Chapter 194: Ethereal Strangers
"Let’s talk."
The moment Aliana heard the familiar voice, her eyes slowly opened.
Even though she was still shaken to her core by the horrifying creature she had never imagined could exist, she recognised that voice almost instantly.
’It sounds the same as that... woman in the market,’ she thought, and Gavriel felt her stir in his embrace.
A quiet unease settled deep within Gavriel at the thought of having to face these two troublesome strangers who were clearly anything but ordinary.
Yet more than their overwhelming power, what troubled him most was the possibility of them revealing his powers to her. Knowing Aliana, he was certain she wouldn’t simply let it go. She would question him about his powers, about his true identity, and about what he really was.
Something he wasn’t ready to tell her... yet.
But he also knew it was inevitable.
Danger lurked around every corner, and they didn’t even know whether the two people standing before them were allies or enemies.
So Gavriel slowly closed his eyes, surrendering himself to fate for once, and when he opened them again, they had returned to their familiar icy blue.
Aliana lifted her head to meet his gaze and immediately noticed the tension written across his face.
Thinking that the horrifying incident must have shaken him as well, she offered him a small yet incredibly sweet smile before softly whispering, "We’ll be alright."
She didn’t say anything more because she herself had no idea what was happening. But if there was even the slightest chance her words could ease the tension weighing on him, then she wanted to give him that comfort, no matter how small it might be.
Gavriel, on the other hand, felt his eyes widen ever so slightly at what she had just said to him.
After all she had been through, and even while standing there with her body still trembling in fear, she was still trying to reassure him, trying to give him hope that things would get better.
The thought pinched his heart in a way it never had before.
While Gavriel couldn’t bring himself to reply to her, Aliana finally turned to look at the gorgeous couple standing in the darkness.
As she did, her eyes widened ever so slightly when she finally saw the woman’s face.
She was so breathtakingly beautiful that there was an unmistakable serenity about her. One that could have easily made anyone mistake her for a delicate flower if she hadn’t spoken in such an authoritative tone only moments ago.
Her gaze then shifted to the tall man standing beside the woman, and the first thing that caught her attention was his molten red eyes before they slowly travelled to his face. He was just as handsome as Gavriel, possessing the same otherworldly beauty that seemed almost unreal beneath the moonlight.
Yet for her, Gavriel still outranked him and any other man she had ever seen when it came to male beauty.
As her eyes lingered on the man with unusual eye colour for a few seconds longer, she suddenly felt Gavriel’s arms tighten around her.
She looked back at him, only to find him already staring at her. His expression remained unreadable, yet there was something in his gaze that made it seem as though he couldn’t bear the thought of her looking at another man.
And she wasn’t wrong.
While Aliana had been quietly taking in the two mysterious beings standing before her, Gavriel’s attention had never left her for even a second.
Every flicker of surprise, every subtle shift in her expression, every movement of her eyes had been reflected in his own. The moment he noticed her gaze lingering on the man for a heartbeat longer than he liked, something dark and unfamiliar twisted inside him, filling him with an irrational possessiveness that made him detest the very idea of her looking at anyone but him.
It was ugly and unreasonable. Yet for reasons even he couldn’t understand, he couldn’t bring himself to suppress it.
Aliana simply caressed his back with gentle strokes to ease him a bit before turning slightly to face the quiet couple. They had been watching her in silence, and Aliana finally said something so unexpected that it left all three of them momentarily speechless.
"I don’t know how, but you saved my life. For that, I’m deeply indebted to you."
Her voice was soft, sincere, and filled with genuine gratitude, making the couple blink at her in surprise.
Because from where they stood, they could clearly sense the darkness swirling throughout her entire body, just like the man whose embrace she was in.
More importantly, had not her man also used his powers to destroy the creature?
So why was she thanking only them, as if her own companion had played no part in it?
After all, Ivan had merely interfered at the exact moment the man unleashed his own power to destroy the creature.
Did that mean she truly did not know, or was she simply putting on an act of ignorance?
Questions quietly swirled in their minds as they continued to observe her, and the longer they watched the young woman, the more perplexed they became.
Especially Ivan, who possessed the rare ability to sense the intentions of others. He couldn’t detect even the slightest trace of malice coming from her despite the darkness dwelling within her.
But that wasn’t all.
The moment his attention shifted to the man holding her, Ivan immediately sensed that the man was without question, the most dangerous individual he had ever encountered.
Yet beneath that terrifying power, the only emotion he could truly feel emanating from him was an almost overwhelming protectiveness directed solely towards the woman in his arms.
It also explained why the man’s eyes remained fixed on them with such dangerous intensity, as though the slightest wrong move from either of them would be enough for him to attack without a moment’s hesitation.
Yet there was something else Ivan sensed.
A sharp, unmistakable jealousy directed entirely at him.
And for the first time since arriving there, Ivan felt the corners of his lips twitch upward in faint amusement.
Because, quite frankly... he had absolutely no idea what to make of it.
The woman named Eve standing beside Ivan was also trying to sense anything unusual from Aliana, but so far, despite the dark nature of powers swirling within her, she couldn’t detect even the slightest trace of malice coming from either the woman or the man who looked ready to rip them apart if they dared to attack her.
The dynamic between the two instantly reminded her of how protective Ivan behaved toward her, and her lips could not help but pull up slightly into an amused smile as well.
But neither of them was foolish enough to let their guard down.
Nothing about the situation was simple, and there were far too many loose ends that needed to be addressed.
Taking the road of civility, Eve decided to test the waters to know if the woman was just acting or was she truly clueless. "You know, we are not the only ones you should be thanking."
Aliana’s eyes shifted to the woman as she processed the underlying meaning behind her words.
But before she could ask anything, Gavriel finally spoke.
"I thank you as well for saving my fiancée."