Chapter 253
Chapter 253
LYRIC
Who would’ve thought that a word so common would become the bane of my existence?
At first, I’d chosen to forget the meaning of the word when Ericka told me about it at the diner. But then, she explained more, and as much as I wanted to remain in self–denial, I knew she was right.
Caden and I were fated mates.
The monster who has hurt me more than anyone ever had, was my fated.
How fucking hilarious!
“Tell me you feel it, Lyric.” He stood up. “Tell me it makes sense to you.”
My throat was clogged. My eyes glistened with tears I wished would stay back.
“I was just as confused when I got to know. But then, it made sense, you know? You couldn’t Siphon me. And one thing about fated Siphons was they could never hurt their fated mate. They could only Siphon them when they’re trying to help.”
A treacherous tear finally broke free.
He wasn’t going to talk about Jaris‘ mate, was he?
Of course, not. To him, his secret was still well respected.
But he was right. Siphons could only harm others, not their fated. This was the reason I hadn’t been able to hurt him, despite the fact that I’d been able to siphon him at the hospital three years ago. Same way Greta’s blood was Jaris‘ antidote when he was poisoned with my blood, it was the same way I was Caden’s antidote when he was poisoned with Greta’s blood.
What a sick, twisted life.
But the sky would twist upside down before I’d ever get to accept he was telling the truth. It didn’t matter what the damn fate said. I could be fated to someone like Caden.
“You feel it, don’t you?” He took a step forward. “You and I were fated from the start.”
His words from the diner came to me: ‘You and I, we were meant to be, Lyric. From the onset, you should’ve been mated to me, not him.‘
He knew.
“This is why you and Jaris haven’t been able to work. You don’t mate to someone who is fated to another Siphon, Lyric. The universe is always going to be against it.”
No…
“Haven’t you thought really hard about it? Three years ago, you said you were drawn to my room. Why do you think you were drawn, huh?” He smiled–a hopeful one. “It was the mate bond. It’s always been there.”
Another tear, accompanied by a small whimper.
“By the time I was able to find you, you were already mated to Jaris, so you didn’t feel the bond anymore. But it doesn’t change the fact that we were mated, Lyric. You’ve always been mine.”
“No….” I’d been repeating the word in my head so much I didn’t realize when I said it out.
His countenance dropped. “Come on, tell me you believe iti How don’t you see it’s all true!?”
I shook my head, keeping my teary eyes on him as I stared at the man who was my
fated.
Oh, gods. Why did I have to be so unlucky?. Had I been so cruel in my previous life?
“Do you even have any idea why Jaris got mated to you in the first place?” His voice got a bit high. “He needed the bond to tame his beast to tame bra Feeder wolf. He didn’t care about you from the onset. If you hadn’t been strong enough, you’d have fucking died, Lyric!”
I laughed.
Caden was being all scary at me, yet I fucking laughed.
“I know,” I shrugged, a fresh tear dropping to my cheek. “Jaris told me a long time ago.”
Apologized as well.
I can’t believe Caden actually thought he could use that against him.
Now that I thought of it… I have always been the ones keeping secrets from him.
My response seemed to have triggered him because his eyes turned darker than they had since he broke into the house.
He gave me a long stare, making my skin itch and wondering when his hands would strike.
“We’re leaving.” There was a cold finality in his voice, one that left no room for argument.
But I stepped away from him.
“I’m not leaving, Caden.” My voice was small and coated with fear.
He stood in front of me. “Have you lost your mind, Lyric?”
I wish I had. “I don’t want to go. Not now.”
His next response was his hand in my hair. I screamed his name as he dragged me out of the room.
“I think you’ve gotten accustomed to pain, Lyric, because you don’t seem to enjoy reasoning anymore.”
I whimpered and clawed my nails at his hands, but the monster held me tight until we reached the living room. And that was where he stopped dead.
Out the door came strange sounds. Growls, grunts, thuds. From how shocked Caden looked, he clearly didn’t know what was happening.
The noise seized as quickly as it started, followed by light footsteps and the face of someone showing up at the doorway.
The one man that could make my heart skip with a single glance.
He didn’t seem real. It left me wondering if I had somehow managed to conjure him in my head. Because what the hell was he doing here at Bianca’s house having blood on his hands?
His eyes moved from my face to my hair which Caden still tightly yanked. Caden was too stunned to process the moment because he still didn’t make a
move.
Then, Jaris moved–using the unusual speed that pushed him faster than regular wolves.
It happened too fast for me to keep up with. felt myself being pushed to the floor and when I looked up again, Jaris was on Caden, delivering blows that
were nowhere close to normal.
I didn’t know which was wider between my eyes and mouth as the shock was too much for me to stomach.
Did Jaris come here to save me?
***********
JARIS
She was awfully quiet during the drive. Kept her arms wrapped around herself and leaning toward the car door like she’d rather be swallowed by it.
I studied her face for an expression when I pulled the car to a stop in front of the cabin. The look in her dull eyes told me my hunch was right and she had truly been here before.
Without saying a word to her, I walked out of
lamming my door a little too hard.
had anger in my veins. Would I have felt better if I killed him?
I might’ve left Caden unconscious on the floor but
I felt Lyric behind me as I unlocked the door of the cabin, then stepped in. Right at the threshold, the familiarity struck me like lightning.
She’s been here with me. Right in this very place.
My eyes trailed to the dirty floor where some chains lay. The memories were being at peace when warm arms embraced me.
blurry, but I remembered being on that floor, struggling. I remembered
Not just any arms–Lyric’s.
Fuck, I wanted to remember. Everything screamed in me to remember. Why the hell was it impossible!?
“Was it necessary?” The question left in the wrong tone.
Or maybe not really the wrong tone if I didn’t want to pet her.
I turned to meet her gaze at the doorway. “I mean, you could’ve simply left me,
I imagined her drowning in guilt. She couldn’t even hold my stare.
“Caden wanted me to.”
Lyric. Was it necessary messing with my head?”
“So, if Caden had asked you to kill me, would you have done it!? Are you so soft that you’d let yourself be easily pushed around by enemies?”
Her eyes flashed to me. She opened her lips like she wanted to say something. But words failed her in the end and she closed them back up.
“You didn’t have the right to do that!” My voice hit the roof. “You could’ve taken his deal if you wanted, made your choice and lived on with it. But you didn’t have the right to make a decision for me, Lyric! It was my memories, not yours! How dare you?”
I didn’t miss the small shudders from her shoulders. She kept her head down, saying nothing in defense.
“I can’t even recall anything!” I kicked the table closeby. “Sometimes, when I picture things, they don’t make sense and it makes me think I might’ve lost my mind! You ruined me, Lyric!”
“I’m–I’m sorry…”
“And don’t even start by telling me you did it for me ‘cause you didn’t. The only thing you did was bring pain to me, A pain you had no right handling!”
Her voice cracked. “Jaris-”
“And I hate you for it.” My eyes dropped to the floor. “At least, I try to. And that’s the whole point, isn’t it? I want to hate you for reasons that do not exist because I can’t remember the ones that made me love you. Is this what you wanted?”
“I didn’t mean to…”
“You fucked up. You had no right to mess with the things we’ve been through; not even if you had to save the world.”
She folded into a crouch, bursting into bitter tears while I stormed out of the room.
