Shadows of Revelation

Blaire:

I sat quietly, hugging my knees to my chest, not helping the feeling that washed over me because, for a while, I had been feeling uncomfortable.

Unlike before, when I felt like someone was watching me, I only felt mild discomfort, but this time around, what I could feel was an eerie aura, and it made the hairs on the part of my skin that the gaze was burned into.

I turned, but there was no one there. I shifted uncomfortably, wondering if I was beginning to lose my mind. I bit my lip, shaking my head a little to calm myself down. My heart was palpitating, and I subconsciously found myself shifting closer towards Jax.

I felt like I was being stalked by two different beings, or perhaps I was just imagining things. I felt Jax's arms around me, but I couldn't hear anything he was saying because, for some reason, I couldn't look away from the tree-covered path I was staring at.

I felt something move and gasped, immediately drawing closer to Jax, clutching onto his shoulders.

"Are you okay? Is something wrong? You've been staring at that spot for quite some time now." Jax's soft voice came as he caressed my cheek while he looked over my shoulders at the same spot I was looking at.

"Blaire, are you alright?" He asked again, his refined accent wafting through my ears and the worry in his voice making me look up at him.

I noticed our closeness and immediately drew back, clearing my throat and tucking my strands behind both my ears. I blew out an air of anxiety and nodded.

Jax placed me under his scrutiny, reading my every movement. He obviously knew something was going on with me but was contemplating probing further.

"You looked so startled, Blaire... You can tell me if something is wrong. Please?" The softness in those heterochromic eyes made my cheeks blush.

I never really understood why he always looked at me with such admiration. It puzzled me because only Sinclair used to look at me like that. London never looks at me like that; rather, his gaze was rather predatory and filled with such intensity that it was inclined towards something that was beyond me.

Peeking at the gentle-looking man through my lashes, I fiddled with my fingers a little, wondering if I should actually ask him the question that sat on my mind.

"Something else the matter?" He tilted his head at my flushed face, eyeing my cheeks.

"N-no. It's just that..." I turned to him, "why do you always look at me like that?"

He looked taken aback, his brows lifting above his forehead a little while he blinked at me. His brows furrowed in confusion as he asked, "How do you mean?"

His gaze never left my frame, and I found myself growing more self-conscious around him. I squirmed a little before looking away. I eyed the open space, hearing birds chirp before turning to him, "like that."

His eyes glinted before they crinkled, his lips lifting to shoot me a full-blown laugh that actually made me smile. He was very handsome and looked so adorable, but I knew he was far from adorable. His aura was almost on par with London's, and that said a lot. Nevertheless, he had a really infectious laugh.

"You seriously amuse me. I do not look at you anyhow." He said

"Yes, you do. You're also very nice to me, and from your aura, I can tell you're very powerful, so why are you sitting out here, on the floor, talking to a commoner?" I asked.

His laugh faded, and so did his amusement. I wondered if my words had flipped a switch in his head because gone was the playfulness and replaced it was seriousness.

He reached out his hand to touch me, and I pulled away, suspicious about the sudden switch in countenance. His eyes softened, telling me he wasn't going to hurt me. I let him caress my cheek, unable to break away from the sharpness of his gaze.

"Don't ever talk about yourself like that. Everyone is equal in my eyes, yes. But I hold you on a higher pedestal. I have to admit that I'm very much attracted to you, and sitting here and basking in your company is very soothing to me. I do enjoy my decision to sit with you." He softly flashed me a small smile.

I chuckled, thinking he was bluffing, but nothing about his expression said otherwise, and that was when it dawned on me that he was actually serious.

I scooted away from him, and he looked confused, turning back to see if something was scaring me from behind him or something. He turned to me, tilting his head at me.

"Is something wrong?" His eyes widened as if something had registered in his head, and he gently looked at me slowly, his white hair encasing his face as he bit on his lower lip, hurt flashing in his eyes. "I made you uncomfortable, didn't I?"

I couldn't exactly answer his question, but from my silence and how I looked away from him, he figured it out.

"Oh. Perhaps I was too forward." He gave me a little smile, but I still feel the hurt coming from him.

He cleared his throat and looked at me, the same softness existing in them. He gently began pulling himself to his feet, dusting himself. I stared at him, hating how downcast his aura was even though he was trying to control it.

"Jax, what are you doing?" I asked, though it was obvious.

He turned to me, tucking his hair behind his ears. He lowered himself to my level, wanting to reach for my hair but deciding against it.

He drew away from me abruptly before turning to leave.

"Wait, please. Why are you leaving?" I asked, afraid to be alone.

"I would not like to make you uncomfortable any longer. I honestly had no idea what I was thinking  anyway."He said it sweetly.

"No, that doesn't mean you should leave." I argued.

"I'm afraid I can't stay. I hope you understand." He sounded every bit dejected but was trying to hide it.

"Evidentemente eri di qualcun altro, avrei dovuto rispettarlo fin dall'inizio." I heard him mutter, and my brows furrowed in confusion because I didn't understand what he said, but how he said it broke my heart.

He smiled to himself before clearing his throat and regaining his composure. He flitted his eyes around before closing them and taking a deep inhale. "I apologize for my misconduct. Do forgive me."

I felt bad for hurting him, and I honestly didn't mean he'd leave. It was just that his confession came so suddenly that I didn't know how to react.

"Jax… I didn't mean it like that… I–" the words got stuck in my throat as I suddenly didn't know what to say.

I stilled when that eerie feeling came again. I turned to glance at the path of trees before turning to find Jax peering at me through squinted eyes.

"You should not stay here any further if you feel threatened." He said.

I watched him begin leaving, biting onto my lips as I wondered how else I could have handled the situation.

"Evidentemente eri di qualcun altro, avrei dovuto rispettarlo fin dall'inizio." He had said.

What on earth did that even mean?

"Blaire, you need to leave now... There's something lurking in the shadows. And I do not like it one bit." Hera's low growl had me rushing to my knees.

I frantically searched around, trying to spot whatever it was that was stalking me.

"Blaire, run now." Hera growled again, howling in warning.

I wanted to, but I suddenly felt frozen. I couldn't move my body. It was like I was rooted to the floor.

"I can't move. Hera, I can't move." I frantically called out to her but got no response.

"Hello? Hera? Say something." I shrieked.

I felt a certain darkness surrounding me, making me gulp. Fear gripped me to my bones, leaving me a trembling mess. I was afraid to move, scared of whatever was targeting me.

I could see Jax's figure's father away from me, and I called out to him. He paused, turning to me, only for his eyes to widen. He didn't need to say it; the look he gave me alone drove the point in, bringing tears to my eyes.

"Don't move!" He mouthed to me as he moved closer to me.

"I-I can't." I said in-between a sob.

I felt a presence behind me and clamped my eyes shut when I felt an awfully cold hand curve around my shoulder. The touch was enough to send dread traveling down my spine.

The being lowered himself, making it obvious that he was sniffing my hair. I felt goose-pimples awakening on my skin at the terrifying cold accompanying his presence.

I gasped shakily when I felt a finger trail down my cheek, and I summoned enough courage to glance at it. My breath knocked out my chest as I found graying hands with blackened fingers housing untrimmed nails. What exactly was this that was touching me?

"Get away from her." Jax shouted, his eyes flashing gold, with elongated canines peeking through his lips.

He looked every bit monstrous, with ears growing pointy and a sharpened jawline. I could hear the sound of bones creaking and cracking, and his gaze darkened even more. His feet looked less than a human's, and his white hair began turning a shiny black.

His eyes turned white, making me gasp in fear. I knew Jax had an immense amount of monstrous energy, but right now, he looked nothing like the Jax I knew.

I heard a hollow exhale of breath, with shallow breathing following. The creature sniffed my hair again before his ghost-like breathing came again.

"Ofga es tes mehi Aras mel'h." The creature said, and I couldn't help the bile that rose to my throat at the stench that came from him.

I couldn't understand one word he said, and I doubted whether whatever he spoke was even a recognized language. It frightened me to see how his bones creaked as he raised his hand to stroke my hair.

"Let. Her. Go. I will not repeat myself again." Jax's voice was an octave lower.

I heard an airy chuckle come from the creature, or was it a wheeze? I couldn't exactly tell anymore. His hands lowered to run over my belly, and I felt immense pain attack my lower belly.

He inhaled sharply, "more than one?"

He was talking about my babies. What was he doing to them? Tears streamed down my cheeks.

"Step away from her!" Jax growled, making the ground shake.

"In due time…" the creature slowly began saying, "tell Fuyu, all in due time… I'd take what is mine, and then he'd be forced to make a choice..." His deathly voice rasped.

"What choice?" Jax squinted at me, extending his claws.

"Ofga es tes mehi Aras mel'h." The creature repeated itself again. "All in due time."

He chuckled again before vanishing, and I was suddenly able to move again.

Jax tried to hold me, but I moved away from him, visibly afraid of him. I didn't understand what was going on, but that thing clearly mentioned Fuyu's name. I didn't understand one word he said, but I couldn't shake off the feeling that I had somehow gotten roped into something that was far beyond my understanding.

I felt pain in my stomach, and I cried out, hunching over to grab my stomach at the intensity of the pain that gripped me. I took deep breaths, huffing and puffing as I attempted to control the pain, but I couldn't.

I cried out once again and tipped my head against a nearby tree as beads of sweat formed on my skin. Something was wrong.

"Jax… please… help." I cried out as the pain washed over me, draining me of my energy.

My vision was growing hazy, but I could still see Jax rushing to me. My knees gave out, and I landed in his arms. I felt something dripping down my legs and turned to Jax, "please save them."