Chapter Sixty-One

The fine strands of hair along my temple sway gently in the crisp mountain breeze. I sleep in the embrace of an outdoor couch, the rcushions softly creaking under my weight. Beside me, nestled amidst the snow-covered trees and with the distant silhouette of the Night Court castle against the moonlit sky, Kallias holds me close, his warmth a comforting anchor.

"Are you with us, Remi?" Rhodes' voice rumbles from behind, pulling me back from the edges of sleep. It takes me a moment to register where we are—hammocks suspended by the water’s edge, a serene retreat from the bustling life of the court.

"I'm here," I mutter, my voice still thick with drowsiness. The events of the evening are a blur, the pain in my foot a constant reminder of Xaden's attack, and Keiran's skilled hands swiftly stitching me up.

"Why are we out here?" I ask, feeling the gentle sway of the hammock beneath me.

"Felt stuffy indoors," Rhodes answers from another hammock nearby. "This is much more refreshing."

Despite Kallias's warmth, a chill creeps through my legs. I adjust, intertwining my legs with his, seeking comfort in his presence. His shorts provide little barrier against the cold mountain air, but his closeness is a welcome contrast.

"What about Keiran and Xaden?" I inquire, gazing up at the bright, moonlit sky.

"Keiran went to check on Xaden," Rhodes assures me. "They'll be fine."

Images of Xaden's intensity flash through my mind—the grip around my throat, the raw hunger in his eyes. My muscles tense at the memory, the dull ache in my throat matching the pain in my foot.

"How are you feeling, Remi?" Kallias's voice breaks through my thoughts, his fingers tracing patterns on my forearm. The touch sends a shiver down my spine.
The sensation reminds me of early winter mornings, when the world is dark and cold, but you're cocooned on the fireside with a cup of hot cocoa and a warm blanket.

It’s a memory vivid and cherished—a fleeting moment of peace amidst chaos.

"I'm okay," I reply, though uncertainty lingers.

"Xaden shouldn't have attacked you like that," Rhodes interjects.

"It's alright," I assure them, though doubts linger. Kallias lets out a sigh, his breath warm against my hair.

"No, it's not," he murmurs softly.

The contrast between Keiran and Xaden’s brutality and the twins' calculated mischief becomes clearer. Both pairs evoke different feelings in me—fear, intrigue, even a strange allure.

And Xaden… despite his darkness, there's something about him that draws me in, that makes me question what lies beneath his fierce exterior.

When the time comes to face Xaden alone, I know it will be an unforgettable encounter

Beyond our secluded grove, the crunch of footsteps disturbs a few fallen twigs on the path. The twins show no concern, and neither do I.

It’s Vienna who comes up a few seconds later.

“Hi,” she says.

“What do you want?” Rhodes asks.

“I haven’t seen you guys in a while. Is everything all right?”

Kallias tenses up beneath me. I’m not sure why.

“He lost his—” I start, but Rhodes cuts me off.

“Lost his shit. You know how he gets it.”

Vienna crosses her arms over her chest and just stares at me. I try not to look like I know more than I should.

“Remi?” she says.

“I’m just here for the ride,” I mutter.

Rhodes gives me a reassuring tap on my ass. So they don’t want her to know about this, why?

“Where’s Xaden?”

I never before considered the relationship between her and the Demon Slayer. Not much besides she’s terrified of him, but was also able to let him drink her blood as a distraction so he wouldn’t kill me.

Guilt floods me.

Memories of that night, of Vienna helping me not die at the hands of Xaden, are a heavy cloak on my shoulders.

To answer his half-sister’s question, Kallias points a finger to the sky.

Vienna’s cherry red hair flashes in the moonlight as she looks up.

I open my mouth, confused by what they’re doing, until I see a dark, shadowy mass obstructing the starlight.

“Holy shit–”

“Don’t curse, Offering,” Kallias scolds me.

“Is that Xaden?” I let go of him and rose from the couches, headed towards the clearing that Vienna had walked onto.

She stares at the sky in as much awe as I do, her eyes never leaving him.

“Is he really flying?”

Vienna nods.

I watch him for a moment. From here, he’s just a blur of darkness against darkness, parting the clouds with his body.

“He flies when he’s angry,” Vienna says, and still, I can’t get a read on her emotions towards him. Is she saying this as a friend or something more…?

“I’d fly on any emotion,” I comment, instinctively reaching back for the twins as they approach us. Kallias grabs my hand, but Rhodes.

Something is going on there.

The sharper twin is frowning, but not in his usual grumpiness, Rhodes actually looks sad, longing.

I try to recall what the twins told me about their Ilthilian heritage. Wings were mentioned, maybe once or twice, but then they told me of the Witches, how they were Cauldron-made.

And how the Cauldron took everything from them. Their real mother, their father,

Maybe it took the wings, too.

Above us, Xaden zips in front of the full moon, then turns on his back. He puts his hands casually above his head, then his body goes limp, and he starts to fall backwards.

“Wait,” I say, and take a step forward. Kallias’s grip slips from my hand. “Is that normal?”

Xaden falls through the sky at a faster speed, the ground quickly approaching.

“Kallias?! Rhodes?!”

Kallias just hooks his arm around my shoulder and tugs me into his side. “Just watch, Offering.”

My heart beats loudly in my ears as Xaden falls and falls and falls. The ground rushes up to greet him, and I hold my breath.

What the fuck is he doing? Will he survive a fall like this–

Just as his body is about to hit the base of the mountain, Xaden catches himself. Great shadowed wings, something of air and mist, sprout from his back and catch air. Then he rights himself, and takes off like a bolt of lightning.

I sigh in release. “Fuck him.”

“Offering.”

“He knew we were watching,” Vienna snorts, “he was just showing off. He used to pull that shit all the time with my new crew members in Seventh Isle, scaring them into respecting a female captain.”

Watching Vienna besides me, hearing these stories of how intimately she knows Xaden, now she trusts him not to kill her when he drinks her blood, stirs something deep in my belly.

She knows him. And I don’t.

I’m pretty sure the feeling is just…jealousy.

There’s a rush of cool air. We all turn towards the fields in the distance.

Like a demon, Xaden lands before us in perfect precision. His wings are definitely made of shadow, and the redness of his eyes makes him…terrifying.
But not to Vienna.

No, the Pirate seems to be even more interested in him now.

In that sick display of power.

When Xaden finally makes his way to us, his blonde hair is in disarray, and he’s somehow sexier than he ever has been.

Maybe it’s because he looks…calm. Happy even.

And then the bastard opens his mouth. “The fuck are you all looking at?”

Behind me, the twins groan. “As if you weren’t putting on a show for her, Demon Hunter,” Rhodes says, throwing himself back on the couch.

“Nice job, X,” Vienna says slyly, “your form could use some work, though.”

I think my world stops spinning. Or it has broken from its axis.

Because Xaden pushes his hair back…

And laughs.

I didn’t even know he could do that.

Somehow, it’s even more impressive than flying.

“Want to help me out?” Xade asks, and it is definitely, without a doubt, jealousy that runs through my veins this time around.

Vienna, thank god, does not seem overly affected by his handsomeness. “Heard you needed me for something.”

“You’re not going to care for it anymore than I am.”

Vienna brushes her red hair over her shoulders. “I’m a busy woman, Xade. Spit it out.”

Xaden sighs. Sighs like he’s afraid of disappointing her. “I need to speak to your father,” he says, “and I want you to sail me there.”

Both of the twins instantly stand.

“Absolutely not,” Rhodes says.

“Are you out of your fucking mind?” Asks Kallias.

Vienna puts her hands on her hips, ever the calm and put together leader.

Maybe she really is King of the Pirates.

Xaden puts his face in his hands. “It was my command, okay?” he says to the twins. “Keiran ordered it.”

“Why?” Asks Rhodes.

“Because his Pearl ran off into his lands.”

That silences the twins.

Xaden turns to Vienna.

“And why do you need my ship?” She asks him.

“I don’t need your ship, I just need a ship,” Xaden says.

“And why have me sail it?”

Xaden sighs into his hand. “Because your dad probably won’t kill you, or your guests.”

Vienna shrugs, as if saying, there’s nothing in it for me.

“I wasn’t asking for your consent,” Xaden growls over his shoulder, already making his mind up. “We’re leaving first thing tomorrow morning.”

“Wait…” I slid up to a very pissed off looking Vienna. “Who’s your father?”

Her cool and calm demeanor is just teetering on the edge. Which is unusual for her.

“A King,” she tells me, “King of Keiran’s enemy Isle.” 
The Midnight King
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