125

125
Ashley's POV

He seemed to believe that after his stern warning and after everything that had happened, I was going to relent and stop trying to sabotage him. Well, he couldn't be more wrong. Seeing what he was trying to do, even though he didn't tell me exactly, I was aware of it, and I was willing to do everything that I possibly could to stop it from taking place.

With his eyes closed, I closed my eyes also, and I could feel the connection that he was trying to establish. Not just him—someone else at the other end was trying to establish a connection at the same time. I was reeling in shock. I could feel the energies around trying to connect to each other. With the other person actively trying to reach him also, there was a better chance of them getting through to each other. If it was only him trying to reach that person on his own end, then I could probably let it be and keep on banking on luck for it not to happen. But if the other person was trying to do so at the same time, then there was a 90% chance that it would work, especially if the person was someone specialized in general magic like I was, and not just some kind of elemental magic like he was.

It was very important that I stop this from happening right now, and so that was exactly what I had in mind to do. I was going to end it, and I actually felt very lucky for the fact that I had the intention to stop it right now, that I had tried to just sabotage him this time around. Because if I hadn't, then they would have reached each other, and it might be the end for everyone, especially my people and these children that I was sworn to protect.

I ended the connection with my own energy, threading it and using it to dissipate his, making sure that they didn't get to touch each other in the spiritual realm. His eyes flung right open, and he stared right at me. With my eyes closed and only just now opening them, he pretty much already knew what was happening and who was doing all this to him. All the while, his eyes widened as he looked at me, anger flashing in his own eyes and his expression turning a little distraught.

"You!" he said, his anger apparent. "It has been you all this while. You've been the one stopping me, and I thought that it was all my fault!" He started glaring at me. I didn't know whether to offer him an apology, whether to just hold it and smile at him, or maybe even smirk. I knew that it wasn't a joking matter and that he was very angry with me right now, but I just couldn't help the little smile that formed on my face. The way he was angry right now, the way he had been oblivious all the while—it was hilarious to think that he was actually unaware so far that I was the one doing it.

"And I thought you were very weak and unable to do it all this while," he said once again, his anger rising with his voice. He stood up to his full height, glaring at me. I also stood up now because I knew that something was about to happen and that I would need to be on my full guard if I was going to stop it from taking me down.

He smiled at me, shaking his head. "Oh, you really think I was about to fight you?" he started. My eyes widened in shock. Oh fuck, how on earth had I not known? How had I forgotten? How was I not ready for that? I should have gotten the children first before I tried anything.

If it was a face-off, we would have had it a very long time ago, but that was not what he wanted obviously, and it would be foolish of me to think that we were going to simply resolve this with a battle between each other. He had already taken one of the children, the youngest of them all—even though they were all twins. Lyric was in his arms now, and his eyes were fiery.

"I'm going to absolutely kill her right now," he told me simply. His words seemed simple, but his eyes showed me that he meant it. Fire was in his eyes—literal fire—and it was a manifestation of his power. Me, unable to really think of what to do now—fuck, I have really screwed up this time around, I thought as I thought about the children that he was going to kill. He told me earlier on that if I defied him, he was going to kill one of the children as a lesson to me, and then we could continue going with the other two.

"I'm sure your master needs all three of them at once," I told him, deciding that I should at least try to pacify him. Actually, I should give it a try even if it was probably not going to work and was most likely useless.

He shook his head, looking at me. "I'll tell him one died along the way," he said, "and that will be the end of the matter. He's going to be grateful to have at least two. Even if it's only one I bring over for him, he won't be complaining because he didn't really expect to have anyone at all, and he has already gotten a couple of contingency plans in case he doesn't."

I heard him say the simple words he used to refuse my argument, got me thinking quickly on what to do next. The baby started crying abruptly, the sound making me even less able to think. The look in his eyes showed me that he was also irritated, and that the irritation was going to make him do something drastic. Maybe he was going to kill her a bit sooner now.

Since she wasn't helping in any way, I didn't know what else to do and what else to say to him. Well, there was the fact that he wasn't killing her yet. There were a couple of reasons for that—maybe he was hesitating. That was one option, I thought to myself as I made up my mind that maybe there was still a chance for me to redeem her and stop her from dying.

Maybe he was hesitating because his master actually needed the three of them, but if he said that he wanted to kill them, I didn't see why he would discuss it with me first. There was no reason for him to, unless—I thought to myself—unless maybe he wants me to make a deal. Unless maybe, even if subconsciously, he wants me to save her life. Maybe he values the life of the children after all, and he's not just a brute wanting to keep killing.

I thought there were different explanations, but the result was the same: he hadn't killed them yet, and he was still giving me the chance to speak. So yeah, I was using the best weapon that I had with me right now against him since he had all the cards at his disposal—words.

I didn't know where they came from, but I managed to make a coherent sentence next. "You shouldn't kill her," I said. "It's not right," I told him.

He raised an eyebrow. "It's you that killed her," he said, fire burning in his palm.

"No, no," I said, while there was an expression to me that maybe we could work it out this time around.

"You're the one who killed her," he said, "because I warned you and you just wouldn't listen to me." I got my efforts incredibly quick. If she actually died, then I was finished through and through with no option for redemption whatsoever—not anymore.

"Please wait," I said, moving forward to him. His hand trembled a little as I held it in mine and stopped him, but just barely. Fire was on his hands, and it was burning me. He had just almost used it to touch the child who was crying even louder now with the threat on her life and the raised voices and the heat around her.

"No," I said. "Calm down a little and think," I continued, holding his arm and somehow managing to use my own magic from within me to wish away the heat that was burning through everything.

He shook his head at me. "No, she's going to die right now," he continued, but before he could say anything else, I sealed his mouth with a kiss. I didn't even know what came over me, why I was doing this when I was pretty sure that I hated him, how I could bring myself to kiss someone who had done so many bad things to me, someone that I resented from the inside out. But I somehow managed it all the same because something told me that it was my best shot at saving them.

I felt the heat in his arm, the current, the fire in his palm—it was getting dim and also getting bright again. That sent shivers through me; he was uncertain. I was stolen right now, my eyes widened as I started thinking. Even now, he wasn't quite sure what he wanted to do. I wasn't sure myself what I was achieving by this, but I somehow felt like maybe I was on the road to something.