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43 - One of His Deepest Regrets

Penulis: Sakiah Zee
last update Terakhir Diperbarui: 2024-07-14 17:49:02

GILDEON

This was too much of a coincidence—if it even was one. Did this guy know Arah worked here?

Durante cracked open his cooler, grabbed another beer, and strolled over. Gildeon caught a glimpse of a gun in the agent’s waist holster, partially hidden by his jacket.

“Didn’t expect to see you here,” Gildeon said, keeping his tone casual.

Durante waved his arm vaguely. “This is a public beach, isn’t it? I’m having some downtime.” His movements were looser, probably from the alcohol, less controlled than when they first met. His face gave no indication though. No red cheeks, no glassy eyes. He didn’t even stagger one bit.

“Alone,” he implied, adjusting his glasses. “You're too far from where most people hang out.”

“Too loud over there,” Durante said, nodding his head toward the distance. “I prefer the quiet.” His friendly smile looked unsettling in the dim light. “How about you, Mr. Ayadi? What brings you here this late?”

He handed him a beer, but Gildeon quickly put up a hand to decli
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  • MAD END'S DECEPTION   209 - Would've Hollowed Him Out

    GILDEONEarlier, he’d set fires in the surrounding buildings—just enough to keep the firefighters and the police busy. He needed to buy time, delay their full sweep of the campus.He’d made sure the security room got the worst of it. The last thing he needed was footage of him and Arah showing up on some CCTV feed.Then he’d had Ghulik cornered in the gym. Tried to force him to stand down, to rebind the companion link.He’d almost had him, until the bastard flipped it on him.Gildeon had let his guard down, forgotten that goblins always had something up their sleeve—especially when they were off the leash. Ghulik had absorbed his salamander venom, warped it into something of his own, and blindsided him.The goblin had driven a claw straight into the back of his neck. Gildeon was paralyzed for a few minutes while Ghulik slipped off to find another victim.Damn good thing Gildeon had tracked him down again, just in time

  • MAD END'S DECEPTION   208 - Even In This Form

    ARAHShe saw Ghulik through the owl’s eyes.He was massive as expected, though his head was disproportionately small compared to his hulking body. Veins throbbed under pale, gray skin. His red eyes glowed, wide with fury—or madness. His ears jutted out, long and pointed, and his thick lips curled back in a snarl, revealing rows of jagged teeth. He looked… monstrous.But what startled her most were the claw marks and scorched wounds streaked across his body—deep gashes, blackened patches of skin, like he’d barely survived a brutal fight.Gildeon. He must’ve done this.But where was he now? Had Ghulik escaped him again?The goblin suddenly lunged at her owl’s position, and she jerked away just in time, but a feather tore free and fluttered to the ground.The male owl dove from behind, aiming for Ghulik’s nape, but the goblin twisted with alarming speed and struck it with the back of his arm. The force of the blow sent t

  • MAD END'S DECEPTION   207 - The Unseen Threat

    ARAHShe launched her wind tattoo into the air just as she slipped into an empty room. Students and teachers were still rushing through the corridors. Some shouted wild speculations about what was happening—fire, a serial killer on the loose. That one made sense, given the rumors about Baccayo Prison still floating around. Someone even mentioned an invisible beast attacking people.Well… that part was accurate.“Protect me, but stay low, okay?” she told the wind tattoo. Saying it out loud felt a little silly. She’d never actually spoken to it before and wasn’t even sure it understood her.But it wiggled in response, and for a moment, she wondered if it had some awareness of its own.She began herding students and staff in the corridor, guiding them to the exits. Her wind tattoo hovered around her ankles. At times, it seamlessly camouflaged against the lockers; other times, it flattened itself against the ceiling to stay out of sight.Some teachers paused to ask who she was and what wa

  • MAD END'S DECEPTION   206 - Might Not Have A Choice

    GILDEONHe and Arah bolted toward the scream, weaving through the chaos of students and professors stumbling over each other in confusion. They turned a corner and came face to face with the aftermath.A college girl was on her knees, frozen. Eyes wide. Hand trembling. Three deep claw marks carved across her cheek, blood leaking in steady rivulets down her neck.“Oh my god, what happened to her?” one student squealed.“Gross. Did you scratch yourself or something?” another said, clearly too dumb to register the danger.“Hey, help her! We need to get out of here!” someone else shouted.Others had their phones out, filming—something that didn’t surprise him one bit.Arah was already moving, guiding the students away with firm but calm urgency, pushing bodies aside as she cleared space.Gildeon wasn’t focused on the girl. His eyes swept the hallway, then caught on a male student who’d paused mid-step, frowning as a drop of liquid hit his nose. The student glanced up but saw nothing above

  • MAD END'S DECEPTION   205 - Worst Damn Place

    ARAHShe reached across the bed, only to find cool, empty sheets. Gildeon was gone. But outside the house, she could hear his voice, talking to Roselia.She glanced down at her forearm. The vine strands had withered, and the bite wound was already healing.Sliding out of bed, she headed outside and found the two standing over the ritual vine circle on the ground. Part of it was broken, with paw prints scattered through the dirt.Arah spotted Barky by the doghouse, munching on his food like nothing had happened.Roselia paused mid-sentence when she noticed her. “Miss Arah, you’re awake.”Arah smiled and walked over. Gildeon pulled her in by the waist and pressed a kiss to her forehead. Her heart skipped at the gesture. For a moment, it was hard to believe this was the same man she’d been living under the same roof with almost a year ago.“How was your sleep?” he asked.“Fine. I just wish you’d woken me when you got up.”He brushed a lock of hair from her face. “You’ve been through a lo

  • MAD END'S DECEPTION   204 - I'm The Only One

    ARAHShe heard the unmistakable flutter of wings in the distance—heavy, powerful. They sounded too large to belong to the owl.And then she heard something else. A loud, familiar, inhuman heartbeat.Gildeon’s.Her own heart pounding, she rushed out of the house and into the front yard—just in time to see Gildeon land in his beast form. His wings beat the air, whipping gusts of wind against her face. Then, slowly, they began to shrink—until they vanished completely from his back.She had a thousand questions, but they all slipped away the second she met his gaze.She sprinted toward him and threw her arms around his massive form. She didn’t care about the roughness of his hide or the searing steam rising off his scales.“Where did you go? Why did you disappear? I was worried,” she blurted, her voice trembling with emotion. Everything was welling up inside her, and for a moment, she thought she might cry. She only pulled away when the heat between them became too much.“I had to take car

  • MAD END'S DECEPTION   203 - Pathetic And Predictable

    GILDEONHe’d first crossed paths with Sharko during his and Arah’s early weeks on Caylao Island. Back then, he’d been sweeping the place—mapping the terrain, scouting escape routes, tagging danger zones. Getting a feel for the land.That had been when he saw it—a woman being assaulted by Sharko’s men.He hadn’t come to Earthland to play hero. Meddling in human filth hadn’t been part of the plan. But that scene had reminded him of what happened to Nalini. So he’d made an exception. He’d beaten the bastards and saved the girl.A day later, he’d stumbled onto one of Sharko’s operations—human trafficking, on top of drug dealing and whatever other scum-work the gang ran. That was also when he met Donny’s brother and helped free him from their clutches.Gildeon had confronted Sharko directly—broke enough bones to make him piss himself and swear he’d shut down his human trafficking ring and leave helpless women alone. Gildeon had thought the warning had landed.But after what had nearly happ

  • MAD END'S DECEPTION   202 - That Was All It Took

    GILDEONHe still had a few days left in his hibernation. But then he heard Ghulik’s voice. Said bad men were trying to hurt Arah.Sharko’s bad men.That was all it took.He tore out of his cocoon without a second thought.In the past, he might’ve held back, avoided tapping into the rest of his abilities. Not anymore. He’d nearly lost Arah one too many times, and he’d sworn never to restrain himself again. So, he sprouted small-scale wings and flew through the night in his dragon’s mortal form—with Ghulik on his back.As long as Gildeon wasn’t in his full beast form, the island would be safe from his destruction.Not long after, he landed atop a jagged rock outcrop with a clear line of sight to Cora’s house. His dragon eyes locked onto Arah’s flickering blue-green aura in the distance. She stood with Cora, Mabel, and another woman he didn’t recognize, all being questioned by the police.Another unfamiliar woman lay on a stretcher, getting loaded into the back of an ambulance. Body bags

  • MAD END'S DECEPTION   201 - Let Everything Sink In

    ARAHRoselia hadn’t been able to remove the bullet, but she managed to stop the bleeding, prevent further damage, and numb the pain. Mabel’s friend would still need to be taken to a hospital for proper treatment. Roselia explained that if she tried to heal her using supernatural methods and alter her memory at the same time, it could cause unpredictable side effects.Mabel’s friend had fallen unconscious. They bandaged her wound and gently moved her to the couch. Cora brought over a blanket and draped it over her.“W-What are we going to do with them?” Mabel’s sister asked, staring at the three corpses lying across the living room.Arah handed her a glass of water. “I think it’s better to leave them as they are. The police will take care of it.” She figured the authorities would arrive soon, especially if they believed Sharko’s gang had already finished whatever they came here to do.Thug Number Two would be a problem. He’d definitely run back to Sharko and report what happened. Then

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