Chapter One Hundred And Fifty Seven

Chapter One Hundred And Fifty Seven
DeLuna’s Pov

What happened? 

I paced in the dim room, blood and smoke lingering in the air, and my hands shaking, my head reeling at the reality of Naomi, Lucian, and Travis being gone. 

Gone. 

This hadn't been supposed to go down in such a way. 

Naomi hadn't been supposed to leave me. She hadn't been supposed to have gone, she should have realized where she actually belonged at my side. 

But she'd been taken from me, and for all for that damn stupid Alexander’s sake. 

My eyes flashed at his dead form at my feet, pockmarked with spines I'd inserted into him. Blood surrounded him, sinking into crevices in the flooring, a dark, conclusive stamp of betrayal. 

You ruined everything, I snarled in my head.

You should have been smarter, I whispered, my voice hoarse, broken with the feeling of anger cussing through my veins.

I let out a bitter laugh, the second harsh in the otherwise silent room. There was no one left to hear it, but I couldn't stop the bitterness from spilling out.

My hands clenched. 

I'd played my pawns flawlessly, manipulated the board, and yet… 

I wiped my hand across my dress, smearing the blood a deep red color, Alexander's blood, which was as dark as his sins.

The fabric clung to my skin, heavy with the weight of the moment. This wasn't over. Not by a long shot.

I'd lost Naomi. 

Once again. 

A churning, burning fury took root in my heart. 

I took deep breaths, trying to calm myself. But the anger wouldn't subside. The more I thought about it, the more pained I felt.

I swung my eyes off of Alexander’s dead body and paced to stand at the window, staring out at nothing in the distance. The moon hung low in the sky, silvering over Lakeside View’s water. The peaceful quiet of the lake taunted me, jeering at my failure. 

I won’t stand for it.

I took a deep, sharp breath, my mind working over and over with options. 

"How can I get Naomi and Lucian back?"

The answer was simple enough.

I would seek them out. I'd claim them. 

And I'd not give them a voice in it this time. 

A knock echoed through the room, shattering me out of my trance. One of my men entered with hesitation, his face white with horror at having witnessed bloodshed. 

Ma'am, he said cautiously. Alexander’s followers have been arriving for your orders.

"Orders."

I glared at him, face expressionless. Alexander had proven useful, but useful, nonetheless. Never part of my grander scheme. Now, his followers were pawns in my scheme. 

Summon them, I instructed him, my voice leveling but commanding. "Tell them that Alexander is dead, and I'm in charge." 

The soldier hesitated, swallowing a thick glob in his throat. "And if they don’t?" 

I flashed a slow, deliberate smile. "Tell them why I'm not to be disobeyed." 

He nodded frantically and took off at a run. 

I gazed down at Alexander’s lifeless form and sat down beside him, cocking my head to regard him motionless and lifeless. 

"You should have played your cards well," I whispered, trailing my fingers over his bloodied face. "Thought you could manipulate me? That I'd bow down to you?" I laughed, a bitter sound. "Fool." 

I ran my hands through my hair.

This wasn’t over. 

Not even a little. 

...

The day dragged on, and no matter what I did, I couldn’t escape 'Travis' disdainful expression. 

I'd seen it in his eyes when I'd seen them flee, a mixture of hatred, revulsion, and something else. 

Pity. 

Made my flesh crawl.

Travis, of all people, must know. He'd walked through shadows himself, seen ugliness in life. So why did he view me with such horror, such revulsion? 

I slammed my fist onto the table, shattering glasses and scattered flasks onto its face. Dark droplets spilled over onto wood, staining it. 

"Why am I infuriated?" I grumbled, smoothing my hair with my fingers. 

Travis wasn't important to me. 

Lucian wasn't significant to me. 

Naomi… 

I sucked a sharp breath in. 

She mattered everything. 

I must speak with her again. 

I must have her comprehend. 

My heart twisted, the knot of frustration tightening. But there was one thing I knew for certain. I had to make Naomi understand. It wasn't about vengeance anymore. It was about fate. Our fate.

A slow grin crept onto my face at a new consideration taking root. 

I did not have to follow them. 

Not when I could draw them back. 

I sidled over to my row of potions, my fingers trailing over glass, over caps. Every single one of them held power, dark, deadly power. 

And one of them… would draw Lucian to me, straight into my grasp. 

I reached for a little vial filled with glinting black contents. A whispering portioner's brew. 

A single drop, and I could insinuate myself into the shadows of Lucian's mind, planting suspicions, twisting delusions. 

I could make him question Naomi. 

Make him doubt her. 

Make him wonder… had she been unfaithful to him all along? 

I revolved the bottle in my fingers, a wicked glint in my eyes. 

Yes.

I would let him use his brain for me. 

And when opportunity knocked, he'd come to me of his free will. 

I smiled inwardly and turned to my remaining followers. 

"Prepare everything," I told them. "We're no longer hunting them out. We're going to have them search for us." 

A new plot was forming, deadlier and smarter than ever. 

I wasn't about to let them escape a second time. 

I wasn't about to let them have Naomi again. 

The day was wearing on. I took a pause in my thoughts.

"It wasn't supposed to work out well for me in this life," I said, letting out a tear after reminiscing about my life. "Maybe in my next."

And if I have to burn down the entire world in order to make them my prey? 

Then I'd burn down the whole world.