Chapter 145
Serafine POV
Tilting his head upward, he looks like he’s considering what to say His eyes close briefly, and for a flicker of a second, he looks peaceful “Gideon did nothing but offer me strength and clarity. He gave me a purpose, a way forward even after death.”
Does he really believe that? “James, Gideon is gone,” I argue 1 step forward, ignoring the way Xander’s grip tightens on my arm in warning. “We stopped him, he’s gone,” I say.
James opens his eyes and sets them directly on mine. The darkness in them is burning with triumph almost. “Serafine, do you really believe that?” he asks with a soft laugh. “You never truly stopped him. “Gideon’s body and flesh may have died, but he learned to weave himself into these threads long ago. He merely needed a new vessel, a host, that was strong and able to sustain him.”
No, that’s not possible. I stare at him, my heart dropping like a stone. This time, I take a step back, shaking my head in disbelief. it’s not possible, there’s no way. “No, you’re stronger than this. You can fight him, James. You can free yourself from him and the threads.”
All he has to do is believe it.
“Fight him?” James chuckles softly and tilts his head slightly, like I’m amusing. “Why would I fight the one who has given me power that no one could imagine existed?” Turning his hand, he smiles at the threads. “You can’t fathom what it feels like to be so deeply connected to the threads, Serafine. This magic runs through me, it breathes for me. What you feel? It’s nothing compared to this.”
He’s wrong. Xander shifts and finally speaks, his voice is calm but unyielding. “That magic is corrupted, it’s destroying the land, and killing the crops. It’s going to bring ruin to everyone and everything.”
James’s gaze flickers briefly to Xander, it’s dismissive and uncaring. “You weren’t her true mate, you know that, right?” His smile becomes mocking. “As for the crops, the ruin, all of it. I see it as collateral damage, every great change demands sacrifices.”
The threads begin to glow wildly, and I watch as they pulse more insistently.
I know that they are reacting to his emotions. I watch him move and he slowly steps closer, his eyes narrow sharply. “You don’t understand yet, Serafine,” he says with a sigh like he’s fed up with me. Like I’m the thing that’s exhausting.
“But… soon you will. You belong with us, you belong with the threads. You belong with me and Gideon. You don’t belong to him,” he points at Xander. “Don’t fight this, you will only make it worse for everyone you love.”
Is he serious right now? Does he really expect me to join Gideon? Of all people, the man who locked me up and abused me?
His words trigger something within me, and my magic rises, the threads uncurl from my fingertips, ready to defend me. Shaking my head, I stand taller.
I won’t let this impact me. “No, James. I will never join Gideon, and neither should you!”
James laughs. The sound grates on my nerves, it’s not his normal laugh. “Then, you have made your choice in how this ends.”
The air thickens, and the tension between us pulls tighter. My hear reaces and I brace myself for what is to come next. I already know this won’t be simple. It won’t be as easy as figuring out how my magic works.
He tilts his head, and James’s eyes flicker, for a moment I see recognition but then it’s gone and something colder and more cruel appears. His body twitches and it’s like something is trying to break free from in him.
“You feel it, don’t you?” he asks softly, the echo in his voice deepens. “You feel the magic that binds us all together. It’s the same magic that you feel, Serafine. The same power you’ve always felt, from the moment you learned the threads existed.”
He’s wrong. “I’ve never felt it like this,” I answer, trying to keep my voice steady. “You don’t have to be this way, Gideon isn’t you, James. He doesn’t belong here.”
He laughs bitterly, his eyes narrowing into dark slits. “Doesn’t belong?” He laughs more. “Oh, Serafine, how foolish. Gideon is the reason I’m standing here at all. He brought me back when you all left me to rot.”
1/3
08:50 Wed, 25 Jun
Chapter 145
Nol “That’s not true,” I shout. My voice cracks with emotion. “Gideon was the cause, he didn’t tell us you were here.”
For a second, something flickers across his face. I think it might be a trace of hesitation, maybe confusion, but it’s so fleeting. He shakes his head sharply and his eyes grow colder.
“You might have forgotten me,” he murmurs. His voice is darker, deeper, and I recognise it, it’s Gideon’s now. “But I never forgot you.”
The pulse beneath our feet surges more, and the threads begin twisting and straining. My magic responds to them, and the threads rise around my fingers, ready to protect me.
I watch as James moves forward. His steps are confident, yet there’s something unnatural and deeply wrong about the way his muscles ripple under his skin. The threads anchoring pull tighter and pulse with power as he approaches.
“Gideon is using you,” I insist. I have to try again, I have to break through and find whatever piece of James is left. “Don’t let him control you. James you’re stronger than this, remember how he was with me? That’s Gideon, he planned this, he’s the reason you were exiled!”
He pauses suddenly. I see the look of anguish breaking through the cold mask he’s been wearing. His eyes meet mine, for the smallest and briefest second, he’s the boy I once knew. The one who whispered promises to me, and looked at me like I was everything.
“Serafine,” he breathes. His voice trembles now and is barely audible. “Please help me,” he whispers.
My heart lurches painfully, but before I can move, Xander’s grip tightens and locks me in place.
“Serafine, it’s a trick,” he growls. “Don’t fall for it.”
“I can’t leave him like this,” I choke out. I look at James, and my own desperation is now clawing at my throat. “He’s still there,” I whisper.
James staggers. I watch his body lean forward, like he’s fighting an internal force. “He’s right,” he rasps painfully. His voice is strained and breaking. “Don’t… don’t come closer Serafine. Gideon… he’s inside of me, he’s stronger now and won’t let go.”
His eyes lift sharply and meet mine. I see the tears flooding his eyes, but beneath that sorrow, there is a darkness that stirs. Gideon pushes through, fighting violently against James’s fragile hold.
“I will not let you weaken me!” Gideon’s growl snaps through. It’s cold and sharp, and echoes harshly off the chamber walls. “You’re nothing but a vessel, weak and foolish boy.” He sneers. “You gave yourself willingly, and now you want to fight me?”
James’s body shudders violently, and I watch as the threads within him begin to flare with power and pulse with Gideon’s ruthless energy. His expression contorts suddenly and shows his pain, as a silent scream tears from his lips.
“James!” I shout. I pull, trying to break free of Xander’s hold. “Fight him!” I scream.
I see it, the moment Gideon reasserts full control, and James’s body straightens with a brutal snap. His eyes are black now, devoid of all humanity.
“Foolish girl. You cannot save him,” Gideon sneers. His voice is malicious, and he steps closer. “You’ve never saved anyone. Not your mother, not your real father. You fail everyone who depends on you. You had the ability to protect them, and you didn’t. Now, James will die because of your failure as
well.”
His words cut deep. They slice at old wounds, and fears I have been carrying around me while fighting to keep them buried. I always used to believe that if I were there, I could have saved my mom and my uncle, or rather my dad. I push the dark thoughts aside and focus instead on the magic that’s pulsing through me.
“You’re wrong,” I say as I force myself to stand straight, to not fall beneath his words. I allow my threads to weave tighter and stronger around my hands. “I’m not afraid of you, Gideon! You’ve already taken enough, you don’t get to take more.”
The threads flare brighter, and I can feel my magic lock firmly into place. Gideon smiles coldly and raises his hands. The darkness coils in thick ropes of corrupted threads around him.
“Oh, Serafine…” he chuckles. “Then show me,” he whispers. The words are a challenge. “Show me exactly how much you’re willing to lose.”
2/3
08:50 Wed, 25 Jun
Chapter 145
I brace myself. I already know the fight that is coming will cost me more than I ever imagined. James is still there, fading and trapped, and Gideon’s power pulses through him. It’s dangerous, deadly and hungry for power.
Whatever happens next, I know with absolute certainty… There is no way both of us are leaving here alive.
AD
