Chasing Sapphire

29. CONNECTION

ATTICUS

After my threat, she went absolutely silent. I knew she was afraid of me and it was better this way. Instilling my fear in her was the only way I can control her.

It was nothing new for me. All my life, people around me were afraid of me and they should be. With great power comes great responsibilities and being the uncrowned leader of all the werewolves of this place, I had to choose what's best for my pack. And that was this girl's safety.

Being a werewolf, my hearing was more sensitive than most people and I could easily hear her heart beating faster inside her chest. But soon, when the sound started to muffle, I turned to look at her and found her sleeping.

She looked exhausted. Her hair was knotted badly and her lips were dried. A part of me felt bad for her being in this state. She didn't deserve this, she didn't deserve any of this. I know everything was too much for her. I know she wanted to go back to London, to her normal life. And I would let her go if her life wasn't in danger. She might hate me for it but nobody else could protect her the way I will.

I kept driving while her soft breathing kept me aware of her sleeping state. Once I reached my mansion, I walked out of the car and tossed the keys to Amar. He was one of us, one of the werewolves of this town. There weren't many of us, just a few hundreds something. But most of them decided to merge in common people, instead of living in the woods.

"Park the car," I said as I reached to her side and picked her up in my arms. I had picked her up once before, when she fell unconscious in jungle and she sure had lost weight since then. Well, knowing you're the chosen one whose life is in sheer danger isn't exactly what you hear everyday. This news definitely took a toll on her.

"Aren't you a gentleman?" I heard Grace's voice behind me as she motioned towards Sapphire's sleeping figure in my arms.

"Shut up. How was the drive back to jungle?" I said and in my arms, Sapphire shifted a little.

"Very funny. Next time, remind me to bring my own car because you can leave me behind anytime." she snorted.

"What about her friend? Is she dead yet?" I asked as I entered the main hall, with her silently following me.

"She will be, if she doesn't stop throwing herself in danger. But for now, I saved her." she said.

"Aren't you an angel?" I said while my gaze lowered to her face. She looked so innocent, as if she hadn't wrapped our lives around her little finger unknowingly.

"Well I stole her car after dropping her at her house so it's equal now." Grace said but I didn't focus on her words. My focus was on the girl in my arms. I turned towards the room we had given her previously and Grace followed me there too. "You seem quite gentle with her, Mr. West." she joked and then earned a hard glare from me.

Once I reached the room, I attempted to open the door and that's when Sapphire's eyes shot open. She panicked and struggled in my arms, earning a grunt from me. "Put me down," she yelped.

"As you wish," I mumbled and then put her down not-so-gently this time. Not expecting me to actually put her down, she stumbled and then supported herself with the wall to stop her from falling.

She turned to look at Grace with questioning eyes and she told her that Bella was okay. Nodding, she stepped into the room without any forcing and then sat down on the bed, without looking at either of us. "I need to sleep. Can you both please leave me alone?" Her tone was blank.

"Sure. But don't get too comfortable, your training starts tomorrow." I said and her brows furrowed in confusion.

"What training?" she asked.

"The training to find your powers. You don't expect us to save you every time now, do you?" Grace replied before me.

"Well, you both sure has a lot of free time." she mumbled under her breath but I heard it anyway. "Besides, I already know my power."

This time, it was me who frowned. "What?" I said in shocked voice.

"Yeah," she muttered. "Apparently, I cursed some people to death before, including my own boyfriend."

Hearing this, both Grace and I exchanged a worried look. "You aren't an angel of death, Sapphire. It must be just a coincidence." Grace said but the small tremble in her voice didn't escape my notice.

We tried to keep our faces normal in front of her and left her room. Only when we both had reached my room did Grace speak, "Well, what will you do now? She thinks she had killed all those people. Are you satisfied now?"

Her tone was too loud for my liking. "So what? She herself said she wanted all those people dead. How is it my fault? I was just doing my duty." I groaned but internally, I was panicking.

"Your fault? You were just supposed to protect her from any magical evil, not go on a killing spree whenever any innocent human made your sweet Sapphire cry." she said in fury, pacing beside me.

"Innocent? Her boyfriend was a dick. That other guy in her college was going to leak her pictures. That redhead I killed tried to spike her drink. And---"

"Oh, just shut up now, Atticus. Do you think she'll be really excited when she finds out you killed five people because of her?" Grace groaned. I knew she would hate me for it.

"Whatever, what's done is done." I said, seating myself on my chair and massaged my temples. "It's tomorrow I am worried about. She is going to hate that training." I said because what we bad planned for her was neither easy nor humane.

"But she has to go through it. Finding her powers won't be a bed of roses. She needs to able to protect herself." Grace said.

I nodded in agreement.

"Don't worry. Her hate for you won't last longer." she teased and I rolled my eyes. She made her way to my bed and crossed her legs, much to my dislike.

"She could hate me for all I care." I said in a dry voice, trying to sound uninterested.

"Really? Don't tell me you don't want to be in her good books." she asked with a smirk on her face.

"I don't." I said through clenched teeth. Grace was like that, she liked making me angry. I have known her for quite long, a year longer than her own husband and since then, we had been frenemies. But nobody understood me more than this witch, not even my own brother. "Now get out and let me sleep." I said.

She huffed angrily after which she hopped out of the bed and made her way to the door. "Well, whatever. All I know is that you both are meant to be." she said and before I could retort, she had left.

Grace always thought there was some connection between Sapphire and me. She thinks the dreams I had whenever she was in problem, the instant to save her, it couldn't be a coincidence. There was a reason behind it.

And sometimes, I also try to decipher if she was right, if there was something bonding me to that silver-haired girl. Whatever it was, it had made my life a living hell from the first moment I landed my eyes on her. That little kid in pigtails hiding behind the bedroom door, her face paled with shock as she watched her father die.

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