Four or Dead by G O A

Four or Dead

Alekos stares at my phone. "You better not be wasting my time." "T won't," I promise, and he lets go of me

After I place the phone on the charging pad, I take a quick shower, washing away the blood from my wounds and the filth from the days spent in the forest. My hands shake from the pain, but it is little I can do about it. I return to the living room wearing only a pair of shorts

Reyes-who has cleaned the blood from his forehead-and Alekos are waiting for me, sitting on the sofa

Reyes looks at the wounds on my torso. The pain inflicted by the acid is so intense I am ready to beg Reyes for the antidote, but I know it is part of my punishment, so I will endure it in silence. "I modified the acid since I last showed you how it works. It will leave scars on your body, so you will never forget what you did."

Reyes knows precisely where to strike. As a teen, I was very shallow and thought that beauty was all that mattered. Most girls from my hometown wanted to be with me, but I only used them for sex. I changed soon after I met Emily. She wasn't all bad, as she made me see things from another perspective

What a pair we made. She was using me to get to Alekos, and I fell in love with her because she was the most beautiful woman I had ever met. When I met Angel, I thought she was dull compared to Emily, and I didn't understand what Alekos saw in her, but now I finally see it

"Alright," I say, grabbing my phone and turning it on

My work computer is always on, so accessing the pen drive is not a problem. I already told them about the pen drive, so I show them the folder with videos and report about Emily and wait until they go through all of them

Alekos is tense as he learns about what Emily did, and when he finds out she is responsible for Nikolas's death, his eyes run from the phone to me. "You let her get away with what she did," he says, knowing she was the one from the hospital. "You never showed the same grace to Angel."

"We all failed her," I remind them

"Don't you fucking compare what we did to her with you leaving her in the hands of the Dukes!" Reyes snarls

"I know. Who saved her?" I want to know

"Didn't you hear when I said Angel is no longer your problem? You lost the right to be with her," Alekos snaps at me. I want to tell them it's unfair that she is mine also, but I know that I must first prove that I mean everything I said. "What else is on the pen drive?"

"There are folders for many Lords and Dukes' children."

"Alec?" Reyes asks fast

I nod. "But the last video is from the day he was killed." "Show me!" Reyes demands

I take my phone from him and look for Alec's folder. "There is one for Angel also."

Alekos snatched the phone from my hands. "Let me see!"

I tell him what folder to open, and both he and Reyes watch the videos taken of her. When they reach the ones of her at the facility, Reyes's eyes go wide. "She was the girl I tried to save the day Alec died."

Reyes told us about how Alec died, but I still can't help but ask, "What?"

Reyes runs a finger over the phone's screen. "We were always meant to be. She was never Alec's but mine." What is he talking about? His gaze snaps back at me. "You did this. Find her!"

I don't know where to start, but I will find Angel. "I won't rest until she is back with us."Nôvel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.

Alekos stands. "Good. We need to show the Elders the pen drive and tell them what you did."

My throat bobs. The Elders take punishments very seriously. They sent Alekos to the catacombs beneath the Blood Lodge for missing a meeting. I shudder, knowing what lives there

"Let me finish dressing, so we can leave," I say

I go with Alekos in his car, and Reyes takes my car, as they don't trust I won't run away. It hurts to know my blood-brothers lost all respect for me. The acid in my veins burns, making my body feel like it is on fire, but what hurts the most is knowing that Reyes and Alekos will never see me as before

On the way to the Blood Lodge, Alekos calls Elder Uzziah and informs him of our arrival and to make sure all five Elders will be present when we arrive. Each Blood Lodge has at least three Elders, depending on its size. When the time comes, Alekos will take Elder Calum's place, as he is the oldest and will probably die in the next couple of years

The Elders are waiting for us in the Inferno Room. Alekos and Reyes don't waste any time and jump right into telling them everything that had happened from the moment Angel stepped into Alekos's office until they came for me at the cabin. After some questions, Elder Calum is the one to give me my punishment

"Stefan, for what you did, you will be sent to the catacombs for three days. If you come out of it in one piece, I will tell you and your blood-brothers how the bond with your hellstar can be repaired."

I swallow hard because one hour down there is more than enough to drive anyone crazy. I don't even want to know what will happen to me if I am left there for three days. But it is the only way to prove to Alekos

and Reyes how sorry I am

Chapter 184 "We are fucked," Reyes groans

"Isn't there another way to find out how to repair the bond with Angel?" Alekos wants to know

"You two have failed your bonded, but your punishment will be lighter than that of your blood-brother," Elder Calum says to Alekos and Reyes

"Your task is to find out who attacked the Celestial Heaven the day your hellstar was saved."

"We are already working on it," Alekos tells the Elders

Reyes takes the knife out of his pocket. "And I am looking for those that tortured my bonded. Their days are numbered."

"Don't do anything foolish," Elder Calum warns Reyes. "We can't risk another war with the Dukes."

"They started it the moment they kidnapped Angel," Reyes retorts

Once Reyes makes up his mind about something, nothing can stop him

Even the Elders know that

Eager to clean up the mess I made, I push aside my fear of the catacombs, I say, "I am ready to face the consequences of my actions," wishing I could start looking for Angel right this very moment

Elder Calum studies me for a while. "Good. Elder Janoah, will you be kind enough to open the catacombs for this young Lord?"

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