Chapter 206: Whatever happened yesterday

Malachi probably fell in love with her at first sight.

Her beauty was spellbinding.

Della had the same thought every time she saw her.

But thoughts weren’t the same as feelings. Katherine’s presence was like a bucket of spiders poured over your head. And as Della stared at her, she wondered what the Rotblood had come to see her for.

"Lian, isn’t it?"

Della’s eyes turned darker, and she instinctively stepped in front of the grave, blocking it out of sight, "I hope you’re not here to try and recruit me again. I still stand by my last decision,"

"That is not why I’m here." She said, "I simply came to take a better look at you,"

What the hell was that supposed to mean? Della’s brows fell into a crease as she stared back at the woman who was now looking at her so intently that she almost looked away.

"This isn’t the first time you’re seeing me,"

"In this light, it might be," Katherine replied, and then she stepped closer till she was only a few feet away, "Adelaide Barrett," She whispered.

"Just Adelaide," Della corrected, "I only have one business left with IronRidge, and it’s a very cold one,"

"Not as cold as what I will do to all of them," Katherine said.

Della didn’t want them to turn quiet and turn this into a staring competition. The air was already stale and cold another with darkness and silence would only make it worse.

"Have you started taking revenge on Selene?" Della asked casually, quickly adding so it would seem like she didn’t care, "I cannot wait for my turn,"

"The girl is learning... gradually," Katherine replied, "She had a network of information and spies in many packs."

"Had?" Della asked curiously.

"Unfortunately...the network is dead. Courtesy of me,"

Not bad.

Selene thrived in her ways by using people for her dirty business. With her wealth, she had so many eyes and ears that would do her bidding in exchange for Gold coins.

Mara is a good example of that, and she must have the strongest network in her territory — Nightveil.

And if that was taken away from her, along with the fact that Cassian doesn’t listen to her anymore...she would become confused and useless.

"Are you going to eventually drive a stake through her heart, too?"

"Not exactly. I have to keep her alive so you can get your turn with her,"

This conversation was going much more smoothly than Della had anticipated. She didn’t expect the woman to return her energy at all. But she knew it wouldn’t take long before Katherine noticed what she was doing, and she didn’t want the woman to think that she was weak.

Or scared of her.

"Let me ask you something, Adelaide,"

Della’s heart almost skipped, "What is it?"

"Will you be ok?"

"You’ll have to rephrase that question,"

Katherine took a step closer, and Della almost stepped back.

Almost.

"Will you be ok when the world around you...is being eaten up by Moonfire and torn apart from flesh to bone?"

Silence.

"Will you still have that dead calm look in your eyes and smile when you hear wolves howling in agony and screaming for help as their flesh and bone are being devoured by the fire? Are you sure that some part of you...," Katherine’s eyes slowly moved to that one arm that had been twitching, "Will not want, or not end up regretting saving them?"

Della didn’t react.

She didn’t bother hiding the arm either.

It represented a physical manifestation of the part of her heart that wasn’t dead. That still yearned. That was still alive. Probably the small part that the dagger hadn’t plunged into.

"I am not saving a single soul, Katherine," Della replied, "It’s true that I might want to... but in the end, reality would slap me in the face. What’s the use of saving people who would only end up hating you? I’ve had enough of that while my whole being was still alive. And if this part of me keeps pushing...then I guess I just have to push that dagger into it and kill it off too,"

Katherine did not look convinced.

"I’m not here to prove myself to you, or anyone," Della continued, "I’m on my own side."

"What if Malachi were here right now?" Katherine whispered, "Will you be able to give him the same cold look and tell him that you’re on your own side?"

"He already knows."

Della didn’t like how she was bringing Malachi into this conversation.

"Are you sure he does?" Katherine chuckled.

The sound made her even more uncomfortable. Why was she laughing? What was so funny?! "It’s like I said. I am on my own side. Now, if we are done with this conversation... would you leave so I can continue to rest?"

The silence stretched this time. Unavoidable. It hung between them. Seconds turned into minutes, and Della didn’t know how much longer she could hold her gaze before breaking.

Before showing a flicker of fear.

Or was that what Katherine was waiting for?!

Once Katherine looked like she had gotten whatever she had come for, or had probably finished studying Della like she was some kind of open book, her eyes sparkled with certainty, and then she slowly shook her head, something like a dark tease on her lips, "Adelaide...you have no idea what has happened recently,"

It wasn’t a question.

Della had no idea what the woman was asking, and yet her heart suddenly started to pound. Whatever it was, her instincts were definitely screaming at her about it.

"You really don’t know," Katherine added once she saw the confusion in Della’s eyes, "I expected you would have heard what happened by now. But then again, it only happened a day ago. I’m sure you would hear it before the end of tomorrow...that is, if you decide not to cut yourself here alone,"

Della didn’t speak.

Her heart was beating too fast, and all effort to force-flatten it didn’t seem to be working at all.

A lot of things happen in this world.

It’s so often and normal that Della had probably heard everything there was to hear.

Bad news. Good news. Bad news. Worse news, and more bad news. It didn’t matter anymore.

Nothing could surprise her.

Nothing.

But as she felt her heart beating and watched as Katherine stood there staring at her with that look in her eyes... something told Della she wasn’t ready to learn whatever had happened yesterday.