The Opelux and Other Monsters || Book One

CHAPTER 23 (PART 1) - UNKNOWN

"He's still smiling about this," I said, eyeing Rilyin from across the room. The Emperor sat in a chair against the far wall, explaining to a fuming Colleena why Tritteon and I were in the condition we were in. The same smile he'd been wearing since he'd found us struggling out of the purple door outside the Infirmary was still on his face. And from the look on Colleena's face, she was just as confused and infuriated about it as I was.

The long, difficult walk through the arena to the purple door had been excruciating for both of us. When we stepped through, finding Rilyin waiting for us in front of the Infirmary doors, I had expected guards to show up to assist Tritteon and maybe even kill me, but Rilyin never called anyone. He simply stood there with that strange, faraway look of his, not really looking, but seeing everything, as Tritteon and I helped each other to the beds a red-faced Colleena pointed out, me holding onto Tritteon's wounds while he held onto my shoulders.

"You proved yourself more than capable," Tritteon mumbled, his eyes closed. His bed sat next to mine, close enough that I could lean across the space and touch him. Not that I would have or could have. My leg was bandaged all the way up to my waist and it had taken a plethora of Veehm's and drugs to numb everything enough that the slightest muscle twitch didn't cause both injuries to explode with pain.

"By injuring you?"

"By letting me live," he said grudgingly.

I cut him a side-eye. "Would you have preferred I didn't?"

"I am sure you would have preferred you didn't."

"That isn't entirely inaccurate," I admitted, unable to hide a small smile. I eyed the bandaged area of his torso, spots of blood already beginning to seep through, and didn't stop my eyes from travelling higher to all of his stupid perfect muscles, the outline of which were perfectly visible through his shirt.

I felt air vibrate into my ear. "Colleena is watching you watch me," Tritteon Veehmed to me, his eyes still closed.

My face heated. "Just admiring my work."

"My perfect physique is my own doing. Just below that, where you aren't looking, the gruesome hole you put through it is yours."

I averted my gaze. "Well, you put one through me, so it was only fair."

He chuckled softly, and then grimaced. "We're even."

I looked at Rilyin, knowing full well he could hear me easily from this distance. "Doesn't he have royalty guidelines he's supposed to be following? I feel like I crossed some sort of line and he should at least be a little angry."

"Of course."

"Does he ever follow them?"

"There was a time," he said.

"When was that?"

"I only heard about it. I wasn't around then."

"Is he following any rules?"

"Only those that will bring his plan success."

I shot Tritteon a look. "His plan? The one involving me?"

He turned his head away from me, toward the far windows and glass door that led out onto a balcony overlooking the lake. "Yes. And now I've said too much. These drugs and Veehms are getting to me. No more questions."

"Is his plan illegal?"

"In a way. Because of past incidents, he has been told not to do it again." He turned and gave me a furious look. "Stop. No more."

I bit my lip, wondering if I dared. "So, his plan is dangerous then? It isn't really about me partnering up with you as a Guardian?" I said as quickly as I could.