But is this really a threat
Without further evidence of maliciousness, I will have to let it pass quickly.
Time passed by, and I struggled to fall asleep. There are too many things in my mind, mainly Lily. After an hour, I was convinced that she was in danger. I have checked my phone for the hundredth time since I texted her, and I covered my head with a pillow, trying to calm my overactive imagination.
Of course, she usually texts within an hour. Has she ever gone further? Yes. This is the unfortunate part. She hasn't responded to text messages for six hours. Most of the time, I don’t think this is eternal, because I’m working and something will happen. But today is a little different. I don't know how I knew it. Maybe this is the bond between us. She still wears my ardent amulet and hers. It connects us to one point. Maybe this anxiety is not entirely my problem. This may be her emotional second-hand investment.
I sat up. She may indeed be in some kind of danger, and this discovery is too real, especially as night falls quickly. I was about to jump off the ** when Lily suddenly appeared at the door.
"Hi," she said, looking as tired as me. Leaning on the door frame, she seemed more contemplative and quieter than usual.
"Lily!" I moved my leg to the side of the bed, waiting for her to sleep with me. When she didn't do this, I was wondering if I should approach her. Some things bothered her very much.
"What do you know about Kerhans?" she asked, pointing on the door frame, the paint on the door frame was worn out. Her tone did not mean accusing, but it made me wonder what she wanted to express.
I paused, puzzled. How did she know them
"They are monster shapeshifters. They were a member of the Marktier wolf pack before being expelled. Did you meet them in the fog?" I asked. She nodded, but did not move towards the bed. I sighed. "They are dangerous. People have not seen them near the temple for centuries. But they are back. At least I am pretty sure they are like this."
"Do you know what they did after being exiled?" The last sentence made her cringe. It may have brought recent painful events.
How does she know so much
"No. They disappeared after being exiled, and haven't been around here for centuries. Most people think they died in the wild, unable to survive in isolation. Since they left, they haven't been there anymore. Their news is out."
"Why are they coming back? Why are they now?"
I shrugged and resisted not asking why she asked me these questions. "I don't know. How did you meet them? Did they hurt you?"
Her silence told me a lot. She continued to fiddle with the paint, and small debris fell to the floor like snow.
"I want to show you something," she said, walking towards me. I waited for her to sit down, wondering what happened. She behaves strangely and elusively. I hope she didn't meet the Kelhans while I was patrolling. There is no way to know how many of them are still alive. Who knows how powerful they are now
Lily slipped onto the mattress next to me and twisted her hands together. Her pain has not been ignored, but I am worried that speaking will derail her. I need to hear what she says before she shuts up and holds the words in my heart. We usually tell each other everything, but this time it's something else. She was nervous, even a little scared. I hope I didn't make her feel that what was told me was that way.
I stretched my hand to her shoulder, pulled her in, and gave her a hug. After a while, she became stiff, but relaxed.
"What's the matter, Lily? You can tell me everything, you know."
She lowered her eyes, clasped her hands, and continued to fidget. She is plucking up the courage to tell me something unpleasant. I would like to listen to everything. Nothing in the world can stop my love for her.
Finally, she raised her right hand. "Have you seen this before?" A small rune glowed in her palm. It radiated from under her skin, like a light tattoo. Strangely, this feeling is familiar.
"I have seen it in my studies before," I replied. "This is one of the runes that represent some wolves around the world. Usually, it is hidden under the skin of a specific part of the body, depending on the situation involving the wolves, and can only be seen through black light. This is an ancient that has faded away. Most of the Marks of Shapeshifters are traces of mixed blood between Shapeshifters and humans over the centuries.
"The more we become humans, the more magic will disappear from our power," I suggested.
The symbols on Lily's palm are vibrant and fresh, just like centuries ago. How is this possible? It does not need any black light to be noticed.
"I have never seen you wear this before," I said. I stretched out my hand and stroked the flaming sign with my fingers. It was flat and warm, and the flesh around her fingers felt as cold as rocks. At that moment, I noticed that her skin was unnaturally pale. I followed her arm and raised my head to look at her face. It was obvious that her skin was not only beautiful. It has a latent blue-grey sè tone, which makes her look almost ethereal. In the dim light through the curtains, she might have missed a beautiful statue.
"Lily? What's wrong with you?"
Realizing that I was staring at her, her hands flew to her face. She covered her cheek when she left me, her eyes widened, full of fear.
"It's Grayson. He is from the Kerhan ethnic group. I met him in the fog the other day. He did something to me, but he said he just awakened the magic sleeping in my veins. He said... . ... "Lily took a sharp breath, her panicked voice trembling. "He said that I have a part of Kerhan blood, but the curse did not completely affect me, because my family rebelled before the curse happened. When they were all banished, their race was already cursed."
I stood up in confusion. Anger erupted on me like wildfire.
"Why didn't you tell me you talked with Grayson? You and Kerhan are in the same group? No. It is impossible. They are either dead or dying."
"He is still alive, but I have never seen anyone else." Lily stretched out her hand to me, tears gleaming in Hei's eyes. "Ephrem, I don't know he will be there today. It's like I was forced to go back to the park. I don't remember me walking in the forest. Everything is so blurry. My blood is burning, and then the symbol appears. I am. Healed a bone without even moving it. How is this possible? I don’t know what happened. I think he did something to make me do what he wanted."
"Did he hurt you?" I reached out and touched the outline of her chin, pushing her black hair away from her pale face. Her once healthy pink radiant face is gone forever. Instead, she looked like light gray marble.
"I don't know. He said I was with another of our companions" ー ー She drew quotation marks in the air ー ー "Initiated this transformation" Her eyelids blinked quickly, and a tear ran down her cheeks. "What does all this mean? Everem, I don't know what to do."
She buried her face on my chest, and I held her tightly, rubbing her back as gently as possible. My soul agonized over what Grayson did to her, and I didn't stop him. He will pay the price now.
"Listen, I'm going to the archives of Makitier Palace. You probably shouldn't go back with me, after what happened to Elise, but I will see what I can find. There must be something for it. Help us solve these problems. I know this historian and archivist. His name is Langley and he knows everything."
She nodded. "Okay." A faint light of hope shone in her eyes. "I can manage to get Rafaela. She may know our ancestry, or someone knows it. My mother may even know something."
I agreed. I pulled her in and hugged her tightly, and my lips found her direction. They are still soft, but only a little warm, as if she had just returned from the cold air instead of warming up in our safe apartment. The cold in other parts of her body came from her inside, not from the weather outside. She is confused, I hate her, and I can't help her.
I knew I could not go with her, so I decided to assign someone to accompany her to the palace through the underground passage. I don't want to leave her, but I have to talk to Langley in person. He will not disclose sensitive and confidential information to strangers.
I hate our laws even more. It is unreasonable to be engaged to Lily but prohibited by the laws of our ethnic group. I don't care what they will say when we do seal our vows. When the time is right, I will deal with Mark Tier's anger. If we must leave Temple forever, I will, as long as I am with Lily. In the end, this is the most important thing.
I turned the ring on my finger, wanting to take it off and throw it out the window. I locked myself in my new residence to avoid ridiculous women's marches vying for the position of Jill's possible second mate. Crowds of young women from all over the country were invited to push their goods in front of him, hoping to get the position. It's sad.
This is a complete waste of time, but Jill doesn't know yet.
Anyway, his betrayal stung my soul.
"Eric?" I shouted.
"What's the matter, ma'am?"
"You don't have to call me that again. Call me Ella. I prefer this." When he came out of the living room, I smiled. He was always polite and insisted on sleeping on the sofa, because we talked until dawn at night until we couldn't sleep anymore. I admire his restraint, but he doesn't need too long. (To be continued) (End of this chapter)