Chapter 7
1122 Words
Nathan’s POV
I paced around the chamber. “She’s awakening.”
The ancient figure before me sighed. “She’s still human”.
Aaron was the flame keeper, and I knew he had my best interest at heart. His face was lined with worry, and I felt guilty.
“She has no idea who she is or what she could become”, he added.
I wasn’t sure the statement was meant to pacify me or make things worse.
“I had no choice. I had to save her,” I said with a low voice.
I couldn’t watch Tiara down. I had to protect her.
“You broke the covenant”, Aaron stated with a straight face.
He was right.
I broke the covenant, but I didn’t care.
“I don’t care”
“You should. If you let your feelings guide you, you risk the veil between our realms.” He explained, narrowing his eyes.
“Tiara could have been killed; what was I supposed to do? Stand by and watch?” I whispered in frustration.
Silence.
Aaron stared at me as if deliberating on the next thing to say.
“You care for her”, he blurted out like it was a problem.
“I —
“Nathan!” Aaron half yelled.
I realised I had just confirmed his suspicion.
“You do realise she is the last of the slayer line?”
“She does not know” I argued
“She will”, Aaron said confidently, and my heart twisted.
I looked away. “She’s starting to dream of fire, of me. Our souls are tied, Aaron. You know what that means.”
Aaron sighed, and I looked at him.
I noticed his eyes were softer. “You must be careful because the truth will surely come, and when it does—
“She’ll either love me…”
“Or kill you.”
I sighed.
Aaron was right, and Tiara could be my doom.
———————————————
Tiara avoided me in school, and I had a feeling it was because of the encounter we had at the library.
I knew it was strange to her, but I didn’t want Tiara to avoid me.
During lectures, Lucy was all over me and barely gave me any space.
Jeff kept giving me some attitude, and I knew it was because of Tiara.
I also noticed some tension between them; it made me angry. Jeff wasn’t supposed to be in the picture, and if for anything, Tiara should not have to deal with an abusive man like him.
Jeff kept making passes at her, and it was obvious he wanted a reaction from Tiara.
The only reason I didn’t walk over there to beat Jeff up was because Sofia looked like she had the situation under control.
“Do you want to come over to mine?” Lucy asked with a smile.
“What’s going on at your place?” I replied with a frown.
My eyes were on Tiara, and Lucy blocked the view.
“I have a party coming up, and everyone is going to be there. I would love to have you there,” Lucy pouted.
It was supposed to look cute, but it irritated me.
I pulled Lucy to a side and realised Tiara had gone.
“I have to sort out a few things; I’ll see you later”, I replied dismissively and headed to the library.
I needed the space to think and figure out the next step. I was beginning to lose control whenever I saw Tiara, and I knew it was going to cause issues for her.
Tiara sat in the library. Alone, with puffy eyes, I could see her struggle to focus on her laptop. Her fingers trembled slightly as she typed.
My heart ached
I didn’t know what was wrong, but I wanted to forget it all.
I should have walked away, but I didn’t.
Instead, I took a step closer.
“Hey”
Tiara jumped, startled.
She looked at me, and something passed between us— warm and fragile tension.
“You”, Tiara muttered, then cleared her throat. “Hi”
“Can I sit with you?” I asked, hoping she would agree.
I could see the hesitation in her eyes, but she nodded.
The chair next to her was close—too close—and it was then that I noticed a faint red mark on her cheek.
I clenched my fist and took a deep breath.
“Are you okay?” I asked calmly
“Why do you care?” Tiara retorted.
“Because you deserve someone who does” I replied
Tiara chuckled in disbelief.
It hurt me to see her in such a situation.
Silence.
I waited for Tiara to speak. I was not going to force it.
“How come you are always around?” Tiara asked, breaking the silence.
“I like books”, I explained softly. “And I like you.”
Tiara gasped softly, and I saw her lips part slightly.
I wanted to claim them as mine but had to hold myself back.
Her eyes dropped again. “You don’t even know me.”
“I think I know enough”, I replied, maintaining eye contact.
There was a long pause which felt like forever, and for the first time, Tiara met my eyes and didn’t look away.
“I don’t know what is happening to me; I don’t understand any of this”, Tiara whispered
“What’s happening?” I asked, pretending to be in the dark.
“I keep dreaming of fire and hallucinating”, Tiara explained.
I froze.
“I feel the fire calling to me, and when I wake up, it feels real.”
I explained calmly, “Maybe you are just under a lot of stress.”
“Stress?” Tiara raised a brow.
“Yes”
I didn’t want to tell her just yet. I wasn’t ready. Tiara wasn’t prepared.
“Or maybe I’m going crazy”, Tiara replied with a laugh.
“You are not going crazy” I blurted out.
“Thank you”, Tiara whispered with a genuine smile
I couldn’t have Tiara think something was wrong with her; I was already feeling guilty about not telling her what had happened.
Tiara looked at me again, and behind the uncertainty, I saw something c***k open—trust.
My hands brushed against hers on the table, and I felt my dragon awaken.
I inhaled sharply, and Tiara did the same.
It was nothing, but it was everything.
- Writer
