AllFreeNovel
Share Us
My phone beeps, and I hesitantly take it out of my pocket. It’s a message from Noah.
“I’m standing on the spot where we last saw each other. Can you come so we can talk? I’d really like to know if there’s any news.”
I glance sideways at Ayden, caress his hand again, and then head out to meet Noah.
It takes me a while to find my way through the confusing corridors of the hunters’ infirmary. Once outside, I have to walk a while before I spot Noah. He’s standing beside a hedge looking pensive. When he sees me, he nods, and I go to him. We move off together without saying a word. This ritual has become a habit. When we’re together, it’s rarely safe for us to stay in one place. The risk is too great that someone might see us. Especially now.
“How’s it looking?” he asks, studying my face.
“He’s alive,” I reply. “The doctors had to do an emergency operation, and he’s still not in the clear. I was allowed to go see him. He’s hooked up to all these devices and tubes…” I shake the image out of my head. “But he’ll recover, I just know it.”
Noah nods. “Sure he will. He’s stubborn, I’ll give him that. He won’t give up.”
I look at the side of his face. So much has happened in the last couple of days, and I haven’t had time to think about how Noah must feel about all this.
“Frances… Did you… take her home?”
“I took her to her parents and explained that she was trying to protect her brother. That was the only reason she got involved with that Tempes. And it’s true – I did some digging. Frances’ brother was 15 years older than her. He was ostracized. I guess he was trying to measure up to the family’s high expectations and started using dying breaths to make himself stronger. After that, the family disowned him, but the official story was that he died in a dishonorable fight – which is why the other families don’t talk about him. I guess he’s spent years roaming the Odyss alone. And then it went the way it usually does for ovlems: he needed dying breaths more and more frequently. At some point, he couldn’t get enough of them on his own, so he started selling information to Tempes like Charles.”
I look at him in horror. I realized that Frances’ brother must have had a troubled past, but the truth shocks me.
“And what did her parents say?”
I can only imagine how incredibly hard this must have been for Noah.
“After I told them everything, they were shocked, of course. But then it became all about them, how to keep the family name clean. How to cover up Frances’ actions. It was unbelievable. But they won’t get away with it this time. I refuse to keep quiet. For Frances’ sake. The lies have to stop.”
The decision can’t have been easy for him. He’s damaged her family’s image by exposing Frances’ crimes. But I’m pretty sure Frances would have agreed to that if she thought it might force her parents to change their ways.
“The key spirit that Frances stole from the Odyss – I took it back,” Noah continues. “I couldn’t figure out which door she got it from, but I found it a nice place.”
We say nothing for a while, both lost in thought. So much has happened, and right now, I don’t even know how I’m going to spend the next few hours.
“Have you been questioned?” Noah asks, interrupting the silence.
“Yeah, but I’m pretty sure there’s more to come.”
“An interrogation by the Council?”
“That’s a possibility, for sure. I mean, the son of an elite family was killed. And even if Alessandro’s parents don’t want a thorough investigation, they’ll at least want to cross-examine me and find out what I know.”
“And Ayden too, I guess, if he recovers.”
That little word if hangs between us. I wonder how Noah currently feels about Ayden. They were enemies for so many years, hated each other, and were basically at war. But they fought side by side against Alessandro. And then there’s Kate’s prophecy that they’re brothers. I’m sure the idea is hard for him to accept. It would turn Noah’s world upside down.
His voice drifts quietly to me. “I heard what you said to him.” He doesn’t look at me. He’s staring into the distance, and I imagine that right now, he’s reliving that moment.
I raise my eyebrows in astonishment and don’t know what to say at first. It was a terrible experience – and still is. I don’t want Ayden to die. I can’t imagine life without him. And yeah, maybe I’ve been trying to deny my feelings for him because I knew there was no chance for us. I probably rushed into things too quickly with Noah, although I have feelings for him too. It’s not that I don’t care about him. But my heart… it still seems to belong to someone else.
I realize that Noah’s scrutinizing me. “You love him,” he says.
I can’t deny it. There are no words to describe my tumultuous emotions.
“I knew you cared a lot about him and that you needed time. Obviously, I was hoping that you’d forget him and let me into your heart.”
“Noah,” I interrupt.
But he just smiles and shakes his head. “Things happened pretty fast between us, and I knew what I was getting myself into. You guys mean a lot to each other. I mean, he was there for you instantly and even joined the fight against another Tempes without asking questions.” He shakes his head thoughtfully. “I never expected that from him. But for you… And then the way he looked at you. He still has feelings for you. As things are, I have no chance of coming between you two. Nor do I want to. There are more important things…”
