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THE NIGHTMARE Chapter 95
Valerian’s handprints were engraved in the steering wheel as his knuckles turned white from his grip. He exhaled with frustration as I recoiled against the passenger door with bulging eyes. The muscles in his jaw tightened as he pursed his lips. The black veins in his neck throbbed as he became consumed in jealousy, or so I assumed.“Mire, I know nothing happened. I trust you.” He stayed facing forward, unable to look at me or release his grasp. “It’s just hard given my past with Rafael. Even though I know you didn’t do anything wrong, seeing you like that with him still hurts. He manipulated you into developing feelings for him once before. I couldn’t handle it if it were to happen again.”I felt my heart shatter from his statement. I had put him through so much pain, intentionally and unintentionally, and yet he still trusted me. He was just afraid to lose me.I gently reached for him and slowly pried his hands from the steering wheel. I interlocked his fingers with mine and brought
THE NIGHTMARE Chapter 96
“No! I will spend time with Mirela as much as I like, and you won’t stop me! I don’t know why you are so hateful to her, but I will not be like you! If anyone in this house is evil, it is the both of you!” Our parents recoiled in their seats as our mother gasped with offense. I couldn’t help but to feel victorious in that moment. Their plan was to turn Aleksei against me, but it had backfired. My brother had a pure heart filled with kindness. He never judged anyone for the way they looked, and he never listened to gossip that his classmates spread about the weird kids in his class. He always befriended them. I couldn’t allow someone as precious as Aleksei be tortured at the hands of Dragos. He didn’t deserve that kind of ending to his life, and I prayed that the spirits were watching over him.I spoke to the universe as I glared out the passenger window. Please don’t let anything bad happen to Aleksei. Please. This is all my fault, so take me instead. Take my life instead of his.The
THE NIGHTMARE Chapter 97
Valerian read my mind. “There is no sign of either of them. It seems they were taken for questioning, and the only good news is that we can assume that they are still alive.”I nodded and felt a lump in my throat. “Probably not for long. Their fates will be sealed once Dragos discovers that they really have no magic.”“They will be tortured, Mire,” Valerian said, “and we can also assume, that at some point, they will break and give up your name. We need to get out of here quickly.”I nodded my understanding, but I needed a minute. I walked past Dennis’s corpse and towards the staircase. I ran my hand along the walls, trying to visualize the beauty of that old place and marvelling at how it had died so much in such a short time.I didn’t stop at my old room, I walked right past to Aleksei’s door. His room was in the same shape as the rest of the house, and he obviously had been taken. “My frail Aleksei,” I thought, “this cannot be the end.” I sat down on his bed and tried hard to focus
THE NIGHTMARE Chapter 98
“Were you able to find any traces of Aleksei?” I questioned, trying to forget about my unbalanced emotions and focus on the mission.“Yes. We can get on the road whenever you are ready,” Valerian explained as he intertwined his fingers with mine.“I’m ready. We need to rescue Aleksei and my mother if they are alive,” I declared.Valerian smiled lightly as he wiped the wetness from my cheeks with his thumbs.“We will find them,” he said before he kissed the top of my nose.He escorted me into the group huddle with Ivan and Rafael. I glared at the house that was crumbling before me. It would be the last time I would ever see that place. It was a strange feeling. A part of me felt relieved that I would never have to step foot in that house again, but another part of me felt a sense of loss. I grew up in that home. I had many memories playing with Aleksei and running through the garden. I had memories with Valerian, and the beginning of our relationship started within that home, but then
THE NIGHTMARE Chapter 99
Valerian nodded at everyone. “Any more questions?”“Just one,” said one of the brothers. “What happens if either team one or two gets caught?”“If either team one or two fail to turn up at the mansion by sunset tomorrow, team three will have to launch a mission to find and rescue everyone else.” Valerian paused and watched everyone’s faces, lingering for a moment on mine. “For this reason, team three will be tasked with the toughest task here, and they will also have the most numbers.”I got increasingly terrified as this plan unfolded, but the rest of the team members seemed completely at ease. “They’ve probably fought a lot of dangerous battles together,” I thought as I struggled to reign in my fears. Who knows, maybe a few years from then, I too would be unfazed as we geared up for some new mission.“So who goes where?” I asked.“Ivan,” Valerian began, “you are Team A. You will follow the first track to return to the castle. While there, confirm whether Ysanne is being held there a
THE NIGHTMARE Chapter 100
I placed my hand on his forearm and squeezed. “I’m sure your soulmate is out there somewhere, Rafael, but you need to stop trying to find them in me or you will never find peace.”He nodded. “I know. You’re right.”“So, are we cool now? Will you stop pressing me and just be my friend?” I raised a brow as Rafael finally glanced at me.“Yeah, I can do that.” He smiled as he grasped my hand.At that moment, Valerian walked up to us. He squinted his eyes as his gaze bounced between us. Within a split second, he pulled me away from Rafael and stood like a barricade between us.“I told you to back off,” Valerian said. Surprisingly, his tone was playful and light.Rafael flashed his killer grin as he jokingly raised his hands in surrender. “Alright! I get it! She belongs to you!” He chuckled.I was shocked to see a small smile spread across Valerian’s face as they shook hands. What the hell was going on? Just like that they were friends? It didn’t make any sense and my mind was spinning with
THE NIGHTMARE Chapter 101
“I propose a truce,” Rafael said after a few minutes of silence, “For Mirela’s sake at least.”I extended my right hand to grasp his firmly.“I accept.”I jolted back to the present and saw that Mirela was already asleep. She was smiling in her sleep and looked peaceful. I reached out a hand to cup her face and she fluttered her eyes open.“Vale,” she murmured, “I’m glad that you are both finally getting along.”I leaned in and kissed her lightly on the lips.“Rest, my love. We will resume our search in an hour or less.”We stood in front of a dark and hollow cavern. My body trembled as we grew closer to the entrance, and I nervously followed behind Valerian. I had my arm twisted around his as I buried my face behind his shoulder.“Aleksei is down here. Be prepared. Keep your eyes open,” Valerian demanded as we crossed the archway of the cave.Water was dripping from the top of the cave causing my shoes to become drenched. A cold breeze blew through the tunnel with a terrifying whistl
THE NIGHTMARE Chapter 102
“Where is Aleksei?” I growled dangerously.“Safe.”I sat up straight. “I’ve been inside your head. I know you plan on betraying Dragos. Don’t test me, Alma, I will not ask you again.”At the mention of the King, I had caught a flash of fear as it passed through her face. Now she narrowed her eyes at me and frowned. She had probably realised that if she gave up Aleksei, she would have no leverage left. Nothing to bargain with. She pursed her lips and was thinking fast. I watched her closely.“He is right outside this room,” she said. “I cloaked him with a spell when I sensed him coming.” She gave a nod in Valerian’s direction.I nodded. “You will uncloak him and we will take him with us when we leave. But before we get to that, tell me about the Emerald Tablets. What are they really?”She looked amused as she shook her head and said, “You mean you don’t know?”I replied to her question with another of my own. “Who made them?”She rolled her eyes sky-high. Like she was saying, “here we