Hellbound Heart

Chapter 365  Friendly smile

Elle awoke with a start, a cold sweat painting her forehead. Her breath came in sharp, staccato bursts, each inhalation a futile attempt to dispel the terror of her nightmare.

Pushing the covers aside, she launched herself out of the bed, her heartbeat frantic. She hastened outside, and the blaze of the noon sun, stunned her. She had thought it was still late in the morning!

Soon, she found her feet rushing to Alicia's house.

As she approached, wafts of a just-concluded lunch filled the air.

She almost collided with the door, breathless. The door opened to reveal Alicia, her face morphing from surprise to concern. Behind her, Zeke and Azy were just settling down from their meal.

"Elle, what happened?" Concern etched lines into Alicia's gentle features as she welcomed her.

"I'm alright, Alicia, truly," Elle immediately assured, though her voice wavered, betraying the unease that thrummed beneath her attempts at composure. "I just need a moment with Prince Ezekiel. May I, please?"

"Of course," Alicia gestured towards the inside. "Come in, Elle."

But Elle hesitated, her feet rooted to the spot, the residual terror of her nightmare still grasping at her. "I'll just wait for him here, Alicia," she insisted.

Understanding quickly flashed across Alicia's features before she nodded at her and retreated to call Zeke.

As soon as Zeke appeared, and Elle, now a bundle of nerves, blurted out her urgent plea. "I need to see Sebastian!"

Zeke studied her calmly as he gently shut the door behind him. "What happened?"

"I'm… I'm sorry for the disturbance, Prince Ezekiel –"

"It's alright, Izabelle." He held her gaze. "Be calm and tell me what happened."

"N-nothing, but… I had a bad dream. And Sebastian is…" she paused, took a deep breathe before she continued. "He's all bloodied and I don't think he's fine at all. Sebastian needs me. I want to see him." Elle confessed, a hint of fear brimming in her eyes.

"I know it's a nightmare, but…" Elle's gaze on Zeke became pleading, "But I can feel it, Sebastian needs me."

"You know it's going to be dangerous for you, Izabelle."

"I know. But I want to go and please don't worry… I will be very careful. I won't make things hard for him. And besides… since the witch backing Elijah is now here, it shouldn't be that dangerous anymore, right?" Elle replied, frantically doing her best to convince Ezekiel to allow her to go.

As if summoned by the charged atmosphere, Gav materialized, his arrival cutting through the silence that followed Elle's plea. "Why don't you let me go with her, Zeke?" Gav said.

Elle was surprised when she turned to look at the man who just spoke. Because this Gav suddenly seemed different again. His darkness and oppressing demeanor that usually clung to him was absent making room for a disorienting calm that seemed as alien as it was unexpected. It was as if the obsidian night that cloaked his soul had been pierced by the first rays of dawn. If his appearance changed, she would be very sure that this was another person! This one seemed to be the complete opposite of the darkly intense and dangerous Gav! What happened? Why was this man incredibly calm right now? Was another spirit took over his body or something?

"Alright," Zeke agreed, causing Elle to snap at Zeke, shocked. She didn't expect that. She thought Zeke wouldn't agree since he had been so adamant of even letting Gav leave the forest even when there was Alexander that was with him. So why? Was it because Gav was calmer now? Had the unsettling calm radiating from Gav dissolved Zeke's resistance?

Elle's eyes darted between the two males, confusion laced with disbelief. But then, relief immediately took over. Because right now, nothing else matter to Elle but to be able to go and see Sebastian! She needed to see him doing alright with her own two eyes because if she won't, she didn't know if she could bear just staying here anymore after what she saw in her nightmare.

"Shall we go, Young Lady? You're in haste, aren't you?" Gav's voice, bereft of its familiar ominous undertone, and now coated with such politeness, pulled Elle from the tumultuous sea of her thoughts.

Elle looked at Zeke again as if to make sure about something but Zeke's lips lifted in a faint smile, and he subtly nodded, granting her the confidence she sought.

Whispering her gratitude at Zeke, Elle took a deep breath and walked towards Gav.

…

It was about twilight when Elle and Gav arrived in Queza. Under the amethyst sky, the city shimmered, a vivid blend of the ordinary and the extraordinary, painting pictures of life in its manifold expressions.

Gav remained calm, though there was a certain regal air about him that made people turn their heads to look. Yes, Elle had asked him to put on a mask, and she did as well, so they could easily blend into the crowd. But it seemed the mask wasn't helping. Perhaps it was because Gav was also very tall. Not to mention the serene calm that cloaked him was punctuated by an unspoken regality that didn't bow to the anonymity of the crowd.

Thinking it might be better for them to be invisible, Elle was about to ask Gav if he could make himself invisible, just like her, when someone bumped into him.

It was a thief.

Gav's response was seamless, an effortless maneuver that had the thief stumbling, the ground kissing his disgraced form. An undercover policeman in pursuit seized the moment, pinning the thief with handcuffs.

"Too bad for you, little rat," the young policeman chuckled before looking up at Gav and saying, "Thanks, man–"

But suddenly, the brown-haired guy with dark brown eyes and a wide, friendly smile trailed off and blinked at the sight of Gav.

Unexpectedly, Gav just stood there, staring at the undercover policeman who was still squatting on the ground.

The two men locked eyes when another woman approached them, calling out a name: "Levy!"

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