Fated To Three, Betrayed By All… Until She Rose.

Leilani.

I told myself several times before coming here that I wasn’t supposed to be here. That this was not my place to be in. That I hated these men.

But for some reason, these excuses could not stop me from slipping into my car. They didn’t stop me from driving to the hospital, and it certainly didn’t stop me from walking into Kael’s hospital room despite knowing fully well that I would run into more people I hated.

My heart raced as I stepped into the strangely warm dim lit room, and as soon as I did, I almost tripped and fell when three familiar pairs of eyes turned to me.

No one said a word to me and neither did I, because frankly, they were not the reason I was here.

The reason I was here, however, lay sprawled on the bed, his eyes closed with several tubes and wires connected to his body plus an oxygen mask covering the lower half of his face. His head and leg were wrapped in blood stained gauzes. His skin was pale and his hands felt cold to the touch.

Seeing him like this made my heart ache in an inexplicable manner. I tried to stop myself from crying, especially in front of the people, and failed woefully when my tears wouldn’t stop leaking out from my eyes.

Goddess, it hurt so much to see him like this, especially since I’d seen him just yesterday; and after checking to see ’just how he was doing’ with Zevran, I turned and left the room, unable to bear the sight anymore.

My heart raced as I made my way downstairs, even my knees felt weak too. My tears also wouldn’t stop streaming down my face no matter how hard I tried not to cry.

However, I was just walking my car when I suddenly perceived a familiar scent, and immediately realizing that it was Chalice, I refused to turn around and continued to unlock my door.

"Leilani!" She screamed just as I opened the car’s door and I rolled my eyes, still refusing to acknowledge her.

Suddenly, I felt a tap on my shoulder and upon turning around, I realized to my annoyance that she was the one. She was standing right behind me now, and due to her high heels, was looking down at me with irritation.

She seethed; "I have been calling your name!"

"And I heard you," I drawled coldly, "...but I do not wish to lower my IQ by engaging in a boring conversation with you!"

Chalice’s eyes flashed wildly at my words, but she quickly recovered and bared her teeth at me, her voice lowering into a menacing growl as she seethed; "What are you doing here?"

"Are you blind?" I asked, intentionally misunderstanding her question. "Can’t you see what I’m doing here? I’m trying to get in my car!"

She scoffed at me, tipping her head back as she threw her thick auburn hair over her shoulder. She stepped closer to me until our skins were almost touching, and with a voice barely above a whisper, she spat; "Why did you come here?"

"I don’t understand you. Can I not visit a public space anymore?"

"You know what I mean, Leilani! Stop playing dumb. You came here—a place where you were not invited— to see them! Have you suddenly forgotten that they belong to me now?!"

Her outburst plus the fact that she was reacting this way because she was jealous made me roll my eyes in boredom. I cast her one more glance, making sure to drag my eyes over her body in distaste. And then I clucked my tongue at her.

"Oh, while I am aware that the triplets belong to you... as you know, your puppets; I really didn’t know that you now own this hospital too! So wow, congratulations!"

She scoffed again, her face contorting into an ugly snarl.

I made to turn away from her again, but this time, she clamped her hand over my shoulder and spun me around so fast, I stumbled and fell. She hissed; "I’ll tell you this one last time, so listen now because the next time I warn you, it may be a little too late for you. Stay away from Kael, Zevran and Caelum or you wouldn’t like what I’ll do to you!" She screamed at me, but I could hardly hear her due to the pain coursing through my body.

The impact of my fall had made me graze my knee and arm, and while those spots only bled a little, it hurt like a goddamn wench.

I winced, breathing through the pain and hissed; "Maybe you should tell them that instead, don’t you think?"

"What did you just stay?" She growled, baring her teeth at me, "...did I just hear you imply that they’re the ones coming for you and not the other way around?!"

"Oh, yes! That’s exactly what I’m implying!" I yelled back in annoyance, not caring anymore. "Or are you so high up in your head that you cannot see how uninterested I am in your so-called ’men’? Didn’t you even stop to ask yourself where Kael slept last night?"

Her face fell... and I almost smiled in satisfaction when her jaws dropped.

"You—" she began to say but I quickly cut her off, waving my hand dismissively in her direction.

"Save it!" I spat in disgust, "...do not even imagine that I’ll ever let him touch me. I’m not you who has no problem sleeping with her sister’s mates... and I am not like you who would open her legs to anything and everything with a dick!"

At my utterance, she growled so loud the veins at the sides of her neck popped perilously and then she struck me hard on my face. My head reeled from the impact, but before I could recover, she tried to grab my hair.

This time however, I was swift and reacted quickly, and I do not know how I managed to do it, but I hoisted her up like she didn’t weigh more than sandpaper and with all my strength, hauled her against one of the parked cars.

She screamed in pain but it unsurprisingly sounded like music to my ears.

My rage had boiled over, and at the moment, all I saw was red. All I felt was the overwhelming desire to inflict her with as much pain as she had done to me.

I marched over to her to drag her up and slam her face-first against my car when suddenly, I tripped and fell. And when I raised my eyes only seconds later, I was shocked to find Zevran behind us with his eyes wide in apprehension.

I didn’t know if he had seen me slamming her against the car.

I didn’t know if he’d seen the murderous look in my eyes as I’d marched over to Chalice.

My heart raced at these thoughts, and I only let out a sigh of relief when he glanced between us and growled; "What the fuck are you two doing?"

And upon hearing that, I instantly knew...

I immediately knew that he’d not seen me retaliating, and that it was the only reason why he was scolding both of us and not just me.

Chalice tried to do what she knows how to do best: lying against me, but today, I couldn’t stomach it. I wouldn’t. So to this effect, I slapped her so hard, I was sure she would see the solar system, and then got into my car and drove off.

The drive home was quick because I was mostly driving in rage, and by the time I arrived home and stormed out of my parked car, I froze midstep when I noticed the fresh bouquet of roses by my porch.

Today however, the note with it had a name.

And it was: Darius.