Chapter 174: Bonus Chapter: Disarmed By A Mortal
Extra Chapter for everyone who has been sending gifts, power stones and golden tickets, and for the silent readers who have been supporting this book so far. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart!
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By the time she finished speaking, Gavriel had fastened the last button, leaving only the collar open.
Aliana finally raised her eyes to meet his. "Say something," she whispered, worry clouding her gaze.
Gavriel let out a quiet sigh as he touched her cheeks, relieved to find her temperature had returned to completely normal. "Don’t think about it then."
"What?" Her brows rose in surprise, clearly not expecting him to dismiss it.
"Don’t think about it anymore, Ana," he repeated. His expression remained unreadable, but his touch on her cheek was incredibly gentle.
She opened her mouth and then closed it, as though she wanted to question him but wasn’t entirely sure how.
Gavriel continued, his voice softening even further. "Ana... I don’t know what is going on here, but I promise you that I will find out. Until then, I would rather avoid these painful episodes." His voice grew quieter, grounding her. "Our wedding is next week. Why don’t you concentrate on that and leave the rest for me to handle?"
She opened her mouth to argue because she was deeply curious about how Gavriel could possibly find answers to an unusual condition that seemed to be actively worsening by the day.
But Gavriel anticipated her protest, cutting her off smoothly. "Jacob is missing."
Her eyes widened in shock.
"He wasn’t there when I reached you," he continued, his thumb lightly grazing her skin. "But I will find him, I promise you that. And when I do... he will pay for every single thing he did to you."
His eyes burned with such raw fury and conviction that Aliana was left speechless. Yet, beneath the shock, an inexplicable sense of peace settled deep within her... the exact reassurance she had been craving this entire time.
"With the CEO of the Van Empire missing, I’m afraid your father will have to temporarily step in until everything is settled," he added, seamlessly switching gears into a cool, business-minded tone. "You will eventually have to take over that position, but that can’t happen right now."
"Why?" she finally found her voice.
"Because you need to rest. I’ll help you set the wedding preparations in order before I leave," he informed her calmly.
"Leave? Where?" Panic surged within her at the mere thought of being left alone without him.
"I need to travel somewhere to find answers," he said, his tone careful. "Anything that can explain your... condition."
She began to shake her head before she could even stop herself. Her hands shot out, gripping the damp fabric of his robe tightly. "No! I am not staying here alone without you. I am coming with you."
Gavriel fell silent, taking in how intensely she rejected the idea of being separated from him. The problem was that the individual he needed to visit harboured a deep hatred for humans. He had no certainty that the person would agree to help him if they saw Aliana by his side.
He pressed his lips together, calculating how to talk her out of it.
He had already decided to cast an incredibly powerful protective barrier around the estate and had even linked his own essence to the ring she wore, ensuring he would instantly sense the slightest hint of danger near her.
With Cillian and Reve stationed to guard her constantly, she would be completely safe. He just needed her to remain inside the house until his return, ensuring no more dangerous incidents could compromise her safety.
Aliana, on the other hand, studied his expression and felt a distinct premonition that he was about to reject her request.
The sheer thought of being left alone without him terrified her, especially after the horrific ordeal she had just survived. Even though Gavriel wanted to travel specifically for her sake, there was absolutely no way she was staying behind.
Her gaze sharpened with fierce determination as she tightened her grip on his damp robe. "I know what you’re about to say. Save it. I am coming with you," she declared.
Gavriel found himself momentarily speechless at her sudden ferocity. "Ana... it will be dangerous-"
"It will be dangerous if you leave me here," she countered sharply. "What if something happens to me again? Would you be okay with returning to find no bride at all next week?"
She held his gaze unflinchingly, even as she watched his expression darken dangerously at her blunt words.
They locked eyes in a tense stare-off for several long seconds before Gavriel finally surrendered with a defeated sigh.
He raised a hand to push his damp hair back from his face, looking so sexy while doing it, but Aliana forced herself to remain unaffected by the distraction.
Letting out an exasperated breath, he looked back down at her and tried a different angle. "There is no guarantee I will find any answers at all on this trip, Aliana. You will just be wasting valuable time that you should be using to recuperate."
"I’ll be fine," Aliana replied, dug in and determined to be as stubborn as possible. "Besides, this is about my body, it is happening to. If there are questions to be answered, I believe I should be there to answer them. So, I am coming with you."
When he remained tongue-tied for the second time, she added softly, "Isn’t being right beside you the safest place for me? That way, I will actually be able to sleep at night, knowing you are there."
The moment the words left her mouth, both of them froze.
It sounded like a profound declaration of the unshakeable trust she was placing in him. The realization hit them both on a level far deeper than anything they had experienced before.
A slow blush crept up from her neck to her cheeks, but she didn’t take her words back. Because they had come straight from her heart.
If there was anyone with whom she felt completely safe, it was him. He had always managed to create a sense of security around her that she could never deny, more than even her own parents ever had.
Holding on to that feeling, she took a step closer to him.
As if drawn by an invisible force, she released his robe and lifted her hands to cup his face. Her voice dropped to a whisper, and her eyes softened with quiet hope.
"Please, Gav, don’t leave me alone here."
And for the very first time in his existence, Gavriel felt completely and utterly disarmed by this magnificent human.
