LUNA AQUAMARINE’S POV
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Clifford’s hand moved before I could pull away. He caught my wrist, rougher this time, holding it up so the sleeve slipped back again.
His eyes narrowed on the exposed skin. His voice was sharp, low, trembling with something I couldn’t place.
“Was it Alexander? Did he do this to you? That freaking monster. How could you let him burn you?”
My stomach flipped. “What–no!” I jerked, trying to free myself, but his grip only tightened.
“Come on, Aqua. Quit spinning yarns and tell the truth.” His nose flared, “Then why hide it? Why wrap it up like a secret wound unless you’re afraid people would see how he has been treating you terribly despite singing your praises?”
My heart raced.
“Clifford, let go.” I shoved at him with my other hand, but it was like pushing a stone. He wasn’t listening. His eyes weren’t even really on me anymore–they were locked on my arm, dark and stormy, like he was standing on the edge of something dangerous.
“Clifford!” I yelled.
His gaze finally lifted, pinning me. And the way he looked at me–serious, burning, like he was about to shift right here and right now.
Despite the open windows and balconies. I couldn’t describe the type of heat that made Clifford look drenched.
And I?
I was soo scared to stare at his eyes. “It’s- it’s just a burn. Fiona burned me in the dining room days ago. Alexander has been treating it but he… he won’t let me see it. It doesn’t hurt, not really. Only sometimes. I just saw it for the first time today before you barged inside.”
The words tumbled out, messy, desperate. “That was why I screamed. It hasn’t…. properly healed yet.”
For a heartbeat, he froze.
Completely still. Then his eyes flicked back to my arm, then to my face. Speechless.
But he didn’t let go. And the way he kept staring at me–it wasn’t pity. It wasn’t concern. It wasn’t anger.
His breathing deepened, his chest rising fast like he was fighting his own body.
I’d seen that look before. Right before someone lost control. It’s the same look Alexander gave to Terran before he stabbed his head.
19:12 Tue, Sep 9
Chapter 109
My heart hammered. “Cli–Clifford…?” My voice was small, broken. “Is it a bad sign? Tell me.”
But he didn’t answer. His glare only sharpened, his nostrils flaring, his whole frame trembling like he was seconds from squeezing my neck.
As if I were the danger.
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I couldn’t stand it. The silence, the weight of his stare. My body moved on its own–snatching the glass from the tray and flinging the water straight at his face. “Let go of me!” I screamed.
The splash hit him hard.
Clifford blinked, water streaming down his face, and for the first time since he grabbed me- his eyes softened but just for a second. He let go of my wrist slowly, almost like he realised too late how hard he’d been holding me.
I rubbed on it, red bruises on my skin.
“I’m sorry,” he muttered, his voice rough. He wiped his face with the back of his hand but didn’t look away from me. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
My chest heaved, the air in the room too thick. I pressed my sleeve down hard, hiding the mark again, hiding from his stare.
He shifted closer, lowering his voice. “But that burn…” He shook his head, the muscle in his jaw twitching. “It doesn’t look normal. And you can’t tell me it feels normal either.”
I swallowed, the memory of the way my skin had peeled flashing in my mind. “It doesn’t hurt,” I whispered, like saying it out loud would make it true.
Clifford’s eyes darkened again, though he kept his tone steady this time as if he was trying to fight something. “It screamed danger, Aqua. And if you’re not careful…” He let the words hang, unfinished but heavy, enough to curl dread through my stomach.
My throat tightened. “If I’m not careful, what?”
He didn’t answer. He just looked at me like he was holding something back–something I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear.
“Wait here,” Clifford said suddenly.
My heart sank. “Wait?” I repeated, panic shooting up my chest. “What do you mean wait? Where are you going? Clifford don’t just scare me and—”
But he was already moving, fast, his face locked tight with some decision I didn’t understand. He didn’t answer me, didn’t even glance back, just dashed out and shut the door behind him.
The silence crashed down around me.
I stared at the untouched plate of food on the table, my mouth dry. Seconds dragged by like hours. My pulse wouldn’t calm down. I tried to eat, but each time I tried to swallow, everything came rushing out.
19:12 Tue, Sep 9
Chapter 109
What is he doing? Why did he leave me like this?
By the time the door opened again, my legs were trembling from pacing.
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Clifford stepped inside, his bag slung over his shoulder. He dropped it onto the floor, the sound heavy, and then crouched down. One by one, he pulled out bottles, roots, and little packets wrapped in cloth. My eyes widened.
“What–what are you doing?”
“Sit,” he ordered, not looking up.
I froze, then obeyed, my breath tight.
He ground some dried leaves together with something liquid, mixing until they turned into a thick paste. His hands moved like he’d done this a thousand times before. Then, without asking, he caught my arm again.
“Clifford, wait-”
“Don’t move.”
The cool paste smeared across the burn. At first, it was a relief–then it wasn’t. My entire body jolted, and dizziness slammed into me like a wall. My vision swayed.
“What–what’s happening-”
And then the sting hit.
Sharp, like tiny lightning bolts and crawling fire tore through my veins, spreading from my arm to everywhere. I gasped, clawing at my skin, “I need to soak.”
“No!” Clifford barked, holding me down before I could run.
“Clifford–it hurts–it’s burning-” I thrashed, my throat tight with sobs, but he forced something small into my hand, then lifted it to my lips.
“Drink. Now!”
I gulped without thinking. The liquid was bitter, sticking to my throat, but the effect was instant.
The burn–gone. The stinging–gone. The fire vanished so suddenly that I slumped forward on him, gasping for air, my skin slick with sweat.
Clifford’s hands drew fingers on my back, steadying me. His chest rose and fell like mine. Like he’d just wrestled a beast.
I lifted my head slowly, my whole body trembling against him, “What… what did you just do to me?”
My breathing finally slowed, the sting leaving like it had never existed. Clifford’s hands eased off me, but his eyes didn’t.
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Chapter 109
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“It’s like a spell,” he said finally, his voice low. “To stop whatever seems to be growing on you. It should hold for now.”
My whole body went cold.
A spell?
My lips parted but no sound came out.
A spell!
When did Clifford learn how to do spells?
He was a fighter, a scholar, a man of steel and command–since when did he touch things like this?
And more importantly–how?
But then it hit me.
The paste. The drink. The sudden burn and sudden calm. The chants.
My eyes widened. Oh no.
The one thing Alexander never allowed in his pack. The one thing punished without mercy.
My chest squeezed. Clifford just used dark magic on me.
“Clifford. No dark-” but the world was tilting, blurring.
My head grew heavy, my eyes felt like sand was inside. My body became weaker and weaker no matter how I fought it.
The last thing I saw was Clifford leaning over me and lifting me up in his arms.
And that look again.
The look like he wanted to kill me.
Darkness swallowed me whole.
AD
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