Chapter 30: Crushed

KIX:

The wound was deep – this much I’m sure. I heard the knife go through his flesh, or at least at something solid underneath his shirt, yet why was there not a single drop of blood?

Even the smell of blood was absent… Why would that be?...

I started to growl at Liam.

‘Get away, Jade,’ I snarled in Riley’s form. ‘Get away from that creature!’

Whatever Liam was, he definitely wasn’t human. No wonder he smelled like a rat to me!

The two of them ignored me, however. Liam was still firmly clasping my mate’s shoulders.

“Jade, Jade, listen to me… You don’t need to call a doctor…”

Before Jade could start panicking again, the rat wounded his hand over the knife’s handle and pulled it out of his stomach.

“W-What?!” Both Jade and I were stunned beyond belief.

“Look, it didn’t hit anything. I was wearing a really thick undershirt beneath this. I wasn’t wounded at all.”

Out of relief, Jade’s legs gave way. She grabbed into a chair for support, and before she had completely collapsed, that blasted boy wrapped his arms around Jade’s waist and knees and carried her into the bed.

I could feel the pangs of jealousy rising through my chest, but I kept it at bay. He had no right to touch Jade, yet she needed his support. I trailed closely beside him as he carried her effortlessly in his arms.

I could see my mate still trembling in fear after what she just witnessed. Poor Jade… Memories of what had happened between us four years ago must have come crashing down on her when she saw Liam earlier.

He laid her in bed. She was still shivering visibly from fright. As soon as her body hit the mattress, she started to cover her face and weep openly.

“Hey, Jade, I’m alright, see?… Don’t cry… I’m alright,” that rascal boy said.

“I-I’m sorry… I didn’t mean it, I’m sorry… I-I didn’t want to h-hurt you…”

I watched as he hugged Jade. She kept on mumbling that she was sorry in his back, but why do I feel that her stares were directed at me and not at Liam?

After a while, his hug was still tight. I made it my job to break their overdue skin-to-skin contact by coming in between them and resting fully on my mate’s lap.

“Hey, are you trying to comfort me too? Thank you,” she said as she stroked my furry back.

I wanted to tell Jade it was alright… Everything was alright. I turned out okay back then. It wasn’t her fault…

“Um, are you sure everything is good? Can I see your stomach,” Jade asked the rat after calming down a bit.

I immediately let out a quiet growl of protest. Jade wounded her arms around my neck and hugged me tighter.

“You don’t need to do that. It’s alright. No need to worry,” the rat responded, smiling pleasantly.

I looked intently at his stomach area. It didn’t look like he was wearing any additional undershirt at all beneath his white t-shirt, but whatever! I won’t tolerate him showing his nasty body to my mate even if he had actually bled to death in front of us now.

“Let’s postpone working on the research paper until tomorrow. Just rest up for a bit today.”

“Yes, I think that’s a good idea,” Jade weakly said.

My mate walked the rat over her door. Before he turned the knob to exit, Liam spun around as if remembering something.

“We still have the rest of the weekend to work on it, right? Let’s do the work till Saturday evening then.”

“Uh, Saturday? Um, I have something to do by evening time, so I think it’ll be hard to finish it all up by then…”

The rat’s eyebrows went up, slightly surprised. “You have… a date with someone?”

“N-No, it’s not a date! I-I was invited to a ball at school. I owe something to a friend, so I needed to go…”

Jade was a really terrible liar. The way that she turned red totally gave away the idea that she’s covering up for something.

Well, it’s either that or it could mean that she didn’t think of me as a mere friend, and our meeting on Saturday is going to be beyond friendly…

The stinky rat was too quick to catch on it. “Jade, I know I have no right to ask you… Could you not go?”

“What? B-But, why?...”

“That ball you’re planning to attend – it’s the Annual Psychology Society Ball, right? Are you coming there with Kix?”

“How did you -?”

“It’s very easy to read what’s on your mind, Jade… Very easy… So easy that it hurts me whenever you think of Kix…”

“Liam, w-what do you mean?”

“I’m sorry. I know I’m not your real boyfriend yet, but I can’t help it… I can’t help but feel extremely jealous.”

Before Jade could move out of the way and protect herself from what was to come, he sneakily curled his arm around Jade’s waist, and he gave her a full kiss on the lips.

At that point, I seemed to have lost my sanity. Fueled by rage, I pounced with all my might against the sneaky pest!

I didn’t know if I was just plain fat or if I was out of practice or both, but that rat was able to dodge my attack.

My body slammed violently against the door, creating a noisy thud.

I wasn’t physically hurt, but I admit that my pride had taken a hit. I kept wondering how that boy was able to turn the door knob, open it, and slam it shut while I was on the verge of an attack.

Was I just not fast enough? Had I gone weak?

“Kix, Kix, are you alright,” Jade said, kneeling towards me.

For a second, I hallucinated that maybe Jade was just acting from the very start. Maybe she does remember what Riley’s form looked like…

“Kix, d-do you need a vet?”

I whimpered more due to emotional pain rather than a physical one. How can my Jade not recognize me? More importantly, how can she let somebody kiss her so passionately like that?

If I had been a better boyfriend to her, if we didn’t have to separate from each other four years ago, then I didn’t have to witness the horrible sight of another man kissing my mate…

My blood was positively boiling. That rat was really something else! I’m sure he will never let Jade come with me on the ball this Saturday. I’m sure he’ll cook up some silly antics to snatch her away!

Ashamed that I couldn’t even hurt a puny rat and crushed beyond belief to see the girl of my dreams being desired by someone else, I turned away from Jade and squeezed myself away from the opening of the balcony. I ran away from her on that night.

“You rat,” I growled in the dead of the night in Riley’s voice, “you’ll never win against me! Jade is mine! I won’t let you take her from me twice!”

No matter what, I’ll make sure Jade accepts me again at the ball. This time, no matter what happens, I won’t let go of her hand. Not ever.