Never wake a Dragon (on hold)

8. part II - forever friends

Adeem slumped on a chair in his kitchen, ready to fall asleep but afraid of waking up to the same fucking reality. It was an unreasonable thought, but he couldn't help it. Nothing made sense, and at least he could pretend that it was exhaustion that prevented him from seeing what was right in front of him. It had to be. He had this feeling that he was staring at all the pieces and that he simply had to put it together.

"I'm not sure I like that dragon," Nev said, claiming another chair. The furrowed brow revealed how tense he was.

Adeem wished he could have done something to take all that strain away, but nothing came to mind. They hadn't said another word about Vincent on the way back to the apartment, and he wanted to keep it that way. He couldn't face that the fae was gone. Talking about Kyung was safer.

"I'm not sure you should."

"Has he ever done that to you?"

"Talked to me inside his head?"

Nev nodded. It was barely there, almost as if he were afraid to move at all.

"He has. It's a mind fuck."

"Literally," Nev added.

Adeem would have smiled if not for everything that had happened. Having Nev with him made it easier, but not easy enough to let go of worries.

"So, what happens now?" Nev asked.

"I'm not sure."

Nev nodded again and they shared a silence that was heavy and necessary at the same time.

Finally, he leaned forward, elbows on the table. "Astrid, Vincent. I don't know where to begin. I don't know what to do."

"You're a demon. You command chaos. Don't let it rule you." It was said carefully.

"I couldn't protect you."

Nev's jaw tightened. "No, but you stood by me. He tried to drive a wedge between us, and you wouldn't let him."

"I'm sorry."

Nev gripped the table with enough force to whiten his knuckles. "We're caught up in something. I just wish I knew what it was."

"Don't you?"

"I'm not sure. You've not told me everything."

He hesitated. What if Kyung was right? What if Nev had motives he didn't know about. Speaking of treason against the council could lead to his death, worse, it could lead to Nev's death. Perhaps it was better to retreat, after all. Hide on an island somewhere like he'd thought about even before this had begun.

He stared into Nev's eyes. His innocent friend who acted tough but had the softest heart beneath it all. This had been the reason to never let anyone close. Whatever he decided, Nev could end up sharing his fate without ever being given a choice. If he went against the council and failed, Nev would go down with him. They never left loose ends.

The memory Vincent's charred remains assaulted his senses. It couldn't be a mere coincidence that all his friends ended up either killed or blamed in one night alone. Someone was after him, but he couldn't think clearly enough—he couldn't see through the haze.

"Adeem. What's going on?"

Chaos. Nev thought he could somehow sift through the wreckage and make sense of a situation that was spiraling out of control. Nev's faith in him was both reassuring and disturbing. He had done nothing to deserve it.

"I don't know."

"Why can't you be honest with me?"

He wished he hadn't heard the question. Even if he didn't want to admit it, Kyung's warning nagged at his mind. The problem was that he couldn't demand Nev to tell him what the dragon had seen without opening up in return. He could almost feel the splinters of a ruined friendship approaching from the sidelines. Cutting Nev from his life wouldn't keep the vampire safe, not anymore, but it was tempting to think that it might be the safest option he had.