Chapter 225

Cara’s POV

At once, I moved my arm up to shield myself, desperate to protect my vital organs.

Yet, when the knife stabbed into me, I surprised to find that the blade pushed back, harmlessly, into the handle. I’d seen such a thing happen in the past, during stage shows. Her knife was nothing more than a harmless prop.

Pulling it away from me, Lilia looked down at it with dismay and disgust. I got the distinct impression that she had no idea it wasn’t real.

“It’s fake,” I said.

“Of course, it’s fake,” she snapped, and angrily threw the knife down on the ground.

Hearing the clatter, several of the other contenders turned to see.

Lilia, realizing she was now the center of attention, immediately schooled the anger from her face, covering it with wide-eyed innocence instead.

“A silly joke is all it was. Don’t take it so seriously, Cara!” she said and forced a laugh. “You should see your face. As if I’d ever try to hurt you.”

The others who had looked over returned to their own tasks now, ignoring us once more. Seeing this, Lilia leaned forward, “You got lucky this time, Cara, but next time, there will be no mistake.”

“You won’t succeed,” I told her. “But even if you did, you won’t get away with it.”

“I don’t need to get away with anything,” she said. “I just need you dead.”

Then with a bright smile, she backed up a step. “Nice talking to you, Cara,” she said, and returned to her own station.

By some miracle, during the altercation, I had kept my dish from dropping. I clutched it with both hands now, as I was trembling.

Hearing some commotion behind me, I glanced and saw the officials trying to calm down my brothers and Alaric. It looked like Alaric might have tried to jump over the railing.

Our eyes met once more, and even from this distance, he seemed to be able to sense that I was rattled but alright. He stayed standing but unmoving until I forced myself to relax.

Then, with apologies to the officials, he returned to his seat and sat down.

With the drama resolved, I carried my dish to the judges table. They all looked at it with some measure of disbelief. Many of the other dishes on the table were better looking, though several too were worse.

Still, when the judges cut off a piece and tried it, they hummed in delight as they looked at each other.

The results of the contest wouldn’t be revealed until the end of the day, but in that moment, I felt confident.

That confidence gave me the strength I needed to overcome the initial fear of Lilia’s threat.

Let her think whatever she wanted, or plot how she liked. I would overcome.

Though… it was difficult to forget the utter emptiness in her eyes as she had said those words to me, making clear she didn’t care what happened to her so long as I died. It was like staring into the cold vacuum of space. Unfeeling. Cruel.

With someone like that, there was no telling what she would do to see me dead.

Moving forward, I had to be more careful.

Alaric’s POV

I knew Cara was safe. I could see her down by the judges’ table, standing tall and perfectly normal. As healthy as she had been before this event.

Yet, even seeing her, I still felt uneasy. What had happened there? Lilia had tried to stab her. She should have stabbed her.

That knife, the way it clattered to the ground… It had sounded cheap and hollow.

Fake.

I looked at Noel. “You changed Lilia’s knives.”

“Once I learned the dish she was preparing was already was already pre-cut, I knew she wouldn’t notice,” Noel said. “If you’ll excuse me.” Noel stood. “It was nice seeing you gentlemen again,” he said to the twins who returned the sentiment. Then, he inched by us and moved up toward the main concourse.

I wasn’t finished with this conversation, so I followed him. He noticed without looking and seemed to purposefully lead me to a more secluded spot around the side of the building. Outside, the sky was hazy, but the forecast this morning hadn’t called for rain.

It was just going to be another gloomy overcast day. We’d had a lot of those lately.

The weather didn’t improve my mood in the slightest.

“How were you able to switch the knives without anyone noticing?” I asked him, when he finally turned to face me.

“I have my ways,” he said. “Which I will not be sharing.”

The words irked me more than they should. Why did this man always have to be so secretive? How had he ever expected Cara to return his feelings when he refused to reveal anything about himself to anyone, even her and those closest to her? Even when we were all on the same side, trying to keep her safe?

“You are protecting Cara,” I said.

“Yes,” Noel said. “There are too many vipers in this group. Most of them are focused on each other, seeing the biggest threats in each other. But Lilia is different. She’s after Cara not because she is a threat, but because she wants to watch her die.”

That was dark as hell, but I wouldn’t put it past Lilia. “She said that?”

“It’s in the eyes,” Noel said. “She’s lost her grip with humanity. She’s utterly broken inside. I’ve seen the eyes of bloodlusting killers before, and she mirrors them.”

“How many killers do you know?” I asked.

“Enough,” he replied and said no more.

His behavior now was so different than the lighthearted man he had been in the past. Perhaps, with Cara, he was still the same way, but I wasn’t sure. It seemed as if Noel was willing to reveal a darker part of himself after all, likely in an effort to keep Cara safe.

“Cara asked me not to kill anyone,” Noel said, and I wondered if that was the only thing stopping him from ending Lilia himself. When he spoke of killers, was he also speaking of himself? Just what kind of past did this man have?

This only increased the mystery of his pack. They were known for their secrecy and their seclusion. What were they doing there, that the rest of the world had no idea of?

As long as he was using these strange skills of his to protect Cara, then I couldn’t be against him. He had saved her today while the rest of us had fumbled, our foolish pride letting us think we’d be able to intervene fast enough to make a difference.

Lilia was no amateur in this. She was ruthless and vicious, and if she truly had the eyes of a killer, than we couldn’t underestimate her.

“I want to help,” I said.

Noel blinked. For the first time today, I seemed to have surprised him. “You want to collaborate… with me?”

“We both want the same thing, protecting Cara,” I said. “We might have our differences. We might be rivals in love. But you can see things I miss, and can apparently go places I can’t. I want to be on the same side.”

Noel considered a minute. Then he held out his hand. “For Cara.”

I shook it at once. “For Cara.”