Abnormal {Book 1: Completed, Book 2: Ongoing}

Chapter 35

Instead of taking me back to his office, he leads me to his room, then shuts us inside, sighing heavily as he collapses onto his bed, obviously exhausted. I sit down on a chair next to the bed, and I notice that he has already cleaned the fake blood off his skin, and changed into a clean set of clothes. 

"Tell me," he says in a clipped voice.

"Ra...Raven used her powers on me because I saw...heard something that she didn't want me to hear."

"A phone call?"

"Yes." He must have guessed from the phone I forced Raven to smash with her fist. 

"Who was she talking to? On the phone call?"

"I...I don't know. She called him 'sir'. I think he's her boss."

Adrius swears under his breath. "Can you recall what the phone call was about?"

I open and close my mouth. Swallow. My fingers digging into his mattress. Tears springing to my eyes. I wish I didn't want to cry so badly.

But for some reason, I can't control my tears in front of him. 

"Adrius..." I whisper, my voice trembling.

He sits upright on the bed, and moves closer to me, slipping his hand into mine and brushing his thumb across my knuckles. "Yes?"

"Adrius? Can you just hold me...for a second..."

He wraps his arms around my waist immediately, pulling me towards him and making room for me on the bed. I sniffle a bit, using the back of my hand to wipe my tears away. Adrius waits until I finally calm down before speaking softly against my hair. I lean into his touch as his lips brush against the top of my head as he talks. "Lyanna...I missed you. I thought I had lost you forever after...you know."

I stiffen at the mention of Heather and the night of the party, and my whole body tenses up. 

Adrius senses my discomfort and tightens his arms around me, resting his head on top of mine. "Hey...I'm sorry. I'll...I'll never, ever do that to you again."

I lift my head from his chest to look at him. His face is inches away from mine, and I can see my own face reflected in his irises. "Promise?" I ask in a small voice.

He leans closer to me and place a small kiss on my forehead. "I promise. Now tell me about Raven."

I sigh, then tell him about what I heard from Raven's phone call, including how she says she's unable to get to me because of his protection.

He is silent for a moment after I finish my story. "I see. I'll contact my father immediately." 

Adrius activates his watch and sends a short message to his father. "How will the Commander deal with Raven?" I ask. "I mean...how..."

"My father...he has his methods for dealing with spies. Don't worry about it. She's not the first one that we've come across."

I nod silently, and rest my cheek against the soft fabric of his shirt, closing my eyes contentedly. "Raven's stuff should be moved out of your dorm room by tomorrow," Adrius whispers into my hair. 

"Mhm," I murmur sleepily. "Will I get a new roommate?"

"Hmm...no," he replies. "I'm moving you to the empty suite next to mine. It has a joined door leading to my room."

I'm instantly awake. "You're moving me next to you?" I ask dumbly. "And there's...a...a joined door?"

He laughs a little and runs his fingers through my hair. "What? You don't like it? I mean obviously I can switch you to a new dorm with new roommates...if you want me to. I just thought that..."

"Of course I'd choose to live next to you!" I throw my arms around his neck, barely able to contain my giddiness. He chuckles again, and pulls the blankets higher to cover me up to my neck. 

"Oh, one more thing," Adrius says quietly, his voice turning serious again. "If someday, during a mission...we both get captured..." he trails off mid-sentence, then clears his throat to continue.

"Always save yourself first. Before anyone else. Even...even me. Okay?"

I hesitate before answering. "Okay."

"You have to promise me."

"I promise."

"Promise what?"

"That I'll save myself...before saving anybody else," I lie.

"Including..."

"Including you," I whisper, my voice cracking a little. I can feel a single tear traveling down my right cheek, and I wipe it away quickly with my sleeve. 

"Good night, Lyanna," he murmurs tiredly, planting another kiss in my hair.

"Night."

And as I listen to his breathing slow down and even out, with his heartbeat pounding steadily in my ears, I find it hard to fall asleep. 

As Abnormals, our lives are always at risk. We have to constantly sacrifice ourselves for those we love. For our families. For our friends. For...TCD.

I trail my finger down Adrius's chest, and he shifts a little in his sleep . I didn't realize that I loved Adrius until the Trials. Until he sacrificed himself again and again to ensure that I made it to the end. 

And I'd do the same for him. If we both get captured...

I'd willingly chose his life over mine. Because I know that, deep in my heart...

The only way to truly protect him...is to let him go.