Chapter 266: Devouring Fear
In the middle of the night, while one section of the world lay fast asleep, an isolated piece of land sat in quiet darkness. To anyone passing by, it looked like nothing more than a serene, hidden retreat.
Until...
Boom!
First came the towering wall of bright crimson flames, soaring so high they seemed to lick the night sky. Seconds later, a deafening, powerful explosion ripped through the air, forcing everyone watching to clap their hands tightly over their ears.
No one could have imagined that, upon arriving on this island, they would witness something like this. Not even in their wildest dreams.
Yet while everyone else stood frozen in shock, the blazing fire reflected in a pair of glassy light-grey eyes.
Silent tears tracked down her cheeks while a sharp, painful ache crushed her chest.
Pressing a fist against her heart, all she could do was watch it all burn while the horrifying memories continued to echo in her mind.
.
Two hours ago...
.
Aliana stood in front of the mirror, staring at her reflection.
She had washed off the grime and changed into a sophisticated black sleeveless jumpsuit with a high neckline, a fitted bodice, and a sculptural asymmetrical peplum that cinched her waist. Its wide-leg trousers offered both comfort and the freedom to run when the need arose.
Gavriel, now dressed in a black shirt with a couple of buttons undone beneath a black blazer, looked as handsome as ever.
Walking up behind her, he wrapped his arms around her. She simply leaned back into his embrace, closing her eyes as he lowered his head to press a gentle kiss against her ear.
A soft sigh escaped her lips.
"Don’t be scared, Ana," he whispered.
Aliana raised her hands, resting them over his where they settled around her shoulder and waist.
"How can I not be?" she whispered back. "When everything we’ve planned and are about to do is completely insane?"
She felt his lips curve into a faint smile against her skin. "Insane... yes. But necessary."
Aliana slowly opened her eyes and met his deep, icy-blue gaze in the mirror. Her heart skipped a beat as it always did whenever she looked at him.
"Do you think... we can pull this off?" she asked, keeping her eyes locked on the one person keeping her grounded amidst the mounting madness.
Gavriel tightened his grip, resting his cheek lightly against hers. "We can. You can, Ana. Remember, my wife is stronger than she realises."
Aliana knew that even if she possessed the strength to face this night, her fear was never for herself.
It was for... him.
According to their plan, the most dangerous, high-risk task fell on Gavriel and Cillian, and the mere thought of it made her stomach knot with nerves.
Turning in his embrace, she looked up into his eyes and cupped his cheeks. "You better come back to me in one piece. Otherwise... I will never forgive you."
A wicked smile curved his lips. "Believe me, baby, I am the absolute last person you need to worry about. You, on the other hand..." He leaned in, resting his palm against her face as his voice dropped to a low, lethal whisper. "...remember that if anything happens to you, nothing will stop me from abandoning everyone and unleashing absolute havoc."
She blinked at the warning edge in his voice. Once again, she felt the danger radiating from him.
Yet, strangely, it didn’t frighten her.
Instead, it made warmth rush in her and somehow made her believe him.
She didn’t know how he would do it, but deep down, she had a feeling that if anything happened to her, Gavriel would really do as he said.
Ever since the night progressed, one reality had been slowly sinking in... Gavriel was far more than he appeared to be.
She hadn’t forgotten the strange gap in her memory back in the study when he had pulled her into the hidden passage, nor the suspiciously perfect timing of the tunnel wall collapsing to distract the guards on the other side.
’Yes... there was definitely more to him.’
The thought alone made her heart race, wondering what secrets he was hiding and where it could all possibly lead them to.
But now was not the time to unravel his secrets. Nothing mattered more than surviving this night and getting off this island. She would deal with the truth about her husband later.
"Yes," she whispered.
Leaning in, she captured his lips in a deep kiss, pouring every ounce of her fear into him.
And for the first time, Gavriel fed on her fear, devouring the dark emotion to strip away her anxiety so she could stay strong for what was to come.
He despised feeding on her emotions, but in a twisted, intimate way, it tasted sweeter than anything he had ever known simply because it belonged to Aliana. And if consuming her fear meant she would remain strong enough to survive what awaited them... then he would do it without hesitation.
Once they parted, Gavriel rested his forehead against hers, his thumb gently brushing her cheek. "Ready?" he asked softly.
This time, all he saw was the quiet confidence burning in her eyes as she gave him a small nod.
Giving her one last peck on the lips, he reluctantly pulled away when his phone began to vibrate.
Taking it out, he answered the call.
"It’s done," Cillian reported. "The boats should be here in two hours if the storm doesn’t intensify. They’ll also try to send in aerial support if the weather allows."
"Hm," Gavriel acknowledged, his hand caressing Aliana’s back as she wrapped her arms around his waist.
"Dinner is about to begin. Someone just came to call for us," Cillian added. "Andrew is ready to take part in the plan. We’re ready whenever you guys are."
Gavriel looked down at his wife, who still refused to let go of him. "We’re ready."
Half an hour ago... when they had been standing inside that godforsaken laboratory, where Jade had suggested burning everything down, the four of them had eventually come to the same conclusion.
She was right.
Leaving this place untouched would only allow innocent people to continue being tortured, sacrificed, and exploited for as long as those monsters desired.
They had come up with a rough plan right there in the lab until Vance’s booming voice echoed down the tunnel, ordering the guards to conduct a head count of the guests to determine if there were actual intruders in the passages.
With time running out and unable to risk drawing suspicion, the four of them carefully rushed back along the same garden route Jade and Cillian had used to enter.
Taking advantage of the power outage, they slipped back into the mansion unnoticed.
They had made it back just in time when the staff had begun counting the guests under the guise of ensuring everyone was safely inside.
Shortly after, the mansion’s power was restored, and the guests were given half an hour to freshen up in their rooms before joining the feast in the dining hall.
Their plan was simple.
First, they would call for the boats and inform the authorities about the atrocities being committed on the island.
Second, they would wait until the cult members separated themselves from the other guests for the ritual. That would allow Aliana and Jade to quietly usher the innocent guests to safety while they waited for the boats to arrive.
Meanwhile, Gavriel, Cillian, and Andrew would slip away to the ritual site and rescue Cedric before the ceremony could begin. Gavriel had insisted on this part of the plan, knowing that once they were away from innocent eyes, he and Cillian could use their powers freely without worrying about witnesses.
After all, dead men told no tales.
They had decided to bring Andrew into the loop as well. His job would be to help Cillian search for any prisoners who were still alive so they could get them out before setting fire to the highly flammable chemicals they had discovered inside the laboratory, triggering an explosion powerful enough to bring the entire structure crashing down.
As straightforward as the plan sounded, all four of them knew it was anything but.
There were countless things that could go wrong, and once everything began, they would have no choice but to adapt to whatever came their way.
First, it was a brutal race against time.
The rescue boats and authorities would not be able to reach the island for at least two hours or maybe more, considering the fierce storm Gavriel had triggered earlier had taken on a life of its own, turning into a natural tempest that could delay their arrival.
The second challenge was finding a way to disrupt the dinner before the guests fell under the influence of whatever dark magic would be used to control their minds.
This was easily the trickiest part of the plan. They knew that if any of the guests refused to eat, it would immediately place everyone in danger, especially after Vance had ordered his guards to eliminate anyone who didn’t touch the food.
At the same time, they had to maintain a flawless facade, pretending they knew nothing about the horrors hidden beneath the mansion, at least until the cult members separated themselves from the innocent guests.
One wrong move, however, could expose them, forcing a confrontation they couldn’t afford, not with so many innocent lives hanging in the balance.