All Chapters of Curse Of Tethys, Hellblades Series Part 3 of 3: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Manolya’s POVThe drive to the Azmak Kaya Mezarları was a masterclass in suffocating silence. Kayhan’s hands were glued to the steering wheel at ten and two, his profile as rigid as the mountain ridges passing by. I stared out the side window, watching the white wash houses blur into a haze.“Manolya.” His voice cracked the silence like a whip.“Yes?” I didn’t turn my head. My tone had enough edge to shave with.“You are leaning against the door,” he said, his eyes flicking to the rearview mirror. “It is unprofessional.”I finally looked at him, my eyebrows shooting up. “Oh, I am sorry. Should I sit at attention like a cadet while you play chauffeur?”Aziz’s voice purred in my mind, vibrating with amusement. “You are so grumpy when you are hungry, Peach Blossom. I can hear your stomach rumbling from the astral plane. It is starting to sound like a ghoul’s growl. Get it some food before you bite his head off.”“I don’t have time to eat,” I snapped back internally. “And even if I did, I

Manolya’s POVThe sun had finally dipped below the horizon, leaving the sky a bruised purple that matched the swelling on the faces of those thugs back at Ibrahim’s. I sat on the hood of the car at the station, watching the regular officers load the “big mustaches” into a transport van. They looked like a pathetic collection of bruised fruit. All black, yellow, and deep indigo.Kayhan walked over, handing a stack of paperwork to a sergeant. He didn’t look at me, but his posture was different. The rigid, babysitter stiffness was gone, replaced by a restless, predatory energy.“The owner is filing a full report,” Kayhan said, finally stopping a few feet away. “Those five were trying to muscle him out. Standard low life extortion. They wanted to ruin his reputation to drop the property value and ruin the prosperity of his business.”“And let the mafia get a foothold in Akyaka,” I added, hopping down from the hood. “I already spoke to the Chief. We are putting a special team together outs

Manolya’s POVI slowly drifted into a deeper sleep, the nightmare’s haunting presence lingering at the edges of my consciousness. It was dark, darker than any place I’d ever been.My heart began to race and fear seeped into my bones. I tried to look around, but there was nothing. My feet felt heavy, like they were stuck in wet cement, and panic bubbled inside me.Then, slowly, I saw it. A black smoke forming. It spread out, thickening and moving toward me like a living thing. It wanted to enter my body.I fought against it, clenching my jaw and refusing to let it in. The smoke curled around me, its charred breath swirling tighter and harder. It pressed against my wrists, trying to force its way through my skin. Just as I felt my resolve start to waver, a pair of red eyes, pulsing like molten lava, opened in front of me.A piercing shriek followed, vibrating through my very marrow.“Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim,” I whispered, snapping my eyes open.I woke up instantly, my body stiff from

Manolya’s POVThe marina was a cacophony of clinking masts and the sharp, salty scent of the Aegean. As we approached the designated dock, two figures stood out against the backdrop of white fiberglass and blue water. Kayhan and Kenan Karga were already there, looking like they had stepped out of a high-end coastal lifestyle magazine as well, each holding a large, rustic basket.Kenan had opted for a smoking jacket. On anyone else, it might have looked pretentious for a boat trip, but on him, it somehow worked. He had the face of a man who had seen his fair share of back-alley scuffles, and the sleek tailoring created a fascinating “refined ruffian” aesthetic.“Manolya! You finally made it,” Kenan called out, his voice booming over the sound of a distant outboard motor.But it was the woman wrapped around his arm who truly caught my eye. She was petite, slender, and radiated a quiet, polished elegance. She wore a plaid blazer with matching pants, but the real showstopper was a vibrant

Kayhan’s POV“Eren! Kenan! Come over here now!”My own voice sounded like a stranger’s, jagged and thin with a panic I didn’t know I was capable of. I was on my knees on the teak deck, my linen suit staining with sea spray as I gathered Manolya into my arms. She was terrifyingly light, her body unnaturally limp against my chest. The agonizing screams that had shattered the afternoon air just seconds ago had vanished into a silence that was somehow worse.Uncle Eren and Kenan burst into the inner kitchen area, their faces draining of color the moment they saw us.“What happened?” Eren demanded. His voice broke, the desperation of a man watching his world tilt on its axis. He dropped to his knees beside me, his hands hovering over her as if he were afraid to touch her and find out the truth.Manolya’s skin was a sickly, translucent pale, but she was radiating a feverish heat that I could feel even through my shirt. Her breathing was shallow and ragged, a ghost of a rhythm that felt like