Chapter 88: THE RED-EYED MAN
Seara blinked her eyes rapidly. She chanted the breathing technique that Jane taught her in her head.
"I am fine..." Seara said in a shaky voice. "I am really fine... I am okay..." she said it, more to reassure herself than to convince Leia.
"I am sorry; I didn’t mean to yell. I am not angry with you, honey." Zade had warned Leia about Seara’s past. He didn’t provide her specific information; he only told her a vague story and asked her to be careful not to trigger Seara now that she had slightly improved.
"It’s okay. I am fine." Seara stared into Leia’s eyes and saw she was also worried about her. "I am okay."
"Good. Good." Leia nodded in relief. She knew Jeremy would be fine. After all, Caspian and Ace were there, as well as the Lycan king. Warriors surrounded this house as well, so Seara and she would be safe.
Leia was saying something, but Seara’s eyes flickered at the window behind her and saw a man with red eyes. He was the same man that she saw months ago in the bungalow.
The man was the one that Zephyr had looked for throughout the entire part of the residence, but he had never found anyone matching the description. She and Jane had discussed this matter and finally classified the mysterious man into the same category as Sybill and Sheena, who were fragments of her delusion.
No... this couldn’t be.
Seara had stopped hallucinating for months now. She had accepted that Sybill and Sheena were not real, but why was she seeing this man now?
"Leia... Leia..." Her words choked in her throat, but her eyes fixed on the window. "A man—can you see him? He is there... someone is there... can you see him?" Seara wanted to cry. She didn’t want Leia to see how insane she was, but she needed to know whether it was only in her head or not.
She had been fine; she was already fine, but why did she start to see it again?
Her breath caught in her throat when Leia turned around, and the man vanished.
"Man? What man? Someone outside?" Leia widened her eyes and went to check the balcony herself, but Seara stopped her right away.
"No—No. I am mistaken. I don’t know... I am..." Seara stumbled to find the right words to say, but then she saw the man at the corner of the room, at the vanity chair near the drawer. "He is there!"
"Where?" Leia turned around immediately and followed Seara’s pointed finger, but she saw nothing. There was nothing there, because the man had vanished again. "Seara, what happened? What did you see?"
Seara didn’t know what to say; she looked around the room and noticed the man sitting on the bed, but she chose not to tell Leia about him this time.
That man was part of her hallucination. That man was only in her mind. He was not real.
"Seara? Are you okay, dear?" Leia furrowed her brows. She looked worried.
However, Seara couldn’t help but glance back at the bed, where the man was still sitting, smiling sweetly at her. He even waved innocently, as if taunting her.
And then, there was a knock on the door, which made Seara jolt in panic.
"It’s okay, it’s okay. It’s the warrior. I called him here because you said there was someone at the window." Leia calmed her down.
"No, I was... I was mistaken. I didn’t..." Seara glanced at the bed, but the man was already gone. "There was..."
Yet Leia had opened the door and informed the two warriors, who came to check the balcony and every corner of the room.
Seara was sure they would find nothing. That man was in her head.
"There is no one here, Mrs. Sol," one of the warriors said.
"Okay. I only want to make sure," Leia replied and dismissed the two of them before she shifted her focus back on Seara. "It’s okay, dear. There is no one here. No need to be worried."
"I am sorry."
"Don’t be silly. It is better safe than sorry." Leia waved her hand lightly and told Seara to sit down on the sofa. Seeing the situation was under control, Leia decided there was no need to go to the safe room. "Stay here, dear. I will make you a cup of tea; it will help you to relax."
Seara wanted to stop Leia, but from the corner of her eye she saw that man again; his red eyes stared at her with amusement. Now, he was sitting on the sofa opposite her.
Meanwhile, Leia had her back to Seara while she made a cup of tea for them both. She was unaware of the panic that began to grip Seara’s heart.
"No, you are not real..." Seara whispered to herself.
"Why do you think I am not real?" The man asked her in a whispery tone too.
Though they were still in the same place, this bedroom was huge enough to allow Leia not to hear the hushed conversation between Seara and the man with red eyes.
"No. You are not real. You are only in my mind..." Seara tried to breathe deeply, rocking her body back and forth to soothe herself. "He is not real. He is only in my mind. Not real."
"Poor Seara. Are you sure I am not real? Why don’t you ask Leia? She may be able to tell you whether I am real or not." His voice was taunting, but his smile was scary, as if he carried a curse behind every word he said. "So, are you really Zade’s mate? Seeing how he has been treating you all this time, I think I know that you are the real deal. I can’t believe he finally has one."
"Get away from me," Seara hissed.
But that man leaned his back against the sofa. "Seara. My poor little Seara. Traumatized and hurt. Don’t you want to see Daven? He has been missing you."