Chapter 274: What the Night Couldn’t Finish
She wore the same white robe as Ethan. And the moment she entered, he pulled her into a hug.
"I’ve been wanting to do that all day," he muttered over her shoulder.
Hayley let out a soft laugh, as she returned the embrace just as firmly.
When they finally pulled apart, Ethan continued. "That moment...You getting stabbed like that... I didn’t think i’d see that."
Hayley had a smile on her face, but said nothing.
Ethan continued, "be more careful next time."
She nodded, and then Ethan turned back toward the bed.
"Anyways, hat’s up?" He said, while sliding back into the bed and pulling the duvet over his waist again.
Hayley went over from the other side, and slid into the duvet as well, saying nothing in reply at first.
Ethan watched with narrowed eyes as Hayley got in, "So what, you just came here to hang?"
"Yup" Hayley said, adjusting the duvet a bit too. "Bettie is uhm.."
"Hold on... What’s wrong with Bettie?" Ethan cut in quickly.
"Nothing nothing, she’s just... boring I guess" hayley shrugged. "I like her, but we don’t really have alot in common"
Ethan shook his head, amused.
"And Percy’s kinda busy" she added with a knowing smile
Understanding dawned on Ethan almost instantly. "Hold on.. i thought they weren’t sure about it?"
Hayley laughed a bit. "Well, if you walk out that door" she gestured, "and head towards Percy’s room... I’m pretty sure what you’ll hear will answer that question."
Ethan laughed a bit, so did she and after a few seconds, they both settled out of it.
Hayley rested her head on his shoulder, while crossed her right arm over his left, and they were quiet like that for a while.
"That was a pretty scary moment for me too, you know." Hayley said, staring distantly as she recounted that stab scene.
Hayley exhaled slowly. "I’ve never been hit like that before."
Ethan simply held her hand and smiled, but said nothing after.
Hayley glanced at him for a second, then again, swallowing hard. Her heartbeat had already started racing, like it always did whenever she was this close to him.
And as usual, Ethan pretended not to hear it. Though at this point, there was a slight difference—his own heart was beating just as fast.
Ethan tried to reset his thoughts. "We should probably—"
But Hayley moved before he could finish, gently pulling his face toward hers in a kiss. For a second, Ethan froze, then he leaned in and kissed her back.
The tension between them finally dissolved in a rummaging of their tongue as their lips held firmly in a deep kiss.
The world outside the room stopped existing as the moment only grew hotter. Ethan crossed his hand over waist and pulled her closer, while Hayley’s hands hand already begun undoing the straps that held his robes together.
Their lips never stopped finding each other’s for one second. But right in the moment when Ethan’s hand had lowered from her waist to pull at her bum...
He suddenly pulled back. His breath was uneven. "...Fuck."
Hayley looked confused, while staring at his face that was close enough that their foreheads almost touched.
And then, in a sudden blur of motion, he vanished. A snap of lightning displaced the air where he had been.
Hayley remained on the bed for a moment, staring at the empty space. "Seriously?"
—-
The next morning, a vintage sedan rolled to a stop just outside a secluded cemetery on the outskirts of Gritnia.
Lady Audrey stepped out first, adjusting her coat before scanning the surroundings with careful eyes.
Esmeray came out right after, and followed behind her as they moved between rows of old stone markers until they reached a small mausoleum.
At the top of its surface, was a polished brass plaque that read: Audrey, Lady of House Desdemona.
She and the attendant standing by the building exchanged acknowledging nods, after which he opened the door leading inside.
Audrey stepped in a room space of total darkness, and then suddenly the world shifted.
The dark floor vanished beneath her feet in a transition of space and light. The air warped, folding inward like a curtain being pulled aside.
Then suddenly, both she and Esmeray came out of another doorway that led into a room.
They had both crossed through some kind of portal from the mausoleum to this very place.
Waiting for her on this other side was Alistair who quickly leaned towards her as they shared a brief kiss.
After parting, they continued further into the room, leaving it and entering a corridor.
They moved through silent hallways in the same manner until they finally reached a larger chamber.
It was a dimly lit laboratory dominated by a large, glowing central cylindrical containment that emitted green-yellow light from within.
Filling the rest of the space were complex machinery, pipes, cables, and control panels.
Floating Inside that cylinder, was Andrea.
Her body was suspended weightlessly in the translucent green liquid, and her hair drifted.
Her eyes were closed, and she was unconscious but an oxygen interface sealed gently over her face.
Standing nearby was Merlin, who held a book filled with diagrams, calculations, and arcane schematics.
This was Alistair’s summon; a young man with long purple hair, and a monocle over his right eye. His attire was refined; white ruffled shirt, a black vest, with gold-trimmed accessories.
He glanced up as they entered, and a subtle mischievous smile formed as he gave a slight bow.
Audrey’s gaze did not linger long on him.
"Alistair," she asked, "how far along is it?"
Alistair turned slightly toward the containment tube.
"Merlin completed the final integration this morning," he said. "The components were retrieved from the Le Gris family, as agreed."
He paused, watching the tube for a moment.
"And with this, Andrea should begin stabilizing soon. Her body system is primed to accept the process."
Audrey gave a nod. "Good."
There was brief silence for a while before Alistair spoke again, more casually this time.
"By the way... I learned something from our newest friend."
Audrey maintained her posture as he spoke.
"Mikael is still alive, and he is Ethan’s butler as well."
Audrey glanced at him before returning focus to Andrea’s suspended form. "Yes, I know."
Alistair frowned slightly. "You knew?"
Audrey’s expression remained calm. "Lord Morgenstein informed me. One of his daughters confirmed it. Apparently she was in the same gang as your friend."
Alistair exhaled.
Audrey added, "And since we’re on the topic of information, this project..." she gestured toward Andrea’s suspended body, "was originally built because of him"
Alistair looked taken aback by that. "And here i thought.. it was for my father"
"There’s still that as well." She said, then turned towards him. "Truth is, I still intend to reach Mr. Stark before truly deciding the direction of the project."
Then she held her cheek gently as she noticed he had a disturbed looked, "it was why i never really spoke about it"
Alistair studied her for a moment, then nodded. "Very well"
She smiled, then returned back to the Cylinder.
—-
A/N: Ethan and Hayley... i know guys I know.. don’t crucify me yet😭
it would not be worth in the end if there’s no thrill, no?
