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LYRIC
I laid in the bathtub, one leg splayed over the top with my head leaning backward.
It had been a long day. A crazy one. All I wanted to do was get some sleep.
Staring into nothing, I thought of Jace’s discovery. I still had a hard time believing what he said. Of course, Jace was my best friend, and he’d never lie with something this serious. I just couldn’t believe Marta could be that heartless and fearless.
How could she risk lying to the entire Darkspire? Like she was so certain the truth wouldn’t reveal itself one day..
I tsked, thinking of the poor kids. Who were their real parents? And how would they feel getting to know that the parents they’ve come to love weren’t theirs? What would Jaris do when he learns the truth?
So many questions, it frightened me.
I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath. I decided to think of something better. And of course, the only ‘better‘ memory I could come up with was the one of him.
Before I could stop myself, my fingers were already on my wet core. I bit my lower lip, trying to suppress my moan, but in the end I failed. They came out just as shamelessly as I touched myself to a weird dream.
My scream echoed in the bathroom as I made myself cum. I panted heavily, squirming in the tub.
Coming down from my high, I was too exhausted to move a limb, and before I knew it, I was shedding tears.
I cried because it was too good. Cried because I wanted more but couldn’t even have it. It was a stupid dream. How can a stupid dream have this effect on me?
****+
JARIS
If Marta hadn’t come in when she did, I was certain the pen would’ve snapped in
my
hand.
“Where were you, Marta? I called like an hour ago,” I growled.
I was running low on temper. Damn it This wasn’t good.
“I’m… I’m sorry, Alpha. My grandmother called for me. I just got back and came running when
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I heard you summoned me.”
I regarded her.
‘Came running‘, yet she’s had the time to change into one of her red lace nighties.
‘Came running‘, yet she’s had the time to shower and brush her hair, judging from how damp
her hair looked.
‘Came running,‘ yet she’s had the time to apply purple lipstick on her lips.
Marta looked fucking gorgeous right now. Since we met, she’s been desperate for my attention and had been doing all she could to get it.
She’s put in more effort to seduce me than Lyric Harper has ever done. As a matter of fact, Lyric had never done anything seducing.
Yet, here I was, being tormented by my memory of her.
I stood up, my chair groaning as I did.
I was still wearing my suit pants and white top, only the jacket missing.
“Come here, Marta,” I ordered impatiently.
She did, walking sensually.
The bulge in my pants was almost painful.
You can do this, Jaris. You can take control.
When she was close, I grabbed her by the neck, slamming my lips against hers. She moaned in response, throwing her arms around me and deepening the kiss.
I can do this–I repeatedly told myself. I can use Marta as a distraction. I can get Lyric out of my head.
Yet, as I let my hands roam over Marta’s body, they didn’t feel like ‘hers‘. They didn’t bring out the kind of response Lyric did. Her hair didn’t fucking smell like apple shampoo!
She was different. She wasn’t strong enough to get Lyric out of my head.
No!
I pushed her to the edge of the table, wrapping her legs around my waist. Her hands were already working to unbutton my shirt.
This shouldn’t be difficult. I was already as hard as rock since she came into the room. She
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was horny for me too. All I had to do was take out my dick and fuck her senseless. Get it all out. Even if I won’t be able to cum, it’ll bring me some kind of peace.
I wanted more than just jerking myself in the bathroom. I wanted to feel myself deep inside her cunt, moving my hips and filling her up with my cum.
What the hell has Lyric done to me? Why can’t I think straight? Why can’t I want anyone but
her?
With a hiss, I pulled away from Marta, my thumb caressing my lower lip. My shirt was parted into two. Marta’s eyes were heavy with lust. She looked like she wanted to cry from the loss
of contact.
“Jaris…” She stretched her hand to touch me, to pull me close. But I didn’t let her.
She wasn’t Lyric. No one could ever be.
For a moment, I contemplated if it had to do with the mate bond? Could it be the reason I was so desperate for her?
Then, I remembered these delusions already started even before the mate bond. This… This was something different.
“Get out, Marta,” I rasped, turning toward the bathroom.
Her gasp was audible. “J–Jaris…”
I didn’t give her the chance to speak. I know a lot must be going through her head. It was the second time I was giving her hope. But I was just as hopeless.
And as I pleasured myself with my hands in the bathroom, I came to a conclusion: I was done managing without Lyric Harper. The Moon knows I tried. I fucking tried to keep her out of the way. But now, I was done.
I was getting a taste of Lyric tomorrow.
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JACE
Jace waited on the passage leading to Marta’s room.
He had been there for fifteen minutes, leaning against the wall and his hands crossed over his chest.
He had somewhere important to be that morning, but it could wait. Seeing Marta was more important.
Finally, she appeared from her room, making a phone call.
“No. He’s not to be given more than two mm.” She spoke into the phone. But that was before
she saw Jace.
She came to an abrupt halt, her eyes glistening with shock. Jace pushed away from the wall but kept his hands across his chest. He looked horribly intimidating this way.
Marta swallowed hard. Time seemed to stretch.
“I’ll call you back,” her voice was softer this time as she spoke into the phone before ending
the call.
“Hi, Marta,” Jace tipped his head toward her. “How have you been?”
He could clearly see her throat bob.
“Tell me,” he went closer. “Did you choose Karen just because it was pretty? Or you really didn’t want me to know who you were?”
Finally, she regained her footing. Her mean face was back. “I don’t know who you’re talking about.”
She tried to move away, but Jace stepped into her way. “Uh–Uh. You don’t get to do this, Marta. We’re having this conversation.”
“We have nothing to talk about!” She rasped. “Do I need to report you to the Alpha for harassment? Why won’t you leave me alone? I am not Karen. I sure as hell have never seen you before.”
She glared at him, from head to heel, then walked past him.
“You know why I’m so concerned, don’t you?” Jace turned in her direction, but she didn’t stop walking. “I’m concerned because when we met, you were supposed to be pregnant. But you and I know you weren’t.”
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Now, she stopped.
He walked up to her this time, standing in front of her again. “So, if you’re so sure we haven’t met before, I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t mind performing a test on those kids. Especially when I bring it up to Jaris.”
Her mask took a little tumble. Her fear was evident now. She could pass out at any moment if Jace didn’t stop talking.
Her frightened eyes darted around the passage, making sure there was no one around.
When she spoke again, her voice was shaky and a whisper. “What do you want from me?”
“You?” Jace scoffed, staring down at her. “I didn’t even know you were here until last night, Marta. I don’t ‘want‘ anything from you. I just want you to confirm I’m not lying. Do you remember me or not?”
Her eyes glistened, like she could shed a tear any minute. She looked around the passage, took a deep breath, and hissed. “Fine. I know. You. So what?”
Hm. Jace chuckled. She was still trying to be feisty even when the odds were not in her favor.
“Good. Then, you should remember that I’m aware you were never pregnant when you should be. How’re the kids yours?”
She fisted her hands beside her. “You’re delusional if you think I’d be lying to the Alpha all these years. He’s the father of my kids. I gave birth a month before we met.”
“Are you kidding me? We met in June, and the kids‘ birthday is coming up in July. How do the two relate?”
“T–There’s a reason we fixed their birthday next month. They were born prematurely, so we kept them in an incubator and decided to make July their official birth month since it was the very moment they were meant to be delivered.”
“Really? So, you expect he to believe you were sleeping around when you’d just given birth a month ago or less? It doesn’t make any sense!”
“Well, it’s my life and I’m telling you to mind your business!”
The atmosphere was taut with tension. Marta’s chest heaved anxiously. She looked like she could strangle Jace to death with her bare hands if she could.
“Okay.” He shrugged. “Like I said, I’m sure you wouldn’t mind performing a test on the kids. You know, I’m also curious and want to be sure.”
This time, it was his turn to walk away. Marta hesitated for a beat before she ran after him.
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“What do you want from me!?” She yelled in frustration. “What makes you think you can just come in here and ruin everything I’ve worked years for?”
Jace met her gaze. “Ooh. Careful, Marta. You sound like you’re about to get caught for something.”
She held his gaze with defiance. “My life is not perfect. But I’ve been working so hard to make sure I’m in a better place. I won’t let you ruin me, Jace. If I have to die, I’ll take you with me. You have my word.”
As much as her eyes were stained with red and glistened with unshed tears, they also glinted with fury.
She walked out on him.
LYRIC
Sitting in my car, I watched Marta leave the house and knew she was done talking with Jace. Or maybe arguing.
It didn’t take long before Jace joined me in the car, taking the passenger seat.
“She denied it,” he sighed.
That didn’t surprise me. “I told you she would. This is quite heavy. No one would easily admit to something like that.”
“That woman is unbelievable, Lyric! She’s deceiving the Alpha and entire Darkspire with somebody else’s kids! It’s worse than fraud!”
I took a deep breath, staring out the window.
“I’m telling Jaris.”
I snapped my head at Jace. “What? Jace, no!”
“What do you mean ‘no‘?”
“Could you just… calm down a little? I still need to make my findings before I know what to do.
“Excuse me?” He tapped me on the head. “You sound like you made this discovery all by yourself. This is my discovery, Ly. I’m the one who gets to decide what to do.”
“I–I know. But this is going too fast, I think.” I drew a full breath. “Just calm down, okay? I’ll ask some questions today, just to get our facts right. After that, we’ll make our decision.”
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Jade eyed me suspiciously. “Are you worried about the kids?”
I kept my eyes on the steering, knowing he got me.
“You’re worried Jaris might kick them out if he learns the truth.”
I still couldn’t say anything. The idea of Xyla and Xylon being hated by a man they’ve grown to love and recognize as their father was too uncomfortable for me. They wouldn’t be the only ones to get hurt, but Jaris too. I’ve seen how he loves them. This news would break him more than it would the kids.
“Listen to me, Lyric. Those pumpkins are adorable. I wouldn’t want to hurt them either. But you know how much I detest lies. I’m a man, Lyric. I won’t sit back and watch my fellow man raise kids that aren’t his.”
“I know!” My voice was feeble. “Just give me a moment, Jace. Please. Can you?”
He rolled his eyes. “Get to work, Lyric,” he muttered and left the car.
*****
My spirit was crushed by the whole situation.
Reaching TCH, I tried to focus on work.
I had a couple of patients to attend to, and I did so, using my abyssal gloves. Their conditions weren’t too critical. So, it was something my basic knowledge could help with.
Next to the ward of one of the patients I visited, there was a man with a critical condition. I saw him through the window and stopped to watch him.
He was asleep and looked like he’d been there for a long time.
When I asked the nurse with me, she told me had been in that coma for a month. According to her, he was suffering from Lunar Lungs Collapse. They’d been trying all they could to revive him and have given up hope on treating him. Even his own family had stopped visiting.
I felt so bad for him. The man looked old and frail. Being in a coma at this age… I didn’t want to imagine how painful it must be for him.
I left with the nurse. But an hour later, when I was meant to be on break, I returned to the
room.
‘It’ll be fine, Lyric. No one is watching. No one would be able to tell it was you.‘ I assured myself.
I took off my gloves and placed a hand on his neck and one on his forehead. He’d already
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been given the right medications, but the ailment was too strong and was fighting against the drugs.
So, all that needed to be done was to Siphon the sickness away. I wasn’t supposed to do this, but he was an old helpless man.
Closing my eyes, I focused on the ailment and felt heavier. I’d always felt this way whenever I touched sick people. I just never realized it was my body receiving the ailment. Good thing I never get to actually fall sick.
Being a Siphon would’ve been cool if it didn’t have a dangerous side. If my kind wasn’t
haunted.
In a couple of minutes, I was done. I could feel that it was over.
I smiled down at the man. His face was already getting brighter.
“Hope to see you awake soon, sir.” I smiled down at him, my hand tapping his shoulder. I turned away to leave but a hand suddenly grabbed mine. I was startled.
Whipping around, I discovered it was the man. His eyes were open, weakly so. But he was staring at me.
Oh. He’s awake.
I took a deep breath. He didn’t have to give me such a scare.
“Cy…n“, he muttered something I couldn’t hear. He was still
very
“Sir? How’re you feeling, sir?” I asked happily.
He uttered the word again. The third time, it was clearer:
“Si…phon.”
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LYRIC
My eyes grew large, shining as brightly as the sun.
My world came spinning, crashing down and building up again just to crash even more painfully.
All this happened in seconds.
I opened my mouth to speak, but no words formed. I couldn’t get my head straight.
“Siphon,” he repeated, crystal clear this time.
“I-” I tried to swallow, but the ball of nerves was too much in my throat. I couldn’t gulp.
I inhaled deeply and tried again. “I’ll get someone to check on you.”
It wasn’t until I tried to run that I realized he was still holding my hand. Now that he was awake, the man was strong.
I panicked, my eyes darting to the door and back.
“Let me go.” It was a plea. “Please.”
He finally did, his eyes growing soft.
He breathed deeply, closing his eyes.
“Siphon,” he repeated, even as it seemed like he was going back to sleep.
I didn’t wait around to hear more. I sprinted out of the room, my heart pounding against my ribs.
I didn’t stop until I was in the nearest restroom and shut the door.
Damn it. Damn it. Damn it!
I pulled at the root of my shirt, pacing the small room.
He knew what I was. But how… How could he easily tell? Did I make a mistake saving him?
Jace was right. I shouldn’t have cared about saving anyone. I should’ve kept it hidden like I planned.
I spent a long time in the restroom, too scared to go out. What if he was already screaming my secret to everyone?
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A knock on my door startled me.
What the hell?
“Use the other rooms!” I shouted in frustration.
“Lyric.”
I froze. Geez, it was Marta. What did she want?
My eyes rounded. Oh, no. What if she knows?
I quickly opened the door, eager to know if my life was doomed or not.
She regarded me coldly, like I was dirt in her way. “You’ve been there for too long. What’re you doing?”
Okay. It didn’t seem like she knew.
I took a deep breath to calm my nerves.
“Why are you monitoring me?” I frowned.
Did she see me run out of the man’s room? Please tell me she didn’t.
“Anyway, you can be dying for all I care. I came here to pass an important information across.
She crossed her arms over her chest, and there she was–the bitchy Marta I knew.
She looked like a mean doctor in her lab coat.
“Tell your friend to steer clear from me. I don’t know what his problem is, and I really don’t
care. Just tell him not to rub it off on me.”
My mind drifted to the issue she had with Jace. Oh, right. She was in a shitty position right
now.
“If you have an issue with Jace, you should settle it with him. What does that have to do with me?” I frowned.
Her expression turned into something else. Her eyes became darker, like a serpent about to spit out venom.
“You don’t understand, do you?” Her voice was dangerously low. “You don’t understand the implications, do you?”
This was a different side of Marta. I’d never seen her this vile before her.
Before I could brace myself for what to do next, she slapped me hard across the face.
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My head reeled to the side, a gasp slipping past my throat as I put a hand over my mouth.
I was beyond shocked. Marta slapped me!
Her eyes were as wide and burning as that of a mad woman. Who would’ve thought that the issue with the kids would be enough to make Marta lose her mind?
“I’ll ruin you, Lyric.” She pointed an angry finger at me. “You and your worthless friend. I’ll take you both to the ground and bury you so deep if you don’t stay away from me and my family. My kids are my family, and I’ll never let you jeopardize that. Let it sink!”
Before I could think better of it, my hands flew to her hair, roughly pulling at her roots. But despite the rage in my chest, I was still held back by the fact that this was a professional ground. We shouldn’t be doing this here. Marta, however, didn’t seem to care, and she used how reluctant my hold was to push me off.
“Don’t ever lay your filthy hands on me,” she snarled.
“Same goes for you, Marta!” I half–yelleld. “This should be the first and last time you ever think of hitting me. What do you think I am, stupid? If we weren’t in TCH right now, I promise, you’d have been on the floor by now.”
“Oh, spare me,” she snorted. “This is only a little warning. You can be sure to expect more if you and your asshole of a friend don’t stay away from my
business.”
She turned around to leave, but I grabbed her hand, bringing her back.
I let her see the seriousness in my eyes when I spoke to her. “Like I said, if you have an issue with Jace, go settle it with him. Don’t expect me to keep quiet when he’s trying to uncover an important truth.” I tilted my head to the side. “Or isn’t that the truth, Marta? Do you think he’s lying?”
Her eyes turned to icicles. But I couldn’t care less.
I released her wrist and walked away, still hating the fact that she had the nerves to slap me and I wasn’t able to do much about it.
*********+.
JARIS
I was at the office, reviewing some files with my CMO when Kael walked in.
His presence was thrilling and enough to make me dismiss the CMO in front of me.
“I believe you have the package?” I asked eagerly as he came to take the seat the CMO had just been spitting on.
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He gave me that reluctant look before slipping his hand into his pocket and returning with a small pack of pills.
He dropped it on the table.
“Went through a lot of trouble to get this. You know it’s forbidden.”
I felt a cold sensation as I picked up the pack, observing the pack like it was a pack of gold.
“If it was truly forbidden, it’d stop being produced,” I muttered without looking at him. “What
about the second stuff?”
Again, he sighed, as if being reluctant with his answer. “It’s in the car.”
I nodded, satisfaction brimming inside me. “Go get the car ready, then. We’re heading home.”
He stood up and was about to open the door when he paused and looked at me. “You know you don’t have to do this, right? It’s not exactly… noble.”
I was almost tempted to roll my eyes, bored with the conversation. “When have I ever been noble? You must be confusing my status for nobility.”
“Come on, J. You know what I’m talking about.
“No, I don’t, and I don’t even want to know. Now, get going.”
Kael wasn’t a nice man. He’d done a lot of pretty bad things in his life. Yet, here he was, counselling me like some grandfather.
Laughable.
Using my landline, I called my assistant to come to the office. In seconds, she was there. I asked her to pack up my things and follow me to the car.
As soon as we reached Darkspire, I took the things from Kael and went into Lyric’s room. Of course, I’d have a spare key with me.
It took me an hour to set up the first stuff, then dropped a single pill and a note on her dresser.
I stood with my hands in my pockets, staring at the pill.
I tried. The Moon knows I tried for it not to come to this. Kael was right. This was wrong. But I couldn’t bring myself to care anymore. I’ve never been a good man. No. I’ve done a lot of bad things that doesn’t give me the privilege to be called good.
You could say I’m a good leader, but not a good man.
And maybe, Lyric deserved this for messing with my head.
