A Secret Wedding (Part 3) (Page 57)

Ciri and Jaskier sit down while I look toward the rooms. We're missing people after yesterday. "Where are the guests? Weren't they staying here?" I sit at the table, and Jaskier looks at me with tired eyes.

Ciri is getting impatient with Jaskier. Ignoring questions is unbecoming. She throws her spoon at Jaskier in anger. "They left before sunrise. They said they had to get things for the wedding. They'll perform the wedding when they return this afternoon." Running their own business has caused them to get up earlier than me.

I look at the clock and see it's still very early. "We'll leave after eating, I'll have to find a nice thing to wear for the wedding too." Ciri gets visibly excited at the mention of picking up the dress she chose. Jaskier looks at us and shakes his head. I don't know why he's so against settling down with a single woman. Priscilla fancies him, and he's blowing it.

Ciri crosses her arms and looks at Jaskier, annoyed. "Got something to say, Jaskier? If I recall, you said you'd witness for us. Having second thoughts?" The underlined threat is clear. Jaskier gets it and agrees, but I can still see his desire not to be at our wedding. I finish eating and stand up. Ciri follows suit.

I turn to the grumpy Jaskier and notice he isn't even close to finishing. "Jaskier, we'll go and take care of the necessary things. We also have things to do tomorrow, so if you need us to do anything, now is the time to ask." I finish talking, and Jaskier raises his head, pondering.

After some silence, he shakes his head. We exit the Rosemary and Thyme and head in the direction of Wickerson's, more and more people are leaving the houses and going about their days. The shop owners are shouting and trying to draw in buyers.

~~~(POV Ciri)~~~

We're now on emptier streets, and after a few minutes of walking, we cross under a bridge. A few steps under the bridge, we get surrounded by men. They look like thugs and thieves to me. We all exchange looks, and the leader speaks first. "Empty out your pockets, and nobody gets hurt." I look to Cera, and he's highly focused with a hint of that animalistic aura.

We're staying quiet and not responding. The only way to see if they're serious is by attacking us. "You know, it's disrespectful to ignore your superiors. I think we should get more than your coin now." He looks at me as he says that. It makes my skin crawl when I'm treated like this.

The area rumbles. I look at Cera and see the fury in his eyes. This happens whenever someone tries to hurt me or threatens to hurt me.

*RRUUUMMMBBLLEE!!!*

*CRRAAACKK!!!*

It gets bad, and I have to hold on to Cera to stay standing. I get chills from the intense pressure that he's admitting. "This is your only chance... Leave or die." I get goosebumps when he says that to them. This isn't the sadistic Cera. It's the one that wants to protect the one he loves.

The rumbling slows down to a halt waiting for their answers. Cera hasn't drawn his sword yet, and the thugs can easily see this. "You should have attacked when the earthquake was happening! Now I'm going to enjoy your little whore!!" As soon as those words leave his mouth, the intense pressure returns, and Cera raises his right hand.

In the blink of an eye, a green crack in space appears and starts to suck the men into it.

*CRUNCH!!*

*CRACK!!*

It doesn't take long for the men to start begging. "Save me! Someone save me!!" The first one gets sucked in as he yells. His bones and body are getting torn to shreds, and more follow after him.

The leader is visibly crying as he claws at the ground, trying not to get sucked in. His legs are getting pulled by an invisible force. "I'M SORRY!! HAVE MERCY!! HAVE MERCY, PLEASE!!!" I feel a pitiful sensation at watching someone beg for their life.

I'm about to say something to Cera, but he clenches his open palm into a fist.

*CRUNCH!!*

The action affects the power he's using. The Elder Blood. "IT HURTS!! PLEASE STOP!!" His legs get sucked in first as they twist and break to fit into the crack in space.

I lean my face into Cera's chest, hiding from the horror.

*SNAP!!*

*SNAP!!*

*CRUNCH!!*

The crack in space leaves in a flash of light and the sound of thunder. The vibration rocks my body, and I bring my face out of Cera's chest and see the street and bridge walls covered in blood.

The only trace of them left is the blood that's splattered on the surroundings. I look back at Cera, and his eyes have their Aurora Borealis glow to them.

I rub my hand on his cheek to get his attention, and his body shakes for a few seconds like he's regaining consciousness. "Cera..." He looks down at the sound of my voice, and he looks around as if not knowing where he is. "Are you alright?" I know he isn't alright, but I need him to engage to bring back reason to his mind.

He quickly steps away from me, creating distance, and I can see the fear in his eyes. Not fear of me, but fear of hurting me. "I don't..." He's having a hard time finding words. He backs up a few more steps, and I approach, making up for the lost distance.

He freezes and relaxes as he looks around again. I take the opportunity to jump at him and hug him with my entire body. The surprise is enough that he loses his balance and falls on his back while I embrace his front.

He's totally motionless as he stares up at the top of the passageway under the bridge. I crawl up his body, and we're now eye to eye. I can't help releasing some tears... Okay, a lot of tears... I've never seen that type of reaction from Cera.

He used his power to kill those men brutally and violently. I look at his face, which is covered in my tears. "It's okay, Cera, you're okay, and I'm okay. There are no more threats... You can come back now..." My voice breaks as much as my heart saying this.

He regains his usual self as he looks at me with eyes full of sadness and shame. "I'm sorry, Ciri... I didn't mean to do that..." A new wave of tears at hearing those words burst forth. I don't know what he went through to get to this point, but just trying to imagine it makes me want to never have him leave my sight.

I run my fingers through his hair with a shaky smile now that I have the normal Cera back. I lean down, kiss his lips a couple of times, move to his forehead, and give him some kisses too. He wraps his arms around me and hugs me back. He buries his head in my neck, trying to hide from my pain.

I rub the back of his head as he stays buried, and I let my tears fall on top of his head. "I'm sorry... I'm so, so sorry, Cera..." I didn't know it could hurt so much seeing the one you love go through something like this.

Losing his mind as he kills for the sake of keeping me safe... I hold him and keep him down even if he tries to get up.

We stay like this for an hour until I finally let him get up. I never let him leave my grasp. He needs to know and feel I'm always here for him like he is for me.