Awakened

XLI

Zion nodded at me, taking my hand and squeezing it in comfort. I turned towards Liam, preparing to take a step forward before turning back to Zion. I grabbed his face, pulling him towards me before planting a kiss on his lips. This kiss was different than all the others. This kiss said everything my words couldn't. Passion. Pain. Regret. Loss. I put all of me, all of what I was feeling into that kiss. He wrapped his arms around me as he kissed me back, returning all my emotions with the opposite. Strength. Courage. Reassurance. We gasped, breaking apart, looking into at each other's eyes for one last time before we turned to Liam.

"We will make it," he said confidently, sensing my lack of confidence.

"I've never understood the concept of mates. Being that dependent on someone else? Sounds like a weakness to me," Liam said casually whilst pouring a cup of water from the kitchen before taking a slow sip.

"I don't expect you to understand an emotion as powerful as love."

"You're wrong. There's an emotion even stronger."

"What?" Zion asked, frowning at him.

"Hate."

"What a lonely life you must live. Power hungry and alone. You can have all the power in the world but what good is it if you just use for your own selfish wants and needs," I replied, looking into his stone old eyes.

"I'd be careful what you say when you speak to me child. I might start to get angry."

"Are we supposed to be afraid? Your sidekicks are scattered on the ground dead. I think it's you who needs to be afraid," Zion spat back. I grabbed his hand in support as I stared at him as well, with similar distaste.

He glanced over to the dead bodies scattered around the house before refocusing back to his water and taking another sip, the look of cold indifference still reflected in his eyes.

"How can you care so little for them? You were bonded for so long?" I asked.

"They were overconfident children. They were simply a means to an end. It was a matter of time."

I scoffed, appalled by the frostiness of his tone. If this was the result of dark magic, I could never let it consume me. I couldn't imagine living a life like that, never caring about anyone or anything but myself.

"Can we get this over with?"

"Yeah, we're getting bored," I said, agreeing with Zion.

"And here I thought you'd appreciate me buying you time. You can't possibly think you'd defeat me. Your magic from the old witch is practically depleted."

I tensed, looking to Zion in confusion. How did he know? My mind went back to that moment in the forest, right as I stepped into the forest. That feeling I had felt of someone else there, watching us. I had brushed it off as paranoia but now I knew he was there.

"You were there."

"Of course I was. I've been watching you Saron."

"What is he talking about?" Zion asked, turning to me for an answer.

"In the forest, before we came back to the Academy. I felt someone in the forest with us but I thought it was the exhaustion messing with my mind."

"Why didn't you attack?" Zion asked, turning back to Liam.

"I'm offended you'd think I'd be so foolish. Not that I couldn't take all of you. But that sister of yours, I couldn't possibly get caught up in that time halting power of hers now could I?"

My fists clenched at the mention of Esat. It all made sense now. How the others knew of Esat. If he'd been watching me, he was probably watching my friends including Edward. We'd been so foolish to think he was hiding from us. He was watching us this entire time, waiting for the right moment to show himself.