Selfless : Emotionless book two Read online

  Selfless.

  Emotionless series.

  Author’s comments at the end of the book.

  Chapters:

  Chapter One: Eileen – Nightmare.

  Chapter Two: Hopper – My Mistress’s Valkyrie.

  Chapter Three: Eileen – Just Breathe.

  Chapter Four: Lawliet – Heart Attack.

  Chapter Five: Nixon – Red Eyes.

  Chapter Six: Lawliet – Pendant.

  Chapter Seven: Conner – They Were Dangerously Beautiful.

  Chapter Eight: Eileen – Allies?

  Chapter Nine: Hopper – Heated.

  Chapter Ten: Eileen – Date.

  Chapter Eleven: Nixon – Drunk.

  Chapter Twelve: Eileen – Master Mage Rune.

  Chapter Thirteen: Nixon – Creatures Like Mages.

  Chapter Fourteen: Eileen – The Red Bridge.

  Chapter Fifteen: Eileen – Valkyries.

  Chapter Sixteen: Nixon – Cold.

  Chapter Seventeen: Eileen – Emotionless.

  Chapter Eighteen: Lawliet – I Am Not Afraid.

  Chapter Nineteen: Hopper – Devotion.

  Chapter Twenty: Nixon – Organisation.

  Chapter Twenty – One: Eileen – Shutting Down.

  Chapter Twenty – Two: Nixon – Lucky Paw.

  Chapter Twenty – Three: Eileen – Love or Hate.

  Chapter Twenty – Four: Nixon – Why Do You Care?

  Chapter Twenty – Five: Eileen – Commitment.

  Chapter Twenty – Six: Nixon – The Truth Comes Out.

  Chapter Twenty – Seven: Eileen – Detour.

  Chapter Twenty – Eight: Eileen – Boats Are Not Trains.

  Chapter Twenty – Nine: Nixon – Work.

  Chapter Thirty: Eileen – Tourists.

  Chapter Thirty – One: Eileen – Drunk.

  Chapter Thirty – Two: Nixon – Watching.

  Chapter Thirty – Three: Eileen – Our Last Stop.

  Chapter Thirty – Four: Eileen – Facing Fears.

  Chapter Thirty – Five: Nixon – Lockdown.

  Chapter Thirty – Six: Eileen – Hate or Love?

  Chapter Thirty – Seven: Eileen – Shattered.

  Chapter Thirty – Eight: Nysa – I Want to Be Known.

  Chapter Thirty – Nine: Nixon – Empty.

  Chapter Forty: Eileen – Take Me Away.

  Chapter one.

  Eileen – Nightmare.

  I felt cold, but there was a sense of warmth that swirled around my stomach. Slowly, I gradually opened my eyes and noticed Hopper above me. He had his hands hovering over me as he healed my stomach. He didn’t see that I woke. He seemed to be too absorbed with something that was happening further away. Disorientated, I looked to the side and found an argument was underway. I couldn’t hear, but I saw the softened expression of Head Mage as he reached a hand out to Spencer.

  Why? Why was he helping Spencer?

  Confused and slightly hurt, I then noticed Valeria. At least she didn’t look too pleased with what was happening. Lawliet as well . . . Lawliet.

  I noticed he was talking to Spencer casually.

  Why?

  Are they taking Spencer’s side? They must know. Spencer’s probably telling them everything that I don’t know and they don’t like it. They must think that I am crazy.

  Am I crazy?

  My head hurts just thinking about what they were saying. All of them talking made me feel dizzy and sick for some strange reason.

  Lightheaded, I looked up at Hopper. His eyes softened, and the softness created a stir of anger that boiled underneath the surface of my skin. Betrayed and abandoned, I closed my eyes because I didn’t want to be awake. I didn’t want them to pretend that they were not talking about me. I don’t want them to act that everything was alright with Spencer alive after all the pain he put me through tonight.

  Nauseating.

  My fingers balled up crumbled snow and then . . .

  “Where’s the Droid?”

  ***

  I sucked in a breath and opened my eyes. For a moment, everything was blurry, but after the blotches of darkness faded, I noticed that I was in an unfamiliar room. The sheets felt stiff and old, and the pillow was uncomfortably hard. However, that wasn’t the reason as to why I woke up. I woke up from the recurring nightmares that plagued me every night.

  With a yawn, I sat up and knew before I looked that the other side of the bed would be empty. Shuffling out of bed, I slipped on my bunny slippers and draped my gown over me before I opened up the screen door that was across the side wall. Outside had little scenery to overlook, as the streets were dark and the lamps that were supposed to illuminate this narrow motel and surroundings wasn’t doing its job correctly. I could barely see a home, or even the whistle of trees that slapped together at the violent, stormy wind. Bitter winter air swept through, and I shuffled out onto a sopping wet platform. The smell of rain was always calming after a nightmare. I could sit out here for hours if it were not for that pesky dragon.

  “Again?” I flickered a look at Lawliet who was standing beside me. His elbows pressed against the railing, and he had droplets of water that dripped down his white hair from the breeze. I gave a slow nod as a reply when he looked at me. His eyes seemed to narrow further when he straightened up. “Coffee?”

  “No.”

  There was an annoyed sigh when he opened the door, but I was too stuck in my mind to care about what he was dealing with as well. I killed someone because of this Emotionless side of me, and if I am not too careful, I might kill again. Maybe it might be someone that I genuinely care for. Someone who shares the same bed as I at night.

  It has been a week and three days on the ‘run’, and I have had no contact with anyone back at Mage Academy. We’re close to finding this Kyle Preston mage, but it has taken us longer to reach him without any magic. Everything that we were doing was like an Ordinary Human would do. To waving for taxis, to walking and catching local transport on buses all the way to trains. We never stay in one area for long and jump from motel to motel in the hopes that nothing was following us. However, because we move a lot and I tend to eat more substantial meals, our money was dwindling quicker than we both expected before we could reach Kyle Preston.

  I recall this friend was in Gospel’s memories that Lawliet and I experienced. He was the one who walked in first and acted as if it wasn’t planned. It makes me wonder if he will still have that same carefree and fun attitude now. He was part of the betrayal. Mages can change just by what they have witnessed. I also wonder if he would tell us the truth about the betrayal or if he even knows anything about what had happened that night.

  I dragged hands through wet hair and walked back inside. Lawliet was gone again, and that wasn’t a surprise to me. He tends to leave at night. He couldn’t sleep. I know he would come back, so I don’t freak out that much anymore.

  I crawled to the bed, curled up in the sheets and touched my chest where the necklace was.

  A few more days and we will be in the town where Kyle lives. I feel so close, but, there was this gnawing tension in the back of my mind that was making me believe something horrible will happen before we get there.

  Chapter two.

  Hopper – My Mistress’s Valkyrie.

  She was late. For a creature that could warp in time, I expected her to come promptly. However, there was no room for complaints considering she didn’t have enough warning on what was to come. Young Mika threw us into the deep end with what he was sent. We had to act fast. Unfortunately, as the Valkyrie appeared finally, it wasn’t soon enough for me.

  I straightened up, brushed down my suit and gave the cold hard stare of Valeria a warm
smile. Her lip curled in disdain, and she walked off without a bother of formalities. I was hoping for a difference after her meeting with my Mistress. It seems she will always be as cold as ever. Wasn’t as if her attitude was a shock. I recall the night that I met her in the darkened alleyway with my old master. She hid between the trashcans, and what covered her face was blood. I was shocked to see a creature in this state that wasn’t in the cells and was in the human world. Unfortunately, she did her damage back then, as I remembered the human body that was sprawled next to her. She looked wild, and that look has never changed. I can see it now in the snowy dead woods in the centre of the night.

  I walked behind her. Valeria glanced back for a second, noticed that I was trailing behind and slowed her pace until she was beside me.

  The night was cold, the moon was bright, and the snow gleamed in contrast to our surroundings. The land was nothing but white snow and brown dead trees. There was not a leaf in sight. I looked up at the empty cloudless sky and breathed frost. I wonder what my Mistress was doing and if she was looked after. I hope that boy hasn’t touched her inappropriately. I’d like my Mistress –

  “Stop.” Valeria raised her sword in my direction and narrowed her darkened, black eyes. “Whatever mage-based magic you have, get rid of it. These creatures do not like anything two-legged beings have made.” In her words, the sword she always seemed to have gripped in her hands released. I was about to say that I was surprised she didn’t have anything else until she reached under her gown and dropped a dagger and a warp crystal with my Mistress’s hair bound by it.

  Pursing lips, it reminded me of mine, as I hesitated to drop the white crystal on the ground with everything else that had fallen. I contemplated on slipping the crystal back in my pocket, but instead, with a single blink, Valeria had it in her hands and placed the crystal onto the pile and then kicked snow over to conceal all of our items. Now it looked like a suspicious lump in the snow. When I tried to voice my complaints, she gave me a deadpan look, and I decided to keep my words to myself like I always do.

  ***

  It was a warm summer night, and there were no clouds in the sky. The stars shined so brightly that it so happened to mesmerise my Master. He stared up and drank in the atmosphere. His odd behaviour always seemed to make me smile at his unique self. That was when he noticed me smiling and gave me a sly look and breathed a laugh. With just that pure expression, I profoundly blinked as I walked beside him.

  He was in one of his moods. Carelessly, he walked around with no sense of direction and with his notebook clutched in his hands. He was ready for inspiration. However, the motivation he got was far from reasonable nor safe. As we walked down the o-d-h alleyway, I heard a noise and sensed danger in the air. My hand went into my suit while my Master heightened his veins and illuminated the surrounding section in the long alleyway. That was when I noticed a twitch of shiny dusk feathers that arched on either side of the wall. She was crouched low with her hand that was clutching her chest defensively. There was a human body that was beside her, young, but I didn’t dare to look further of what covered her chest.

  My Master stepped forward, and from his small movement, I heard sticky liquid rise up when he lifted his boot. Alert, I breathed in through my nose and smelt the rusty iron and knew it was blood before I saw the crimson slip through her fingertips.

  Even knowing how incredibly weak she was, she tried to fight. A threatening sword materialised within her grasp. Feeling threatened, I pushed Master back and stood protectively in front of him. She tried to stand, but her knees buckled and gave out. Red vomit coughed out, and she winced from the pain.

  Master was kind to all creatures. He always tended to them if one was wounded. I recall he used to go down to the underground rave with no care that he could die so that he could heal wounds and make friends with them. So, it did not come as a surprise when I saw him crouched down to her level to try and help. However, she was very hostile, as she spat on his face. However, he didn’t seem to care. He smiled as he raised his hand. Green and blue essence came out in tendrils. She flinched back and tried to flicker out of existence, but she was too weak. Suddenly, it dawned on me of who she was.

  “She’s wanted,” I spoke softly. Her black eyes narrowed further at my words. “She’s the creature that has been murdering mages in the cover of darkness. Look, a body lays beside her, and they are dead.”

  “Not my doing,” she seethed defensively.

  “Do you listen to stories, Elijah?” Master asked while he healed her. “My Dad told me a story of a beautiful Valkyrie when I was younger. How she took his breath away just by looking at her.”

  “You never talk about your father,” I said with a frown. “For all the time that I have known you, it was always unkindly words and resentment towards the man.”

  “Doesn’t mean he was a liar. He was just an asshole.” Master straightened up and then lowered his hand to the Valkyrie. “They will catch you if you linger here any longer. Come with us, and I will keep you safe. You might be more entertaining to have around then this boring creature.”

  “Master,” I tried to protest, but he waved my words that I was going to say away. I saw the look in his silver eyes. As always, I will never be able to steer him away when he was withering in utter determination. Instead, I relaxed my shoulders and sighed softly. “What do you want me to do?”

  “Pick her up and take her home through the rabbit hole. I will walk.”

  I grimaced and murmured, “Gospel.”

  “It’s fine. Besides, the moon is still at its purest. I would love to stroll around a little longer.”

  With a firm nod, I watched him leave the alleyway. When he was out of sight, I was then left with a Valkyrie. The last Valkyrie if I wanted to be technical. They call her Valeria in those stories. She was a myth to scare children. Even in the cells, she was nothing more than a rumour. Now here she was. She stared daggers at me as I leant down to pick her up.

  She was light, just like a feather, and her legs dangled when I raised her in my arms. She looked at me strangely, almost curiously. Then there was a stir that swirled in the pit of my stomach when her head suddenly collapsed against my shoulder. She was breathing heavily, and when I gently touched her forehead, she was as cold as ice. I then looked down at her, and my eyes widened a fraction. Master was right. When looking upon a Valkyrie, there was such beauty and danger in this creature’s face that I couldn’t help but be captivated by her presence.

  ***

  There was no change in that face.

  “Was there something that you needed to get off of your chest, Elijah before we move forward on our journey?” She asked through clenched teeth.

  “I have one crucial one,” I spoke. The Valkyrie folded her arms over her chest and tilted her head. “When did you become my Mistress’s contract?”

  “Nine years ago,” she answered.

  “Did you save her?”

  “No.” Valeria thinned her lips and stepped forward. I lowered my eyes and shifted backwards when she leant in and glared at me. “He slit her throat and punctured her heart. If I were the one who saved her, I wouldn’t be here. But you knew that already. Why did you bring up the past?”

  “I’m confused. I just found out that night Lawliet, and my Mistress escaped that young Mika is Chantelle’s younger brother. Why would my old Master keep such secrets from me? Did he not trust me? Was I not worthy to hear these secrets? Was I a bad mong –?” I had felt the pain before I saw it coming. Stumbling backwards, I landed in the snow. Valeria was above me, and her chest was rising and falling rapidly. She had an angered expression of hate on her face. “Valeria?”

  “You are a fool, Elijah. He didn’t tell you because I told him not to. Because of the fear in my heart that you wouldn’t look at me the same way and I was right. I was there when Eileen died, and you were not. I was there to create the rune that would save her, and you were not. I am the one who has a full contract with Eileen, and you do not. You h
ate yourself for it because you want to be her fucking saviour, like the man that you have become.” With a deep breath, she straightened up and lowered her hand to me. “I am the last Valkyrie. I have no family, and I have no one to love unlike you. Instead of hating yourself, hate me. I’m used to it after all.” I went to speak when she grabbed me by the scruff of the suit and pulled me up into a stand. Once I was up, she shoved me back and walked away.

  I smiled fondly and slowly paced myself behind her. Valeria’s long black hair swayed as she marched angrily ahead of me.

  Still as naïve as ever, Valeria.

  Chapter Three.

  Eileen – Just breathe.

  “Eileen,” Lawliet whispered my name. His voice forced me to open my eyes to the light that was coming through from the open door from outside of our motel room. I raised up into a seated position and noticed Lawliet was leaning on the bed and was grabbing my arm. “We need to go now.”

  “Okay,” I yawned and rubbed my eyes. Lawliet picked me up in his arms. I was still in my nightgown, and he didn’t seem like he wanted me to change. I was glad that I sleep in my boots, as strange as that was. “Is it morning?”

  “No, it’s just past midnight.” He carried me down the hallway and down the flight of stairs to the first floor in a hurry. My body bounced up and down, and the sudden movements made me somewhat more alert. My fingers tightened on his shoulder for stability from his quick paced walk. “Our suitcases are already in the car.”