Chapter 25

-Dante-

At first, I wasn’t sure why I woke up. I knew there was a reason for it, but in my groggy state, it took me a while to figure it out. Then, I opened my eyes and saw Chase standing alone by the window, holding something in his hand, unable to rip his eyes off it.

“Chase…?”

He nearly jumped when I spoke his name and turned to look at me. I could immediately tell something big had happened – the look on his face gave it away.

“Dante,” he smiled widely and came to sit down next to me. “Guess what?“

He showed me a necklace, and I asked what it was.

“Roe gave it to me – you just missed him – he wants me to take it to this merchant who might have a book about blood spells!” he explained so fast I had to ask him to repeat his words.

“Blood spells?” I frowned after the second round.

“Sounds scary, I know, but it might be useful for us,” he spoke with sparkling eyes. “It may have the cure!”

For some reason, I didn’t share his enthusiasm. “That… sounds convenient,” I said slowly.

“Roe told me where to find him – I have to go see him first thing in the morning,” Chase continued and stood up. He took a few steps towards the window before he returned to the bed like he was unable to hold still. “This could be it,” he said in excitement.

“You’re going to see him?” I repeated. “Don’t you mean we?”

Chase’s smile vanished. “I’ll go alone – he’s just a merchant. I’ll be fine on my own and you need to stay here and rest,” he said sternly.

“I’m not letting you go alone,” I said, pushing myself up from the bed. “I feel much better.”

“You’re not coming,” he said, putting the necklace safely in his pocket. “I’m just running errands.”

“I’m coming with you.”

“No, you’re not.”

“Chase, I’m–”

“No, you’re not,” he said loud and clear, getting seemingly angry with me. I snapped my mouth shut, and he sighed. “Look, I’m just running errands. It’s not any different than getting groceries. I’ll be fine, and you need to rest.”

I glared at him for a second and then turned away. I was also getting angry, and that was the worst emotion I could have. “Do what you want…”

“Dante…” he breathed out my name and I felt the bed sifting under me when he joined me on it. “I’ll just go grab that book – it’s no big deal. You know I’d love to take you with me and show you my world, but you almost died. That’s my fault. I can’t forgive myself.”

I glanced at him and saw sadness in his icy eyes. My anger was immediately gone when he looked so miserable.

“It wasn’t your fault,” I said, but he shook his head. “It wasn’t.”

“I just need to make sure you are fully healed before leaving this place,” he said almost silently.

What could I say in that situation? “Fine, I’ll just stay here and mope,” I muttered, earning a smile from him. And a kiss on the cheek.

“Once you are fully healed and back in full strength, I’ll show everything about my world,” he promised, wrapping his arms around my shoulders.

“I can’t wait,” I murmured in his ear. As scary as it was, I was actually looking forward to seeing if this book was the answer to our prayers. “I want to know everything about your world.”

“You will,” he promised.

*****

I tried not to get too excited about the book when the next morning came. Chase was getting ready to leave for Njizrski, and I watched him the entire time, following him around the house in my bathrobe and slippers.

God, I felt like an old man… Especially when Chase kept telling me what I was and wasn’t allowed to do.

“And don’t forget to take your potion.”

“I won’t.”

“If you need anything, just ask Ben. Are you sure you don’t want me to ask Aaliyah to keep you company?”

“I’ll be fine – I’ll just stay in bed…”

“I’ll be gone for a few hours and once I have the book, I’ll come straight back home. My phone won’t work while I’m in Njizrski though… Are you sure you don’t want Aaliyah here?”

“I’ll be fine…”

“Okay – there’s a pair of warm socks next to your bed. I already told King George and his crew to try to be quiet so you can sleep – they said they’ll go through the wires today so you shouldn’t hear a thing – wait, you’re a werewolf… Dammit…”

“I’ll be fine,” I chuckled, starting to feel tired after being up on my feet almost an hour. “Just go already.”

He stopped to give me a nervous, but excited look. “This could be it,” he smirked.

“I hope so,” I smiled back at him, still not letting myself to celebrate too soon. “Just go so we can see what it’s all about.”

“Yeah, I’ll get going,” he said and grabbed his bag, but then turned to look at me again. “Did you have enough to eat? Your body needs a lot of fuel right now.”

“Go!” I laughed, pointing at the portal behind him.

“Okay, okay, okay,” he said, got up on his toes and kissed my cheek. “Where did I put the necklace…?”

I let out a deep sigh as he started rummaging his back for the fifth time today.

“Ah! Here, found it,” he said.

“Just go already – I want to go to bed,” I whined.

“Okay – now I’ll go,” he said, kissed me again, and turned to face the portal. “Wish me luck!”

“Good luck,” I said, and finally, he stepped through with Eru.

I stayed there for a moment, watching the dark-blue matter that twirled peacefully in the fake doorway. I really wanted to go with him, but I had decided not to bring it up anymore. I didn’t want to fight with him. Besides, I was barely able to walk around the house for an hour. There was no way I could’ve accompanied him.

With a deep sigh, I climbed up the stairs into the silent second floor. Ben was somewhere below the house with the dwarves, so I had the entire place to myself for now. If only I could’ve done something with that freedom… I lay down on my bed, feeling almost too tired to even pull the covers over my body.

I closed my eyes, waiting for the drowsiness to take over. I couldn’t believe how tired I still was, but I hoped that I was back on my feet in a few days now that the wound was almost healed. I couldn’t wait to get better. I couldn’t wait to get out of this boring room…

“Dante Gray…”

I nearly jumped out of the bed when I heard the unfamiliar voice speaking my name in a displeased manner. My eyes immediately found the source of the voice: a freakishly tall man in black jeans and a dark-purple dress shirt. His hair was long, black and curly, and he had a goatee. He stared at me with his dark eyes, his hands behind his back.

“Who are you?!” I yelled with a pounding heart, immediately starting to feel dizzy. Bad sign… Bad sign…!

“There’s no cause for alarm,” he said, raising his hand towards me, but it was too late.

My transformation started when the panic and fear washed over me. I couldn’t do anything to stop it. The pain hit me in a massive wave, almost knocking me out cold, but I fought to stay conscious. The man in front of me sighed, looking annoyed for some reason.

When I was done, the beast took over and launched at the man, but in a blink of an eye, he raised his hand again.

“Stop,” he said sharply, freezing me to my spot in midair. Only my hind legs were touching the floor, my front legs immobile only a few inches away from him. My mouth was open, lips pulled back to show my fangs, ready to rip him to shreds, but I couldn’t move at all anymore. Like I was just a scary statue.

The man shook his head, clicking his tongue in disapproval. “Fascinating,” he said, but he didn’t look impressed.

He studied me for a moment, his hands behind his back again. I had a million questions going through my head, and the fear and panic were not subsiding. I was completely at his mercy, and I feared what would happen if the beast gained control over me completely.

“As I was about to say, you have heard of me,” the man said, looking at me dead in the eye. “I am Lord Roeruiz, Chase’s master. It was time for us to meet.”

All I could think of was what the fuck?!

“First, I want to point out that I do not like you,” he said coldly as if I hadn’t already figured that out – the annoyed way he kept glancing at me was enough proof. “You have ruined my peaceful life. Everything was fine and dandy until you came along.”

Suddenly, a massive chair appeared right behind him. Like a golden throne. He sat down and turned to glare at me, and this time, it took him a while to continue speaking.

“Chase is important to me, and not only as my mridien. I do not approve of your relationship with him, but no one ever asks for my opinion,” he spoke, glaring daggers at me, “That doesn’t necessarily mean I want to harm you.”

But what did he want then? I always assumed that if I ever got to meet Chase’s master, he would be there too. This… demon… was doing this behind Chase’s back, and that thought was freaking me out. The stare of his dark eyes was not helping at all, and the beast in me almost managed to push me aside. I could not fall unconscious at a time like this!

“I have been keeping a much closer eye on him ever since you tried to kill him for the second time,” he spoke, leaning against the backrest of his throne. “I hoped we could have a decent conversation, but I guess that’s not going to happen. I heard what that old man said about you and that condition. You should still be able to understand words, right? Or do I have to speak slowly?”

Yes, I did understand his condescending words, but not the reason why he was here – unless it was to mock me.

“I am not letting you hurt him again. I will protect him by any means necessary, do you understand?”

His words surprised me. There was no doubt that he would end me if I attacked Chase again – I could see the threat in his eyes – and honestly, I was glad. More than glad, actually. This man, this… demon… was strong enough to stop me, probably even kill me, and that knowledge comforted me in a way nothing else could.

Chase was safe from me.

He let out a deep sigh, measuring me from head to toe. I was calming down a bit, and it became easier to keep the beast under control.

“I will not lose him,” he said quietly. “I once lost a mridien too soon. She was a great warlock and bound to do amazing things, but her life was stolen from her prematurely. You will never understand the connection we share with our mridien so you would never understand my loss. I am not going through that ever again. I swore to myself I’d never take another mridien, but Chase…”

After he trailed off, his expression changed into a softer one. I could see he cared deeply about Chase, and that helped me to calm down. He was just being an overprotective friend. Maybe even more?

“Hmph – I wasn’t going to go on a rant, but since no one is going to stop me, I might as well speak my mind,” he said, leaning towards me. “Chase is special. He will always be special to me. I’ve watched him ever since he was a child, knowing that he was going to be a great warlock. Strong. Powerful. Unstoppable. And that chaotic soul of his… Ah… But those around him, well…” he wrinkled his nose in anger.

“Peasants, all of them. None of them understood his potential. None of them gave him the tools to become the greatness he was supposed to become, so I had to take matters into my own hands. I had to become a bigger influence in his life. He still has a long way to go to fully realize his power, but at least he’s learning now.

“And then you came along,” he sighed. “I was hoping he’d get bored of you quickly, but it’s not in his nature. He gives everything even when it is not deserved. He keeps throwing his heart at people like you and then wonders why it is left lying in the gutter, broken and bleeding. I tend to stay away from those people because I do not need to collect souls anymore, but you… I had to make an exception this time because now he is risking his life.”

At that moment, the wave of pain hit me again, but this time, it felt massively worse than before. I would’ve screamed in agony if I could. The transformation was trying to start, I could feel it in my bones, but the spell that held me still probably kept me from turning as well. I could hear Roeruiz’s voice, but my mind didn’t register the words because of the pain. I was about to faint, but then, suddenly, I fell on the floor.

The transformation started. I lay there, trying to catch my breath, and even though the pain was still there, it felt like nothing. Once I was back in my human form, I still couldn’t move. It took me a while to regain full consciousness, and after that, I could start thinking about moving.

“Sorry about that,” Roeruiz said, but he didn’t sound that sorry. He leaned down to grab my arm and pulled me up on my feet. Everything hurt so bad that I thought my insides were on fire, and I nearly threw up when he dropped me on my bed. I peered up at his dark eyes while he crossed his arms over his chest.

“Do you even love him?” he asked without giving me a break.

“I… I don’t deserve him,” I muttered, trying to sit up straight. It was a massive task.

“Do you love him?” he repeated with a harsher voice. “Tell me the truth.”

“I don’t know how I feel,” I whispered, and that was the truth. “I care for him. I feel better with him. And… He makes me not want to die.”

He scoffed at me and took a few steps away from the bed. “You should’ve stayed away from him.”

“Yes,” I breathed out, looking down at the floor.

“Your inevitable death will break him.”

“I know…”

“Then why are you still here?” he asked, and I looked up at him again.

“Because he wants me here,” I replied.

“Not good enough,” he spat at me.

“Because… I want to be here.”

“Not good enough,” he repeated harshly. “If you truly care about him, you will leave right now,” he said, pointing at the door.

I turned to look at it. My heart was suddenly in pain. He was right. I had known from the second I saw Chase that I never should’ve come to him. I should have stayed away so he could be spared from this. And he would be safe.

I tried to stand up, but my feet wouldn’t let me. I felt so defeated…

“I do have a solution for you,” Roeruiz said. “I have a dungeon in my home. I can keep you there, locked up forever. It’s a dark, cold place, but you wouldn’t be able to hurt Chase or anyone else ever again. I can even try to find a cure for you. If there is such a thing.”

I looked at him, and the pain in my heart was accompanied by fear. But… “Is it good enough? Ben said I’ll only get worse…”

“I’ve had prisoners stronger than you and none of them have escaped.”

I nodded. “What about Chase…?”

“What about him?”

“He will try to find me,” I murmured.

He moved his hands, conjuring a piece of paper out of thin air. I watched as it was suddenly filled with text that glowed for a moment. It was… my handwriting. I stared at the ink that the glow left behind.

“Leave this for him to find,” he said, giving the paper to me.

It was a suicide letter… I closed my eyes after reading it, feeling numb.

“Do you really care about him?” he asked.

I opened my eyes and stared at the words on the paper. Then, I looked up at him. He stretched his hand towards me, expecting me to take it.

“Do you?” he repeated.

I found the strength and the courage to stand up. I slowly turned around to place the letter down on the bed, before I faced him again. I suddenly had tears in my eyes.

“You won’t let me escape?” I asked, and he nodded. “Good… Chase is better off without me.”

“You’re not wrong,” he smiled, but it didn’t seem like a friendly one.

I nodded, took one last glimpse of the room, before placing my hand on his. “You’ll take care of him?”

“Always,” he said, grabbed my hand and turned it around. “But you need to sort out that head of yours,” he spoke, placing a ring on my hand. It was a big silver ring with a red, flat stone.

“What is this?” I asked.

“Another gift, I suppose,” he snorted. “I’m going bankrupt because of that damn mridien.”

“What does it do?” I asked, staring at the stone. I suddenly felt odd. Calm. My body grew heavy. Numb. I forgot what I had just asked. I even forgot that I wasn’t alone.

Roeruiz snapped his fingers in front of my eyes, and I felt like I woke up from a trance. “It does that. It’s called Mjyrna. Don’t look at it while driving or operating heavy machinery.”

“W-What?” I asked in confusion when he turned his back on me. “What am I supposed to do with it?”

He snapped his fingers again and the throne vanished. Then, he turned to pat my shoulder. “You’ll figure it out.”

And when I blinked, he was suddenly gone.

“Roeruiz?” I asked, turning around but the room was empty.

“It’s Lord Roeruiz.”

I jumped when his voice came somewhere inside me, but it didn’t sound the same as before – it was deeper, darker than before. “What’s going on? What about me?”

“What about you?”

“How do I get to your home?” I asked, turning to look at the bed. The letter was gone.

“Oh, I lied. I don’t have a dungeon.”

“What?” I frowned. “But… What?”

“I’ll be watching you, Dante Gray. I am giving you a chance to prove yourself. Do not waste it.”

I turned to look at the ring, keeping the stone away from myself so I wouldn’t fall into that weird numbness again.

“But Chase would be safer without me – you said it yourself,” I said.

“I also said I’ll make sure you won’t hurt him ever again,” he reminded me. “Use the ring and deal with your inner demons. That should help us in the long run.”

“Why are you helping me? You hate me.”

“I’m not doing this for you. I’m doing this for Chase.”

“Right,” I nodded. “Thank you.”

“Cross me and I will build that dungeon,” he said.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” I promised.