Chapter 357: The Forbidden Creation
"Or do you need to check again?"
Aliana leaned back slightly to meet his eyes once more.
As they held each other’s gaze, Gavriel could clearly see her attempt to soothe the roaring anger boiling inside him. Like always, everything Aliana did worked on him like magic. He felt irresistibly drawn to the alluring temptress she was being right now.
The corner of Aliana’s lips curled upward as she felt him lean toward her. She met him halfway as his arms wrapped securely around her waist, right until someone loudly cleared his throat.
"I hate to interrupt this beautiful display between you two, but I’m afraid it is still a bit early for live adult entertainment," Cillian commented dryly, freezing Aliana for a moment where she sat.
She turned to look at Cillian, who offered her a pleasant smile.
But rather than pulling away from Gavriel in embarrassment, she turned back to her husband and pressed a soft kiss to his lips before whispering, "Later, then."
Before she could slide off his lap, Gavriel tightened his grip on her waist. "Stay."
Aliana studied him for a moment, and although he said nothing more, she understood what he needed. Her touch was helping to keep him calm, just as his was helping to settle her own nerves.
So, wiggling slightly, she adjusted herself into a comfortable position on Gavriel’s lap and wrapped her arms around his waist before casting Cillian a look that clearly communicated, ’You should be grateful. I just saved all of your lives.’
Catching her smug expression, Cillian let out a breathy chuckle and shook his head in amusement.
"Were they targeting Ana?" Gavriel suddenly asked, drawing Cillian’s attention back to him.
"We don’t have concrete proof yet," Cillian answered cautiously. "However, the timeline is suspicious. Nothing occurred while I was beside Aliana. But the moment we separated, it was as if someone had been waiting for her to move away for something like that to happen."
He paused, weighing his words before continuing. "It could be argued that Owen Ross was the intended target. But he had been much closer to the construction site for long enough that, if someone wanted to harm him, they had plenty of opportunities to do so. But nothing happened until Aliana moved closer to the site."
Aliana felt Gavriel’s hands tighten into fists behind her waist as he spoke in a chilling, low voice. "So are you telling me... that man was behind all of this?"
Cillian pressed his lips into a tight line and offered no immediate defence. But upon seeing his silence, Aliana’s brows furrowed in alarm.
"Gav, let’s not jump to conclusions yet," Aliana quickly urged. "Just think about it. What would he gain by having me removed from his path completely? It’s not as though he would inherit Van Empire by doing so. Besides, Owen is Jade’s brother. Even if he is playing some long, twisted game, I don’t believe he would ever go so far as to eliminate me."
Aliana searched Gavriel’s face, and her heart sank when she saw how his icy blue eyes began to pulse red with rage.
Worried, she shot Cillian an urgent look for help.
Cillian knew that if Owen had even the slightest hand in this accident, Gavriel wouldn’t hesitate to rip the man apart. He understood just how dangerous it was to point fingers without absolute proof right now, especially at someone who was Jade’s own family.
Thinking of the heartbreak a certain fiery red-headed woman would go through, Cillian quickly intervened. "I agree with Aliana. We shouldn’t jump to conclusions based purely on assumptions, especially after the man just saved Aliana’s life. If we’re going to make assumptions, there are plenty of people who could be added to that list."
When the couple turned their attention towards him, Cillian laid out the possibilities calmly, "It could be that snake of an uncle of Aliana’s, Rufus. It could be Jade’s father. Or it could be neither of them and instead someone who isn’t human at all."
"Not human?" Aliana repeated in surprise.
Cillian gave her a nod. "I hope Gavriel at least told you about the kind of threats we might be dealing with." His eyes shifted to Gavriel, whose jaw set into a rigid line.
Aliana, on the other hand, was taken aback as she turned towards her husband, only to find his expression darkening.
It reminded her of something Gavriel had told her the day after their wedding. He had suspected that their enemies might not be human and had warned her not to use her powers so openly.
At that time, she hadn’t known what to think, as she wasn’t even aware that Gavriel was the devil himself. But now that she knew the truth, she was finally beginning to connect the dots.
Parting her lips, she asked, "You told me on the day after our wedding that our enemies might not be human, and you warned me not to use my powers so openly." She paused, searching his eyes. "Did you mean that they were from... the Underworld?"
Gavriel remained silent for a few seconds before answering quietly, "Yes."
Aliana’s eyes widened slightly. "So that creature in Aria... demons were behind it all this time?"
Before Gavriel could respond, a flood of memories poured into Aliana’s mind. "Wait! I remember Gwen telling us at the island that it was that demoness, Vorra, who wanted those experiments conducted on humans using different creature organs."
She frowned. "At the time, I wondered if the creature we saw in Aria and the experiments conducted by the Prescott family were somehow connected. But with everything that happened afterwards, I never had the time to think about it properly."
The frown deepened on Aliana’s forehead. "Tell me, Gav, am I right to connect them? If so... you told me back then that the creature in Aria seemed to have specifically sought me out." Her hands curled tightly into the front of Gavriel’s white shirt as she nervously waited for him to confirm.
Upon seeing her so nervous, Gavriel’s anger softened. He let out a quiet sigh before finally replying, "You are not wrong. Whatever experiments the Prescott family conducted were actually connected to a much bigger picture in Aria."
"What does that mean?" Aliana asked.
"Remember how Ivan and Evelyn mentioned humans going missing in Aria, only to reappear in random places as deranged beings that attack others before... suddenly dropping dead?" Gavriel asked.
"I remember..." Aliana recalled thoughtfully. "They said that the first time they saw a deranged human turning into a creature was right in front of our house."
"Yes. After that, on our wedding night, Ivan sent me a brief message saying they had discovered something. When I went there later to inspect, it turned out to be an underground laboratory where those human experiments had been continuing in secret."
"What?" Aliana breathed, her chest tightening.
Gavriel gave her a grim nod. "Not only that, but the lab was guarded by demons that Ivan and Evelyn slayed. Upon discovering the bodies used for the experiments, they found each one bore a demon mark."
"A demon mark?" Aliana repeated softly, searching his icy blue eyes. "What is that?"
"A demon mark is a sign a demon places on a chosen target to track them down no matter where they hide, allowing the demon to control them or slowly feed on their life force," Gavriel explained patiently.
"Then why use them on the dead?" Aliana asked, puzzled. "If the mark only works when the victim is alive, what purpose does it serve on a corpse?"
"I thought the same thing until I discovered some burnt remnants when I visited another laboratory today. This one was far larger than the previous one." Gavriel’s expression darkened. "I discovered that they were using demon marks as part of some kind of ritual, combining demonic powers with black magic to create an entirely new kind of species."
"What kind of species?" Cillian finally asked, breaking his silence.
Both of them turned their attention towards him, and Gavriel replied, "They didn’t leave all the research material behind, but it seems they have been trying to create a hybrid of human and demon."
Aliana’s heart skipped a beat at the thought, while Cillian’s eyebrows shot up at something that sounded so absurd.
"A mix of human and demon?" Cillian muttered before slowly shaking his head in disbelief. "That’s impossible."
"That is what the evidence indicates, based on the material I managed to salvage," Gavriel replied.
Aliana weighed their words carefully before speaking up. "Why is it so impossible?"
Both men locked their gazes onto her, prompting Aliana to blink in confusion. "I mean... wouldn’t a natural hybrid exist if a human were to conceive a child with a demon? Why go through the horror of black magic and underground laboratories?"
This time Gavriel offered no immediate answer.
Instead, his icy gaze drifted toward Cillian, silently passing him the burden of delivering the uncomfortable truth.
Cillian blew out a long breath, running a hand through his hair as he braced himself. "Aliana."
"Hm?" Aliana met Cillian’s eyes as he opened his mouth, only to close it again. Seeing his hesitation, she urged, "Just say it. What is it, Cillian?"
Taking a sharp breath, Cillian finally spoke. "A human womb cannot sustain a demon’s child."