Chapter 107
Adrian’s hybrid form receded, and he stood there, breathing heavily, struggling to regain control over his emotions. “You don’t deserve a quick death,” he said with a cold and emotionless voice. “Live with the knowledge that you failed, and that I spared your life.”
He immediately snapped his neck. Leo’s eyes went white and foam mixed with blood started coming out of his mouth. Leo was unable to defend himself against Adrian and Ethan watched in horror.
Yet, even in his anger, Adrian still had some humanity left. He looked up at Ethan who was already begging for his life with his eyes, “I didn’t kill him…. not yet. Neither will I personally kill you, Ethan. Your actions will catch up to you sooner or later.” Despite his desire for revenge, he refused to become the monster they wanted him to be.
After those words, he walked away from Leo, who was left convulsing on the ground. Ethan, who had been watching, decided to run away, afraid of the sight of Leo and what Adrian would do to him.
Adrian felt both relieved and troubled as he moved away from the confrontation. He spared Leo’s life, but the hurt of being betrayed by his people still lingered. He wouldn’t rest until he had dealt with those who had plotted against him and his loved ones.
As he left the forest, his thoughts turned to Lily. She had been his source of strength throughout this difficult time, and he knew he had to find her and keep her safe. He had to protect her at all costs and keep her away from harm. She wasn’t meant to be too tangled with his past and his life but even though they’re two and the same person – the chosen one – he didn’t want her to get affected by the silly mistakes he made in the past which now came to haunt him.
“I can’t wait to see her.” Adrian said as he transformed fully back to his human self and stopped at the sight of an abandoned car. He went over to it then checked the side mirror so he could see his appearance. He really did look anew.
He entered into the car and placed his hand on the steering wheel. A buff of energy was released and the car started.
He wandered who would even remember him and missed him when he was gone. Only Lily.
Off to the grove he drove.
••••••••
~LILY’S POV~
I was walking down the frontier of the gates, just mindlessly thinking of random things. Sarah was with Theo and I didn’t want to disturb them. I could’ve gone to see Aunt Belinda who had fully recovered now but I just wanted to be outdoors. The guards didn’t want to let me go out but I reminded them I was soon going to be their leader and they shouldn’t be the ones ordering me though I knew they meant well for me.Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g
I reached the trail of the gravel path which led to the open road and sat on a hard rock.
For the past few weeks, I had gotten so used to being by myself, alone, with my thoughts…thinking. What other option did I have? The more I tried to fix something, the more problems were added to my list.
If only Adrian was here… stop it, Lily. Stop wishful and hopeless thinking.
But if he was, what would he say?
“You think too much, Lily. It’s giving you fine lines…you’re still beautiful with them, though.” I smiled to myself and used my index finger to make a circle on the ground.
If only I could hear his voice just once…
‘”Lily?”
Yes…like that. Just like that.
“Lily?”
Exactly like that.
Wait, that sounded too real or was I just hearing things?
I turned to my side and my eyes hung. No, it couldn’t be true. Adrian was stepping out of a car, wearing some black clothes and he looked like he did when I first met him. My minds were playing tricks on me. I rubbed my eyes and hands to see if I was dreaming but he was still standing beside the car. I stood up and wanted to go to him but something stopped me.
“Are you…real?” I whispered to myself but I knew he could hear me.
“Lily.”
“I’m not dreaming, am I?” I whispered again and he shook his head.
I ran as fast as I could to him and he carried me into his arms. Tears rolled down my cheeks freely and I didn’t care to stop them. This wasn’t a dream. He smelled and felt like Adrian. I pulled back and held his face whilst staring into his eyes.
My voice broke, “Adrian…it’s you. It’s really you…you’re back and you’re safe.” I hugged him again and he embraced me warmly.
For so many months I hadn’t been this close to him. So many months I hadn’t even seen his face and he was back here. I could feel him, I could see him, he was holding me. My iota of emotions were all over the place and I wanted to submerge my being into his.
I pulled back again trying to still take in his features which looked more vibrant than before. Our eyes locked, and for a split second, the world around us seemed to fade away. It was just the two of us and I didn’t care about anything or anybody else at the moment. We had been through so much together and I always wandered whether we could actually be together, but he was here.
As we wrapped our bodies around each other again, we rested in the solace and comfort in each other’s embrace. Our lips met in a fierce and desperate kiss, as if trying to convey all the words that we hadn’t spoken in so many months in that single moment of connection.
Adrian’s arms tightened around my waist, pulling me impossibly close as if afraid to let me go again. I clung to him as my heart pounded in my chest, feeling his warmth and the steady beat of his heart against mine.
“I thought I lost you,” I whispered with a choked voice, “I thought I would never see you again.”
He held me even tighter, “I’m here,” he whispered back, “I’m here, and I’m never letting you go again.”
In that moment, nothing else mattered but the two of us. The past and the future faded away, and all that remained was the present, our love. Against all odds, we were united again..
As we pulled back from the kiss, our foreheads rested against each other’s and our breaths intermingled. There were no words that could express the depth of our emotions, no need for explanations or apologies. We knew, in that moment, that we were meant to be together and, that our love could withstand anything, even the war.
“I’ve missed you so much Adrian,” I said softly, my fingers gently tracing the lines of his face. “I’ve been so lonely without you by my side..”
Adrian smiled, a rare and genuine smile that lit up his eyes. “You’ll never have to feel lonely ever again,” he replied, “Nothing can tear us apart.”
He placed a kiss on my forehead and I rubbed his chest, a smile appearing on my face, “You look so…energised. What happened? How did you wake up and escape? What about Leo?”
He placed a finger on my lips and I stopped talking, “Shhhh, Lily. I just got here. Let’s get home first and I’ll tell you everything, alright?”
I smiled, nodded and planted a kiss on his lips again, “I love you, Adrian.”
“I love you too.” His star bright eyes captivated me and I realised how beautiful he had become. He had tapped into his energy and that’s why he was glowing to me.
But then I remembered something, “I don’t think they’d remember you, Adrian. Most of them, think you’re dead.”
He stopped walking and so did I and looked at me, “Well, let’s go surprise them.”
I smiled but then I noticed his appearance had changed. I mean his hair colour and scent. He was now looking like one of us.
“How did you-”
“Something I’ve got with my powers.”
I thought to myself and he dragged my hips closer to him as we walked to the gate, “Don’t think too much about it.”
Before we reached the gate, one of the guards had screamed, “Holy shit! It’s Adrian!”
So, some do remember him.