Chapter 72 Chapter 72
Something in Valerie cracked. She couldn’t take it when he was like this. It hurt to see him turn against her because it reminded her too much of someone else. Someone is now dead.
“Because you’re intimidating, unpredictable, and scary. Of course I wouldn’t want to be around you,” she said, voice shaking. “How can you expect me to trust you after what you did?”
His body stopped trembling as his anger finally vanished, and his eyes clouded with heavy emotion. Shoulders sinking, he looked defeated, and his bitter expression only added to it. Frustration and pain swirled through his eyes, but he soon cast his gaze towards the ground, hiding his feelings from her.
The stinging in her heart was back, and this time it was stronger than before. He didn’t speak another word as he left the kitchen. She heard the door to the living room close.
—
The mood between him and her was tense for the remainder of the morning. Valerie stayed far away from him, only leaving her bedroom when there was no other way. She used the time to call Esther and ask her for help since Valerie still hadn’t figured out what to do about her newly acquired magic. Thankfully, Esther agreed to meet up later in the day, and Valerie was grateful for her support.
After a lot of arguing between her and Maxwell, he finally agreed to come with her. They took the car to a secluded part of the forest to meet Esther and Vaughn, who were already waiting when they arrived.
“Hello, you two.” the witch gushed happily, hugging Valerie, who returned the embrace with less enthusiasm, a deadpan look on her face. Maxwell didn’t even glance at her, keeping quiet while glowering at the other three people.
Esther and Vaughn soon noticed that something was off. They observed the other two closely, noting how they kept their distance, never talked to each other, and didn’t acknowledge each other either. The tension around them was suffocating, to the point where Vaughn wanted to turn around and walk away. He exchanged a worried glance with Esther, deciding to speak to Maxwell later on.
“Can we talk in private for a moment, Esther?” Valerie said, shooting Maxwell a harsh glare. His eyes became red instantly.
“Not like I want to listen to you,” he spat and turned away to walk off into the forest. Vaughn went after him, giving the two women some privacy. As soon as they were out of earshot, Esther gave Valerie a cautious glance.
“What’s up with you two? I thought you needed some advice about magic, but it seems that’s not the only thing you need help with,” she said worriedly. “I have never seen the two of you act so coldly around each other. Not even the first time I met you.”
“It’s a long story,” Valerie said evasively, but Esther wanted to hear none of her excuses.
“Spill.” she demanded persistently and glared at her friend when she hesitated. “Come on, Valerie. I could help you.”
Valerie sighed deeply, deciding to tell her everything that happened. She didn’t leave out Uriel and their shared past, mentioned her visit to Regal Enterprises, and ended her explanation with the murder. Esther’s gaze darkened considerably. She could easily see that Valerie was suffering under the situation, but she couldn’t deny that both she and Maxwell were responsible for it.
“I understand that you’re upset, but you guys really need to make more of an effort to get along. You must work together, especially now that you can use magic.”
“Do you think I could learn how to use it properly?” Valerie breathed, her eyes widening.
Esther nodded. “Yes, but you need patience, and it doesn’t look like you have the nerves for this kind of thing…”
“I want to learn, please teach me.”
“It’s not that easy. I only know how to use wind magic. I couldn’t tell you much about light magic,” Esther said, and Valerie groaned inwardly.
“I won’t ask him for help. Forget it,” she spat angrily.
“It’s the only way, Valerie. You received his magic through the bond, and nobody here understands his element better than him. Try to get along with him, talk to him about your issues. I remember that time when we had dinner together; you were so cute together, and now I almost don’t recognize you anymore. It’s sad.”
“He has shown his true colors,” Valerie grumbled, eyes hardening.
“Listen to me, you stubborn girl,” Esther said, raising her voice. “You two need to work together now more than ever. Only last week, a high-class demon broke into our flat and tried to kill me. He was after me because of my bond to Vaughn. There might be many more out there, only waiting for someone like you to run into them. If you and Maxwell don’t work as a team now, it might cost your lives.”
Valerie’s eyes widened in shock. Worry clouded her thoughts, causing her to frown and take a step closer to her friend. “Are you okay? Did you get hurt?”
Esther shook her head, much to Valerie’s relief. “No, Vaughn and I fought him off, and knowing how to use wind magic definitely was a great help here.” She stared at Valerie pointedly, who cursed under her breath, knowing that it would be a smart choice to get over her anger and get along with Maxwell.
They were interrupted by Vaughn and Maxwell, who came back at this moment, Vaughn looking agitated while Maxwell seemed more annoyed than anything. He ran a hand through his white hair and grumbled something under his breath.
“There you are,” Esther smiled, trying to keep the mood up, and to Valerie’s annoyance, she got right to the point, not beating around the bush. “Maxwell, would you be willing to teach Valerie how to use light magic?”
He didn’t look too surprised, probably having spoken to Vaughn about it before, and it was easy to tell that he wasn’t happy about it. His reddish eyes came to rest on Valerie, scrutinizing her. A sarcastic sneer formed on his lips. “Oh, I’m sure she does not want the help of a selfish demon,” he spat.
“Excuse me?” Valerie shot back. “Can you at least try to be civil?”
“Look who’s talking.”
“Shut the fuck up.”