Could be going crazy
1512 Words
Kaira
~
“Kaira.”
Eryx's voice softened as he spoke my name.
For a moment, we just glued to our spots while staring at each other's eyes.
Then the man he held in mid-air screeched from Eryx’s hold, trying to break free. I blinked, looking away helplessly.
“Can you drop him now?”
“You went missing,” Eryx protested.
“King Eryx, I can assure you, this man is innocent. He didn’t take me.”
He was reluctant at first, but he let the man go. The man fell to the ground with a painful thud, stood to his feet, despite his being injured, and fled while limping.
I found Eryx’s eyes on me. He looked confused.
Well, it seems it’s time to let the cat out of the bag.
“Where have you been?” He decided to go straight to the point.
“Yes, where have you been?” a voice came from behind. I turned quickly to see his brothers… Cassian and Aven approached us.
While Cassian’s facial appearance was neutral, Aven wasn’t.
If looks could kill right now, I’d probably be six feet under.
“Did you even know what you put me through? Not just me… my brothers, workers of this hotel, guests and even the hotel manager. He could’ve lost his life, and Eryx, right here, made it look like your life is that important for once.”
He paused, his brows creasing.
“So you better start talking,” he ordered, almost growling.
“Brother, brother, relax,” Cassian cut in, placing a hand on Aven’s shoulder. “You need to calm down. Eryx is the one who’s supposed to be blowing everything out of proportion. Let’s just excuse them and…”
I should’ve scoffed at Cassian’s actions, trying to be the angel in all of this. When this wa his fault?
Aven cut Cassian off and shrugged his hand away.
“What the hell are you saying? Didn’t you see the ruckus she caused? Eryx has made everyone be on edge for this nobody.” He scowled… “Or has she gotten you too?”
“No one got me, okay? I’m just trying to be reasonable here, and you should too.”
Cassian grabbed Aven’s arm. “Let’s go.”
Aven resisted, but Cassian dragged him away.
“This isn’t right,” Aven spoke with venom, as he was pulled away.
The lobby grew quiet. It was just me and Eryx present and neither of us was able to say a word. I knew he was waiting for me to speak first.
Then I noticed blood dripping from his right hand. Without thinking, I took his left hand in mine and led him to the elevator,
“Come, I need to get you cleaned up.”
He didn’t argue with me, he just followed me.
The elevator ride back to the top floor was silent. I didn’t speak, and neither did he. Still, he didn’t break eye contact.
I found myself looking down, unable to meet his gaze.
As soon as the elevator opened, and we reached our destination, some of the hotel guests halted.
One woman even pulled out her phone to check something. It was like she was confirming a message.
She looked at me, then at Eryx.
“Scary Alpha,” she whispered to her friend.
As she spoke those words, her friend’s eyes widened, and she slowly took a few steps back before bolting.
I let out a long breath. This was really disturbing, guests shouldn’t be running away when they see him.
But what if they knew it was the Alpha King? Would they still run away?
I was about to push the door open, when Eryx held me back. I halted and turned to face him. “What happened?”
“Kaira,” he looked at me, searching my face for the truth.
“Your hand first,” I said, pointing at his injured right hand.
“It’ll heal on its own,” he protested.
“No, come on.”
I unlocked the door and pulled him inside.
Inside the hotel room, I went through the first aid kit, and brought out a bandage, antiseptic, cotton wool and scissors. Before then, I had walked into the bathroom, took the shirt Eryx had lent me and soaked in water.
And I couldn’t get the disappearance of the CCTV footage out of my mind.
How was Cassian able to pull that off?
It was like he was one step ahead and came prepared.
No wonder he didn’t look bothered when the manager was dangling in the air from Eryx’s hold.
“Kaira?”
Eryx's voice came from the door, pulling out of my thoughts.
“Are you okay in there?”
“Yes,” I replied quickly, not wanting to worry him further.
When I came out with the wet clothes, he was still seated on the bed, but his face was expressionless.
“What were you thinking about in there?” he asked.
“Nothing,” I replied, trying to brush him off before he could question further.
I took his hand and slowly wiped the blood away with the white cloth before setting it aside.
Then I used the cotton wool dipped in antiseptic and applied it to his injured knuckles.
“Seems we’re even,” Eryx said with a chuckle, but the amusement didn’t reach his eyes.
“What do you mean?” I asked, not understanding.
“Emma punished you because of me,” he said with a shrug. “I did the same, got you treated. And even though mine isn’t exactly a punishment, I still got injured.”
His gaze dropped to his hand.
“Now here you are returning the favor.”
I forced a smile. “This isn’t about returning the favor.”
“Then?” he asked, raising a brow.
“You know, Kaira, all this isn’t needed. My wolf will help me heal.”
“I know, but let me do this,” I pleaded.
Once I finished wrapping the bandage around his hand, I set the remaining things aside.
I hadn’t even fully finished when Eryx grabbed my wrist and pulled me toward him, setting me on his lap.
“Oh goodness, King Eryx!” I exclaimed, caught off guard.
“Start talking,” he commanded.
I swallowed, my eyes darted nervously around the room while my fingers fidgeted together.
“Tell me everything. Like why one of the plates is broken on the floor. Why are there little droplets of blood? Even the shirt I gave you has blood on it.”
I cleared my throat. A nervous act.
“Well… uhm…”
I began slowly. “I got dressed, came out of the bathroom, and saw a shadow near the window, but it was a false alarm. The plate slipped from my hands and, in an attempt to pack the pieces, I injured my knee.”
“You injured yourself? Let me see.”
“What? No. No.” I stopped him, “I’ve handled it.”
His eyes narrowed. “So where did you go?”
“I-I…”
“You were taking too long, so I went out to look for you but got lost.” I lied, not being able to keep eye contact.
“And…?”
“Someone helped me find my way, but then I heard about your outbursts.”
My hand found my pendant praying he would believe me. Please believe me, I hoped in my thoughts.
“Is that all?” He questioned further.
My lips pressed into a thin line, heart pounding.
Did he know more than he'd let on? But he would’ve attacked Cassian if he did or was he just pretending?
“Yes.” I paused. “And no.”
“Eryx, I don’t know how you’ll take this, but please don’t see it as me not appreciating everything you’ve done for me. It’s just…”
“Just go straight to the point, Kaira.”
I pushed out of his hold and stood instead.
He gave me a surprised look.
Here goes nothing, please take this well, I took a deep breath before speaking.
“I’ve decided to reject you again, King Eryx.” Immediately, Eryx frowned, but I continued.
“And… King Cassian would be a better fit as my guardian.”
From a frown, Eryx’s expression changed quickly.
He didn’t question me, didn’t shout or get angry.
Instead, he burst into an unsettling laugh. The sound made the hairs on my skin stand.
Eryx wasn’t impulsive, so what was this?
I should’ve been glad to hear him laugh this much. But I had just rejected him for his brother. Instead of getting angry, he laughed.
Someone would think I had said something stupid, or had Eryx gone crazy?
This time, I was the one frowning.
Could it be he knows something and has been playing along this whole time? Or was the man sitting in front of me actually going mad?
- Writer
