Chapter 139 Chapter 139
And she turned out to be right, coming face to face with Travis, who was throwing her a worried and slightly irritated look. “Valerie.” he exclaimed. “I was worried about you! Why did you just vanish for over a week?! I came by a few days ago, but nobody was home.”
Guilt overcame her, and she realized that she should have at least called or texted him to tell him she was alright. Somehow, she had been so busy with Maxwell and their new bond that it hadn’t even struck her mind.
“I’m sorry,” she said, pulling him into a hug. “I just… I had some things to sort out. A lot happened this past week.” She decided to leave her little trip to hell out of the picture for now, since that would only freak him out more.
He hugged her tightly and patted her back. “You should have said something. I was already expecting the worst,” he said, but then he stilled, concentrating on something he hadn’t noticed before. The air around her flat was layered with a hint of light magic, and he noticed that her aura had changed. It was different from what it had been when he’d last seen her. Letting go of her, he took a step back and observed her with scrunched brows. His eyes got stuck on the oversized black hoodie she was wearing and widened.
He took her hand and pulled up the sleeve to uncover the mark on her wrist. “You… you are bonded again? Since when?” he whispered in shock. “And to whom?”
“Travis, calm down,” she tried to reassure him. “It’s fine… it’s just… Why don’t you come in so we can talk properly?”
He cursed under his breath but complied and followed her into the living room. “Now explain what’s going on.” he said in a sharp tone that conveyed his irritation mixed with his worry.
The light magic flooding the apartment suddenly changed, sizzling and pulsing angrily. She straightened her back, cringing since she knew that the next few minutes would be anything but pleasant. As expected, Maxwell appeared behind her, his eyes narrowing at Travis, whom he stared down.
“What is this commotion here?” he spat, making sure to pull Valerie away from Travis. He put himself between them, shooting the hunter a hateful glower.
Travis clenched his jaw. “I was just dropping by to visit my friend. Let me guess, you are Maxwell, the asshole who left her alone for a whole month,” he hissed, a flame licking over his hand as his anger rose. “Do you know how badly you hurt her? Do you have any idea what this woman went through because of you? Selfish bastard.”
Maxwell tensed. Valerie decided that it was better to intervene before they actually started a fight, moving in between them. “Travis, please. Don’t… don’t bring that up now,” she pleaded.
Instead of sitting down so they could talk it out, the two men stood in the middle of the room and stared each other down. Valerie suppressed a sigh, taking note of the wild magic that swept through her flat. She caught a glimpse of Mochi hiding in the next room, deciding it was better to stay away.
“Why did you suddenly come back, huh?” Travis yelled. “Why, after you hurt her so much?”
“Shut the fuck up, you have no idea what you’re even talking about.” Maxwell thundered, clenching his hands into fists. His bloodred eyes were fixed on Travis, and he looked furious through and through. However, when guilt and regret began to weigh on her chest, she knew that he was hiding his true feelings about the matter. She was the only person he couldn’t fool.
“How dare you show up here. A fucking demon hunter has no right to be anywhere near her.” Maxwell snapped furiously. “You’re responsible for putting her in danger countless times, and I should kill you for that! Why would you invite a human on your stupid hunts, huh?”
“I always make sure she’s safe.” Travis defended himself.
“No, you didn’t. If I hadn’t interfered when that high-class demon found her in the forest, she would have been murdered by him. You were nowhere near her, and you could not have helped her in time,” Maxwell countered. His temper was getting the best of him.
The tension in the room spiked. Icy silence hung over them, and nobody moved for a few seconds until Maxwell’s anger exploded. Hot light magic shot towards Travis, who shielded himself with fire.
“Stay the fuck away from her, you dirty hunter,” he snarled. She hadn’t seen him this furious since they had fought Zane weeks back, and his burning hatred shocked her. He hardly knew Travis, yet he treated him like he was a terrible person.
“Are you asking for a fight?” Travis countered, riled up by his aggressiveness. “I would kill you without hesitation if you weren’t bonded to her.”
A terrifying growl resounded through the living room. The air was loaded with sparkling light magic, only waiting to rip Travis apart, and she couldn’t let that happen. “Calm down, please.” She interfered and took Maxwell’s hand, forcing him to dim his magic so as not to hurt her by accident.
His blood-red eyes pierced her, looking feral when he stared at her. She flinched, but she made sure to hold on tightly to his arm to prevent him from attacking. “Don’t hurt him,” she said.
“Valerie, he is a hunter, and he is going to kill you sooner or later if I don’t do something,” he snapped and scowled, his eyes moving to Travis to make sure he didn’t move from his spot. “He’s endangered your life often enough in the past.”
“He wouldn’t kill me,” she insisted. “Just trust me!”
“You don’t understand,” he retorted icily. “That’s what hunters do… they lull you into a false sense of security and then they strike mercilessly. You’re not getting anywhere near this bastard. Never again.” To prove his point, he once more shoved her behind him and threw her a harsh stare over his shoulder.
Travis watched their exchange with narrowed eyes, not understanding why Valerie had agreed to get bonded to him again after what had happened. In his opinion, she’d made the wrong decision since the demon was clearly too violent and dangerous for her to be around.
“I would never kill her,” Travis cut in, glaring at Maxwell. “And I would never hurt her either, other than you.”