingly, confirmed that she wasn't telling the truth? I just can’t pinpoint why she would withhold the fact that she’s knowledgeable about Aurum. Why would she keep that from me?
I’m going to meet with the dhampir again today, at least one creature that seems to share their tales, regardless of whether it’s in their own interest or not. I’m sick and tired of being left in the dark in a world where I’m considered food. If it weren’t for the magic coating me, chances are I wouldn’t be alive today. Perhaps that’s why Harlot did what she did—a guaranteed safekeeping. None of the darklings dares to come near that fucking leech of hers, an apex predator.
Caria hasn’t even glanced my way since our altercation the other day, and I don’t know how to set it right. It doesn’t matter that I think she lied to me; it doesn’t justify my behaviorto her. Besides, I want to believe it was for a good reason, as part of me is in love with her. I realized that when Jodelle suddenly insinuated that she was a threat to Caria, now that she had siphoned some of my magic. The white-hot rage I felt, the desire to rip Jodelle’s head off and tear open her ribcage, all to prove to Caria that she’d no longer be a threat to her. Then thoughts wormed their way into my brain…
Why not kill them both and rip their hearts out? Burn the witch to ashes and snap the other’s neck? Then I can finally focus on the crucial part: murdering my sister.
I almost did it, setting Caria ablaze, if it hadn’t been for Jodelle’s interruption. Her ignoring me made me angry, and when that male witch arrived, like a knight in shining armor, all I wanted was to show her that he meant nothing. No one could defeat me, not even her Prince Charming with his experience and necromancy magic. I have the dhampir under control, and soon, I’ll make that Umbra bow down to me as well; while I am at it, that asshole witch could fall on his knees too. With those three as my henchmen, and Jodelle and Caria by my side as my wives, I will be the most powerful man in the world, as long as I have my Aurum. Both women will give me heirs, and depending on which child harbors the most powers, that’s the one who will follow in my footsteps.
They all see me as a weak human, reliant on the magic that’s been infused into me, but I’ll prove them wrong. The first one to fully submit to me is that Umbra, the leech that’s bound to Harlot. I’ll make him witness the death of his mate helplessly, as I slaughter my sister after hours of torture, her body and mind broken. He’ll fall asleep with the sound of her screams echoing in his mind. Tormenting him in his nightmares, haunted by images of her mutilated body, and during the day, he’ll live withthe shame of not being strong enough to save her. I laugh at the fantasy, like a villain, in the silence that surrounds me.
As I stroll through the streets, alleys, and under stone archways, conversation turns to whispers or stops altogether. Darklings make room for me, stepping aside, and some begin to cough when they’re too near me. I know the magic that oozes from me burns their nostrils and throats, yet I don’t try to maintain it. With a menacing grin, I continue my path, my footsteps echoing on the cobblestones that decorate the streets. I hear windows closing with a soft thud and creatures scampering. When I arrive at the city square, the trees that adorn it are in full bloom, their cherry blossom petals drifting through the air on a soft breeze. The bloated corpse of the witch I burned to death still lies in the same place, untouched aside from bitemarks from rodents and other vermin, but none of the tooth marks originate from a vampire. I kick against the lifeless body, and chunks of rotten flesh splatter across the stones. Some passing witches glare at me in disgust, but none of them speak up, afraid to end up in the same place. I’m sure my forcing them to leave the body prevents this particular witch from passing on to the afterlife, leaving her trapped in some sort of limbo—I hope it does.
Leaving the city walls behind, I follow the sandy path that winds its way to the enchanted forest, where the Silent Fortress looms, home to the Umbra. At the crossroads, a part of me longs to push on toward the forest, despite knowing it will never let me pass, especially once the trees discover my intentions to harm their master and how I have mistreated Jodelle, whom it cherishes. Ignoring my desires, I turn toward the spot where Faas and his human companions live.
As I enter the compound, I’m met with curious stares, and I can almost taste the testosterone in the air. Young men are working out, lifting weights, and honing their skills withtheir weapons. Archers aim at red-painted targets on trees, their bark splintered where the points of the arrows enter over and over, while others throw knives at hay-filled sacks marked with similar red markings. This is the first time I’m here during the day, out in the open, no longer in secrecy. Or perhaps these guys don’t know who I am.
I walk to Faas’s place and knock rapidly on the door. Within seconds, the door swings open, and the large creature steps out. He barely fits through the door, given his massive shoulders and large frame.
