Chapter 361
“I need to head there,” I muttered, clenching my fists.
I walked toward the mansion gates, ignoring the intense stare from Marcellus. Or… Ghost Marcellus.
Argh, there are way too many ghosts out here, no offence to Caroline.
“Head where?” Marcellus turned around when I walked past him.
“Your master’s lair, of course!” I snapped, spinning around to face him. “I need to look Althea in the eyes and see… And see her deny this. See her tell me she didn’t really poison me and kill my—”
Lightning crackled through the sky, interrupting me and causing me to jolt. The rain had reached a peak that made me subconsciously shiver. My clothes were soaked and the constant sound of the dropping rain made me even more anxious.
Pit. Pat. Pit. Pat. Pit fucking pat!
My head spun until I placed my hands on it, looking away from Marcellus’ peering gaze.
“Ryker is not my master,” Marcellus said firmly, not sounding vexed at all. “Also, pretty sure you could just text or call Althea instead of putting yourself at risk again.”
I froze, my chest twisting with confusion.
Slowly, I turned around to face him, squinting when I saw the seemingly stoic look on his ghostly face.
Has the world gone mad?
“I… I killed you.” That was what I ended up saying, shaking my head with disbelief. “I destroyed you.”
He blinked, furrowing his brows. “Yeah, I recall. Not a particularly pleasant memory. And?”
My arms trembled and my breath shuddered. I glared at Marcellus, taking slow steps toward him.
“So why the heck do you care if I offer myself to Ryker? To your—”
“For the last time,” he suddenly whooshed forward until he was merely a few feet away, raising a finger.
More lightning shook the sky but I didn’t flinch, staring into his green eyes without blinking. He stared back at me, his voice raw with frustration.
“Ryker is not my master. Not anymore.”
I subconsciously held my breath but didn’t push further. I didn’t have the strength anyway.
Helplessly, I lowered my body until I was on my knees, turning away from Marcellus. I wasn’t afraid of him doing anything to me in this form. But my insides felt like mush just thinking about the ultimate betrayal.
Althea.
My eyes stung with tears as memories of her flashed through my mind. Each time she guided me on which plants to gather for a potion.
Each time she healed any wounds I might’ve gotten during the bullying from the other girls in the coven. Even when she guided me to be brave when I was given to Kaelos.
Everything was now bloated out. Twisted with the sick truth of what she did to me. To my baby.
“And now she’s out there I whispered with a shaky voice. She’s out there with my husband. With people I care about. I… I—”
Suddenly, a hand clasped my shoulder, causing me to gasp softly. I whipped my head back with shock when I saw Marcellus’ hand on my shoulder.
“Crying under the rain isn’t going to solve anything, Odessa.” He said with a wry sigh, ignoring the elephant in the room.
My eyes flicked from his face to his hand repeatedly before I swatted his hand away, shifting backwards while still kneeling.
“How the heck were you able to touch me just now?” I questioned, pointing at him with one hand while preparing a spell with the other.
Marcellus on the flip side, seemed calm, placing his arms comfortably behind his back. “You still aren’t getting the big picture, are you?”
He stretched out his arms, curling and uncurling his fists a few times. “Even during our grand final battle, I gave you hints. You grossly underestimate how much power you have access to.”
When he got to me again, he placed his right hand in front of my face, gesturing for me to take it.
I hesitated. Not only did I hesitate, but I seriously considered spitting on his face or swatting him away with a blast.
But deep inside, I knew he wasn’t here to hurt me or to mock me. What confused me was why.
Eventually, I grabbed his hand, getting on my feet with a grunt. I hid my face away from him, sniffling back the tears and snort.
However, Marcellus went on.
“Ryker’s ritual is tapping deep into the Vein not just to give him power… But to unleash it on the world.” He paused briefly. “The veils between Earth and the spirit realms are already wearing thin. And do you know who’s standing at the centre of it all?”
I turned my head back to him only to see his finger pointed. At me.
“You, Dessa.” He said with a softness that unnerved me. “You’re unravelling reality with your mere emotions. Just now you sought comfort and subconsciously gave a ghost physical substance to give you that comfort.”
My eyebrows knitted into a deep frown.
What?
’Girl… Look at your arms.’ Sirena whispered in my mind.
My jaw tightened but I raised my arms shakily, already having an idea of what I’d see. I pulled back the sleeves— Discover more novels at.net
And there they were.
The dark runes that linked my blood to the Vein pulsed with a black light, twisting underneath my arms like snakes.
“You mourned your baby and the skies mourned with you. Literally bled.” Marcellus went on. “You took control of one of my most powerful last resort spells and turned it against me. A spell meant to tear reality itself.”
The ’compliments’ were quickly becoming annoying.
“Why are you telling me all this?” I asked, lowering my arms and drawing the sleeves down again. “Why do you suddenly sound… Helpful? Did death give your soul a makeover?”
Marcellus managed a chuckle, shaking his head. “Believe it or not, but you were my favourite person in this pack, Dessa.”
I scoffed, eyeing him from head to toe.
But his expression was serious as he continued. “The way you carried yourself even though you were technically a noble… Fascinated me. You have a pure soul, Dessa.”
He placed his right hand on my shoulder, causing me to shiver.
For the slightest second, I thought I saw warmth in his eyes.
“Don’t let your emotions cloud your judgement… Own them and let them fuel your control.”
My shoulders relaxed and my mind dinged like a bell. An idea rushed into my head as I turned away from Marcellus, staring at the sky.
Let my emotions fuel my control…
I curled my fingers until my nails dug into my palm — and the rain answered, sliding up my arm like glass.
“Then I’ll own it,” I whispered.
The sky split with more lightning, mirroring the fire burning inside me.