They reached home quite late. Xiran carried her inside for she was still sleeping and he didn’t wake her up.

Frila and Carios were still there, waiting. They opened the door so he could easily carry her in and laid her on his bed, covering her will a blanket he stepped outside the room to talk to them.

He left the door of the room ajar. Aselia had woken up when he carried her inside but didn’t show him.

"Carios, inform Mazitine that he needs to change the administration of Mountain Race or I will shut it down. It was a shit show. Tell him I am super annoyed, and that’s why I am not talking to him directly." Xiran spoke slowly but authoritatively. Aselia was fully awake and was listening to what he was saying.

"Yes, Sire," Carios replied.

"Inform him that I won’t accept any negligence when it comes to my city. He should be more aware of everything instead of me going around and informing him." Xiran seemed annoyed. What did he mean by ’my city’ and why was he addressing Mayor Mazitine as if he was his subordinate? Aselia’s mind was racing as she tried mentally note down all this new information.

Xiran continued: "Has the house been restocked? Frila did you check Aselia’s room? Was anything lacking? Did you arrange everything for her?" He now addressed Frila.

"Señor, We have restocked everything and I have arranged her room as well. Ask Aselia if anything is missing and I will bring it over." Frila’s soft voice came.

"Good,"

"Carios, what about the gang you were pursuing with police, which was terrorising the city?" Xiran inquired.

"Sire, two members have been captured and we are trying to extract information about the rest." Carios filled him in.

"Ok, inform Warise that I will drop by soon and will interrogate them myself if they don’t open their mouths soon." His voice was laced with threat. He was involved with the police as well, did he own them as well? Aselia couldn’t believe her ears. What was she hearing?

"I will, Sire," Carios replied calmly.

"And any new hunter invasion? Or did they learn their lesson from that head I sent?" His words chilled Aselia to her bones. Head? And everything began to click together.

"We haven’t located any new hunters in the city, I guess they have backtracked for a while," Carios replied with a hint of sarcasm.

"Good. You two can go. I will call when I will need you."

"Good night, Sire." Footsteps receded as Xiran went after them to lock the doors.

Aselia was wide awake and was trying to connect the dots. He has said the words ’my city’ which means Mazitine is just a front pawn and Xiran owned everything here. It was his city, no wonder he hadn’t come to the hotel for five days when Yurian killed those men in that bar. Aselia had wondered how a faraway bar came under his jurisdiction and then he said he owned the beach area too. She still remembered his dishevelled appearance.

’Fu*king hell, he owned everything, and she hadn’t anticipated that. Did that mean he had killed Agent 35? He was the one who sent that letter and head to Aldridge. Did he torture him? Like he said he would to those goons they have captured.’ Aselia felt light-headed and her heart began to race as she thought of Agent 35. He died protecting her identity, she could only assume what torture he must have been put him through. Her blood boiled at the mere thought.

’No, no. It can’t be, he can’t do that.’ Her heart gave its verdict.

’Calm down, he will hear you.’ Her brain screamed at her heart. She took deep breaths to calm herself down. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

They had infiltrated his city, what did they expect that he won’t retaliate? He did what he needed to do to safeguard his city. Why was she defending his actions?

’Be rational Aselia, stay calm and in control. He can’t know that you know.’ Her brain was helping her today and she listened.

She heard the opening of the door and the rustling of his clothes. She knew he was inside the room. Bed lowered and creaked as he sat down and began to take off his shoes. She was facing away from the door but kept her eyes shut.

He placed his shoes on the side and went to the bathroom to change.

’What will he do to her? Will he torture her too once he will know who she actually was? He wasn’t wrong when he said he is cold-hearted, now she understood. The way he punched that man today, he was ready to kill him. Is human life that cheap for him?’ Aselia’s mind was racing and she was trying to control the flood of emotions she felt.

She knew the exact moment he came out of the bathroom and climbed into the bed with her. She could feel his heat as he moved closer to her and wrapped his hands around her waist. She didn’t want to but she froze in that instant, she wanted to yank away his hands from her body. But she didn’t move a muscle. All she could think of was his hands, which had touched so many parts of her body. Those same hands had killed her companion.

She could feel his nose on her hair and all she wanted to do was shout at him to get away from her. Instead, she lay very still wrapped in his arms pressed against his firm body.

The conflicting emotions she felt right now were wreaking havoc on her body and mind. But she dared not let out a whimper for he was sharp enough to understand her emotional turmoil.

She needed to stop thinking about this matter because all she felt was disgust and disappointment towards him.

But did she feel hate? And the answer baffled her. She didn’t feel hate instead her heart made excuses for why he did what he did. They were mortal enemies, what else was she thinking would happen when one of them would be caught?

She felt his hand burning her but for a different reason now. He was branding her in shame and guilt, why couldn’t she just hate him? WHY?

The answer would take away her remaining dignity so she didn’t dwell on it anymore. She had enough guilt on her plate.

His hand had relaxed on her waist and his breath was steady. She knew he had gone to sleep. So she slowly removed his hand and slipped out of bed. He stirred but kept on sleeping peacefully, his face almost surreal. Like an angel but he was far from being one. But who was she to judge? For she annihilated his kind on daily basis. If they would tally their death tolls hers would probably be higher.

She stood there at the base of his bed, watching him for a while. And then stepped outside the room. She needed to be away from his existence, he was suffocating her, exhausting her, torturing her. The pain she felt in her heart was immense and yet she couldn’t bring herself to hate him. How could she after everything he had done for her? So many conflicting thoughts.

She went into the kitchen and grabbed a glass of water. She gulped it down in one go and sat down on the sofa in the living room. Closing her eyes she tried to relax. If only Yurian was here, she needed him. He always helped her vent, for he knew all her dirty secrets and just like her he was broken too. Conflicted by his past he knew what suffering was.

She needed to punch something, to take out all the frustration building up. She tried pulling her hair but that didn’t help. The pain was not enough, she needed the maximum of it. She needed to get out of there. She got up and went outside in the garden.

She spotted the trees and rushed towards them. Her bare feet trampled the dew drops which had fallen on the grass and leaves. Making her cold, she wished her heart would get as cold as her feet. So she would stop feeling the barrage of emotions. Her hands balled up as she reached the tree and she began to throw her fists at the trunk. Punch after punch fell on the bark which did not affect the tree but her fists ended up bloody. The skin peeled off her white knuckles and the trunk was dyed in her blood.

Yet no sound escaped her and she didn’t stop. The pain she felt was needed for she wanted to punish herself. Her fists were stinging, the coarse bark had bruised them.

The night was silent and cold, the latter was engulfing her body but she didn’t care. She wanted to let it all out, even if it meant hurting herself. She didn’t care, physical pain she could handle. It was the emotional pain she couldn’t withstand. And right now she was in a lot of emotional pain.

She was so engrossed in hurting herself that she didn’t realize when he came out and stood on the porch, seeing her hurt herself. He could smell her blood from there as it enveloped him.

"ASELIA...WHAT IN THE HELL ARE YOU DOING..."