The Only

Chapter Twenty-Three - Neima

"Why did you do it?" Karl yelled in between breaths. He ran the entire way up to the East wing to confront Erol. It was almost as if he were Mutare and channeled the abilities of a rabbit or a doe. The way he sprinted through the castle, and past the Nocturnes congregating in the hallway, was miraculous for a mere human.

Neima tailed him like gum stuck on the bottom of his shoe. There was no way, in the state he was in, she was going to leave him. The suffering baby human was inconsolable. Even warning Yasmin about the poor Ordinary's heart, she still managed to break it. Who knew it would be in such an infinite way.

"You didn't have to kill her," Karl said, his voice cracking. "What is wrong with you people? No rationality! Always working off emotion. You never pause to think unless it has to do with this weird breeding program! Obviously, the elevated amounts of monocytes in your bloodstream that elongates your life spans has done nothing to elevate your IQ points. What a waste! A waste to have eternity and waste it."

"I don't know what you are talking about," Erol said, running his hand through his hair. "What is he talking about?" He walked over to Neima. "I haven't left my son's side in over a day."

She took a breath. "Yasmin was murdered in the lab. Cesar was also attacked but lives. He implicated you."

"You dare listen to what the abomination says?" Miranda said with a haughty flip of her hand. "As if we were bothered by one less Mutare in the world."

Neima had forgotten about her. She had been staying out of the way, holing herself up in Lucas's room. "You should be quite bothered if a Nocturne is accused of the murder."

What a trifling woman. Obtuse and vacuous.

Karl was right. The elongated life span certainly didn't do much to encourage Experiments to expand their minds.

Miranda huffed and tossed her big hair over her shoulder. "My mate has spoken the truth. He has not left his son's side for the last day." She shrugged. "Besides, it sounds like the abomination will recover."

Karl's face instantly became the same reddish-purple color of a pomegranate. "You have a lot of nerve calling him that after all he's done for you!"

Miranda stiffened.

What did Karl know? Neima momentarily stopped breathing. If there was some dirt on Miranda, she couldn't wait to hear it. But it could put the baby human in jeopardy. As dense as Miranda was, she was fast. It would take her only seconds to rip his throat out. Slowly Neima stepped to the side, putting herself between the Ordinary and Miranda.

Erol stopped the raking of his hair mid-way. "What is he talking about?"

The air in the room immediately changed. A layer of deceit hovered like a cloud waiting to rain. All it needed was thunder. She couldn't take the chance. The Ordinary was too distressed. Too overcome in his grief. "Karl, you should leave. Go back to the lab. Cesar needs your attention."

The doctor pursed his lips and slammed his hands on his hips. "Cesar discovered a remedy for the infertility problem of the Nocturnes. Miranda was and still is receiving treatment, even though Cesar has stopped prescribing."

"Vulagari, you should really listen to the Only and leave," Miranda said, her pupils fully dilated so they looked like two large, black patches.

"Wait," Erol hissed. He turned to tower over his mate. "Do you mean to tell me there's been a solution to our unhappy union this entire time, and you didn't share it?"

Miranda gave a smirk. "Your own mother didn't even share it."

"Uma knew?" Erol exposed his fangs.