Chapter 12 The eye color
Rex/Zeev
There had been no news of the fire in Teran. We hardly ever got news from that side in Aetheria unless there was an informant. And that informant was me. I would return to Teran tomorrow, and that would be the only time I would get news of the incident and know if those people were working toward something—which I knew they were.
A knock sounded on my door as I prepared to sleep. I moved to the door and glanced through the peephole. I stood there for a moment, debating if I wanted to let her in.
Xanthe.
I really didn’t want any disturbance tonight, but I couldn’t leave her standing there. She was my girlfriend, and her father was the beta of this kingdom.
There was a time I’d heard rumors that she was going to marry me. I didn’t know if the rumors were started by her or her father. He had wanted that for a long time. He even went as far as kissing my father’s ass because he wanted me to marry his daughter. My father told me that. Marriage wasn’t a thing on my list, and I had to tell her that in case she was holding on to the hope that I would marry her someday. Even if I wanted to marry, she wouldn’t be the one I married.
I opened the door and stepped to the side. She entered, glanced around the room like she was looking for something, then turned to me.
“You’ve been excluding me from everything, Zeev.” She moved to sit next to me.
Great. I didn’t have it in me to deal with her complaints tonight.
“I haven’t been excluding you from anything, Xanthe. You know my mission is a secret, and not just anybody can know about it.”
I wanted to add including you, but she took the words right out of my mouth.
She glared at me. “Oh, so I’m anybody, Zeev? Anybody? I’m just a nobody to you.” She started whining, and I couldn’t let her take it far because she would go on like that all night.
“Come on, Xanthe. I didn’t mean it like that. You’re my girlfriend, and you know that.”
I pulled her close and rested her head against my chest.
“I know that, Zeev. But I just want you to tell me everything… to make me feel included.”
My hands met her cheeks. I lifted her head so she could look at me. “You’re always included.”
My lips met hers. A light kiss turned into a deep, heated one. We didn’t waste time taking off our clothes, and before long, I was buried deep inside her. Her moans filled the room.
We did it again the next morning before I headed off to Teran.
One thing I noticed about the weather here was that it rained almost all the time. It was like you needed the right connections just to see sunlight.
I drove into the parking lot and parked my car. After locking it, I took my bag and walked inside. My steps slowed as I noticed students standing together, talking like something horrible had happened.
“I don’t know what the government is planning to do, but I heard it’ll be something really dangerous.”
What was this about?
“Luckily, the fire was stopped before it could reach the building.”
Okay. Now I understood. Xylos. News about the fire must have broken out.
I didn’t have any class with them today. I went to my office where I needed to sign the worksheet to show that I had been present. I had forgotten to fill it in last Friday. Their education system here was so different from ours. We didn’t care about signing these things. If you were present, then you were. If you were absent, it would be known—and you were paid regardless.
I opened the office door and settled in. I checked the desk and brought out the book I needed to sign.
With the book in my hand, my phone chimed on the desk. I picked it up to a message from Xanthe.
"I wanted to ask if I could visit you in Teran under disguise. Pleassssss."
I shook my head, dropped the worksheet on the desk, and leaned back in my chair. She only ever asked for what I couldn’t give her.
"You can’t. It’s dangerous."
"That’s why I said I’d come under disguise."
She was never going to listen. I had to give her something to calm her down.
"Okay. I’ll think about it and get back to you."
I put the phone aside and filled out the worksheet. My back arched forward when I felt crawling pain. It started small, then spread through my colon. I shut my eyes and stood up. My knuckles tightened into fists as I pressed them against the desk, trying to endure the pain. This didn’t need to happen here. I should’ve been home.
I stepped away from the chair to reach the door, but it felt like something heavy crashed onto my back. My knees buckled and I collapsed onto the floor.
The door flung open at the same time.
Naomi stood there, eyes wide, hands covering her mouth.
“Mr. Rex!” She looked frozen, blinking rapidly like she was still trying to understand what she was seeing.
“You shouldn’t be here, Naomi. You need to leave,” I urged. She shook her head and stepped toward me.
This had always been one of the worst phases in my life—one I always wanted to endure alone—but she was coming closer instead of running out.
“Let me call someone. You look pale. You have to go to the hospital.”
Her hands reached out to touch me. I moved away.
“Leave. And don’t call anyone.”
Her hand reached my shoulder, roaming over me like she was searching for where I was hurt. She stopped when she reached my back. Our eyes locked, and in that moment, I felt a coldness sweep down my spine, like a blast of icy air had been directed at it. Then—there was no pain.
“Naomi…” I called, wanting to ask what she had done, if she knew what she had done, but I stopped when I saw the look in her eyes. It was like anything I had. A shade between silver and red. I couldn't tell what the two mixtures were, but I was sure of the colors.