~Kezziah
Holding my gasp in, I stumble out the room.
No, I must have been seeing things. There is no way Alden is branded by Time. No way at all. As much as it makes sense, I don’t want to believe it. It is why Alden has such a vengeance against Time, and why he wants to find the cure for the branding so desperately.
Falling onto my bed, I stare up at the ceiling, trying to make sense of what I saw. I have a million questions I want to berate Alden with, but I doubt he will answer them. Especially considering I walked in on him just after he showered. Somehow I don’t think the reception to that will be very pleasant.
This just means I’m going to have to get him to admit that on his own. Alden seems to be more persuasive than me, with plenty more secrets he won’t admit easily.
I didn’t face Alden until the next morning. Late morning.
“Good morning,” he says smoothly, when I finally wander into the kitchen. He’s sipping some kind of thick, creamy yellow liquid. I eye it suspiciously when I go for a glass of water from the sink.
I mumble a greeting in response, avoiding his eye contact. Filling my glass with the crisp water that has come out of the mountains, I think. All I have to do is get through however long Alden wants me here. Then, hopefully he will get this brand off me and the mark removed, and I will be out of here.
“Did you enjoy the show last night?” I hear him ask, a hint of amusement in his tone that tells all.
I freeze.
Turning around, but not before cringing, I realise painfully that this is over. He knew I walked into the bathroom with him in it. He knew I saw his brand. And now, he’s probably going to silence me from telling anyone about it.
“I’m so sorry, I promise you I didn’t even hear that you were in the shower...And then I walked in. But I didn’t see anything, I swear,” I blurt out. Before I think, I keep talking, only digging myself into a deeper hole I don’t see myself getting out of. “How did you even know I was there? You didn’t turn around.”
He raises an eyebrow. “I heard a door slam and after your reaction this morning I assumed it was you, not the wind.”
Of course he heard.
He slides out of his seat, making me take a cautionary step back. My heart is racing as fast as my mind is, as I try come up with an excuse. That I didn’t see the brand upon his skin. That I simply glanced and left right away, not spending a few extra seconds to take in the sight of Time’s brand.
“I know you saw it,” Alden says slowly, leaning against the side of the counter. I swallow uncomfortably, mouth going dry as the excuse I was conjuring disappears within my mind. “So now you know.”
This isn’t a trap, I’ve been caught. “I guess so.”
Alden closes his eyes for a moment and sighs. Quietly, he beckons me to follow him, so I do so, right into the lounge room, where we sink into couches opposite each other.
“I guess you understand what this is all about now,” Alden says gently, leaning forward while clasping his hands together. “I’m sure you know this is about revenge. About finding not only a cure, but a way to end this forever. Otherwise he will continue to terrorise us forever. He doesn’t have an end in sight.”
I tilt my head to the side. “I suppose I had a feeling. After I saw it.”
Now that everything's coming together in my mind, I’m not sure what to think of it. Either I could use Alden’s intelligents to get this brand and mark off me, and then make a run for it, or I could stay and help him. Use my brand to help everyone else. Morally, there’s only one option.
“We should get started on the sketching then,” I say softly. “No point sitting here and talking about it without getting something done at the same time.”
Alden nods in agreement, so I turn around, pulling my jacket and shirt off, exposing the brand to him. The fire is already lit, which curbs most of the crisp air that dwells in this room.
Once he had his things together, Alden wastes no time getting to work. I can hear the tip of his pencil scraping along the paper, tracing the lines created by an immortal. Behind them, a hidden meaning neither him nor I know. With enough study, I pray we will figure it out, to get inside Time’s head to see what he is thinking.
“When did he brand you?” I ask him. I feel only mildly guilty for questioning him, after I refused to tell him much about myself.
I can hear him sigh. “Around a year ago. He made a whole show of it, dragging me into his realm to brand me. It was to humiliate me. When I found out you had a brand different to any other, I knew I had to see it. I knew I would do anything to figure out how to get rid of both of ours.
Oh.
“I’m sorry,” I breathe, pressing my chin against the couch, feeling the leather sink underneath my weight. “Time really is cruel.”
“He is. I’ll end his reign though. With your help. I still have a lot more of your brand to trace, but once it’s done, my team can study it, and we will find the trend. For now, I just have to keep you safe from Time,” Alden assures me. I don’t have the heart to tell him facilities aren’t capable of doing that.
I nearly died from the medication. There are anonymous people betting on whether or not I’m going to survive. Cian has me as his personal pawn. And Time thinks he can sneak in and do as he pleases whenever he feels.
Quite frankly, I’m not safe from anyone.
I hear Alden close his book, as I pull my clothes back on. “We are done for the day. Feel free to get some rest.”
Turning around, I watch him pack his things back up with hands smeared with pencil lead. One step closer, is all I can think. All that I can hope. When he notices me watching, he glances up at me through thick eyelashes that frame those stunning blue eyes.
In one strange moment I’m struck simply by the look of him. Has he always been this handsome? I feel my stomach buzz strangely, while my cheeks flush with embarrassment.
I shouldn’t be feeling this way…
He doesn’t seem to notice though. Either that, or he is ignoring it, not wanting to make it worse for me. “Thank you for trusting me with this. It can’t be easy exposing yourself for this, when you don’t know the outcome. I can tell you want this as bad as I do, and that gives me hope.”
Alden’s honesty hits me. I look down at my hands, which fidget with the coat I have not yet put back on.
“We’ll figure this out,” I breathe honestly. “I trust you.”
***
That night I was sucked into a deep dream.
It hit me like a ton of bricks, as if it was a part of reality. Yet at the same time, I’m aware I’m dreaming, stuck between a realm of waking and sleep. I want to scream for escape, but also wait. Wait for something that feels as though it’s coming.
It leaves me in an empty meadow, seated within swaying grass, watching a figure approach, their features shadowed beyond recognition. I’m not fearful, as they slowly stroll closer, in no rush. This is a dream, and even if they could harm me, I can tell they won’t. I can feel it in the air as they finally come to stand in front of me.
All I can see are their eyes. A molten silver stares back at me, consumed with mystery and unknown. I cannot decifier who this might be.
“I’m here to help you,” they say smoothly.
Their voice is oddly familiar, however, there is an accent entwined within in it that strikes me as different. I get to my feet, hoping to see more of them, but it doesn’t seem as though their disguise is going to diminish.
“With what?” I question, blinking a few times as it feels as though my vision is blurring. “Who are you?”
“I can help you with Time. But not yet. That will come. For now, I’m warning you,” they say quickly. Whoever they are, they are male, either here to help, or this is a trick of my mind. Somehow I doubt that, since I’ve never had to a dream so realistic like that.
All I want to do is touch this person. “When?”
“Not yet. I’ll be back. For now, sleep well, and stay safe,” they breathe. “Don’t trust anyone.”