76

After the SUV was no longer in sight, it was only a few minutes before fear and panic took hold of me again. The security that Killian used to give me was gone with him, as were Resul and Damiano.

As if in a trance, I stared out the window, taking in the wind and rain and also individual people armed with umbrellas walking around the streets below. I didn't know why I was still staring out the window, but I guess it was that little spark of hope inside me that thought the SUV was coming back. But with every minute that passed, I lost faith in it and so I had to accept my fate.

I carefully placed my hand on his mark and tried to at least be with him in my thoughts. It didn't hurt at all and even radiated a bit of his warmth, which brought a smile to my face, but it quickly disappeared.

"I see we're alone now."

I looked over at the front door to see a beaming Caleb putting his umbrella on a stand.

My heart was pounding in my throat and aching with fear as I stood rooted to the spot, unable to move. This whole atmosphere reminded me of the night of the ball, but this time nobody would come to my rescue.

As he slowly walked toward me, I avoided his gaze and looked outside again until I felt his hand on my mark and winced. I looked at his grinning face in confusion and if I had been just a little braver I would have definitely punched him. Just for his insidious nature.

"I'll put some tea on for us," he said quietly and squeezed my shoulder so hard that a soft whimper escaped my lips, because it hurt and that's what he probably wanted to aim for with his handshake. When he finally turned away from me and walked briskly towards the kitchen, a cruel thought struck me that spread like a virus and consumed everything in my mind.

Poison Wide

-eyed, I turned cautiously and watched him, his back to me, set out two cups and turned on the kettle while whistling softly to himself and bobbing his whole body. Feeling like I was in a badly made psychological thriller, I tried to imagine how the victim would behave in such a film and then looked over at the front door to calculate how long it would take me and if he could catch me.

Hearing his footsteps coming my way, without a second thought, I ran and threw open the front door in a panic, then ran down the hill without looking back. Even after quite a few streets I didn't dare to stop, he could be after me, that was my driving thought.

I passed the park again, where people had barbecued and laughed days before, but nobody was here that day. Who would voluntarily expose themselves to this storm.

As my stamina slowly gave out, I turned into a small side street that had nothing to offer except three houses and a cul-de-sac. Powerless and out of breath, I sat down on the cold curb and tried to calm down. I felt lost and wanted to collapse and I probably would have if my guardian angel hadn't shown up.

"Girl, what are you doing here?! Come with me. I live right up front," said a familiar voice and when I looked up, I saw straight into Noah's worried face. He threw his cane aside and held out a helping hand, which I silently accepted and let him help me to my feet, only to be pulled protectively under his yellow umbrella.

No one said a word as we walked towards the little house at the back. The only sound was the rain hitting the asphalt and the wind blowing through the trees. Arriving at the house, he unlocked the door and politely let me go first.

The hallway was narrow and dark, as there seemed to be only one lamp, which also gave off little light. I looked to the right through a large archway into an old-fashioned living room. There wasn't much to discover as it seemed that Noah really didn't have much money. A long red sofa, an old table and a dark green armchair, that was all I could see from here. Just as I was about to look around the hallway, Noah gently pushed me straight ahead to the top of a narrow flight of stairs.

"Wait here. I'll bring you towels and make tea."

After he disappeared into a small room, I dropped my face into my hands. This was supposed to be a horrible joke. Again I was confronted with the situation in the packhouse, only this time I didn't think there would be poison in the tea. Stunned, I dropped my hands and waited for his return.

He came back excitedly and put clothes and towels in my hands, then without a word showed me the way to the bathroom.

I locked the door behind me and put everything on the edge of the sink to take a deep breath. My whole body was shaking and I wasn't sure if it was from the cold or from fear. I changed my clothes in a daze and then looked at myself in the mirror.

My face had changed. Worry lines lay on my forehead and the colors of my eyes were no longer bright. They looked cold and there was no hope left in them. His mark was the only thing that looked warm and it was the only reason I didn't give up and keep enduring this madness.

Back in the living room, Noah was sitting on the sofa and there was already a cup of warm chamomile tea for me in front of the green armchair. As I sat down with his baggy brown clothes, I noticed another fireplace in the back corner of the room and right in front of me was a small door behind a curtain that seemed to lead to the garden.

"Would you like to talk about what happened?" Noah drew my attention back. I looked at him thoughtfully, not knowing how much I could trust him. While he struck me as an honest, good person, Killian had said otherwise.

I was breathing heavily, and the thought that Caleb might do something to him, too, suddenly crossed my mind. This suit-wearing bastard had no qualms about anything or anyone anyway. I wouldn't even put it past him to poison an entire pack just to destroy me half-breed.

"If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine too. But please have a sip of warm tea. You need to warm up, girl, you're shaking all over."

Exhausted, I took the cup that Noah handed me with a smile and then took a large sip, which immediately warmed me up and made me feel safe.

"Is it because of the tag?" Noah asked, curious but not intrusive. My smell must have given him the idea, because it took up the whole room and you couldn't smell anything else but the sweet scent that rose from every pore of me.

"No. The mark is the best thing that has ever happened to me. It's just that his father doesn't accept me at his son's side."

I had told him the essentials in a nutshell and then looked ashamed at the floor. I didn't want to go into detail and involve him because I wasn't going to put anyone else in danger after not only Killian and I but Resul almost got hurt on the beach.

"Yeah, I knew right away that Caleb wouldn't accept you when you asked me for some change days ago," he informed me and I stared at him in irritation.

"And why?" I wanted to know and looked at him questioningly.

"Well, he's just Caleb and he doesn't tolerate mixed races, even less than everyone else," he explained calmly, taking a sip from his cup.

I caught my breath and suddenly my hands were shaking so badly that I accidentally scalded them with the hot tea. I wanted to get up in a panic and just run away, but Noah grabbed my arm and made me sit there, frozen in the chair.

"Calm down. I'm not Caleb and I don't intend to tell anyone about this or have you cast out," he said soothingly, but my heart was beating against my chest with full force, so that my ribs were already starting to hurt. I could only breathe shallowly and even my stomach tightened painfully. I was looking for a connection between Caleb and Noah, because I was sure I was trapped and soon Noah would hand me over to end my existence.

I yanked my arm out of his hand and got up frantically, but before I could even take a step, I felt terribly dizzy.

"What did you put in my tea?" I breathed, noticing that my legs gave out and I fell back into the chair until only darkness surrounded me.