Nefarious

C132 - Aberrated transformation

With my ridiculously shaking hands, I fiddled with the key, feeling it almost slip right out of my hands. Knowing Xylan was rushing to find me with the intention of killing made every action feel hopeless as though I was doomed to fail this. Of course, I knew Jace was going to try his best to stop him, but what if he's not strong enough...? I'm certainly not strong enough to take on Xylan by myself.

I wanted to feel calm, to manage the situation the way Alex supposedly would, but my body disagreed. Thankfully though, my adrenaline kicked in, assuring I made it to the car and inside without failing entirely. My head leaned back as I took a deep breath, preparing myself to drive straight from the passionate killer who was currently navigating his way right to me.

A nauseating feeling spread through me, making me use an unnecessary and risky amount of time to start the engine of the car. My head felt as though it was too heavy for my neck to support, and it certainly didn't take long before I realized I was facing my first step of a slow transformation...

Just as I pressed down on the gas pedal, I saw Xylan tackling Jace roughly, catching my attention although I knew it shouldn't have. I found it particularly difficult to control every nerve and thought of mine telling me to stop, but I did so with the intention of saving both Alex and myself.

Whatever happens when I'm gone is out of my control, but that doesn't mean it's not partly my fault. I should never have raised my voice right outside the castle, but I was just too damn scared to think straight.

I wasn't about to disappoint Jace, so I did as he said and drove off, hoping he would be able to defend himself decently enough for him to escape somehow. My fingers kept tapping on the gearshift as I tried finding my way to the hotel, and in the back of my head, I thought it helped distract me. Though honestly, nothing so simple could distract me at this point.

As the hotel room was reserved in Jace's name, there was no way for me to check in before he got there. Thankfully though, I would at least be far away from Xylan.

After driving for a while, I was waiting for the green lights, and just then I spotted an all too familiar car behind me. Carefully adjusting my mirror, I saw him talking to Nikkie. I watched him, observed him as muted words left his mouth. However, my analyzing ended swiftly once he suddenly moved his head forwards, or rather, in my direction.

Of course, with my non-existent luck, Dane managed to get a glimpse of me and immediately began following me. I knew from the second he spotted me that I wouldn't succeed in losing him, and so I bitterly parked by the hotel and quickly left the car.

"Valerie, wait, please," he begged, but his voice sounded emotionless. I shortly stopped after he'd said my name, but I didn't turn around to face him. I heard him approaching me, feeling the anger growing as he came stepped closer and closer. Unexpectedly, I turned around promptly, telling him to stop moving. He respected my wish and stopped immediately, but he looked nothing but confused. "I fucked up, and I know that, but you have to understand I'm under surveillance by Hayden at all times when I'm in our castle." I snickered, shaking my head at his wacky excuse. He would have to come up with a decent one to properly get my attention.

Surprisingly enough, I was the one who walked up to him this time, stopping at a hand-reach distance. "And you don't think I had Jace breathing down my neck when releasing Adeline? Don't you think I pissed off Alex, and almost caused him to break up with me?" I exclaimed. He opened his mouth to speak, but I cut him off in pure rage. "I went against my own damn lover for your sake. I mean, I released a maniac because I was naive enough to think you were a good person! As well as that, you let a loyal person die without even calling me or giving me a heads up for God's sake, Dane."

As predicted, Dane went quiet after my outrage, but sadly, it didn't last for long. "I've known that you've been alive these past days, but I never told Hayden. I promise you my intentions were never bad, and I never shared sensitive information about you or anyone around you. What happened with Zane was unfortunate, and you're right, I should've let you know. I realized that in hindsight, which is why I've tried contacting you," he told me. "Hayden doesn't need your help, Dane. He managed just fine to invade the castle and kill dozens of Alex's people. In fact, he even managed to send Adeline after me as an attempt to kill me, or so I presume. Thankfully though, she failed," I scoffed. "I wasn't aware of those plans because he never told me, however, I did try to save you once I got there myself." "I remember," I cleared my throat. "I did come here for a reason other than apologizing though, Valerie. I saw what happened to Alex during the fight, and I know Jace didn't so he won't be able to tell you." My face softened almost immediately as though the tension somehow faded when hearing someone else say Alex's name. Apparently, Dane caught onto my reaction and quickly to offered to tell the story.

We moved away from the hotel's main entrance to avoid anyone hearing the unusual story. "Um, Alex fought well throughout it all, but there was one point where he changed drastically. He struggled with some vampires mid-fight because his attention shifted, allowing Alex to see what I saw as well. Xavier was there, defending Alex, but he seemed moderately distracted. Therefore, a vampire from our side managed to pin Xavier to the floor and-" Dane started. I placed my hand in front of my mouth, breaking the eye contact with Dane swiftly. "I haven't told you what happened?" he said softly, sounding confused. "He didn't deserve what happened to him. Xavier was good-hearted, and he did not fucking deserve that," I muttered. I felt an upbuilding lodged scream of anger shaking in my throat as though it was struggling to get out. "You know what happened, don't you?" he exhaled. "Xylan told Jace," I answered shortly.

I had to take a small break from the story after hearing about Xavier. Xylan had already said it once, but I hadn't fully realized what had happened before now. "If you don't want to know what happened with Alex, you don't have to. I hope you know that, and I sure hope you know it wasn't your fault," Dane said carefully.

Nikkie had stayed in the background, until now. She approached me and brought her arms around me without hesitating for a second. When pulling away, she slightly heightened her head to look up at me with her pearl grey eyes. She mentioned something about maturity and independence, but I was too distracted by the smell of her to listen. I felt a strange attraction towards her scent, making me want to get psychically close to her again.

Luckily, I managed to withstand my growing desire, but I was now standing in the position where I had to pretend I had heard every word. "Well, yeah. I've changed for the better. The first time you met me I thought of Alex being a vampire as my biggest problem ever. Now I miss having that as my only problem." She nodded twice, seemingly understanding of my point. Quite frankly, I'd say I pulled that off pretty well.