CHAPTER 378: CAN I ALSO JOIN?

"Of course, I am coming!" Kate exclaimed, her crimson-tinged eyes lighting up with excitement before Damon had even finished explaining. She leaned forward in her chair, practically bouncing with energy, her hands clutching at her knees as though bracing herself to spring into action that very second.

"Kate! It’s dangerous!" Both Mark and Damon reminded her simultaneously.

Kate whipped her head toward her brother, her long black hair swishing across her face as her lips curled into a mischievous grin.

"What? Don’t give me that look. You heard him! This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance! You think I’m going to sit around doing nothing while he becomes stronger and stronger? It’s not fair. I also want to..." She murmured something under her breath, which Mark could not hear, but Damon clearly did.

I also want to walk beside him. Damon became silent and did not say anything after that.

"Why can’t you-" Mark opened his mouth again, only to be quickly shut down by his sister. "Are you not going?"

"Of course, I am going." Mark’s voice was firm, his expression darkening with conviction. "But that’s exactly why you shouldn’t. Someone has to stay safe. Someone has to—"

"Safe?!" Kate cut him off, her crimson eyes flashing. "Don’t you dare say that to me, Mark. Not after everything. I was lying in a hospital bed, practically dead, and I only got back up because he..." she jabbed a finger toward Damon, "...gave me this chance. You want me to waste it? You want me to hide behind you forever?"

Damon leaned back and remained silent while the two siblings discussed their situation among themselves. He was not about to insert himself in that shit show.

Finally, no surprise to anyone, Kate won the argument and it was decided that both of them would go.

Mark’s jaw worked furiously as if he wanted to argue further, but the fire in Kate’s crimson eyes left him no room to press. He exhaled sharply, raking a hand through his hair before finally muttering, "Fine. But if you come, you follow my lead. One mistake, Kate, just one and I drag you out myself."

Kate’s grin returned, fierce and triumphant. "Then you’d better keep up, big brother," she shot back.

Mark then shook his head helplessly as he got upto leave. "I will go and tell that women that we won’t be able to visit her for the next few days."

"You can call her mother, idiot." Kate grumbled but this time she did not press him. Watching him leave like that, she could only let out a sigh. "Do you think he is ever going to forgive her?"

"Forgive... right..." Damon gulped. He was a little nervous to be left alone with her. "I mean he eventually will." He quickly replied something, while fidgeting his hands. Kate was different from Ellora and Erin. He cared about those two as well but Kate was just different.

And after everything that had happened, especially in the last couple days... he would be a real dickhead if he still did not come clean with her.

Things would become messy when Kate inevitably sees Erin when they head out to the Abyssal lands. There would be questions which he didn’t have answers to. What if she ends up seeing these two idiots once again fight naked or something sprawled all over him?

That’s it. Kate would leave him right then and there. Or probably kill him first and then leave him. Or even worse, give him the silent treatment. Damon started sweating profusely even as he tried to put together some words.

"I..." He started when, Meira walked in. "I need to talk about something to you."

"Huh?" Damon looked at her. "What happened?" The woman looked worried, making him wonder what was going on. "I... I..." She fidgeted nervously, looking like she was about to have a nervous breakdown.

Then finally, she managed to get her words out. "I accidentally overheard your conversation." She blurted out.

"Huh? Come again?"

Meira bit her lips and explained. "I came looking for you and I accidentally overheard your conversation. I know you guys are planning to go to that anomaly in Lotera city together. Can I also join?"

Damon remained silent for a moment. His past experience working with Meira hadn’t been all that great. The woman was a big fan of his either. There was no reason why he should chose teaming up with her, especially when he did not need it.

He opened his mouth but Meira hurriedly interrupted him. "Please. I know I have not been very cooperative the last time in the northern mountains. I... I sincerely apologize for that. I am extremely claustrophobic and the whole thing really messed up my mind. This time things will be different. I promise."

Kate arched a brow, her crimson gaze narrowing. "Why should he trust you?" she asked bluntly. "You abandoned him once. You abandoned us. Do you think one apology erases that?"

Meira flinched but didn’t look away. "I know. You’re right to doubt me. But if I walk away again, I’ll regret it forever. Please understand. I am in a very difficult position." She suddenly turned to Damon and added. "So is Aurora. If we do not become strong enough to defend ourselves..." She clenched her fists, forcing the words out. "I would rather die if that happened."

Damon finally spoke, his voice flat. "This will be your last chance then. But I will tell you this now itself. I do not particularly care for you. While I will not target you or use you or throw you in danger, I also will not do anything just for your sake. Whatever decision I make will be for the good of me and my friends. I will not risk my life to save you. Do you understand?"

Meira bit her lips. "I understand." She spoke, trembling.

Damon nodded. "I am sorry I had to be so blunt about it. We are not really enemies and I honestly don’t have anything against you. At the same time, we are not really friends which is why I had to make some things clear."

Meira did not say anything. She only nodded once again.

"Okay." Damon felt a little bad for the woman as he did know exactly what situation she was in. So he decided to say a few nice words to her.

"Don’t take everything too seriously. Stick to my instructions tomorrow and everything will work out well. Now you should go and take some rest. As soon as you log in, get over to Lotera. Don’t enter the zone and just wait for us in the outskirts. Don’t get too close to the zone."

"Zone?" Meira asked again.

"You will know it when you see it."

Meira nodded and then excused herself. As she walked back to her chamber, a bitter smile appeared on her face. In her entire life, this guy was the only man to speak so indifferently to her.

Men fell head over heals for her calling her fire goddess and showering her with flattery, desperate to win even a glance. She had grown used to it. To all that admiration, to worship, to being placed on a pedestal she never asked for but always accepted.

Yet this man... this infuriating, maddening man... spoke to her as though she were just another guy. No deference. No fawning. No sugarcoated words to feed her pride. Just cold, hard truth, stripped bare of sentiment. She couldn’t tell if she liked it or hated it.

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