Word Count; 1572

¬Rosie

He looks exactly as I remember.

There's no doubting which of my two brothers this is; we are practically identical. He's my twin, my other half. We always used to say he was older than me, because he was so much more matured, outgoing and experienced. He had older friends, older girlfriends and was almost always better than me at everything he did.

I was devastated when him and our oldest brother were killed in the accident. It was his death that hit me the most, because despite the fact that we didn't always get along, we were the closest.

And now he is standing before me, having not changed a bit.

Well, I suppose that's not completely true. He walks confidently through the glass doors, brushing the billowy curtain away with a leather gloved hand. His hair is still as black as obsidian, but there is a scarlet red streak running through the fringe of hair that reaches his eyebrows.

"Harlen," I breathe in disbelief. How is this real? I'm not sure what it more surprising, the fact that Harlen is here right now, having someone scaled onto the balcony, or the fact that he just shot my mate in the chest with the crossbow he now holds lazily over his shoulder.

He looks at me, icy atlantic blue eyes which mirror my own are full of humour. "Hello Rosie. Good to see you again."

Bewildered, I watch him step over to Time, who sits beside me, only his torso showing above the sheets, blood seeping from the arrow still wedged between his ribs. Harlen looks over the immortal, who is completely paralysed, the faintest hint of a smile on his face. Then, he reaches for arrow, and yanks it from Time's chest with no remorse to be seen.

I wince, looking away.

"Who are you?" Time says through gritted teeth. I can see the pain in his eyes, the desperation to get up and do something, but his limbs are completely useless. Even as he remains calm, it's clearly the first time he has been shot and paralysed like this. I never would have known any substance in this world would be enough to render an immortal like Time powerless.

"I'm Rosie's brother," he says, as if Time hadn't already figured that out. He knows what he means; who are you really, and what business do you have with poisoning an immortal. "I wouldn't try move. You won't be able to until the poison is completely out of your system."

I feel my heart fall into my stomach, as I stare at the man I grew up with, who is barely recognizable. "Harlen, why are you doing this?"

"Because he's immortal, sis. Don't you get it?"

I don't know what to do, how to react. I'm as bound to the bed as Time is, being completely naked under the covers. This isn't the Harlen I remember. He wouldn't dress like this, he never learnt how to wield a crossbow in his mortal life, and he especially wouldn't talk down to an immortal like this. He might look like my brother, but it's like he's been possessed by someone else.

"Where did you come from anyway? What more do you know?" Time questions calmly, hardly flinching. Him appearing unmoved is his way of showing Harlen that he isn't going to be the one coming out of this on the bad side.

Harlen walks around the bed, standing at the foot. "We have been tracking your use of your abilities. I happened to be in the area when I got a hit."

We. He's working with someone else, maybe?

"I don't understand why you're doing this. Why show up now?" I question. This moment couldn't be anymore disappointing. I've waited so long since I arrived here to be reunited with my brothers, to find one of them has gone off the rails. And for a reason I'm too scared to ask about. I'm scared he's here to kill me and Time.

"My apologies, Rosie, that I interrupted your perfect life with your immortal mate. I didn't know you were the type to move on so quickly," he mutters, his tone turning from amused, to infused with darkness. Is this revenge? For assuming something about me that isn't even true.

I sit up off the bed, pinning the sheets to chest. "If you've been tracking Time, you would know he's been trying to track you down for me."

Harlen tilts his head, practically unrecognizable.

"I knew the moment you arrived here, Rosie. I tracked you, but before I could get to you, Time got you, and took you away. I really don't think you cared that much," he says. I can hardly believe what I'm hearing. Is he really blaming me for the fact that it took some time to come and find him? It's not like he was easy to find in the first place.

"Sinful, this very powerful immortal has been hunting me down, to get to Time. There is a lot more going on than you even know," I tell him angrily.

"Lucky for you, I already dealt with that," he tells me, that smile returning, like he's gloating. I've never come across Sinful in my life, other than how he has appeared to be previously, but I somehow doubt that. Yes, what he has done to Time is unthinkable...but Sinful too?

"You what?"

He shrugs, adjusting his crossbow like it's not a lethal weapon that just struck my mate in the chest. "I spoke to Sinful. Seems he's not immune to poison either."

I glance at Time, who has remained oddly quiet through my exchange with Harlen. Either it's out of respect for us being siblings, or because he is trying to decide his next move. It's not that easy when he has no use of his limbs. I don't even know what I can do next. I want to trust Harlen, and I would, if he were anything like my brother that I knew. This is someone completely different.

Cold, calculated, with an unknown motive.

"You're playing a dangerous game, kid. Messing with immortals never ends well for anyone," Time mutters through a strained voice. His wound is healing already, but he still can't move. He's sealing in the fact that once Time is free from this, bad things will happen to Harlen.

"Messing with unmated immortals never ends well," he corrects, winking. I know exactly what he means by that; when immortals have mates they can threaten, then it makes targeting them much easier. "I know what I'm doing."

I shiver. "What are you doing?"

He sighs, before spotting a closest on his left. Moving toward it, he opens it, finding a bunch of clothing that I didn't even know was in there. Ripping a bunch of articles off a few coat hangers, he tosses them at me, not even looking at what he had grabbed.

"Saving you," he tells me, nodding at me to put the clothing on, before he turns around. "It's time to go."

Exchanging glances with Time, I wonder what to do next. Do I get dressed and leave with Harlen, to determine his motive, and why exactly he thinks he's saving me? Or do I try fight away from it, for the exact reason I don't know his plan for me. He could kill me, or never allow me to see Time again. Just the thought of that confirms my next decision.

"Harlen no...please, this isn't who you are," I say, hoping the desperation in voice is enough for him to realise how I don't want to go with him, but regardless, he doesn't turn around, motioning with his hand for me to hurry up.

Time looks at me, nodding steadily. "Go Rosie, he's not going to hurt you. Once this poison wears off, I'll find you."

"Come on Rosie, we should get going. Otherwise it will be another arrow, with a different kind of poison on it," Harlen threatens.

Reluctantly, I slide from the bed, quickly dressing into the clothes he provided me with. No one says anything while I do so. I expected Time to interrogate him, to try find out his motive for this. I've decided that he must be thinking he is doing the right thing, that Time is a threat and he has finally saved me from him. Little does he know, I actually care about my mate.

"I'm done. Where are you taking me?" I question. Harlen turns around, blue eyes glancing at Time for a moment. Oh, of course. He isn't going to say a word because Time will come for us the moment we leave here.

I have no doubt Time will find us anyway. At least I hope he does.

Because I have a feeling Harlen is taking me away, and has no intention of bringing me back.

💜••💜

Hey guys! If you're enjoying the story, you can head over to Radish and read Time ahead of Wattpad!

🔮••🔮

I'm officially rewriting Alpha Jasper's story now on Radiah! It will be following the same storyline with the same characters, but with revised scenes and some new ones!

I love Jasper's story so much that I wanted to go back and rewrite it. I hope you guys will enjoy it, you can find it now on Radish (:

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~Midika 💜🐼