Incubus [malexmale]

Chapter Forty

Chapter Forty (Killian)

 I did it again.

I knew the moment I walked out that I hurt him again. Why did this keep happening? Why did I keep doing this to him? How? Would just not talking to him altogether be soothing to him? I had thought that for a split second, Alexius was about to give in and come back, but he cringed like he couldn't stand having me near him, so I gave up. Part of me wanted to try again as soon as I got back, but I had a feeling that Alexius would be hiding from me in one of the many places in Erini.

I sighed, frustrated as I ran my hand through my hair, walking through the thick jungle of Xolun. It was a sharp change between the temperate climate if Erini and the tropical climate of Xolun. The air was thicker, hotter, heavier. Water vapors hung in the air as a light fog that twisted and turned through the woods as a sheet. Bugs chattered and chirped, joining the birds that flew through the canopy. The monkeys had returned, bouncing on branches and talking to each other. A few rodents shot through the bushes, hiding as I walked past, breathing hard as sweat rolled down from my temples, hair sticking to my cheeks.

I had reappeared to our abandoned camp to find that someone had destroyed the tent. It had been torn apart, ravaged. Without a doubt, it had to Lothos. It looked like his handy work and no one else wanted Alexius that bad. Well, I did, but in a different sense of the word. At least, I hoped so.

I shook that thought out of my head. No point in fretting about that now. I had to focus on the task at hand, which was going to be far more difficult than Alexius thought.

Zenliu was extremely overprotective of his sons apparently and would be both angry and heartbroken to know that his sons would only be safe in the one place he couldn't reach them. Erini was meant for cambions, and while it was fine for friends and family to visit, it wasn't an emergency shelter realm. In fact, the only reason Ana, Remi, and Nico can go in and out is because I'm giving them permission. Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to find Erini.

Zenliu wouldn't even be able to go with his sons. Neither would Telulu, who would also be upset to know that her children would be leaving her.

This was definitely going to be hard.

I could check this down as possibly the greatest day of my life-- speaking this heavily with sarcasm, enough to drown the universe.

A voice shouted out to me and I instantly stopped, resting my hand on my sword holster until a figure stepped from the trees. It was one of Zenliu's men, wearing a tanned loincloth that was fringed in silver coins that jingled when he walked.

"Killian." He stated. I nodded. The man turned and brought a hand to his mouth, making a sound that resembled a bird's call. We waited in silence until there were footsteps and two more men stepped into the clearing, one being Keltzu. He looked surprised to see me.

"That was fast." He commented. I smiled lightly.

"Actually, I've come on an emergency. I need you to take me to your parents. Is Zen back at the village?" I asked. Keltzu nodded, flipping his spear around so the point was dug into the soil. He gestured with his head for me to follow and I obeyed. One of his men took up the rear, watching me wearily and the other two remained silent and stoic like a couple of robots.

"So what's this emergency about? Is Alexius all right?" He asked, walking beside me and glancing up at me. I nodded, glancing around through the trees. I could feel a strange chill creeping up my spine and I just hoped it came from the thick fog and not danger. I listened carefully for an extra heartbeat, but I only picked up on the four around me, blood rushing through their veins. The other three were definitely annoyed with my presence, but Keltzu seemed rather calm, though his heart did skip a beat when he mentioned Alexius, signalling his worry.