Goodbye

Goodbye

Sera's POV

While Adrian whispered “Okay” and kept mum, Cassian didn't. He kept pestering me to talk, to tell him everything about me.

I swat his fingers away as they slide over my cheeks, and he gently coerces me to talk. His repeated calls of me as moonshine no longer became affectionate but dreary, irritating me. I endured it for a while, and eventually I couldn't anymore.

I pushed his finger from my face one more time, and I turned around, every piece of my lungs involved in the loud, growled grunt that grated past my throat.

I sat up from his chest, his warmth suddenly now suffocating. “I think I want to be alone, Cassian.” I growled at him.

His eyes widened on me, taking in every inch of my face. “Are you asking me to leave, Seralyn?”

“Yeah, I am.” I answered tartly. Right now, him being far away from me would do my mind a whole lot more good than his presence around me.

His brow lifted, and his head slanted to a side. He still couldn't believe I would ask him. To leave. Well! I would. Since he wouldn’t stop pestering me about revealing my deepest secrets to him.

“Are you sure of what you are saying, Seralyn? That I should leave.” He asked again, his mouth left hanging open.

I slid away from his chest, falling onto the bed. “Yeah. I am sure, Cassian. I want to be alone. I think that way I would be able to grieve my brother better. You are being a distraction.” I answered.

“I am being a distraction.” He said, and pointed to himself, and he scoffed, still stuck in his little world of disbelief.

That didn't seem like a question, so I didn't answer. I turned away.

“If you want me to leave, then I will, Seralyn. Since I am being a distraction, stopping you from grieving your brother.” He said. There was an edge to his voice that made them sting me, made the guilt gnaw at me more, squeezing the breath from my lungs.

I wanted to turn back to him, to tell him not to leave, but I couldn't bring myself to. I knew he meant well by asking me to tell him about everything. But I just couldn't bare myself to him when I wasn't sure about what I was going to do with our bond.

I heard him stand up from the bed behind me, his weight being withdrawn from the bed, letting the mattress up a bit, and I felt more of its softness. But there was something missing—his warmth—the heat from his body that had covered mine earlier like a blanket made me feel safe and loved. I had thought his warmth suffocating before, but now that he pulled away from me, I realized I wanted his warmth again. Yet, I couldn't bring myself to turn to tell him to stay. I couldn't get my lips to move. I didn't know if it was my pride or the reluctance to tell him the things he wanted to know, or both.

His feet jammed into the floor hard as he stomped out from the room. I heard him mumble and growl, and still I couldn't bring myself to turn.

I snatched the duvet cover closer and the pillows, trying to replicate the void his warmth had left. When I didn't get anything similar to it, I threw them off me.

The door slammed shut with a rather loud bang that rattled the whole room.

“You sure have annoyed the big guy.” Adrian chipped in.

“Can you please be quiet too, Adrian? Or you can follow him out.” I answered. I knew I was being a bitch. But that was basically who I am. And for the first time in my life, it scared me. Yet, I couldn't bring myself to stop.

“I love you, Seraphina. And I know he does too, and you keeping yourself locked in from us isn't going to help any of us in any way.” Adrian said again, his voice rather careful.

“Perhaps you also should use the door. If you would continue to pester me about my decision. Why can't both of you just understand that this is my decision to make, not yours?”

“I do understand,” he responded. Feet tottered up to the side of the bed. I heard wood creak just behind me, as he must have settled his weight on a drawer. “I understand you, Seraphina. That is why I do not try to fight for you when I should. I know you are keeping yourself so locked in from us because a part of you still wishes to break this bond.”

That felt like a sucker punch right to the gut. He fucking hit home—to the truth. I tossed around in the bed and said nothing. I had nothing to say.

He continued, his voice low and calm. “I won't stop you from breaking the bond, Seraphina. I can't always be around you to stop you from doing that. The only thing that can stop you is our love for each other. if you truly love us as much as we do for you. Then I am sure you would have a rethink…”

“Just get on with whatever the hell you want to say. Don't beat about the bush, Vampire.” I cut him short.

“Vampire,” he repeated, musing on it thoughtfully. I hadn't called him that in a while.

I knew I should tell him I didn't mean half of what I was saying, but I didn't. I wanted to be a bitch to the end. Perhaps that might make everything easier, more bearable. Perhaps I might be able to forget them quicker if all I remembered was their hate and not love.

Yet, I couldn't understand why my heart ached so much, filled with so much pain I felt like I would burst open. I couldn't understand why hot tears stung my eyes, sliding down my cheeks.

“So when are you going to be leaving to break our bond? I expect you to do that soon. I want to use my room,” he said. He spoke calmly, but every word he uttered echoed his rage.

I cleaned the tears from my face with the back of my hands. I didn't want him to see me cry as I turned around on the bed to face him. “Perhaps I should be leaving now.” I answered as bitchy as I had been doing since.

The door shot open with a loud bang, and I started fast, staring at the door. Cassian stood by the door, filling up the doorway. His face tight, the muscles of his big body tensed, pushing against the right shirt and tuxedo pant he wore. His rage radiated out of him, surrounding him like a large invisible cloak. “Leaving to where?” he demanded. “Where the hell are you leaving to?”

“To break our bond, vampire. I have spent a week with both of you, as I planned. It's time to wrap everything up. It can never really work out between us anyway. I can't be with a vampire.” I said.

“If I have to tie you down, Seralyn, to knock some sense into you, then I am going to fucking do it.” He snapped, marching into the room for me.

Adrian traced to me at the same time, a whiff of air brushing my face with the speed at which he traced. He snatched me from the bed by the waist, heaving me into his arms.

I barely had a glimpse of the dark, murderous rage that tightened Cassian's face as Adrian traced me from the room. We landed in another chamber of his castle, between a couple of shelves carrying glass jars filled with various herbs, some outright powder, and some liquids.

He snatched the jars nearest him hurriedly and began pouring their contents on me. They stank so bad, I almost gagged at their awful smell. I had to cover my mouth to keep myself from vomiting.

He was still pouring the contents of the jars on me, soaking me up in the liquids and powders, when Cassian traced into the room. Cassian knocked off a shelf of jars. The jars fell, raining on him, hitting the floor with harsh, shattering cries.

He traced through it all, his arm thrown forward, reaching for us. “Stop whatever the bloody hell you are doing, bastard.” He growled, lunging for Adrian.

Adrian dodged his murderous claws and grabbed me by the waist again, tracing me away completely from his castle.

We landed in a dark alley, the sun slowly peeking out of the sky to make its appearance for the day. His face burned as he took some steps back from me.

“Goodbye, Seraphina.” He whispered, and he vanished.

I staggered on my feet as a massive wave of heat claimed my chest, constricting my lungs inside of me, and I couldn't breathe. What have I fucking done? I screamed in my head at myself. I grabbed my chest, trying to fight off the pain that threatened to tear me open from the inside.