Chapter 151 Cowardice

Chapter 151 Cowardice
[Lana]

The scream died in my throat as I watched Raven's body slide down the wall, leaving a dark smear against the pale paint. Time seemed to stop as his eyes—eyes that had always looked at me with love despite my darkness—fluttered closed. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, yet somehow he was still smiling.

"Take care of... my little niece or nephew..." he had whispered before his head tilted to one side.

Freya's anguished cry pierced the silence, her voice breaking as she rushed to her son's side. Cedric's face had gone ashen, his eyes wide with horror as he looked from Raven to me. Emerson and Gabriel stood frozen, their expressions unreadable but their eyes full of grief.

I couldn't breathe. I couldn't think. The black energy that had moments ago coursed through my veins like liquid power now felt like poison. My brother—my sweet, annoying, loyal brother who had never given up on me—lay motionless because of me. Because of my rage. Because I couldn't control the darkness within me.

I did the only thing I knew how to do when emotions threatened to overwhelm me. I disappeared.

The invisibility came as naturally as breathing, my body fading from view until I was nothing but a ghost in the room. The temperature, which had plummeted during my rage, slowly began to normalize as my physical presence vanished.

"She's gone!" Cedric spun around, his eyes frantically searching the room. "She's hiding again! Just like before—every time something goes wrong, she just vanishes!"

"Lana!" Freya's voice broke on my name, tears streaming down her face as she cradled Raven's head in her lap. "Please don't do this. Don't run away again..."

Gabriel shook his head, his usually playful expression replaced with something harder. "Typical Lana. Never stays to face the consequences."

"Give her time," Emerson murmured, but even his eyes held doubt as they scanned the room. "She'll come back when she's ready."

I stood in the corner, completely invisible, each word slicing into me like silver blades. They were right. I was a coward. I always had been. For two hundred years, I'd hidden behind my darkness, using it as a shield against anything that hurt too much to face.

And now I'd done the unforgivable. I'd killed my own brother.

---

I followed Cedric like a shadow for three days, watching his grief transform into something harder, more desperate. He didn't leave the mansion, spending hours by Raven's side as Freya worked frantically on preservation spells to keep his body from decaying while they searched for a way to bring him back.

On the fourth night, Cedric entered his room and slammed the door shut. I slipped in behind him, invisible and silent. He paced the floor, running his hands through his hair until it stood on end.

"I know you're here, Lana," he said suddenly to the empty room. "You think I can't feel you? Our bond may be muted, but it's still there."

I froze, wondering if he was bluffing. He couldn't possibly know I was watching him. I'd been careful.

"You've been following me for days," he continued, his voice growing harder. "Always hiding, always watching. That's what you do, isn't it? You hide when things get difficult."

He turned, his eyes seeming to find mine despite my invisibility. "Raven is dead, and you're too much of a coward to even show your face."

The words stung, but I remained silent, unmoving.

"Your family needs you. I need you." His voice broke slightly. "But you'd rather be a ghost than face what happened."

When I still didn't respond, his face hardened with resolve. He walked to the bathroom and returned with something that made my blood run cold—a silver blade.

"Maybe this will get your attention," he said calmly, and before I could react, he dragged the blade across his forearm.

The scent of his blood filled the room, metallic and rich. I almost materialized then, almost rushed to stop him, but I held back. He was manipulating me, trying to force me to reveal myself.

Over the next two days, Cedric's tactics grew more desperate. He stopped eating. He barely slept. The silver cuts on his arms multiplied, each one a silent accusation. I watched, invisible and trembling with indecision, as the man I loved deliberately destroyed himself to draw me out.

By the seventh day, he was dangerously weak. I followed him as he stumbled to his car, barely able to stand. No one saw him leave—they were all too focused on Raven, on finding a way to bring him back.

"If you're still watching, Lana," Cedric said as he started the engine, his voice barely above a whisper, "this is your last chance."

The drive took nearly two hours, winding up mountain roads to a cliff overlooking the valley. I remembered this place—Cedric had brought me here once, telling me it was where he came to think. The sun was setting, painting the sky in shades of crimson and gold as he parked the car and staggered to the cliff's edge.

"I know you're here," he said, swaying slightly. His face was gaunt, his eyes sunken from lack of food and sleep. "This is it, Lana. Your final chance to stop hiding."

He stood dangerously close to the edge, the wind whipping his hair around his face. "I can't do this anymore. I can't keep loving someone who isn't there."

"I'm counting to ten," he announced, his voice carrying on the wind. "If you don't show yourself by then, I'm jumping."

My heart raced. He wouldn't really do it. He couldn't.

"One."

He was bluffing. He had to be.

"Two."

The wind picked up, sending small pebbles over the edge.

"Three... Four..."

His eyes were so determined, so resigned.

"Five... Six..."

He took a small step closer to the edge.

"Seven... Eight..."

His toes were now over the precipice.

"Nine..."

I couldn't take it anymore. The thought of losing him—of watching him fall and doing nothing—was worse than facing what I'd done.

"Ten."

He closed his eyes and leaned forward.