Chapter 19: The Deal

I gasped and looked at it incredulously. Curiously. It was a human’s head dangling between his teeth yet—

I do not fear any sense of fear even when he draws closer. And closer.

Zarion went to the edge of the cliff, throwing the man’s head in the frozen waterfall. I only waited for the thud to echo to know that it landed.

I turned to him, face full of unexplainable emotions.“Oh God, why did you kill him?”

“Werewolves have no mercy, Cassidy. We can kill anyone who we think must die.” He emphasized the last word, nose flaring as if to warn me to stay back.

I did take a step backward.

“Okay then....” I took a deep breath and forced an exasperated smile at him. His eyes squinted because of my reaction. Does he really think I would still back out because of that? “There must be a reason why you killed that man.”

He didn’t reply, and it was enough for me to inch closer to know he calmed down. Or so I thought.

“I heard a girl’s scream earlier. That man was going to do something… bad… to her, right?” But he just stared at me with those unblinking eyes. I yielded another step towards him, raising my arms slowly… until my hand reached the tip of his head.

Zarion dodge his head when I was about to caress him. He growled. “Hush. It’s okay. You were doing God’s work.”

“We don’t believe in Gods, Cassidy.”

I stifle a small laugh. “Oh yeah?” It was a lie. I am goddamn lying before this wild creature. Hearing him mentioning God’s name even in my dreams, when we had sex…I swallowed my thirstiness to stop the crave from seeping in my bones further and smiled at him awkwardly. It was a good thing he couldn’t read what’s on my mind.

Can’t he really read my mind? I panicked. What if he can? What if he does?!

“It’s going to be risky, Cass. A human mated to our species will die in the process of rejecting a mate. Just… go back to your castle and take care of your grandma.”

I looked up at Zarion, traitorous tears tried to show my weak side. “I get to choose the life that I want, Zarion. And… I want this,” I said in a determined voice. “I shall not yield.”

Zarion’s jaw jerked towards me. Breathing heavily and looking at me with approving eyes, I almost shouted a big ‘Yes’. “We should consult a healer and ask if there’s a safe process to reject your mate.”

“Healer?” I asked, confused about the old-school word he used. “It’s something like a doctor, right?”

I nodded and smiled a little at him. “Do you know someone? Do you know a healer?”

“Of course. I have absolutely someone in my mind.”

“Great. Let’s see him—or her, then.”

Gliding away from him, I quickly walked past Zarion when he gripped my arms. “Wait.” My eyes burned at the placement of his hand and the pain emitted by his tight grip. “We have to make a deal about this.”

“Deal?” I then shifted on my heel and slowly brought my head in line with his gaze. Unfortunately, Zarion’s a six and more footer—always towering me. And that made my neck ache a little bit. “What’s the deal, Zarion?” I humbly asked.

“I will accompany you with this rejection of your mate. But after this, I’m going to stop seeing you. You will never see me again. Ever.”

My heart leaped for a second, bile rising up my throat. “Stop… seeing… me?”

“I don’t know if you remembered, Cassidy, but I’m on a quest to find someone to help me with my problem.”

“Was it about finding your mate and killing her, huh?”I scoffed, releasing a mirthless chuckle. My voice is getting aggressive thanks to his remarks. Zarion nodded, “Yes. I’m on a quest to find the witch who could help me find my mate because I seem to… I seem to not find her at all. She must’ve turned eighteen by now. Her scent must be strong enough to invade my senses so I can follow her scent but—”

“But what?”

“She’s nowhere to be found.” His hands curled into a fist. “ And I keep coming back to you.”

I stopped my mouth from falling open.

He’s talking about the scent. Was it the scent, like the scent in the human world, that he means? “Zarion, I also—”

He cut me off in an instant. “Hush. Let me finish first. If the witch wouldn’t tell me where my mate is, then I have to command her to put a curse on me.”

“Are you crazy? Why would you do that? What curse?!” It’s a miracle that me, bombarding him with questions, hasn't yet ripped into pieces by his lethal teeth.

“The witch has two options, Cassidy. One: it’s either she’s going to put a curse on me—and that is not about finding my true mate until I die. Two: she’s going to be dead if she doesn’t choose the first choice.” I don’t understand why that is a problem for him. I couldn’t understand what I’m feeling towards him—a mixture of anger and pity combusted within.

And I hope it remains that way.

Who the hell thinks this way?! He has been given the immunity to not die. Yet, he keeps on finding ways to curse his immortal life. It’s like he’s done with his life and no longer wants to continue living on. Another part of me says that maybe he acts this way because he has lived his life for a long time—specifically for a century and a year.

My voice got softer and gentler as I pronounced every word. “Why do you hate… to have a mate so much?”