CHAPTER 7

Rhea POV

We all saw the red light that was beeping, and we all recognized it. It looked like a bomb. Truly, what the hell was that? Malachi shouted at Lucien, who looked at him while wiping more blood off his face.

“That was just a tracker. I'd actually planted a tracker in her body. It's just technology that you guys don't know of. I planted a tracker in her so that anywhere she went, she could be easily located. It is not a time bomb, you dummies,” Lucien said, right in Malachi's face.

“I never knew that all of you could be easily swayed by just this little trick I played. I would never do anything to hurt Rhea,” Lucien insisted.

Killian moved closer to Lucien, standing right in front of him. He was hovering over him as if he was going to kill him on the spot.

Lucien looked up at him. “I did not mean to do anything to hurt her. I would never hurt Rhea because she means a lot to me, and I’ll do everything in my power to protect her.”

Then, after a moment of silence, Killian shouted at him, “Just stop it already! All of you, stop it! You do not have the right to protect her. You do not have the right to do anything to her. And let me warn you for the last time: if you play this kind of trick again and it ends up affecting or hurting Rhea, then I promise you, you're going to face my wrath. Because I would not watch you while you hurt her. And nobody, nobody is allowed to protect her apart from me, because she is all mine. She will never be protected by anybody apart from me!”

He said this in a fit of rage as Roger stepped in.

“What are you saying, brother? No, she is not yours. She is actually a debt to all three of us. She owes a debt that she has to pay for whatever Alaric owes us. Alive's death to us is her debt, and she has to pay it with her life. So she is not yours to control. She does not belong to you alone. She belongs to all three of us: you, me, and Malachi. You do not have the right to decide on protecting her all on your own. We protect her together, and we will be with her together. All three of us have a right over her, and we have leverage over her. Because you are not the only one that Alaric owes a debt to. He owes all three of us that debt. And as long as his pain is tied to Rhea, she belongs to all three of us. She does not belong to you alone, brother!” Roger said to Killian.

I was really scared right now. Do they have to fight over me? No, this can't be happening, I thought to myself as I immediately pulled Lucien and dragged him out of the room. I did not want him to be involved in the brothers' fight, and it was also a way for me to distract them from any potential conflict that was about to erupt.

I continued pulling Lucien away, not even saying any more words to the three of them. I needed to talk to Lucien privately, and I needed to send him away from here. If not, he did not know what he was playing with. Killian was not the type of person to joke around about something like this. I knew him very well.

As I kept on pulling Lucien until I put him into a corner, he asked, “What the hell are you doing? What kind of trick do you think you just pulled here?”

“Lucien, Killian must have been quiet over there, and that warning he gave you was not a joke. Listen, this is not the human world. You can't do anything. They are not humans, and you can't just provoke them like that. This stupid trick of yours that you claim to have done today to see how scared Killian would be was a big mistake. Because now Killian has marked you. He will not just let you go scot-free. His silence over there meant something, and I know he must be planning something for you in his mind. I do not want you to get hurt. Just get the hell out of this place. I don't want you to be seen here anymore. I already ended everything I had with you in the human world so you could be safe. You do not expect me to come here again and start protecting you. I do not have any power yet, Lucien. They are not humans, and you can't be protected from them. If Killian actually gets enraged with you, he will do whatever he likes, and he will make your life a living hell. So just leave already!”

“Lucien, please, I'm begging you. I ended everything with you back in the human world, and now everything is over. I do not belong to you anymore. You heard Roger back there. I belong to all three of them. I have to pay for Alaric's debts to them, and there is nothing I can do about it because I do not have any control over it. I decided to do this on my own, so you do not get involved. I never wanted this kind of trick to happen. And again, listen!” I warned him as he looked at me.

“No, Rhea, I can't do that. I can't let you go. I love you. And we were actually about to get married, but the three of them just decided to destroy our relationship. You, of all people, know how much I love you and how much you mean to me. How do you expect me to just go back to the human world and leave you like that? No. I do not care what Killian does to me. I do not care what any of the three of them do to me. But I will not leave you, and I will not let you go. Please, Lucian. Please. I’m pleading with you. I do not want you getting hurt. I do not want you to get involved in my mess. That’s why I never wanted you to know any of this. But now that you know, you just have to look the other way. Listen, you have to let me go now. It is over between us. I know you will find someone better than me, someone who will be able to love you back dearly. Someone who will care for you more than I ever did.”

I said this, looking him directly in the eyes, pleadingly, as he looked at me.

“No, never. Never. I am not going to leave you alone. I do not care what Killian does. I don't care what his other two brothers do. But I am never going to leave. I will fight for you until my last breath,” he said to me.