Chapter 195: We need your help

And now it made even more sense.

Augustus had taken Moonfire from one rotblood to try and get rid of another Rotblood. What kind of sick mind did he have? That was probably where Beatrice got hers from.

"Your father was a desperate man,"

"And what did he give you in return for the Moonfire?" Della questioned curiously.

"Nothing,"

Well, that was unexpected, "I don’t believe that,"

"Back then, I actually wanted you gone, too. So, I gave him the Moonfire pulse for free,"

Huh?!

"I was trying to do you a favour, Della. The life of a rotblood is terrible. I thought you’d be killed right there under the altar and your miserable life would come to an end. Didn’t expect Malachi to decide to use you as his little revenge wife,"

That last part made Della’s eye twitch a bit. From every side, they had all planned to get rid of her.

"But you’ve awakened now, Della. You’re powerful. You’re ruthless. You’re decisive,"

"I’m not joining you, Katherine,"

"Yet," She smirked

"What makes you so sure?"

"You and I would both love to condemn this world. After having so much in common, you’ll eventually join me. And even if you don’t, you’re already like me,"

Like her? Well, not exactly but Della wasn’t about to point that out. She was just so curious now.

"How did you manage to know how to control rogues?" Della asked, "Is it some kind of innate power that I’m yet to unlock or what?"

The woman chuckled and shook her head, "That is someone else. Just know the forbidden ritual, and they would be all yours for the taking,"

Another ritual.

Looks like she didn’t learn her lesson from the one that failed... but this one didn’t. Those rogues would do anything for her.

"Plus, the rogues and I understand each other," She continued softly, "We are both hated, condemned, killed, tortured when captured. We share the same pain,"

"Must be quite the relationship," Della muttered, and glanced at the silent massive rogue by the corner, "So," Della turned back to Katherine, who was still staring at her with those bone-chilling eyes, "We are done here, right? because I would really like to leave now,"

The woman didn’t answer, and Della took that as a yes and turned around. The realisation that Katherine, the woman herself, was fucking alive and behind all this was still so shocking that Della’s leg almost wobbled.

Malachi doesn’t know about this.

No one does.

Should she tell them? Warn them? It’d be so much easier if she didn’t. She could watch the world burn, and they wouldn’t even understand what was hitting them. That would be pleasurable to watch.

"What were you going to name your cub?"

The question made Della’s heart skip a beat, followed by a very painful emotion. She could feel the tears gathering, stinging the back of her eyes. Then, slowly, furiously, she turned back to face Katherine, "What?!"

"The one that Selene took away from you. What were you planning to name it?"

"How is that your goddamn business?!" Della snapped, her claws growing out of her nails.

"Actually, it isn’t," Katherine replied flatly, "I simply wanted to see just how starved you are to rip Selene apart,"

"And?" Della hissed.

"Looks like we are going to have to take turns with her."

"What?"

"The bitch drove a stake through my heart. I’m sure you’ve heard about it,"

Della’s anger slowly receded, and her claws retracted back to nails. She couldn’t argue with that, "Just don’t get in my way,"

Della didn’t wait another second more. She turned around and walked out of the canopy, her heart beating too fast.

That conversation she just had with Katherine had deeply unsettled her. The woman was like a ball of raw, unfiltered darkness and the stillness she carried with every glance and word terrified Della.

Her legs kept wobbling as she moved, and now the vulnerable side of her heart was stirring more than ever. By the time Della got back to Nightveil, sweat was rolling down her forehead, and she wanted nothing more than to curl into the sheets of the bed and stay there for days.

But when she arrived, Cassian was there.

"Leave,"

Her voice was shaking too.

"Are you ok?"

"I said, leave," She repeated, her lungs burning for air. She felt like she was suffocating. What the hell was wrong with her?

*You’re scared,* Asteria said.

*I’m not scared of Katherine!* Della bit.

*Not exactly. You’re...scared of...what she is,*

*How can I be scared of what she is? She’s as much of a rotblood as I am,* Della snapped.

*But unlike you... she’s... actually rotten to the core. She’s far gone in her dark ways, and she has accepted it. She has welcomed it completely... unlike you,*

Della glanced down at her trembling arm again, and her face looked sunken. Cassian followed her gaze, and this time she didn’t even bother to hide it.

"What is it? Della, what happened?" Cassian asked a little more softly.

She looked at his silver, compelling soft eyes. She could warn him now. About Katherine. Cassian could survive the attack, but unfortunately...he’s an Alpha.

He’d prefer to die alongside everyone else than survive alone. And if she warned him, everyone else would know.

"Nothing," She mumbled and turned away.

"I know you are not going to tell me," He said, "I never expected you to. But whatever it is you’re going through, I want you to know that I didn’t just bring you to Nightveil to give you shelter...it was also to make you have a companion. A friend. You don’t have to be alone,"

Why does he have to be so annoying?

*You don’t particularly hate what he said,* Asteria said.

*Shut up, Asteria!* Della seethed again.

"What is it you came to tell me?" Della asked, changing the topic.

Cassian sucked in a deep breath and looked down at her, "In two days...all the Supremes would be gathering again, and we would be having a meeting...on how to defeat the rogues and the countless Moonfire incidents,"

"And how does that concern me?"

"We stand no chance against Moonfire, Della,"

Della’s face fell again.

She knew exactly where this was going, and she was already shaking her head before he said it.

"We need your help in stopping it, and whoever is behind it,"