I remain speechless for a long time. Eris looks cluelessly between us, but has to stop when Austie dabs at her lip with a paper towel.
That fucking cut.
I wasn't going to follow her up. I wasn't going to allow myself to fall for this again, but fuck, when the blood dripped down her chin, I couldn't help it. Every single thing in me was screaming to do something.
Austie grabs her hand and leads her away, all while she looks at me like a lost puppy.
Those fucking eyes of hers.
Austie walks past me, but not before whispering, “I'm sorry.”
Zane casually watches them leave, and gestures to the large cream couch in the centre, “Well, Mr Ambrose, have a seat.”
He sits down. I don't.
My hands rest on the back on the sofa opposite to Zane's, but he doesn't press me further. Instead, he crosses his arms and tilts his head, “I hear Azrael's missing.”
“They found him,” I respond, looking away.
“Let me take a wild guess; you don't want to help him?”
“Yes,”
“Thought so. Any particular reason why, except for that accident?” he asks.
“That accident was a big deal to me,” I sigh, my mind replaying that scene like a nightmare.
Zane nods, resting his arm on the back of the sofa, “I talked to Azrael once, after the accident.”
He says it like it's nothing.
Immediately, I feel myself tense. Why didn't he mention it, then?
“I didn't think much of it back then, since you'd already gotten the leadership,” he says, “you want to know why he caused the accident?”
“Because he wanted me dead.” I reply, my eyes falling on the tattoo on his wrist.
A rose. A lantern.
He interrupts my thoughts, “Obviously. Do you know why he wanted you dead?”
“He wanted the leadership.” I answer, the same thing that's been haunting me all these years.
“No, it's not that.” He looks at me in amusement, “why don't you take a seat, Khair? We've got a lot to talk about.”
---------------------------------------------------------
“Why do you hate your father so much?” Zane asks, his eyes fixed on me. I scoff, “It's hard not to when I've spent all my life wondering what he saw in Azrael that he didn't see in me.”
“By that logic, he shouldn't have made you the leader,” he says. I hum, “I'm still not sure why he did it.”
“Khair,” he says slowly, “Azrael wants nothing more than to see The Order alive and well.”
I don't respond to that statement, so he continues, “He came to me a few days after the accident. I asked him why he did it,” he tilts his head, “he said it was because he thought you'd destroy The Order.”
That makes me blink twice before my mind can even register what I just heard, “Why the hell would I destroy The Order?”
“He knows how much you hated your father. When he found out that you were accepting the leadership, he thought you were doing it only so you could ruin it. He wanted to protect the organization, and its members.”
“I hear he also thought the murders in The Order were your doing,” he chuckles in amusement.
“Of course he did,” I rub my face with my hands.
“Point is, Khair, Azrael was doing what he thought was best to protect The Order, even if it meant killing his own brother. I'm not saying he wasn't in the wrong, I'm saying that you should learn to give people another chance.”
I keep quiet, not quite understanding what exactly I'm going to do. The hatred for Azrael is still there, of course it is, but its intermixed with a sense of understanding. Not much, but enough to make me question if his life is worth saving.
This is exactly why I didn't want to see Zane. And this is why Austie bought him here.
She knows damn well I respect him enough to hear him out. She also knows that most of the times, he ends up convincing me. He's a damn good speaker.
“You're saying I should forgive him,” I sigh.
He chuckles, “No, I'm saying you should help him. Forgiveness is a complex thing. That's something you'll have to decide for yourself.”
He checks the time on his watch before standing up and holding out his hand. I take a breath and shake it.
“Remember what I said,” he says in a low voice. Then, his eyes flit to the entrance.
He looks back at me with an expression I can't name, and the corner of his mouth moves up slightly in a smirk.
“When I said you should learn to give people another chance, I wasn't just talking about Azrael.”
How the fuck did he know?
“I'm willing to entertain the idea of giving Az another chance. Not her. Never her.” I tuck my hands into my pockets.
When he stays silent for a long time, I turn to look back at him, and see his face clouded by something I haven't seen in a long time.
Grief.
Then, he speaks in a low voice, “Cherish her, Khair. You don't know how long you have.”
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Zane steps out after a long, long discussion with Khair. I rush up the stairs, but meet him mid-way.
“Hi!” I yelp, breathless, my body reminding me yet again that I'm completely out of shape.
“Hi,” he smiles, a little tattoo peeking out from under his collar.
“Why are you helping us?” I ask the question that's been bugging me since he got here. At first, I think he isn't going to reply, but then finally, he speaks with a little smile.
“Your name reminds me of someone. To honour her memory, perhaps.”
A/N
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