Fractures of Eternity

On the way there, Lucas was by one of the food carts that we had stopped by for breakfast, though the look on their cousin’s face wasn’t one of pleasantry.

Of course, I can’t even ask you what’s wrong since we aren’t close, but I can tell it’s because of Alistair’s demeanor. Hah… Why did you close up so quickly? I…

It didn’t help that Loki had been skipping on his training, which meant his older brother was a bigger unknown than ever before. After a quick meal, we headed inside the building, which was packed unlike before, where there were only royals practicing. Much to my surprise, Lilith and Fenris were also there as they were by Asher’s and Andrea’s side, since Aiden had stayed behind to deal with all the Silverant dealings.

I’m not sad about missing out on this brother, since Caden makes me uncomfortable, but he seems friendly enough, and unlike Rem and Alijah, this one is mortal—a kind one at that.

At one point, he even suggested a treat for me to try, which ended up being a delight, while Loki and Oswald appeared relaxed around him, too. Though I knew he was observing me, under that cheerful facade.

Not that I mind when… Oi… why is food a way to my heart? What am I? A pup or a cat?

In the coliseum, the matches had already started, which were in bracket format, so it meant Loki and Alistair would have to fight others before their matches to make it to the finals. They were on opposite sides, and there were sixteen contestants as well. Many of them I didn’t recognize, but others I knew, such as the two brothers, Lucas and Lexi, who were waiting for the prince in the lobby.

Loki missed the entering ceremony, not that it mattered, since the first match had already begun. These weren’t meant to be to the death, but to the point where an opponent couldn’t fight any longer. Of course, this was only a sword match, so no magic or blood control abilities were allowed, not that it mattered since vampires were immune to each other’s power. This rule only limited my prince, who couldn’t rely on Eli at all for his match.

Argh… This entire thing is a mess. You fight to keep your brother out of trouble while he fights to keep you out of chains. How… has this changed at all, Alistair?

“You’re late.” Lexi hissed at Loki, who shrugged.

“I don’t care. My match isn’t until the afternoon, so I’m pretty early.” My vampire rolled his eyes, setting them on me.

It was about time for him to leave my side for the first time in an entire month, which left me feeling odd as I couldn’t help but feel lonely before he left.

How will I ever live without your warmth?

“A prince ignoring his duties is hilarious.” She shook her head, crossing her arms. “Plus, if you think these idiots will take a long time for their match to end, you’re an idiot.”

The fun part was that they proved her right as the match ended in an announcement soon after.

That’s only a few more until he needs to get up there.

It only took three minutes before they announced the fourth match, which meant his was next. At that point, Lexi raised her eyebrows at him, who grumbled under his breath.

“So, where the fuck do I have to wait?” He sighed.

“Follow me, and leave your familiar with your brother. He isn’t allowed.” Lexi pointed towards Eli.

“I know. You don’t need to repeat yourself so much. Your voice is like sand in my ears.” Loki huffed, shifting his gaze to me again before a soft smile rose on his lips.

Tugging my hands onto his lips, Eli used the opportunity to slither onto me, through the connection his other half had formed.

“Will you cheer for me?” my vampire smirked, brushing soft kisses onto my fingertips.

Hah… You’re too playful for your own good!

A soft sigh left my lips. “You’re too full of yourself. You don’t need any encouragement, so I might cheer on Lucas, who actually needs it.”

My words came out in a sort of pout, alerting the vampire to my true feelings.

Please… keep me with you.

“Oi, why are you so stingy all the time?” He sighed as a soft smile crept up on him.

Before I knew it, his lips clashed with mine for a quick kiss, which left me flustered, as there were people around us, including Rem and Alijah, who had arrived behind us. I saw her from the corner of my eye. I saw a fire erupt within her.

Ah… Crap.

I suspected Loki did that on purpose, as his eyes locked with his mom, while Lexi rolled her eyes, shaking her head. Sadly, I couldn’t deny the enjoyment I felt that kiss gave me, especially since the gentleness and care he always gave me were intoxicating.

Screw it.

There wasn’t an ounce of me that wanted to be apart from him, even if a deadly demon was behind me. Even though he had probably done it to tease his mother and me, I followed his lips when he tugged away, where I placed my very own on his—one that he responded with, another short one.

Tugging away from me, he gazed at Oswald. “Take care of her for me, okay?”

“Hey! I’ll be with her too.” The little snake pointed out before Oz could answer.

Loki scowled at him, rolling his eyes. “You think I don’t know that? I was talking to Ozzy. He and you both know what I mean.”

Oi… why does it sound like I’m going to be babysat now?

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll watch her if I don’t pass out in the chair.” Oswald waved his hands, sending off his brother.

“Oi, Zephier, make sure he keeps her safe.” Loki frowned at Oz, who chuckled, as it was apparent the twin wouldn’t allow anything to happen to me.

At least not while my fate was tied to his beloved brother. In the past month, he had been watching me and had determined that I had feelings for the prince, which set off a nightmare of events, such as Thea calling me sister-in-law, even though it was too early for any marriage.

Yet I also did a bond, which is worse.

Luckily, those were jokes and teases they used when we were alone.

With Rem, Leo, Caden, Lola, Luna, and Alijah here, they’ll be nicer to me. Right?

“Will do.” The little cat smiled at him from Oswald’s shoulder.

Loki gazed at Rem before leaving with Lexi, with little hesitation. Fortunately, this was too public for any royal or noble to try to do anything to me, which meant I was safe without him while his family was around me. Thea was quick to join us, as I avoided Rem and Alijah by hiding behind her and Oswald the entire time. Weirdly enough, she remained quiet around me, while the only actual friendly ally I had was Zoe, who Oz had arranged to sit with us—something little Leo enjoyed, sitting right beside her.

However, the entire time while being around these Lycans and hybrids, I felt on edge, since a singular touch from Rem or Alijah could send the whole scene into chaos. Luckily, we found our way into the arena chairs without a fuss, while the dreadful, overly bearing mother kept its distance from me, and I preferred it that way. Yet I had no breaks, since Lola kept trying to befriend me, and it didn’t help that Luna wanted to be on me again. However, this time, her dad kept her away from me, while Rem’s eyes were locked on me.

It felt like she was watching me more than the matches themselves, prompting me to lean on Zoe every time I felt overwhelmed by her. My eyes wandered sometimes, too, as I couldn’t help but stare at the queen.

If you were gone, it would give Alistair some relief.

Sadly, she was out of our reach for the time being. There was a slight delay for Loki’s match thanks to his tardiness, yet before we knew it, he was out, against another male opponent, whom he defeated in the blink of an eye. The poor fool didn’t even realize what happened until his sword hit the floor. Taking a glance around, Loki quickly met my gaze, as a soft smile came to his lips, noticing me on the stands. Much to my horror, the kiss marks I left on him were apparent, as the vampire had picked up his hair in a ponytail to keep it from flowing into his face.

I could not stop myself from squishing Eli in my hands. Back at the entrance of the stadium, the playful vampire had hidden them, yet it took everything in me to keep myself from screaming at him.

Argh! You’re doing this because of what I said back in the room! Hah…Payback is a bitch.

Eli came up to my ear, whispering, “We’re showing everyone that we are taken. Do you not like it?”

I grumbled under my breath, attempting to get a hold of my emotions, but it was no use. There wasn’t anything to hold back when he was my opponent. Luckily, my tease of a vampire left the arena to allow the next match to ensue, giving my heart a break. With that, the sixth ended soon after, followed by the next one, as Lexi was right when she said they would breeze through.

Speaking about the female vampire, she was the only one in the tournament, which was filled with males.

Hm… according to the brackets, she’ll be fighting Loki soon, in the semi-finals.

With sixteen participants, there were eight rounds in the first tier, followed by four rounds before the semi-finals, which led to the end of the challenge. It wasn’t a choice for either of the princes to fail to get there, as it would lead to dire consequences for the other.

There’s no doubt this is all Andrea’s fault.

Alexandria swiftly took down her opponent in the seventh match, as this girl was something to watch for. With her grace, she left, allowing the last game to take place, which was finally reaching us at noon. Rem’s gaze barely affected me anymore by that point, as Oswald seemed to have dozed off after Loki’s match, too. Luckily, Zoe was next to me for comfort, while Eli was also my fiddling toy for the time. I couldn’t stop pressing my fingers on his painted scales, which he didn’t mind.

This whole time, I couldn’t chase away the feeling of impending dread, as I wished for this event to end so I could find my way back to Loki.

Hah… I never knew not being with you would make me feel this… way.

After an abrupt break, Lucas was the first to come out, along with another male vampire. I was so used to seeing this man hit the floor when he sparred with Loki, but much to my surprise, I stood up in his match. The way he moved differed completely from all those other times, as I quickly realized he had never been serious during his sparring.

Probably none of you were…

He swiftly took down his opponent, causing me to fall in awe of the blond, as I quickly realized this was different for every one of the participants. With this win, his next match was against the crown prince, leaving a sour taste in my mouth.

Is there… really nothing else I can do? They all look miserable.

Seeing Lucas be nothing like his usual goofball self made my heart ache for him.

Ah… You’re fighting… to see Alistair, aren’t you?

Once he exited the match, Alistair’s match came, who, even though he didn’t seem well, took the vampire out with no mercy. His opponent’s hand snapped in two under the force he exerted. Gerta could be seen by the entrance where the troubled prince left without tending to his opponent, who wept in pain. She followed him, trying to help him, but he shoved her away as his words were too far for me to hear.

Is this the pressure of the crown?

The medics took the injured male away, but not before he cursed the prince, who wasn’t there to hear him. Gerta mentioned Alistair wasn’t okay, but he was worse than I thought. Part of me wanted to run to him, yet that thought was quickly quenched when I realized how Rem was staring at the poor prince.

Huh? Did you also realize something will happen today?

Alijah kept her in his eyes, which meant he sensed her mood wasn’t the best. He had always been her guardian for her temper. Luckily, Oswald seemed to have gotten up in that match, as he didn’t seem to have the best of expressions after noticing how his older brother was. Following that came Loki’s match, which he once again wiped the floor with his opponent, without hurting him, and much like the last time, he gazed at me, leaving me feeling hot and bothered.

As the matches cleared without much opposition, I couldn’t help but feel my nerves racking when the semi-finals began.