"Kayden, please!" I plead again.
He slowly turns to face me cupping my left cheek.
"Zelda, come what may, I can't leave you here." He says with a voice laced with affection.
"No, you can! And you will. I'll be fine." I say slowly prying away his hands from my face.
He opens his mouth to speak but rather blood trickles down. Going limp, he falls into my arms.
I gasp still in shock of what happened.
"Kay- Kayden. Kayden!" I call in a shaky voice holding him.
"Kayden, what's…" I say but leave my sentence hanging when I see the blood stain on his clothes. Slowly I move my hands to his back to find a sword pierced through him. I gape in surprise lifting my gaze slowly to find a different Aidan.
His fangs are more lengthened and sharp, and his eyes are bloodshot with red and green tiny veins spread below them.
I let out a shudder as he slowly approaches me.
"Zelda?" He calls. He tilts his head slowly when he receives no answer. He's definitely not the Aidan I know, his behavior is exactly like that of a maniac right now.
My thoughts are interrupted with Kayden who coughs frantically spluttering out more blood. This goes on for a while till he becomes still. My knees go limp as I slowly sit on the floor holding Kayden in my arms. I reach for the sword at his back and forcefully pulling it out, drop it on the floor.
"Kayden, no! Please don't… please don't… please don't." I quiver shaking his body.
"Zelda, don't…" Aidan says in his usual maniac way slowly approaching me as his eyes slowly turn into pitch black.
I suddenly grab Kayden's palms which feels cold in my touch.
"No! No! Nooooo!" I scream in a shrill voice different from mine holding Kayden's body tightly in my embrace.
Slowly, I collapse and lose consciousness.
******
AIDAN'S CHAMBER
I open my eyes to the familiar scent and feeling of Aidan's chamber. Feeling a cool sensation on my forehead, I squirm in discomfort.
I hear a gasp as suddenly the door opens and closes at once.
Whoever it may be just left the room, and I grip the blankets to get a good balance to sit down. I groan in pain as my body aches while I try to sit, I wonder how long I must've been in the same position.
Finally, I get a good and comfortable sitting position just as the door opens to Aine and Aidan rushing in. Aine rushes to my side to hold my palm, I open my mouth to speak but couldn't as my throat feels parched.
Noticing the situation, Aine grabs a jug placed on the side table and pours out some water into a glass handing it to me.
I try to lift my hands to take the glass but couldn't, feeling extremely weak. She shifts closer to me, placing the glass closer to my lips, tilts it to let the contents into my mouth. My lips even feels heavy to pry open but I mange to do so and gulp down the water leaving some trickling down.
With the glass contents finished, she gestures if I would like to have another but I shake my head in the negative.
Feeling a sudden surge of strength I ask in a coarse voice, "How many hours did I pass out for?"
Aine widens her eyes and stares at me incredulously like I just said a joke or something.
"Zelda you- you were unconscious for four days." She says.
I gape at her.
"You were br…." She begins but is cut off by Aidan who has been standing in a corner all the while.
"That would be all Aine. You can leave." He says in a cold voice with his hands folded across his chest.
Aine mutters an 'Okay', gives me a quick smile and leaves shutting the door.
Left alone with him he stares at me intently while I shift my gaze to my right avoiding his. I hear some footsteps as the bed dips.
"Zelda." He calls but ignoring him completely I fixate my gaze to my right staring at nothing in particular.
I don't wish to speak to him recalling the events that happened few days ago, the shocking discovery of him being intimate with his mistress while toying around with my feelings and him striking Kayden with a sword. That's right, Kayden! Where is he? Is he... Is he dead? No, I shake away the thought from my head at the obvious truth.
"Zelda." He calls again while slowly grabbing my jaw to his direction. I meet his intense stare as his hands moves upward to cup my cheek but I feel repulsed at his touch.
"Aidan, don't." I manage to say.
"Don't?" He scoffs and tightens his hold on me.
"You killed him, Aidan. Someone I grew up to share my whole life with… you killed him. Someone I envisaged a future with."
"Zelda, I dare you to repeat that." He says in a cold menacing voice.
I shudder as I look at his eyes turned into slits now. I gulp and look away.
He scoffs, "I killed him? Yes, and you brought him back to life, isn't that awesome?"
My eyes widen in surprise as I shift my gaze to him.
"Ohhh, don't be surprised a bit about it. We both know about your powers, which is triggered by your emotions and wishes, don't we?" He asks.
I gulp feeling my throat feel parched again.
"Tsk tsk tsk. Zelda, what have you done?" He says standing up slowly. I shudder at his voice now, I've never got to notice this version of Aidan before.
"Where is he? Kayden. Where is he?" I ask.
He scoffs walks to the window, places his hands in his pocket and looks out.
"He escaped." He says.
"Escaped?" I ask in bewilderment. How could Kayden escape on his own under Aidan's watch. I silently pray he's okay.
"Yes. Escaped." He says while slowly walking back to me. He walks to the bedposts and stands still in the same position of hands in pockets.
"Shocking right? Would you love to know how he managed to do so? Yeah! So while you raised him back to life exhausting your powers and losing consciousness, he regained his and wanted to walk away with you, more like disappearing.
I caught him onto it, and after a few minutes of tussle which he gave up, probably he was still weak, he disappeared but not without a promise of coming back to take you with him.
Now, I've been wondering..." He says walking around to my right to sit closely beside me.
"I've been wondering, how he was able to disappear, till it suddenly dawned on me that he isn't from Balcroft. He's from Gilmorsh. Am I right, Griselda?"
I open my mouth to speak but find it difficult to. Kayden has abilities and he is from Gilmorsh? I can't comprehend it.
Studying my facial expression, Aidan spoke again, "You seem to be oblivious to it as well but the fact is, Zelda only the Gilmorsh are known to possess such magical abilities like you and Kayden."
I gape at Aidan at the shocking discovery.