There was no mark. He hadn't marked me. He'd bitten and he sucked my blood but that was it. It left me more confused than if he'd marked me. Eros had taken me back to the Ethereal's packhouse about an hour ago. Despite what I'd told him, he didn't believe that Ryker had indeed come and that he'd bitten me. The fact that the wound had healed itself by the time Eros had found me on the bathroom floor didn't help, either. 

"Why can't you believe me?" I breathed out and sagged on the couch. "He was there. He bit me and drank my blood. Why else would I be passing out in the bathroom?" 

"Maybe you had too much to drink." My best friend annoyingly shrugged and, at this moment, I wanted nothing but to throw something at him. Anything. He seemed to realize that too, as he took a seat next to me and held my hand. "Look, Xyrra, Ryker is no longer in Europe. The pack at the border saw him leave when he nearly crossed their territory. There was no way that it was Ryker." Eros let out a deep, exasperated sigh. "As for the whole blood-drinking thing, I don't think that ever happened. Perhaps it was a dream that you had when you passed out." 

"I know what I saw, Er. I still could feel him. It was real." Although there had been a sliver of doubt in my mind previously, after what had happened in the bathroom, I couldn't be persuaded that it was just a mere illusion. "And this wasn't the first time. He approached me in the alley behind the cafe when I was gonna go home." 

My best friend gave me a sad smile. "If it was truly him tonight, then how come I couldn't smell him, Xy?" This was a question that I couldn't find the answer to. Eros was one of the best trackers in his pack. He would be able to smell Ryker even from a distance. "I was there with you, wasn't I? We went through the entire floor together and the basements too, but there wasn't even a hint of his smell." 

I ran my hands through my hair and rested both of my hands on the back of my neck. "I don't know, Er." Closing my eyes, I took a deep, calming breath and tried my best to gather my scattered thoughts. 

Feeling the heaviness of Eros's hand on my shoulder, I reopened my eyes and looked up to meet his gaze. For a split second, I was hoping he'd say that he was sorry and that he believed me. But it never happened. "You should get some rest. It's been a long day." 

Eros gave my shoulder a gentle squeeze before planting a small kiss on the side of my head. Then he got out and left, leaving me alone with my own thoughts. 

The first thing I searched for when I reached my bedroom was the Book of the Damned. Somehow, I felt that I'd find answers there. It was a funny thought, considering that I didn't have the key to open it. In the end, I was only caressing its cover, hoping by some miracle that it would open without a key. 

We'd found that key while cleaning my mum's things. I'd initially thought that Eros stole it from me. Before he'd gotten kidnapped and had his memory wiped, he'd texted me, confessing that he'd taken the key in order to protect me. 

Yet upon gaining his memory back, he had no recollection of that key, which confused the hell out of me. Now that I finally had time to truly ponder about it, I couldn't believe how dumb I'd been. The answer was so obvious. 

"Stupid. Stupid. Stupid!" I cursed under my breath. Adelina, the sorceress who'd put hexes on Eros and altered his wolf Ares's memory, must have taken the key. She hadn't just done what she'd done to help Ryker's crazy ex-fiancé Alana get her revenge. Adelina had had her own agenda since the start. 

If I didn't live in a heavily guarded compound such as the Ethereal packhouse, she would've stolen the Book of the Damned as well. Perhaps she was currently cultivating her plan and waiting for the right time to put it in motion. 

With a flick of my wrist, I summoned a ball of red smoke and placed my hand on the front cover of the book. I wasn't entirely sure what I was doing, but I was hoping I could charm the book to prevent Adelina from stealing it. I lifted my hand and was satisfied to see that the red smoke stuck to the book like a second skin. 

As I lay on my bed, I placed the book on the empty spot on the bed beside me. Just like what Eros had said, I did need to get some rest, but for a completely different reason than what he'd had in mind. I had to be at my best tomorrow because it was about damn time I paid a visit to the East. 

° ° ° ° ° ° °

It was as if she'd been expecting me and perhaps it was true. Whether she had or she hadn't didn't really matter because I was more powerful than she was. I'd taken her on once triumphantly and I could do it again without breaking a sweat. 

"We can do this the hard way or the easy way," I told her after blasting the front door of her small cabin. "Your pick." 

"I see that you're more frequent in wielding your power, girl." Adelina flipped her hair and gave me a mocking smile. "But without proper practice and learning, your power means nothing." 

I tilted my head to one side and narrowed my eyes infinitesimally. "Perhaps I shouldn't have erased your memory about the recipe. I should've erased all of your memory about magic, so you'd never practice magic anymore. That way, you won't do anyone any harm." 

I twirled my wrist and summoned a ball of red smoke in my right hand. "Give me the key now and I might let you have your magic." 

"Your magic won't work on me," said Adelina, accompanied by a cunning, sickening smile. "You see this." She pulled up her sleeves, revealing her tattooed arms. "These are runes. It protects me from any mind-controlling tricks, including yours." She began to laugh maniacally. "Do you honestly think that after you erased my memory about the recipe of my most precious poison, I wouldn't do everything in my power to prevent that from ever happening again?!" 

"Most precious poison, my arse. It was an instant abortion potion. It killed innocent lives." I rolled my eyes. I twirled my left wrist and summoned another ball of red smoke. "Plus, my power can do more than mind control."

As soon as the last word left my mouth, I threw the balls of red smoke at her. She managed to duck and even tried to harm me by summoning twelve daggers and throwing them at me. I used my power to stop all the daggers in mid-air, then turned them to face her. Again, she managed to shield herself, but it wasn't for long before she began running out of power. I could see beads of sweat sliding down her temple and forehead. Her pupils were slightly dilated and her breathing was hard. 

Feeling the surge of power, I knew I could end her in a swift motion and I could feel the temptation. I could hear them loud and clear. 

'Consume her. Take her power.' 

I ignored the voices and did my best to control my power. Taking a deep breath, I made my way, closing the gap between Adelina and me. She sent a ball of dark green smoke, but I sent one of my own and it destroyed hers, causing a small red-green firework. 

Adelina's mouth was opening and closing. She looked as if she was in so much pain, swallowing her own saliva. 

'Take her. You can't have her alive. Suck her dry.'

Again, I paid no heed to these voices. Once I was close enough to Adelina, I summoned red smoke to wrap around Adelina's wrists and hands, preventing her from using her magic. She wiggled and tried to break free, but with her current condition and stamina; it was fruitless. 

"Don't make me ask you twice. Where's the key?" 

Tears mixed with her sweats slid down her cheeks. "I hid it." I waited for her to elaborate further. "It's inside of me. Please. Free me and I'll get it out for you."

If she thought that I would fall for that, then she was unfortunately mistaken. I gave her a small smile as my hand summoned another ball of red smoke. "That won't be necessary. I can get it myself." I pushed the red smoke into her body and searched for the key. Once I located it, I temporarily dematerialized it and then pulled it outside before materializing it. With the key in my hand, I honestly had no use in fighting Adelina. 

Yet before I set her free, I leaned in and met her eyes. "This shall be the last time we've ever met. If I ever see you again, I'll make you pay for all the horrible things you've done to everyone. Community service isn't really my thing, but if by wiping your very existence, I could save thousands of lives, then I would gladly do it." 

Adelina flipped her long hair to one side, and that was when I noticed that she had a wound on her shoulder. A bite mark. It was definitely from a wolf. The only question was who. Adelina seemed to feel my gaze on her as she let out a small giggle. "Yeah, your Alpha could go a little rough sometimes." Then, in a conspiratorial tone, she added, "I honestly thought my nipples would fall off because of how hard he bit on them." 

I curled my hands into a fist and kept them on each side of my body. I could feel my nails biting my skin, threatening to break the surface and draw blood. The voices that I'd tried to ignore came back once again. 

'Now you can't possibly let her live, can you?'

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Dear Readers, bluff or truth? Call it... Did Adeline speak the truth or did she lie?