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

Zevran.

God, I hate Caelum.

I sincerely absolutely hate him for tricking me and for keeping me locked up in here simply because he was too selfish to see me hurt or sick.

I wanted to hate him with every fiber of my being. I wanted to make sure I was mad enough to destroy his face the next time I saw him, but thinking about it... about the pain I’d seen in his eyes before I blacked out, I couldn’t.

Why?

Because it was obvious that he didn’t want to do this to me. It was obvious that he only cared about my wellbeing. And it was very very obvious that he would rather I hate him than watch my health get worse than it already is by going out there.

I sat up on my bed, my vision slightly blurry as I glanced around me. From what I could make out, it was probably mid-day, and from the ugly sweater on my body, I knew at once that my brothers were not so far away.

I mean, only Kael has an abundance of these kinds of sweaters. He was the only person I know who values ugly thick wool over cashmere.

The thought made a small smile appear on my face despite myself as I slowly rose to my feet, and Bloody Mary, I could swear that I heard my bones crack with each step I took.

I was hurting literally everywhere— especially around my chest area which made it difficult for me to breathe without wheezing. My knees and the soles of my feet hurt too— so much that one would think they had been exposed to naked fire. And goddess, if I were a weaker person, this would’ve been the part where I would’ve begun to cry. This would’ve been where I would cry out for help because the pain was unbearable; but I didn’t.

I couldn’t.

Not when there were so many things I had to get done.

Not when I had to prove to Caelum and Kael that I am fit enough now to continue with the search.

At the thought of the search and Leilani, my chest tightened significantly, making it almost impossible for me to breathe. I do not know how long I have been passed out for, and if my suspicions about it being around three days were true, then that means that she has been lost for almost a week.

Almost a week!

"Bloody hell!" I hissed regretfully,

My body picked up speed on its own and I found myself taking off and throwing on new clothes so fast, you would think I was in an Olympic competition. But just as I finished doing that and stepped out of my room, a wave of strong sweet feminine scent filled my nostrils and I froze.

At first, I tried to dispel it by telling myself that it was just my mind playing tricks on me, but even with that thought, it still was impossible to shake off thy stance feeling now blooming somewhere in my heart.

It was impossible to make myself believe that it wasn’t her scent that I had smelled, and it was impossible for me to—

"Caelum, it is not done that way!" A painfully familiar voice said from a couple of rooms away— hell, the voice may have even come from downstairs, I don’t care— but I had heard it as clear as day. And I knew... hades, I knew that it belonged to Leilani.

But how?

How is that possible?

That question was the only thing plaguing my mind as I found my way downstairs, and when I reached the foot of the stairs, I froze. Even the car keys in my hands fell to the floor.

Why?

Because the scene in front of me was one I never ever thought I would see in my entire life. It was something that I may have imagined once or twice, but never thought I’d experience.

And what was it?

Leilani.

It was her. Or maybe this was also my mind playing tricks on me, but I could see her in my— our— living room, her legs stretched out before her with her ankles crossed over each other. Her silvery hair was styled into a messy bun and her purple eyes held so much mischief as she threw creamy popcorns one after the other into her mouth.

Kael and Caelum were sitting on the sofa opposite hers and laughing at something that she must have said.

My heart, in that moment, began to pick up speed, racing like it was in a marathon— a heart marathon if that’s even a thing.

Leilani probably noticed my presence because then she suddenly lifted her eyes to meet mine, and I saw the shock that fleeted past her face before it finally dissipated, morphing into a smile— a bright one.

"Z?" That was Caelum, and hell, he was the last person I wanted to see right now, talk more of hearing him call my name.

A frown made its way to my face before I could help it and I found myself scowling at him— one that didn’t last long— because next thing I knew, Leilani was placing her hand on my shoulder. She whispered; "Hey, please come and sit."

Come and sit?

What alternate universe is this?

I couldn’t hide the shock on my face as I turned to regard her, and she also didn’t miss that because she then smiled again, one that nearly blinded me due to how bright it was. She drawled; "Please Zevran."

And I did. I mean, who was I to disagree when she was literally being so sweet?

She guided me to the sofa where she’d been sitting and after helping me to sit, she placed the bowl of creamy popcorn on my lap and sat beside me.

And ladies and gentlemen, I almost lost it.

I almost moaned at the sensation that immediately came rushing through my veins as soon as our skins brushed against each other. The places where our arms rubbed against each other felt like fire and brimstone all at once. And hell, it was so hot, so so hot it could cook me until I was nothing but a poodle at her feet.

Leilani probably felt the same way I did because she too flinched at the contact, and just then, my eyes met Kael’s only to find him slightly scowling at me.

I coughed. "How did you find her?"

I was asking no one in particular. I just wanted my mind gone from the things her closeness was doing to my body.

Nobody answered right away, especially Kael who for some reason was looking very mad. His eyes wouldn’t leave the spot between mine and Leilani’s shoulders and he would grit his teeth whenever we unintentionally brushed against each other.

Caelum, however, was the one who finally thawed the ice. He smiled at Leilani and drawled; "We didn’t find her. She found us."

I frowned. "Huh?"

And then he went ahead to tell me about everything. Everything. Starting with the fire, the girl, Yvette at her office, Keisha and her stupid plots, plus her crazy accusations... and then he ended it with how Leilani had come here two days ago demanding for a hundred dollars.

I smiled. "You wanted to pay a cab man a hundred dollars?"

"Caelum ended up paying him six hundred!" She scoffed in annoyance, her eyes gleaming with excitement with a tinge of annoyance.

I watched her as she puffed her chest in feigned anger, and it only made me want to smile.

I drawled. "Thank you for coming here. I do not know what I would’ve done if you were still not found until now."

At my utterance, she turned to look at me— like really look at me. Our gazes met and held, and in that moment, something like a swarm of butterflies took flight somewhere at the base of my stomach.

I do not know when or how but suddenly, I knew that I was leaning close to her. Too close... too close... until her breath was fanning my face and until I could smell the popcorn on her breath— buttery, sugary and sweet.

I, however, was just about to brush my lips against hers when I suddenly felt a pull.

It was Kael.

He snapped. "You’re still very sick, brother. And I think it’s high time we call on the doctor to check your vitals!"

"My what?" I asked softly, in confusion.

"Your vitals!" He snapped back at me, whilst rolling his eyes in annoyance. "Or have you forgotten about your illness? Do you have selective amnesia?"

His words made me turn to look at him in surprise, and while he may have successfully fooled everyone into believing that he was only worrying about me, I knew the truth.

And I knew that he was jealous.

The absolutely worst motherfucker!