Zedkiel
“Did you find anything at all?” Chasyn asks me as I remove the nails and lift the Oracle’s body to the ground. Looking around, I yank the charred tablecloth off and cover her body.
“Not yet,” I say, staring down at the Oracle’s body. I sniff the air, letting the smell of blood fill my nose. There are two different smells mixed in. I lean down, sniffing the blood. It’s not Evangeline’s blood.
Relief floods me, and I stand up. I don’t know why she thinks she killed her, but I plan to find out who it really belongs to but this blood is not Evangeline’s. I’ve tasted hers, smelt hers… this one is nowhere near hers.
“Don’t touch anything in here,” I hear Chasyn command some of the men. I slowly walk through the room, trying to visualise what may have happened.
The runes and the burns are the Oracle’s doing. Her magic draws from herself and that around her. I know that much. I frown as I crouch down, looking at the marks on the floor.
There are no claw marks, no torn clothes… This isn’t a werewolf or a witch. I’ve studied all kinds of species and magic, but this was a battle of a different kind of magic.
I wipe a bit of the blood and taste it, hearing Chasyn groan from the doorway. “Don’t do that,” he mutters, grossed out.
“Don’t look then,” I reply coldly, frowning as I scan the floor slowly once more before walking back to the Oracle and looking at her hands. Her entire body is covered in blood, but I can smell some other blood on her, too. I lift one of her hands before examining it closer. There’s someone else’s blood on her hands and behind her nails.
Frowning, I pause. It’s definitely not the same as the blood on the floor.
I hear footsteps, and Chasyn enters, shutting the door behind him.
“What is it, Zed?”
“There’s blood from two different people here. As we already know, a scuffle took place. This is something that forensics can figure out. I don’t know how long it will take to get some answers, but I can pinpoint that blood if I smell it again,” I say, pointing at the Oracle’s neck that isn’t covered by the tablecloth. “The blood on the ground is the Oracle’s.”
“Damn.”
Standing up, I walk over to the table, picking up one of the bloodstained iron nails. Taking a sniff, I pause, looking down at it.
Her opponent had bled very little; I burn the smell into my mind and turn to Chasyn, “It’s not a werewolf.”
“Yeah, no one thinks so,” he mutters, looking uncomfortable.
“Oh yeah, I’m the one everyone suspects, right?”
Chasyn looks up, and although I keep my face emotionless, I cannot deny that it angers me. “It’s not like that Zed…”
“Like I fucking care. Anyone who did this would have been covered in blood or at least had some blood stains on them. I haven’t been anywhere long enough to shower or change,” I mutter, looking towards the window.
“If magic was used, there may not have been much blood spread onto the killer, aside from when they nailed her into the wall,” Chasyn says grimly. Standing up, he goes over to one of the shelves that contains vials and bottles of potions. Most have been destroyed in the apparent struggle that took place here, or should I say duel. “Have you noticed there is also no scent here? Remember the potion that removes scent that we used to steal as children?”
I look up sharply. “You mean the one you used to use?” I ask, going over to him as he crouches down and grabs part of a shattered bottle.
“Well, unlike you, I didn’t want to be caught, and she never complained about us asking for some,” Chasyn sighs gravely, and I’m wonder who knew exactly what the Oracle had here. Not everyone knew she kept a selection of spells and potions.
“There’s a chance this bottle broke accidentally,” I say.
“Possible, but it’s safe to say we should be careful. Besides, the rest of the bottles seem to have shattered from force, but this one… it's broken like it just dropped a short distance, and it’s uncorked.”
He had a point, and I nod.
A man hurries over to us and bows his head.
“What is it?” I ask, irritated.
“His Majesty wishes to see you both. The other alphas learned of what’s happened, so he has filled them in,” the man explains.
Fucking hell. I don’t see the point.
“How did they even find out?” I ask icily, my eyes slowly scanning the walls, trying to see if there are any clues that I may have missed.
“One of the lunas,” Chasyn replies, sighing as he massages his temples.
“This entire tournament has been nothing but fucking bad luck, and they say I’m bad luck,” I sneer humourlessly.
“I agree. Lunas were chosen in haste. The only one of these rushed marriages that even feels like a real marriage is yours and Evangeline’s.”
I look at him, wondering why he had that irritating smirk on his face.
“I claimed her before the tournament even began.”
“Indeed, and Lucia can’t stop talking about her when I see her either,” he adds.
I frown, remembering that phone that Sinclair had given her on a shopping trip with Lucia. “You still have an attachment to her, although you’re mated to Maryka, correct? How is that even possible when your fated is with you?”
Chasyn shoves his hands into his pocket and fishes out his phone before he begins taking pictures of the room.
“An alpha has a duty to his people; our lunas must be confident and powerful. And marking an omega… that’s not going to make us stronger. Omegas are treasures for us to claim, gems to enjoy and to treat with love, but they are gentle by nature and far weaker than an alpha or high-rank she-wolf. No offence to Evangeline. She is, in my eyes, your greatest downfall to that crown.”
Tilting my head, I shake it. “If that’s the case, an alpha wouldn’t ever be fated to an omega, then why does that happen?”
“My point exactly. Never in history has anyone had a fated omega mate,” he reminds me, but I’m mated to an omega. “Hence why I think you should have kept her as your omega and taken a luna of warrior blood at the least. It’s obvious you can control yourself if you want. She’s alive, after all. You can still do that. An omega can never be a luna.”
Anger flares through me, and I glare at him coldly. Whether she was my fated or chosen mate, she would still be my Luna. I try to stay calm, knowing I will unleash my wrath if I speak now.
I follow the trails and marks on the floor as I slowly circle the Oracle’s dead body.
“You’re wrong, about her, about me, about this fucking tournament. If we win, it’s because I have her. The thing is, Chasyn, I never planned to make Evangeline my Luna but my Queen. She may be an omega, but she has the qualities to become a true queen. Mark my words,” I say icily, looking up at him as I slowly roll the Oracle’s dead body over.
His face changes into one of surprise before he smiles. “You love her,” he says. He sounds more awed than anything, and I ignore him.
Love? Does that even exist?I don’t plan to tell anyone that she’s my fated mate, not whilst this tournament is ongoing. I didn’t trust it, so I ignore the fool.
All thoughts are wiped from my head when I stare at the Oracle’s back.
“What the…”
“What is it?” Chasyn asks, hurrying over.
I stare at her back, which is embedded with a message. I can recognise the Oracle’s markings anywhere… but it’s the message that makes my stomach twist.
‘Through time, the curse becomes stronger… destroy the curse of the Gemini and end the war within yourself. You are both each other’s blessing and curse. Return to the place of your greatest fear, for he holds the key.’
It’s for me. I know it is.“What are you looking at?" he asks, staring at her back in confusion.
He can’t see it. That only strengthens the fact that this was a final message for me from her.
Does that mean whatever happened here is linked to us?“Let’s head out of here,” I say, standing up. He nods, glancing back at the body in confusion before we both exit the room.
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