Chapter 486: Gain and lost

As Nick rose to his feet and turned away from the long, open-air corridor of the common building that opened onto his own, his eyes locked with his cousin’s. She was watching from behind the glass wall, and he saw the horror written across her face.

Nick closed his eyes, cursed under his breath, then opened them, turned on his heel, and went to her.

When he reached her door, he unlocked it easily and found her still standing exactly where he’d seen her from outside.

"Seems like every time you and I run into each other, you catch me in a bad mood, Zoe." Nick remarked, smiling as she turned to him.

"Why did you do that to them?" she asked, disbelief and clear horror written across her face. The sight made Nick narrow his eyes at her.

"Can you stop acting like you’ve never seen anyone kill before, Zoe? Those people just made our plan to get Vee here harder because..." He paused, realizing he shouldn’t tell her about his plan to kill her brother. He knew how much she loved him, no matter what a bastard he was.

Zoe parted her lips to speak. "I am not in this with you, no matter what this is, Nick. Vee is happily married to my brother, and they’re expecting. If it will make you happy..." Her voice wavered as she forced herself to continue. "I’ll stay here, but you have to leave her be and let them live their lives. Please..." she pleaded.

If there was one thing Zoe knew, it was the pain her brother had suffered after losing their parents, the pain that had turned him into who he was. Then he had found Vee, and her friend had changed him. Somehow, she knew and believed those two deserve to be together to make each other complete, and she couldn’t bear to watch this heartless man take Vee away from him.

Nick smiled at her words. "The ever-so-self-sacrificing Zoe. Only this time, you don’t have to be selfless, because it can’t stop me." His eyes fell on her untouched breakfast. "You still haven’t eaten. Are you planning to starve yourself, or is the cooking not to your liking?"

He walked over to the tray holding the coffee and French toast, made just the way she liked it, then took her hand and gently pulled her down to sit on her bed.

"Come here, you need food. Eat." He told her, holding the toast to her mouth. "You should be healthy by the time Vee gets here, so she sees that I took good care of you and doesn’t blame me for not looking after you." He nudged it toward her sealed lips.

Zoe turned her head away from the food, wiping her lips clean of any crumbs. "You need help, Nick..." She whispered quietly, turning to look at him, emotion filling her eyes. "How could you kill a mother and her child like that and act like it’s nothing?"

Nick set the toast back down on the plate, looking at her tear-filled eyes. "Is that why you’re not eating? I didn’t just kill her, I sent her on a mission. You shouldn’t worry yourself over insignificant people, dear cousin, but worry more about yourself."

"I want to go home." She said, fighting back the hurt and tears. "Please, let me go..."

Zoe hadn’t been able to step outside this pack since she’d been placed here, and the more she saw this side of Nick, the more desperately she wanted to be away from him.

Nick’s fingers tightened around the tray as he stared at her tearful eyes, controlling himself from lashing out. "Do you remember when we were little, and you once told me you’d always be my best friend?"

Zoe remembered, it was when his father had died, and his mother had poured all her attention into Javier, leaving Nick alone in his grief. She stayed silent as he continued,

"You gave me hope when I had none, and I promised myself I’d repay you someday. Now is that day." He patted her head gently, the way one might pat the head of a younger sibling. "I can finally repay you by giving you a home, because Silver won’t stand forever, nor will your brother. Don’t work against me, cousin. Eat your food."

He rose to his feet, then added, "It’s only a matter of time before I lure him here to die. And trust me, I know he’ll come looking for you soon."

•••

Back in Silver, Viola opened her eyes for the third time that day, feeling deliciously exhausted and content, even with her bones sore. She stretched her arms above her head as a sweet aroma drifted toward her from the open bedroom door, and she looked toward it, catching the sounds of movement all the way from the kitchen, where her husband was preparing a meal.

She was still adjusting to the sharpened senses that came with having a wolf, her eyes felt like they could zoom in on the tiniest details, her ears caught the faintest sounds, and she could smell things from miles away if she focused. Though it made her head feel chaotic at times, Viola knew she’d get used to it eventually.

Her eyes went to the clock, and she saw that it was almost noon, though she still didn’t feel like getting up. She’d woken earlier to shower with Sebastian, a shower that had taken much longer than expected because neither of them could seem to keep their hands off each other. They had explored each other as though it were their first time before finally showering, and afterward, she’d come straight back to bed to rest, only to fall asleep again.

Now, however, she knew it was time to eat. She was absolutely starving.

However, before Viola left the bed, she tried reaching out to her wolf, just to confirm. ’Cyan, are you still there?’

Cyan’s lazy voice came immediately. ’Where else would I be? I’m still here with you, holding you to that promise of a chase. But I still can’t connect with his wolf yet.’

Viola got out of bed, finding herself fully dressed in Sebastian’s shirt and a pair of shorts, and felt a warmth at the thought of him dressing her while she slept.

’He’s just come off a hijacking spell, Cyan. Give it a few days, and you’ll feel Muffin whole again, and we can have our chase then with him.’ She said, sliding her feet into her flip-flops, though walking still made her bones feel a little sore.

’Muffin? Don’t tell me that’s our mate’s wolf’s name?’ Cyan said, laughter in her voice.

’It’s a good name. That’s his name, and I like it. You will too,’ Viola replied, realizing that talking to her wolf tended to pull her attention elsewhere, and as she was mid-conversation with Cyan, she suddenly remembered Wave, and her steps toward the room’s door stopped short. She turned toward the bathroom instead.

She went in, turned on the water in the tub, and waited for it to fill before dipping her hands in to summon Wave’s portal. But Viola was struck with a realization she hadn’t fully considered, she no longer had the power to call forth water, or anything tied to the sea.

She tried a few more times, as though she couldn’t quite believe it, until her hands grew tired and she finally stopped.

’Are you trying to reach the sea creatures?’ Cyan asked, and without waiting for her human’s answer, went on, ’You can’t do that anymore. When you awakened me, I’m afraid they had to suppress your mermaid side to bring me out.’

’Suppressed it?’ Viola asked, confused, she hadn’t thought it would come to that.

’Yes. The suppressant used on you was meant to last forever, unless the one who placed it removed it herself, but she’s dead, your mother. So in order to bring me out, your aunt had to redirect the suppressant onto something else, your mermaid side. That’s why she told you to choose one or the other. There was nowhere else for the suppressant to go.’

Viola had willingly given up her mermaid side, but hearing this now, she never expected to feel such a tightness in her chest at the loss of those powers. She stared at the water. "That means Wave is no longer mine..."