Fractures of Eternity

Before my mind could wrap around the new hurdle headed towards me, it reached me.

“There you are! I was worried about you! Loki wouldn’t tell me anything other than that you got hurt because of him! I’m glad to see you finally up, and with the prince at that!” The old woman declared, making her eyes feel heavier on me than usual.

Out of everyone, I wasn’t ready to see her after riding Loki around like a fair machine for the past three days. Luckily, there were too many people around us for me to buckle to her menacing aura. I was good at filling my jar of emotions until it spilled over to the point that I couldn’t stop them from breaking through.

“Ah… Yes, I feel a lot better. Sorry to worry you.” I politely smiled, causing her to narrow her glance at me.

Crap… you suspect something already.

“I’m glad. I hope you feel even better, and when you feel up for it, work will wait for you. Especially after you… Well, we’ll talk later about it.” Gerta bowed at Loki, who joined us after Leo went back to help the painters.

At that moment, the woman turned away only to spot one of Alistair’s girls glaring towards us.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?! Do you want to spend another fucking day here in the heat?!” she yelled at her for not focusing on her work.

Their interaction allowed me to find Alistar, who appeared happily carrying heavy things away, along with other Lycans, to help the elves. The older brother was with Lucas and the other members from the coliseum, too. It was mostly the males, though, since all the females did was stare away from one table nearby.

“Yes, I look forward to it,” I mumbled, barely audible, feeling pinned by Gerta.

There was no escaping this talk that would be for a later moment, thanks to Loki’s save—something I wouldn’t allow him to know, either.

“I’m sure you do.” She peeked at me before waving goodbye.

A soft sigh left my lips, knowing this would be an utter pain to deal with later. Taking the opportunity to mess with me, Loki placed his arm around my shoulder.

“Do you look forward to that, sweets?” The playful vampire teased, causing me to glare at him.

If it wasn’t for your venom! I probably would’ve made it back by the second day!

“Whose fault do you think that is?” I growled, causing him to chuckle.

I wanted to thank him for the save, but…

Never. I’ll never give you that satisfaction.

His smile, though, was smiting me to oblivion.

“But you liked it so much, didn’t you?” He breathed, prompting my cheeks to burn hotter than ever before.

Unable to take it, I drew away from him, trying to keep my icy exterior while everyone was around. Focusing on the vital task at hand, I walked over to the bookstore to see that there were a couple of elven workers on lunch break nearby.

Loki and I had eaten before arriving. So, the aroma of their food didn’t affect me. Finally spotting his little half-brother, Alistair ran towards us, preventing me from going into the building.

“Yo, why don’t you come to help a bit since you’re here?” He asked Loki, who rolled his eyes.

The snarky vampire crossed his arms before releasing a sigh, gazing towards me. “I have to babysit my maid. She got hurt because of me.”

Babysit? Me? Excuse me? I’m babysitting you if anything!

However, this was a moment I couldn’t pass up. A smirk found its way onto my lips, finding this the perfect moment to mess with the vampire that kept me on my toes.

“Oh, I’m fine.” I smiled politely towards the boys, causing Loki to shift his gaze to me.

His eyes twitched, alerting me that he wasn’t happy about this betrayal. Not caring for his feelings, I turned back towards the bookstore.

“Oi, Vivi—” Loki began, only to be interrupted by Alistair grabbing onto his shoulder.

I let go of a cheerful hum, going into the newly built store.

“She said she’s fine. So, come help.” The older brother argued.

It was obvious Loki didn’t want to leave my side. If it were protectiveness or possessiveness, I wouldn’t know, but it didn’t matter. There wasn’t an ounce of me that needed protection once I had my head on straight.

“I already saved everyone’s arse. What more do you want from me?” were the last words I heard come from Loki while they argued.

With that, I left the twin behind, walking inside the establishment that held answers for me. Once inside, there were no workers inside, allowing me to inspect the store without anyone watching. I didn’t know where to begin. Even though it had been five days, the energy that was used to open the gate lingered whenever one of those orbs was used, which part of me wished I wouldn’t find.

However, the moment I passed a particular part in the store, I froze as a familiar aura radiated from one of the newly constructed walls. The shock that washed over me was almost overwhelming.

No… it can’t be!Has someone from the coven come here to target one of the boys? Impossible. They were all loyal to you! Did you do this, Papa? No… impossible… You wouldn’t hurt your daughter. Would you? Am I your daughter, right?

Standing up from there, my stomach churned as my thoughts became all chaotic.

Vivian, stay calm in every situation. No matter how grim your thoughts get. Even if you feel pure agony, stay calm! That’s how you don’t make mistakes! Lilith’s words played in my mind as I took a deep breath before letting it out.

Closing my eyes, I tried to relax, knowing panicking wouldn’t help me. Nothing was impossible in this world, but if the coven wanted to get rid of me, they wouldn’t have waited until I became an adult.

It can’t be Papa.

Not when he had me so close and defenseless, and if it wasn’t him, then…

It has to be a defector.But who would target the twins instead of…

Not everyone who belonged to the coven knew of me, which meant there were only a handful of people who were aware of my existence.

Is it one of them?

Zoe’s and Emma’s families were in the clear, since they wouldn’t have killed their own, which was one of the biggest taboos in our coven. Then again, there was no way to know.

People are killed for less.

That was when Eli’s sudden gaze, while I was going into a haze, came to mind. He had glanced to the side as if he had sensed something, which Loki also appeared to follow up on before focusing back on me.

Think, Vivian, think!

I wished it would’ve been an anomaly, but it turned into something worse—a traitor with Dad’s tools was on our trail.

Or… could it have been a moment of chance?

There was no way for me to know, but I felt sick to realize it was one of us causing this disruption. Whoever caused this would burn when I found them.

You managed to hurt Oswald, and that alone is unforgivable. Argh… I need to talk to Papa about this, but that’s… practically impossible to do without sending an emergency alert. Wait, what if telling you tips off the assailant? No... I have to deal with this myself.

Closing my eyes, I tried to compartmentalize all the emotions that wanted to come out.

I need to be tougher than my enemies.

Unable to keep my emotions in check, I did the next best thing. After all, I had an enemy who was also an ally in this aspect. Storming out of the building, Loki was still arguing with his brother. Eli had stayed with him this time around, though he was carefully watching where I went. Not wanting to be here a moment longer, I grabbed onto Loki’s arm before dragging him away from Alistair, who stayed there with every word that wanted to spill out of him.

“Oi, you sell me out, then come and save me?” The vampire growled as my grip loosened on his arm, completely letting him go.

Hah…. You know nothing. I didn’t save you because I wanted to, but because I need to. If someone is watching, then…They probably are right now. In this space with these many people, Eli probably won’t think twice about picking up on the energy used for that spell.

“I need to get out of here before I level the place.” I glowered towards the vampire, who shuddered upon seeing my expression.

“Shit, you look terrifying, Vivi. Is it that bad?” he smirked, enjoying my most authentic self.

Turning away from him, I continued to walk without him as there were too many eyes and ears, including suspect number one, from my prophetic sight. Alistair stared at us from behind; luckily, it wasn’t long until the playful vampire joined me, matching my pace.