Warning: This chapter also has a little description of violence and gore.
[Stephanie]
"Pat, there's no cliff here. How do you want to play yo-yo with him?" I asked.
Patrick swung his arm upward, and Carl floated into the sky. He moved Carl over to the burning house.
The heat of the flames made Carl cry out as he tore his heart out. His eyebrows, hair, and skin were charred.
"Please, kill me. Let me die," Carl begged, breathing heavily.
Not satisfied that Carl had surrendered so quickly, Patrick raised his left hand to restore Carl's charred skin. I realized Patrick had the magical power to heal and control others' bodies.
"Steph, don't you think this bastard's screams are very pleasurable?" Patrick's eyes never left Carl hanging in mid-air as he continued to restore Carl's wounds and then watched him burn in flames.
Strangely enough, those fake sweet experiences with Carl in the last life were disappearing gradually. In their place was the thrill of revenge. It was quickly overwhelming even the little pity I felt for Carl, who was suffering at the moment.
"Yes! I want to hear him scream louder. Pat, bring him back." I nodded my head.
Patrick thoughtfully restored Carl's appearance for me. His handsome face was contorting from the pain.
That face only made me feel sick now. I lifted my foot and stomped on his face until his features were unrecognizable. He could no longer make a sound but could only be judged by his heaving chest that he was still alive. Yet this was not enough. I wanted to break his hands as well.
"Stop it, you two."
As Patrick and I were stomping on Carl's arm left and right, I heard an extraordinary voice.
We both ignored the voice and continued to enjoy admiring the misery of our enemy beneath our feet.
"Steph, that's enough." It was the deep voice that I would never forget.
I stopped my movement and turned around to find Arthur... and the woman standing next to him in the red hooded cloak. She was about two inches shorter than me; her scarlet curls fell across her chest. Other than that, I couldn't see her face. Was she Arthur's Emily or the trustworthy friend?
"Patrick, stop your revenge at once. You can't keep torturing his soul." The woman said loudly.
Patrick continued his abuse of Carl as if he hadn't heard at all, lost in his vengeance.
Why is this woman trying to stop Patrick and me from getting our revenge? Who does she think she is? And, why is she standing by Arthur's side? I'm the one who is Arthur's mate.
Jealousy of this woman quickly consumed my hatred for Carl. I made another bloody rope with my hand, intending to tie up the annoying red woman and take off her hood to see who she was.
But the rope was caught by Arthur. He was protecting the woman? My eyes widened in disbelief. He was working against me? Was he going to betray me? Was I going to be betrayed by my mate again?
"Why are you betraying me!?" I yelled at Arthur.
Several more bloody daggers appeared around me, and they were aiming at Arthur.
[No, you can't kill Arthur. He saved you.] part of me didn't want to hurt him.
[Kill him! He showed up with another woman in front of you. If you don't kill him, he'll kill you.] Another man's voice suddenly popped up in my head, urging me to kill Arthur.
In the few seconds, I struggled with whether to kill Arthur, Arthur had walked up to me. He cupped my face, and it was concern in his eyes.
"Steph, I didn't betray you. Look, you've done enough of that." Arthur looked into my eyes directly, but his voice revealed that he was strained.
At that moment, the woman in the red cloak had moved to Patrick's side with speed I couldn't detect. She wrapped her arms around Patrick's body, preventing him from continuing to hurt the disfigured Carl.
Patrick struggled and screamed in the woman's arms, even though he was not hurting the woman.
Realizing my brother was caught, I grabbed Arthur's wrist and tried to break free to save Patrick. I would never ever let anyone hurt him!
"Patrick is safe. Steph, look at me!" Arthur's strength was so strong that I didn't break free. He wouldn't allow me to be distracted, forcing me to keep staring at him.
"You've let hatred cloud your sanity and conscience. Don't let those damned negative emotions and evil forces take control of your mind. Don't lose yourself!" He said.
"No! You don't know what Patrick and I went through! Pat was only 17 years old when he died. He hadn't even shifted yet when those two scum killed him. They poisoned him to murder him. And he went through their torture before he died. In this life, he was poisoned again by those demons. I still haven't protected him." I yelled at Arthur.
My hand was hitting his arm, but he still didn't let go of me, choosing to embrace me instead.
"I'm sorry you and Patrick went through those things. But all of those are in your past. You're not dead, and Patrick is alive."
His deep voice rang in my ears. My struggles had no effect on him at all. He would only use his palms to rub my hair and back to soothe my anger and upset.
However, at some point, there was a dagger in my hand.
[Kill him! If you don't kill him, he will kill you. Mate is not trustworthy.] The man's voice popped up in my head again.
"I know your past has struck you hard. But please, don't suffer this pain alone. I came here for you. Let me share all your pain. You are my Luna, and you must not be defeated by your past experiences. I will always be there for you." And he continued to comfort and encourage me.
[Kill him. Kill him. Kill him.] The words that were like a magic spell kept repeating in my head.
[No! Don't kill him. Don't do that!] The voice from part of me was still fighting against that strange voice.
My hand uncontrollably raised the bloody dagger emitting black aura and aimed at the spot on Arthur's back where his heart was.
"No, Steph, don't do that. Arthur, release her!" someone was speaking to me, and she was still reminding Arthur to let go of me.
[Steph, you don't want to kill Arthur! You can't allow anyone to control your mind]. The voice from part of me was getting louder.
[No! He's lying! You must kill him. Just stab down, and no one can hurt you or your brother anymore.] There it was again, that evil voice.
My right hand with the dagger was trembling as I clenched my teeth, forcing my left hand to protect Arthur's heart. I was trying to fight the horrible voice that was controlling my mind.
"Steph, do you remember the third thing you promised me, Be yourself," Arthur's soft lips sweep over my ear.
"I believe you, my luna."
After Arthur said that, a warm wave ran through my limbs.
[Go away! You evil voice!] I overcame the evil voice that tried to manipulate me.
The sharp end of the dagger stopped an inch in front of the skin on my left hand's back. I clenched my fist and managed to retrieve the bloody dagger.
"Art!" I called him.
Arthur finally released me in relief. I gazed at his face as if I was seeing him for the first time.
If there was something more sacred and beautiful than the light of the full moon, I thought I had found it in Arthur's eyes. The tears in his eyes seemed to turn into stars in the night sky, reflecting a light full of pure love. It dispelled the darkness inside me and made his whole soul dance in this purity.
"Oh~ sad! Just inch away, I would have obtained the most perfect soul."
The voice was exactly the same as the one that tried to manipulate me earlier.
I looked up, searching for the voice source, and found a man in a black hooded cloak floating directly above us.