Fated To Three, Betrayed By All… Until She Rose.-Chapter 352: A come back?

Leilani.

If there was one thing I have come to accept even though I hated it with every living cell in my body, then it is how fickle life could be.

I always knew that. I always suspected that the earth was simply a very large harvest ground where humans, shifters and every other creature are kept for a couple of years, and then harvested (the time we die) by our sick gods and goddess who sees us as nothing but a game of chess.

I knew that life didn’t mean shit when the Almighty Chalice who singlehandedly made my life a living hell died so easily due to some complications from childbirth. I knew when my Malakai died so stupidly for news that wasn’t even real despite everything he’s done in the past.

And now, it was Agnes. It had to be her.

However, what I realized was that Agne’s alleged passing didn’t make me just feel like life was shit. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

It made me live it, wallow in it. Consume it.

It was the only thing I could think about in the moments when I was unconscious, and when I woke up a couple of minutes later, stunned to find myself in Zevran’s arms, I didn’t think about the warmth he exuded. I didn’t think about how he gazed at me like I was the fucking moon and star, and in fact, the entire fucking planet put together. I thought about her.

About Agnes.

My heart was the heaviest it has ever felt in a long time, and I was in so much pain— too much pain— I couldn’t even bring myself to cry.

The pain in my chest intensified when I looked into Zevran’s eyes and I found him looking down at me with pity... with worry... like he wanted to take all the burden off my shoulders and make them his.

His fingers tangled into my hair in a soothing manner and after propelling my head forward with his hand, he whispered; "Leilani?"

But I couldn’t respond. My throat was too tight and too sore to form words. My body felt too heavy and stiff too; And goddess, the mere thought of breathing filled me with so much anguish, I feared I would perish from it.

"Leilani, please talk to me!" He rasped in my face, sounding desperate. But still, I found it difficult to express myself.

My tears stung my eyes, refusing to fall as I clutched tightly at his sweater, and when the pain spread so much, intensifying and tearing through my entire body with speed, I couldn’t bear it anymore.

I cried. "It was Agnes, wasn’t it?"

The silence that followed after I asked that question told me just everything I needed to know. And his silent confirmation, even though it wasn’t in words, broke me more than I could care to admit.

I suddenly felt as though I could breathe anymore. My lungs felt like they were on fire and my chest... it hurt so much that one would think my heart had been ripped out and violently crushed— all without anaesthesia!

I croaked. "I killed her!"

For a couple of seconds neither of us spoke. Zevran stared at me like I had finally gone mad. His hold on me tightened slightly and he asked; "Did you start the fire?"

I frowned, not believing his question. "No, I didn’t."

"Did you leave your cooker on or do anything of that nature?"

"No," I said again, and this time, he didn’t respond right away. He simply cocked his eyebrows at me as if silently saying words like; ’You see?!’

But I wasn’t convinced. I didn’t even feel any better. If anything, I felt worse.

I pushed away from him and rose to my feet, my suddenly weak legs groaning in protest with each step that I took. Another couple of seconds passed between us in silence before I could finally find my voice. I rasped; "This is all my fault."

When I said this, his eyebrows twitched with confusion, and when I didn’t immediately jump into explaining what I meant by that, he sighed, pulled me flush against himself and whispered; "It’s not your fault that she was in your house when it happened. It’s not your fault that..."

That was the last thing I heard. It was the last thing my brain could grasp before the ringing in my ears intensified. I waved my hands dismissively in his face and hissed; "Now, that’s where you’re wrong!"

"I am not—"

"It is my fault because I made her believe that she could always be safe from everyone, especially Louis, in my house!" I rushed out, interrupting him and lowering my head when a loud cry slipped out of my mouth. "I gave her a spare key to my home to ensure that she could always come in whenever she wants to. Zevran, she was killed in my house! And now, the entire world thinks that I am the one dead."

"Lani..." he began to say, but knowing that all he had to say right now were words that he would consider as ’consolation’, I looked away and shrugged, changing the topic for a bit.

"Can’t you see what this is?" I asked defiantly, "Can you not see that this is an attack against me and that she was killed because whoever set that fire into my house thought that I was the one?!" I yelled irritatedly, causing Zevran’s eyes to widen slowly.

For a fleeting second, he looked like a kid who had suddenly realized why the world isn’t flat. Like someone who had been unexposed to certain knowledge that has always been right in front of his face.

His mouth opened and closed... and then opened again. And just when I had begun to think that he would never speak, he drawled; "I never thought about it like this..."

"Huh?"

"The hit was meant for you."

"It was," I muttered and then went ahead to tell him about everything else that happened that same day.

However, I had half expected him to be shocked, surprised or something; But instead, he seemed... intrigued.

His eyes lit up with glee and was that amazement as he muttered; "I think I may know who this person is that wants you dead."

I was still shaking by this time, still broken by the news of Agne’s passing, so when I spoke, my voice came out as nothing but a silent whisper. I asked; "Who do you think did this? Who the fuck will want me dead so badly?"

"A lot of people." He answered quickly— a little too quickly, and those words so quietly said made my body tremble slightly. Tears slipped down the corners of my face and I shuddered. Hell, I didn’t even know when I took a step away from him until I had done it.

He drawled; "Lycans. More specifically a Lycan called Ms Keisha. I am sure you remember her?"

"I do," I gulped. "How could I ever forget about Keisha?"

"It has to be her... or perhaps— you may not believe this— but I suspect Darius, your half brother slash cousin, too."

I froze as soon as I heard those words and I could swear that I felt my heart stutter so much, it almost fell out of my chest. Slowly, I looked up into Zevran’s eyes, hoping to find confusion or uncertainty... or something of that manner.

But there was nothing. He was just cold and withdrawn and simply... afraid.

I sighed. "How? Why?"

"He has a motive... Keisha has one too." He said, and now that I think about it, that was true.

In fact, if there was anyone who had the most reasonable motive, then it was Darius.

Oh heavens!