Chapter 219
The men made camp and settled down.
Owen and two other men went hunting to find anything to eat while the others stayed back to make watch and take notes on their surroundings.
Erik and Xaden went up ahead to explore the surroundings to be certain that there were no creatures of the night again.
Xaden felt the pain grip him and then he groaned.
“Xaden.” Erik said placing his hand against him.
The pain hit Xaden hard again and Xaden struggled.
Erik rushed up to him and held him up. “Xaden, what is it?” Erik asked.
Erik could feel him getting harder and harder, his entire body weighing him down more than usual.
Then Xaden looked up at him, and then his eyes went pitch black.
Erik stared on in horror.
Xaden began to froth at the mouth, but it was not foam or saliva.
It was blood, black blood.
“Gods.” Erik said.
Xaden started to snap and growl and then Erik pulled out what he had kept on privacy for long.
He opened the top of his blade, which had a secret compartment, and then steam emitted over Xaden’s face.
Xaden growled and roared at it, but Erik forced him to have the steam engulf him.
Xaden eventually conceded, and then he managed to become calm.
The black blood stopped spilling, and then his eyes returned to Normal.
Soon, Xaden was breathing normally.
But in the process of his short and swift transformation, Xaden’s clothes has been ripped apart and then was now Torn.
It was then Erik saw how badly Xaden was ill.
The black marks that he had seen on his arm earlier had now extended all over his body to his neck and then to his arms, and they formed an intricate and magnificent pattern.
It resembled the root of a tree that had stayed in the tree so long and dug its roots deep into the ground, taking a taste of every single side available to it.
“The Gods.” Erik exclaimed in horror. “What happened to you.”
Xaden sighed and picked up the pieces of his shirt as if in an attempt to work it out and put it back on his body.
But it was no use, and Erik had already seen it.
“Do not bother,” Erik said waving his hand away from the pieces of clothes. “There is nothing to hide I have already seen it.”
Xaden set his hands on his waist. “Fine, you have seen them, that is all.”
“Sweet goddess of all,” Erik said. “You are clearly not alright. Look at yourself. That single mark has extended all over your body to the point that it is like you are a drawing. Gods, you were frivolously foaming black blood in your mouth, Xaden.”
“I am fine,” Xaden repeated.
“Like bloody hell you are,” Erik said. “Your eyes are pitch black. The poison is beginning to consume you, and it only seems to have a much more adverse effect on you because of what you hate your wolf.”
“Leave it be Erik. We are already only half a day away from the isle anyways.” Xaden said.
“You think this is some sort of joke,” Erik said. “The King will rip you apart if he discovers you are weak. And Xaden, you are not only weak physically but mentally In so many godforsaken ways. I know him.”
“I am a warrior and alpha, I would not be a coward and stay back while my men carry out missions for me,” Xaden responded.
Erik believed he would lose his mind from
How stubborn Xaden was.
“You truly think that you can do this in such a state you are in?” Erik asked. “He makes deals. I will tell you first what happens. The king will ask you three questions while you fight him. If you lie or perhaps fail any of them, then he will end your life. And no one ever wins. How do you even believe you can do such a task if you can not even stand.” Erik said.
“I need to save Jasmine. I did not have the chance to, but now I do and I will not throw that opportunity away.” Xaden said starting to leave.
“Will you be saving Jasmine if you were dead? If you were killed first then she would die. Her life would end even much earlier than that decreed time.” Erik said.
And that made Xaden stop.
Then he breathed in and turned around.
Erik shook his head. “I am your friend, and I will not let you go astray when I see you on that path.”
“So I am to wait behind?” Xaden asked with a bitter laugh. “Like a coward? It is my life on the line here too.”
“Xaden we both know that you would give your life for Jasmine if you were given the opportunity to,” Erik said, and that made Xaden stop in his tracks.
His face went ashen and white.
Xaden was about to speak.
“You do not need to deny it,” Erik said. “I see you, I know you. You care for her more than you should. You have no heart and yet you care for her. If you were alive you would-
“Love?” Xaden cut him short. “I would what love her? Yes. You are right. I would love her would I not? And I took my heart away because I never wanted to be capable of such emotions. Look what happened to my parents”.
Xaden looked for the words to say as it was eating him out.
“My father gave up himself. My mother gave up herself, to save us. Because they loved us. Loved my sister and I. But look what happened?” He gave a bitter laugh. “My sister did not even make it. Look at me. I am the product of the so-called love.”
Then Xaden’s face went white. “I can not love because I will not see what happened to my family happen to me.”