Chapter 94: BONDED WITH THE GEMS

Xender's POV

The drive to Mike’s clinic was a blur of heavy silence. The moment I pulled up, Alda threw her door open in a hurried movement, but paused to look back at me.

“Go without me. I will be right behind you,” I said, forcing a reassuring smile. She nodded and immediately headed inside.

Only after she left did I answer the call flashing on my screen—the one person I wanted nothing more than to break into tiny pieces.

“You seem so reluctant regarding our contract, which is still unsigned,” Seth said, his voice tight and vibrating with anger-filled frustration.

“I don't quite follow you. Would you care to explain?” I replied, playing dumb to twist the knife. On the other line, he let out a frustrated groan.

“When are you bringing in your fiancée for the contract signing? I want her to start shooting immediately. I want the family project launched before the end of the month!” he groaned out.

“Oh, about the contract. How about we put that on hold,” I nonchalantly replied. “I have a little situation I need to settle before I can bring her in.”

He laughed—a bitter, unhinged sound. “You had me go through shit to get you to continue with this project, only to have you backing off at the last minute?”

“Yes. If stopping my fiancée from doing the modeling while preparing our wedding is what you're referring to, then yes, she won't be signing the contract. You might as well invite as many models as you can find if you want this project to be signed.”

I let my voice drop, cold and firm. “And don't forget that every single one of the models you find should be sent my way. Everything about this project is up to me to decide, Mr. Sebastian. Do I make myself clear?”

I wanted to remind him he wasn't the owner of Alda's company. Sitting in the acting CEO chair with fake documents didn't make him one, and he wouldn't be sitting there much longer. The lawsuit would be filed against him by the end of the day.

Silence stretched over the line for a long while before he spoke.

“Understood,” he said, literally dragging the word out like a heavy stone. He hung up immediately.

I quickly dialed Charles.

“Wow, look who decided to call back after ignoring my calls all day,” his voice erupted before I could even say a word.

“Now is not the time for your tantrums. I was dealing with something important, so I couldn't pick up. But that's not the reason I called you. Were you able to reach out to the model we talked about?” I asked, needing something positive.

“Well, that was why I was calling you all day, but you weren't taking your calls,” he said, his voice laced with annoyance. I could already picture him standing in the middle of his office, pinching the bridge of his nose in total frustration.

“I wasn't with my phone. What did she say about the offer?” I pushed.

“Yes, she should be in about an hour or two. No, no, honey, that's not for the mouth!” Charles suddenly broke off, leaving me confused until a tiny giggle came through the line.

Wait a minute. Don't tell me Charles actually brought...

“Charles, is that Elara's voice I just heard?” I asked. The line went silent. “Charles?” I called in a warning tone.

“Fine. I took Elara and Emily out for lunch,” he admitted.

“Hi, Xender!” Emily called out in the background.

“Perfect. Could you hand over the phone to Emily?” I told him. A second later, her voice came through the line.

“What's up, bro?” she said, trying her best to mimic Charles’s deep business voice.

“Right. I'm just going to go straight to the point. Since it seems you have a lot of free time on your hands, how about we all meet up at my office? I have something serious I want to discuss with you,” I said, ignoring her impression.

“Wow, why are you sounding so serious?” she asked, and a sigh escaped my lips.

“Are you coming or not?” I threw at her, frustration clear in my voice.

“Fine, see you at the office. It's a good thing I cleared off my schedule for the rest of the day so Elara can spend time with her father, and then I'm taking her to Mom and Dad so I can have the rest of the day to myself,” she said, her voice suddenly getting louder.

I could tell she was just passing a message to Charles to let him know she was completely free for the evening.

“Oh, Emily, don't push it too hard. I will see you in twenty minutes.”

“Sure. Grab some cupcakes and ice cream for you-know-who,” she said.

“I will,” I responded, ending the call. I steeled myself and made my way into the clinic.

Siofra's POV

My gaze traveled to Elba, who sat on the hospital bed happily devouring the food Mike had provided. I thought she would be on her absolute highest guard in an alien realm, but instead, she was practically all over Mike, blasting the poor guy with questions that didn't even make sense.

I had sat beside her all night, worried sick, only for her to wake up and start crushing on a human doctor.

“Sometimes I wonder if you were really the elf sea goddess behind all the stories I have read of you,” I said, shaking my head quietly.

A sharp prick of insecurity hit my chest as Mike walked right past me. He couldn't see or feel me at all. How was Xender able to?

“Never thought meeting other creatures from different realms could be so fascinating. I want him,” Elba murmured, her gaze never leaving Mike as he attended to a nurse.

I marched right in front of her, physically blocking her view.

“Can you please focus? He is not a sea dragon or something you just take an interest in and claim!” I barked, finally drawing her attention.

“Wow, I didn't even see you there,” she said sarcastically, her gaze lazily resting on mine. The shimmering light in her eyes instantly turned into a freezing coldness.

“Finally, someone decided to notice my presence,” I said in frustration, crossing my arms.

“I have noticed you since yesterday night. I just chose not to acknowledge you,” she simply replied.

The words stung, but I swallowed my anger. We didn't have time for a fight. “Can we discuss what on earth you're doing here and what happened during that storm yesterday?”

“No. I am not talking to you—not without Alda,” she said, catching me completely off guard. From the sharp look in her eyes, I could tell she already figured out that Alda and I were detached.

“I can't believe you're still not getting it, Siofra,” Elba sneered, her voice dropping into a harsh whisper that cut through my remaining defenses. “I'm beginning to think that the stone didn't actually choose you because it was you. I don't think you fucking bonded with three gemstones because you're a good fit for Álfheimr. I'm thinking the only reason you got picked in the first place was because of Alda.”

Each word felt like a physical blow, adding to the raw pain left behind from my brutal argument with Alda. Tears threatened to form, but I fiercely blinked them back.

“I mean, tell me why you're bonded with three gemstones, Siofra, and yet you can't connect to not even one of the spirit goddesses of each gem?” she pushed mercilessly.

“Who is she talking to?” Mike's voice suddenly called from behind.

I turned around, and my breath hitched. Alda was standing right beside him.

A wave of dread washed over me. When did she get here? How had I not felt her presence? First my healing abilities, and now my baseline sensory perception—everything was failing. Something was terribly wrong with me, but I couldn't tell what it was.

My gaze met Alda’s as we stared at each other. There was a sudden, strange light glowing in her eyes that had never been there before.

“Siofra, don't listen to her,” Alda said, taking a few steps toward me with a fierce, protective warmth. “You're doing great. We just need to figure out how to summon the spirit guard of each gemstone together.”

My eyes never left hers. I needed to confirm my suspicion. I needed to know why my powers were draining away into nothingness.

I moved toward Alda and stopped right in front of her.

Without wasting another second, I darted my hand into my cloak and slipped out the sharp surgical knife I had taken from the operating room last night. Before anyone could react, I grabbed Alda’s hand and sharply slashed the blade through her arm.

A collective, horrified gasp echoed through the room as Mike and Elba lunged forward in shock.

But I just stood there, staring at her arm.

Right there, beneath the bloody tear, a brilliant light flared. Within a fraction of a second, the deep cut seamlessly knit itself back shoes, leaving behind nothing but flawless skin.

The knife clattered to the floor from my trembling fingers as a suffocating realization shattered my soul.

Alda had been the one who bonded with the gemstones. Not me.