71

71

Celine's POV

Just as I think that all hope is lost and I'm doomed to my current reality, I catch a movement out of the corner of my eye.

I try to crane my neck around to see who it is, hoping against hope that my savior has come.

Things were looking very desperate for me. It was just a matter of a few minutes that I was with this man, and all my hope seemed to be dwindling, fading with every passing second.

It appeared that fate was on my side because, turning around, I found Jarvis stepping into the garden.

And he seemed to have come prepared. There was a wicked-looking spear strapped to his back.

I managed a little scream just as the piece of cloth tightened around my mouth, and I found that my voice was now muffled. It was a miracle I caught sight of Jarvis.

"What the fuck is going on here?" he demanded, his voice louder than usual.

"Look what you've caused now," the man holding me captive growled.

"Let me go!" I thought to myself but writhed in frustration as I wasn't even able to make out the words through the heavy gag on my face. I tried to bite it, but it tasted stale and rotting. Who knew where that cloth had been, and yet this brute had the nerve to put it over my mouth.

I struggled against his bonds. Jarvis was here. Everything was going to be alright. But I couldn't help but remember that Jarvis himself was injured. If the man realized that, he would know that it was unlikely Jarvis could take him down.

I bit my lower lip, realizing how much of a disadvantage we were in.

The man turned me around to face Jarvis and held the muzzle of the gun to my head. I gasped in fear, realizing what he was trying to do.

His plan seemed to work because Jarvis stopped in his tracks and looked between us, a conflicted look flashing across his eyes. No doubt he already knew the situation was dire. The man already had me in his grasp, and it appeared he was sent here to kill me. So, even if his mission was accomplished a little earlier than planned, at the expense of his own life, he wouldn't mind.

Jarvis seemed to have come to the same conclusion as me because he let out a deep breath, scanning the area with his eyes. I could only see the hint of a bandage peeking out through his shirt, the only evidence that he wasn't completely healed. Any strenuous activity now was going to take a huge toll on him. Dammit, I thought, realizing that I was in an even graver situation than I first believed.

"What do you want?" Jarvis asked, his eyes focused on the man beside me, who had me in a chokehold, his gun pressing hard against my temple.

I didn't dare lift my head to glance at the expression on his face, but his next words made my blood run cold.

"What do I want?" he repeated the question, but he didn't make it sound like one; instead, it was more like a statement that didn't need an answer.

"For an awfully smart person and the beta of the Lycan pack himself, you're acting pretty dumb, don't you think?" As he spoke, I couldn't help but notice that he also had an accent, further proof that he wasn't from this pack.

Although I already had my suspicions confirmed, Jarvis only narrowed his eyes and remained silent. I saw the contemplating look in his eyes and knew that he was calculating, looking for the best way to handle this situation and get me out of his grip.

Once I was safely out of the way, then Jarvis could get into his fighting mode and end the man. Even though he wasn't fully recovered, he was a good fighter himself.

"Don't try anything funny," the man breathed, cutting my thoughts short in the process.

The muscles in Jarvis's jaw tightened.

"You're right," Jarvis began. "Maybe I was asking the wrong question. But I'm only going to ask you this once: Who sent you?"

I heard a faint chuckle beside me that told me the bastard was having a grand time messing with us.

Somehow, I knew that the whole palace had already been infiltrated and that some people were after us as well. I pushed the thought away from my head as soon as it came. That won't do, I said to myself.

Things were already looking pretty nasty for all of us without my imagination cooking up different scenarios, each worse than the last.

"Fair enough," the rough voice continued beside me.

"I'm an assassin. And if you are as smart as the rumors made you out to be, you would already know that Alpha Ryder sent me."

"The fucker," Jarvis growled under his breath.

"Yes, indeed, you could call him that," the assassin gave a shrug, like he couldn't be any less bothered.

"But the real deal is, I never fail in any of my missions."

"We'll see about that," Jarvis stood his ground. I felt proud of him, but, unfortunately for us, that level of confidence wasn't enough to win this battle.

Jarvis's hand moved towards his spear that was strapped to his back.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," the assassin said, his voice rather playful.

I didn't have to look at him to know that he had a huge smile on his face as he tightened his grip around my neck. I felt the tip of the gun press closer to me.

I gulped. I locked eyes with Jarvis, silently pleading with him.

Any wrong movement, and I was sure the assassin wouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger. He said it himself: he was the assassin here, so he'd assassinate me, obviously.

Jarvis tightened his jaw. There was a hardened look in his eyes that told me he didn't buy what the assassin said.

Jarvis locked eyes with me.

It was as brief as possible, but I understood what he wanted from me.

I braced myself for the counterattack, ready to give it my all, knowing full well that if I didn't get it right the first time, then I wouldn't have a second chance to do it again. It would be game over for me.

As fast as possible, I knocked the gun away from his hand and elbowed him as hard as I could. Lucky for me, I had the element of surprise on my side; otherwise, there was no way it would have worked.

He was knocked back a few steps, and he turned to glare at me. I quickly ducked to the side, rolling away. At that moment, Jarvis stepped in, bringing out his spear that was strapped to his back and pointing it at the man.

And the other one knew that there was no way I could contribute to the fight in any way. The least I could do now was stay out of it, especially now that I was a target. I didn't want to be a burden to Jarvis, so I quickly darted off.

"Come back here!" the assassin yelled. I could hear the cocking of a gun, and it didn't take a lot of brainpower to realize it was pointed at me.

"Run, Celine! I've got you covered!" Jarvis shouted. His voice was a bit nearer. I could only guess that he was in front of me, but I didn't dare to look back.

Finally, my feet seemed to recover from the moment of shock. I could feel my blood flowing properly again as I geared into motion.

My first instinct was to race to the palace immediately, but I stopped, making a turn in the opposite direction, knowing that the palace wasn't safe anymore.

I hid behind a water fountain as gunshots exploded behind me.

I held my breath, but the stabbing pain from a shot didn't reach me.

I dared to turn back.

Jarvis doubled back, clutching his chest.

I clamped a hand over my mouth to stifle the scream that followed.

Was he shot? Was he even alright? Thousands of questions flooded through my head, and I silently prayed that he was alright because I knew I wouldn't be able to live with the fact that he died trying to save me.

The sick feeling of déjà vu I felt was too much for me to bear.

This was looking like an ugly replica of the last time in the woods when I was attacked, and the only one there to defend me was Jarvis. He hadn't even finished recovering from that fight, only for me to get into trouble again.

The assassin slowly approached him. My breath quickened. I knew I had to do something—anything. I shouldn't just sit here, hiding in a scared little corner while Jarvis took a beating for me.

"What a pathetic little bunch," the assassin spat as he approached. He kicked up stones from the ground, casting a sneering look in my direction.

He walked leisurely, believing that he had already won the battle and there was no need for haste.

Jarvis fell down on one knee. His spear fell to the ground, and he didn't even look up. I felt a sinking sensation in my stomach.

The level of pain he was enduring right now was probably too much for even him to bear.

I knew that now I had to make a run for it because once the assassin was done with him, he was no doubt going to come back for me.

The assassin stopped in front of Jarvis and cocked his gun a second time.

"Please," I began begging, unable to bear it any longer. I couldn't stand by and watch anymore. If he were to kill Jarvis now, I knew that I won't be able to live with myself. The guilt and sorrow would be too much for me to bear.

Hadn't I already lost everything?

Please, spare him, take me instead, after all it's me you want. I continued to plead, crawling out of my hiding place.

He paused for a while, and for a moment, I thought he was going to consider it.

"I didn't plan on killing anyone, you know. But I did want you to stay out of my way. You're only lucky that I have strict instructions to bring the girl back to the Alpha alive; otherwise, you might not live to see another day," he said. He cast one last sneering look at Jarvis before turning his back on him.

Then, quicker than anyone could say "Jack Robinson," Jarvis, who I thought was incapacitated and too weak to defend himself, grabbed his spear in one hand. In one smooth motion, he threw it in the air and jabbed it in the assassin's direction, stabbing him in the back.

The assassin groaned.

Jarvis staggered to his feet. His chest was bleeding, and there was a huge gash there. His body was soaked red, but for some reason, he still had the strength to keep on fighting. He shoved the weapon deeper into the man, forcing him down on his knees as he groaned and writhed in pain.

"You're hurt," I said, stating the obvious as I rushed to his side immediately.

"It appears so," Jarvis replied, giving me the faintest of smiles.

His face was awfully pale, and I thought he was going to pass out any second.

However, he grabbed the assassin by the collar, forcing him to look at him.

I watched as he ripped off the mask to reveal a blond man. He had a mark across his left eye, and his face looked hardened, like the seasoned assassin that he was.

"You son of a gun," the assassin spat, coughing out blood.

Jarvis retrieved the gun from the ground and pointed it at the man.

"It's over," he said, "but first, I have some questions for you."