𝐌𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐂𝐈𝐎𝐔𝐒

verse forty-four

After Margot and Dave left, Audrey went for a shower, and now I'm in the living room, alone.

I can't hold it anymore. A tear rolls down my cheek, which I wipe away.

And another one follows, which I wipe away angrily.

I can't sit around and cry over a monster like Damon.

"Katharina."

Moonlight's voice echoes through my head.

"I'm outside."

I walk to the window and see the black wolf standing outside.

'I'm on my way,' I say and know he can hear me. He nods, and I quickly write a note to Audrey that says I'm gone. Then I walk out of the building, and when I meet him behind it I smile at him.

"Hey," I whisper and pet him. "Hello, Katharina."

"Why did you call me?" I ask.

"Well, Hakan and I wanted to tell you the theory we have, for your wings."

I remember the night when Moonlight wanted to tell me, Nate kidnapped me.

"Right," I say, "where is he?"

"He's waiting for us in the woods."

That's a sign I should climb on his back, which I do. The whole way to the woods it's silent.

"You're quiet."

I laugh. "I'm always quiet."

"Not true. Something is going on, and your eyes are bloodshot."

I swallow. "I just... miss home," I lie. But it's not an entire lie. I do miss Heaven, but it's not the reason why I'm crying.

I hate it when I have to lie to Moonlight.

We continue to walk, and when I see Hakan, I smile at him.

"Hello, Katharina."

His voice is much deeper than Moonlight's, so it's easier for me to make out who's talking to me.

"Hello, Hakan," I smile. He asks how I'm doing, and he tells me how concerned he was when I went missing. We're walking further into the forest, and I have no idea where we're going.

"So, Gregor and I have a theory as to why your wings are dying."

"I'm listening."

"We think you might be poisoned, by Ian."

I haven't thought about that.

They see my face, and Hakan continues. "We're not sure, but he hates you and all that it's pretty logic. He tried to cut your wings off, and this is probably a second attempt."

I frown. When Ian tried to cut my wings off, Damon told him plenty of reasons why he shouldn't do it. I would stay here in Hell forever, and Ian didn't want that.

I still don't know if Ian did it, but he's the first one on the list of people I suspect.

"But if he did it, when could he have done it?"

"Do you remember the party you told me about? When you were wasted?"

The memory of the night comes back, and I frown.

"That's the night when Nate kidnapped me, and I wasn't drunk then," I say.

For a moment I suspect Nate of doing it, but I remember clearly that he said he was happy about the fact that they are dying, and he would've admitted it if he was the cause.