60

Sophia’s POV

I drained the blood I was drinking down the sink and finished the cup quickly then zoomed off to the door to open the door.

I gasped when I saw that it was Ian and the other standing there. My mouth spread in a wide grin which Ian didn’t reciprocate. I frowned. What was going on? What was wrong?

I moved to the side so they could come in and I closed the door behind me. “What’s with the looks? What’s going on?” I asked.

“You didn’t call me to tell me that you both were being watched,” he answered, his voice accusatory. I frowned. What was he saying? I didn’t understand.

“I don’t understand you,” I said slowly. “We’re being watched. I mean you are the one who put men outside to watch over us aren’t you?”

“I’m not talking about them. I’m talking about the person that Jenny saw watching her,” he answered.

“What person? There was no one watching us. Jenny never told me such,” I told him, shaking my head. “She was probably joking.”

“This is a joke?” Jacob asked as he began typing something on his phone and then a voice was playing. It was Jenny’s voice.

“There’s someone watching me. There’s someone watching me here and—and I’m scared. Please get back to me the moment you get this please. I’m scared. They’re coming for me.”

I went cold all over, my body paling.

“When did she send this?” I demanded, raising a brow at them.

“I received it yesterday,” he answered.

I turned around and marched in the stairs, a scowl taking over my face second by second as I made my way to Jenny’s room. She had told me that she was sick and she didn’t want to go to school today and I had offered to stay with her.

Was this the reason why she said she was sick? Did she lie to me?

“Jenny what the hell?” I demanded, pushing the door open aggressively.

She sat up on her bed slowly, her face looking dull.

“What do you mean?” She asked, her eyebrows shooting up in confusion.

“What do I mean?” I repeated and scoffed. “You couldn’t tell me that someone was stalking you but you could tell Jacob? The same Jacob you claim to hate? What the fuck?!”

“Sophia calm down…”

“You trust a person you hate to keep you safe but not me?” I continued and shook my head in disappointment. “I expected more from you. What the hell? Is that why you told me you didn’t want to go to school today? You lied that you were sick just because you didn’t trust me to keep you safe?”

“When we get to school, we go our separate ways. How would you have kept me safe?” She shot back.

“I’d have found a way if you had told me the truth, for fuck’s sake! Stop trying to defend yourself! You are in the wrong and you think…you think what you’re saying now makes sense?” I demanded. “Why didn’t you tell me? You thought I couldn’t keep you safe?!”

“No I…I didn’t want to scare you,” she murmured, her voice shaking. “I didn’t want you to get agitated or panic.”

“What the-“

“Sophia that’s enough,” Ian said, coming in. He stood in front of me, blocking my vision of Jenny. He raised my chin so I was looking into his eyes.

“It’s okay,” he repeated.

“It’s not,” I answered, shaking my head. “I would have done everything to keep her safe if she had told me but yet she ran to tell Jacob? It makes me seem like I am not trying to protect her at all. She told me she was sick and I J stayed back hee because her safety was what was on my mind. Not mine. Her’s. And then I find out from you guys that someone was watching her?”

“Look at me, Soph,” Ian told me in a calm voice. “It’s okay. Come with me.”

I looked at Jenny, who was hugging her pillow and crying. I gritted my teeth and turned around, walking out of the room with Ian. We went into my own room and he sat me down on the bed, then sat next to me. He kissed the side of my lips.

“Be calm,” he told me. “I need you to be calm. Okay?”

“Okay,” I answered, nodding my head and taking deep breaths to remain calm.

“Don’t get mad at her,” he said but I shook my head.

“No. Don’t tell me to not get mad at her. I am mad at her. I can’t help it,” I told him. “What she did was bullshit. She should have told me first.”

“I agree she should have told you first,” he answered, nodding his head. “But she didn’t because she had her reasons.”

“And what reasons are those?” I asked with raised eyebrows. “She didn’t want me worried? She didn’t want me panicking? Well guess what, I’m worried and I’m panicking now.”

“Still,” he said and remained quiet for a while as if he was searching for thee right words. “Your anger is justified. But you can’t stay angry at her forever.”

“I know. But let me stay angry at her for a while.” I replied and sighed then rested my forehead on his. “I missed you.”

“I missed you too,” he answered and intertwined his hands with mine.

“How did everything go in the realm?” I asked him softly.

“We’ve sorted everything out. I’ve been crowned. And I’m supposed to be there three times in a week. They asked to see you,” he answered.

“I can go with you,” I offered but then he straightened and shook his head.

“No.”

“Why not? They asked to see me,” I reminded him and he shook his head again.

“Yes they asked to see you but I don’t trust them, Sophia. It’s not safe for you,” he reminded me. I sighed.

“No place is ever safe for me. This place isn’t safe for me and that place isn’t safe for me. Will I ever get a place that’s safe for me?” I pressed my lips together in a grim smile.

“Trust me, Sophia. This place is safer than the realm for you. The moment you step in, they’ll kill you,” he said.

“You can’t know for sure,” I argued.

“I can’t risk it,” he replied, shaking his head.

“What about Freya? Her family? They didn’t try to act funny?” I asked in an attempt to change the topic.

He shook his head. “They were the one starting the rebellion,” he explained. “They’re dead. I’ve killed them.”

The news hit me as a shock and the only thing I could manage to say was “Oh.”

He sighed and kissed my forehead. I could hear footsteps approaching and then there was a light knock on the door. “Sophia…can I speak to you?” Jenny asked, standing by the doorway.

“No,” I answered curtly but Ian shot me a look before getting up from the bed.

“You can speak to her,” he said instead and I pursed my lips, frowning at him.

He left the room and Jenny came in, walking as if, if she took the wrong step then I might just go all crazy on her and rip her throat out. I rolled my eyes.

“I’m sorry,” she said in a shaky voice. “I was so scared I didn’t know what to do or who to talk to and the first thing I had was call him. I swear it wasn’t intentional.”

“That’s bullshit. You call a guy you claim to hate,” I reminded her. “Or do you feel something for him now?”

Her hand went to the necklace she had been wearing for almost two weeks now and she rubbed it, avoiding my gaze. “Of course not.”

“He’s the one that gave you that vervain necklace, isn’t it?” I asked. I had known it was vervain the moment I saw it. I had smelt it. But she said she saw it in a store and bought it so I chose to believe her. “Why did you lie to me about that too?”

“I’m sorry, I…” She trailed off. “I was embarrassed.”

“You don’t have to. I don’t get why you’d be embarrassed,” I murmured and shook my head. “Come here,” I said and pulled her into my arms for a hug. She began to cry.