Chapter Thirty five
The road had a way of making time disappear.
One minute, we had been pulling out of the motel car park after breakfast. The next, the sun was climbing higher into the sky, fields and forests rolling past in an endless blur outside the windows.
I didn't mind, since this whole insane adventure had started, driving didn't feel exhausting.
It actually felt... nice.
Kael had turned out to be surprisingly good company.
Who would've thought?
I've been playing all sorts of music for him, so he could pick a favourite. But apart from blues, which he'd taken a liking to, Kael was just being his usual picky self.
"So let me get this straight," I said, one hand resting on the steering wheel. "You don't like pop."
"I tolerate it."
"You don't like rock."
"It is excessively loud."
"You don't like heavy metal."
"I fail to understand why the singer sounds perpetually angry."
I laughed.
"Okay, fair enough. What about rap?"
Kael gave me a look that suggested I'd personally insulted his ancestors.
"I listened to the song you played this morning."
"And?"
"I believe the young man required water."
I blinked.
"What?"
"He appeared to be speaking very quickly."
"That's... rapping."
"He never stopped to breathe."
"Years of practice."
Kael folded his arms.
"I found it deeply stressful."
I burst into laughter.
"Well that's his job!"
"His job is to choke on words?."
"He didn't choke , did he."
"I remained unconvinced."
I shook my head.
"You are impossible."
"You know im right."
"Okay, what about trap music?"
Kael actually frowned.
"I have only heard two samples."
"And?"
"They sounded remarkably similar."
"They're not."
"They are."
"They're really not."
"They are."
I glanced sideways at him.
"You're being stubborn."
"I am being correct."
"You haven't even listened to enough of it."
"I listened long enough."
I snorted.
"So what kind of music do you actually like?"
He rested his elbow against the window, watching the scenery drift by.
"My people preferred music played live."
"That's not an answer."
"It is."
"No, that's avoiding the question."
"I also enjoy flutes."
I laughed.
"Flutes?"
"They are elegant."
"So your playlist is just... flute solos?"
"I do not know what a playlist is."
I smiled.
"I'll make you one."
"A flute list?"
"A playlist."
"If it contains rap, I shall refuse it."
"It'll have one rap song."
"I shall delete it."
"You don't even know how to use my phone."
"I will learn."
I laughed and nearly missed the next bend.
"You are unbelievable."
"I have been told—"
He stopped.
The words died in his throat and for a moment, he remained quiet.
I frowned.
"Kael?" I called , turning away from the road to look at him.
His entire body was rigid.
The easy smile had vanished from his face, it made me nervous.
"Kael" I called out again, fear beginning to arise
Golden light flashed beneath the skin of his neck.
At first, I thought I had imagined it.
Then it happened again.
His skin lit up in thin, branching lines beneath his collar, like veins of molten gold racing across his body.
"No..."
Kael whispered.
His voice was tight.
Almost frightened.
The glow intensified.
Before my eyes, dark veins began spreading across his neck, climbing from beneath the collar of his shirt like black ink flowing under his skin.
"What the—"
Kael suddenly doubled over, a strangled gasp escaped him, One hand flew to his chest.The other gripped the edge of the seat so hard his knuckles turned white.
"Kael!"
His breathing became ragged and Painful.
He tried to inhale, but every breath seemed to catch in his throat.
His whole body trembled.
"Oh my God."
I swerved onto the gravel shoulder so hard the tyres skidded before the car lurched to a stop.
I barely remembered pulling the handbrake.
I was already leaning across the centre console.
"Kael!"
He didn't answer.
His head was bowed, black hair hiding his face as he fought for breath.
The golden glow beneath his skin pulsed faster.
With every pulse, the dark veins spread a little farther.
My chest tightened.
"What do I do?"
Nothing.
No answer.
I reached for his shoulder.
The moment my hand touched him, he cried out. Not loud, but sharply enough that I pulled back as though I'd burned him.
"I'm sorry." My own voice shook. "I'm sorry, I didn't know."
Think.
Think, Aiden.
Call an ambulance?
And tell them what?
That my ancient naga prince was glowing and growing black veins?
My heart hammered against my ribs.
I couldn't help him.
I couldn't do anything.
All I could do was sit there and watch the person I— The person I loved— Fight through agony I couldn't even understand.
Every second stretched into an eternity.
The only sounds inside the car were Kael's strained breathing and my own panicked heartbeat.
Minutes passed.
Although they felt like hours.
Gradually...
The golden light faded.
The black veins stopped spreading.
Kael drew one long, shuddering breath before another.
His shoulders slowly relaxed.
He stayed bent forward for several more seconds before finally sitting back against the seat.
His face had lost all colour.
Tiny beads of sweat clung to his forehead.
He looked...
Exhausted.
I stared at him.
"Kael..."
He kept his eyes closed for a moment longer before opening them.
The warmth that usually lived in those golden eyes had disappeared.
In its place was something I had never seen before.
Fear.
Not fear for himself.
Fear of what came next.
His voice was hoarse when he finally spoke.
"...I've been found."
A chill ran down my spine.
"What do you mean?"
He looked out through the windscreen, his jaw tightening.
"He knows I'm awake."
The words settled over us like a storm cloud.
"He has reached me."
I swallowed hard.
"...Who?"
Kael closed his eyes briefly.
"The man who took everything from me."
Silence filled the car.
When he looked back at me, every trace of humour from the morning had vanished.
"We need to hurry."
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
"If he can reach my heart from this distance..."
He looked down at the hand still resting over his chest.
"...he will not stop until he reaches what he really wants."