Tears soaked the cuff of her kefta, her eyes glued to the same spot on her palm where the scar had once been. But now it was gone. The scar that had been there for over ten years of her life had vanished away in seconds by the expertise of Genya. Just one swipe of her finger and the memory faded away. She kept tracing her thumb, some hope inside her that she might still feel it even though it wasn't visible to the naked eye but every time she did, all she felt was the smooth skin of her palm.
Alina tried pinching herself, praying that she was lost in some dreadful nightmare and would wake up to find the scar in its original place but she was very clearly in the real world. And this time she was scared. She had been scared before… when she was young. In fact, it was the darkness that scared her. Now at the age of 17 and she still was frightened of the darkness and it's master. It now dawned on her that she was losing this battle. With her scar gone, she was terrified that Kirigan would be right. That she would forget Mal and he'd be dubbed a stranger to her if she ever crossed paths with him.
No Alina, you won't forget him
She kept saying it to herself and for a few seconds, she believed herself but then a terrifying thought would enter her brain and make her doubt herself. Her eternal bond with Kirigan… the one thing she couldn't get rid of. No amount of tailoring would erase her mark and the invisible chains holding her to Kirigan.
Had the darkling won?
At this point, Alina was about ready to say yes and just give in but something was telling her to still fight back. But was there any point. Alina would never be able to survive against the pain she experienced when she and Kirigan were apart for just a week. if she were to leave somehow, would she be able to spend that time apart without wanting him…needing him?
The door to the bedroom opened quietly and Alina made no effort to turn to face him. If she did, she'd see red. His boots clicked on the floor slowly and Kirigan stood at the other end of the bedroom, gazing over at Alina who was slumped on the bed. He saw she was staring at her palm.
"Alina" he said softly but Alina didn't move. She wasn't going to give him the benefit of the doubt. She was not going to let him have the upper hand here. Alina heard him sigh softly and he padded over slowly.
"I'm sorry I had to do that but you left me no choice" he said and Alina kept her gaze still on the outside but on the inside, she was fuming with white hot rage. She wanted to storm up to him and blind him with her light, tear out his eyes and ruin his face but she kept the urge inside. His healers would fix him straight away and it wouldn't be helping her in anyway. Alina stayed silent and she felt his presence close to her as he continued to walk over.
"It's better this way… he wasn't doing you any good" he finally stopped beside her, still getting no reaction from her. He wasn't surprised at all though, he knew Alina would be cold towards him. He knew she would be upset over the loss of her memory of Mal. That's why he had left her alone. The truth was, he didn't like seeing Alina like this… in pain. He absolutely didn't have a single care for the tracker and he never would. But he did for Alina. He thought best to give her some time alone to hopefully calm down and when he returned, he could have an adult conversation with her.
"Hopefully now you can move on" he said quietly and right then, Alina lifted her head to look at him. Her eyes were filled to the brim with tears that dropped down like a leaky tap, running down to her chin and falling onto the same spot on her kefta that had been soaked. Alina narrowed her eyes, her brows furrowing and she scoffed softly.
"Move on" she repeated as if the words were unclear and she didn't recognise them.
"How could I ever move on after that… how could you do that to me" she whispered and Kirigan took another sigh, reaching out to take her hand but Alina yanked it away, standing from the bed and pushing away from him abruptly.
"No! You don't get to touch me" she yelled and Kirigan's face turned dark, his soft expression dropping to be replaced with anger. Alina held her hand to her chest, clutching it like she was protecting a small animal from harm. Kirigan took a deep breath, relaxing his tense shoulders.
"I am doing what's best for you, he is Otkazar'sya and you are the sun summoner. Do you really think you could spend your life living with him as a childhood memory of what kept you from reaching your potential? He is the reason you didn't know you were Grisha, he kept you from knowing your powers and if you had stayed with him, he would have made you put them away for good because he is the one who is scared" Kirigan said.
"So what that makes what you've done any better?" she sneered and Kirigan huffed.
"I'm not going to keep having this conversation Alina, I did what needed to be done and if you had let me, it would be less painful then it is now".
Alina saw fury and she felt her light inside boiling at his words. He had really twisted it so that she was to blame for this pain? Alina lurched forward, storming to him and held her hands up to do what she intended to. Light surfaced on the palms of her hands and she pushed them forward in hopes of connecting with his face but Kirigan spotted her moves before she had even done them and he grabbed her wrists, diminishing the light and pulling her hands down so they were facing the floor. He still had control of her power and he easily put it away with just his touch. Alina was close to him, her chest heaving and her eyes hard as she looked up at him, her head craning back slightly.
"I would think twice before you do something that could endanger your friend, he's still alive and I won't hesitate to punish him because of your actions" Kirigan said in a low quiet voice, sounding each word out slowly and Alina let out a huff through her nose, her wrists engulfed in his hands. His grip turned from stiff to gentle and his thumbs gently caressed her skin. Alina stared up into his dark eyes, her body relaxing as she fell into a trance and her mark started to tingle. It was happening again… the wanting.
Kirigan relaxed as well, his hand slipping from her wrist to cup her cheek, fingers tangling in her dark locks. Alina took a deep breath, her stomach tossing and turning, her heart beating faster as she felt the pull inside her bring her closer to him. It wasn't painful this time, but she wanted it. It was like a siren calling her to something desirable. Handsome on the outside but a monster on the inside. Kirigan leaned his head down, the top of his forehead touching hers and he pulled her face upwards to gain access to her lips. He pressed a soft kiss to her lips, quiet kissing sounds breaking the silence between them and Alina closed her eyes, falling deep into the pull.
Alina pulled back, licking her bottom lip, the taste of him lingering there and she looked down at the floor beneath them. The pull floated away and her mark stopped tingling. Kirigan's hand lingered there and he gave her cheek a little stroke with the pad of his thumb. She hated herself for giving into the pull but at the same time, she loved it. It was like a drug, addicting and pleasurable.
"He'd never be able to give you that" Kirigan whispered and Alina looked back at him. Mal…he'd never be able to give her that feeling she felt with Kirigan. That pull she liked and hated so much. His gaze had softened and he dropped his hand from her cheek, brushing past her to the corner of his room, pulling his black fur cloak off the model and draping it over his shoulders. The fur lined his shoulders and the cloak dropped to the floor, covering his entire body. Alina watched in confusion as he pulled out another cloak, one for her this time of a similar nature. Black of course, with a smaller amount of fur lining the neck line.
"We are going to cross The Fold, we are heading to Shu Han" he said and came back over to Alina, holding out the cloak for her.
"Why" she asked and Kirigan smirked. It was clear he had some sort of plan for them. Was he going to move The Fold to them and turn them into Volcra? Or did he have something else terrible and murderous planned for them?
"Because we are now going to show these nations that we are in charge" he said proudly and Alina glared at him.
"You mean you in are charge" she gritted and Kirigan smiled.
"There are new laws to be followed now and each nation will abide by them. If not, there will be penalties, they will answer to us or else they will be engulfed by The Fold" he said darkly and he handed Alina the cloak. It was obvious she was coming with him. She was his only way of crossing the The Fold without being eaten by the Volcra. She wondered if that had changed now that he used one to create a shadow army.
"Why do you need me" she asked even though she knew the answer but she was curious to see if he had been hiding anything she didn't know about. He had a knack for only telling her half a story.
"I think you know the answer to that Alina" he raised his brow.
"Surely you can cross it without me now, you used a Volcra to make your shadow army, doesn't that mean you can withstand the others" she said and Kirigan chuckled, shaking his head.
"Actually quite the opposite, the Volcra are more likely to attack and I wouldn't be surprised if the younglings mother went after me for capturing it. Besides, I don't want to risk it" he said and dumped the cloak in her hands, brushing past her.
"Let's go, we will arrive at the Shu Han palace at noon" he said, walking to the door but Alina stood still. Memories of her time on The Fold travelling to Novokribrisk flooded back and she felt sick to her stomach. More innocent people were likely to die. Yes, the Shu Han kidnapped Grisha and experimented on them but not all of them. There were innocent people living there that probably had no relation to Grisha and they would be subjected to this cruel ruling of Kirigan.
Alina stayed in her spot, not following after Kirigan and as he reached the door, he turned to glance over his shoulder, now noticing she had followed him.
"Alina… I said let's go" he ordered and Alina turned to face him, her expression hard.
"No" she said simply and Kirigan turned fully now, eyebrows furrowed.
"No… no what" he said.
"No, I'm not coming with you to watch you destroy another nation and kill innocent lives" she stood her ground.
"Alina those 'innocent people' have killed your people. Grisha have been experimented on and tested for their powers by the Shu Han for years. Grisha will no longer be subjects to their evil tests and trails and if that means destroying them then so be" Kirigan was getting angry, his fist clenched by his sides. He will not allow anymore of his Grisha to be used and abused like animals. The Shu Han will get what's coming to them.
"Not all of them are like that, you'll be killing people because of other's actions" Kirigan scoffed.
"Don't try to convince me that they should be spared, my people have been tormented long enough and now it's their turn" he gritted.
"You should spare the people who have done no wrong" Alina tried to convince.
"What, do you expect me to go around and ask everyone if they've ever had any connection with Grisha and believe their lies. They are guilty, all of them and they will bow down to me now".
"Including my mother" Alina retorted and Kirigan blinked in shock. He forget that Alina was part Shu. Even though her mother and father were dead and she never knew them. Alina believed that they never had anything to do with Grisha and never would resort to that behaviour.
"Do you think my mother would kidnap Grisha and experiment on them, use them to find out what powers they had" she seethed. The very thought that if her mother was alive today, she would be at the hands of The Darkling for being innocent. Kirigan took a deep breath.
"This has nothing to do with her, this is about who is there now and the future" he said. Nothing Alina said would make him change his mind. This was the way forward and how it will always be. A tense silence fell in the room as the two stared at each other.
"Get dressed, we are leaving in a few minutes" Kirigan turned to open the door but Alina's voice stopped him, frustration growing inside him as she was defying him.
"No" he whipped back around
"Alina" he warned.
"I'm not going" she demanded and she threw the cloak on the floor to her feet. Kirigan took a frustrating breath, his eyes dark and hard. Alina noticed his fingers twitching and she took a small gulp, her heart now thudding against her chest.
"You can either come by yourself and get that that skiff or I will put you on there" he threatened. Kirigan wasn't going to play games and he'd do whatever was necessary to get her on that skiff.
Alina said nothing and didn't move a muscle. Her feet pressed into the floor like they were glued there and stayed locked with his eyes. Kirigan huffed, his shoulders falling and his head tilting up.
"Fine".
Hey so I hope you like it, what do you think will happen next, let me know in the reviews. Thank you so much for all your lovely reviews, I love hearing what you think.