Obsessed to Hate Him-Chapter 69: Ink

LIAM

Do I have a charm embedded in my soul? Trouble attracting charm over that? Because no matter where I go, I end up getting into trouble.

Just like now, stuck inside a closet of a supply warehouse. Oh, not to mention with my sworn enemy. Seriously? I can’t get any worse than this.

"You are breathing too loudly." I huff, thoroughly pissed. I eye him with unimaginable displeasure.

"Why don’t I stop breathing altogether?" Kian grins and I want to punch it so badly, my fists itch, "Will it not be easier for you to get rid of me?"

"Oh, it will be. Can you do that for me?" I offer him a sardonic smile.

"No, I can’t." Kian mirrors me with his get-under-my-skin smile.

I scoff and roll my eyes. "You are taking up too much place." I poke him with a broken pen.

Surprisingly, I found my one hundred and five pens that I broke during the previous weeks inside this closet.

It is too dark inside this small cramped place. The air is very tight here and there is some kind of questionable smell lingering in the air. Not to mention that it is getting more and more hotter inside because of our presence.

"Am I?" I can clearly see—even in the dark—Kian spreading his leg intentionally so that he can corner me—if there is any place to be cornered then that is. "And stop poking me with those god damned pens. They are the reason we are here."

Fair enough. Actually, Kelly and I came here to gather some reports on Roy’s birthday festival. It is Kelly’s work, but I had my fair share of doubt about her competency so I tagged alone. I usually don’t have to do this kind of job since Crystal does them for me. But I sent her on an errand and she hasn’t returned yet.

Kian saw us while wandering in the corridors of the palace. He tagged along with us because he was bored and he had nothing to do aside from lurking. This warehouse is located behind the servant quarters at the back of the palace, so no one usually comes here aside from dumping trash.

I opened this closet without noticing the ink dripping from the hardboard beneath it. I slipped on it and fell inside. Kian came to help and the same thing happened to him as well. But it was a little worse because the doors slammed shut behind him. And according to us—Kelly, Kian, and me—the door is jammed. So Kelly ran to fetch someone while we were stuck in this stinky place. Wow.

Turned out the ink on the floor was the one that leaked from the pile of broken pens dumped at a dark corner of the closet. And they are my piece of art... Crystal dumped them here... Is this what we call Karma?

I sigh, rubbing my temple. We leave for Nyxvarral in three days and now this. Seriously?

I try to contact Crystal via telepathy but it doesn’t work. Gods know where that ghost woman went to die. Oh, well, she is already dead.

"What are you doing? Calling your familiar?" Kian gazes at me out of the corner of his eyes. It’s almost like he is checking me out.

"Yes. She isn’t responding." I answer gruffly.

"You didn’t tell me that you appointed Crystal as your familiar." Kian moves so that his body faces me. He leans in and places his forearm on the hard surface beside my head, effectively caging me in between his body, forearm, and the stuck doors of the closet. I can feel heat radiating off him and his hot breath fanning against my face, rising goosebumps through my body.

"You never asked me." My stomach flips and a swarm of butterflies starts to dance inside the pit of my stomach, their wings brushing against my heart and making it flutter.

"Liam...do you not know that Ghosts can suck their master’s life force if they can’t control their power?" I can tell Kian is looking at my mouth and not my eyes as he speaks in a hushed tone. Well, I do the same. "This is why nobody makes ghosts their familiar, even if it’s beneficial. Are you sure that Crystal is not draining your life energy?"

I blink, perplexed. "I didn’t know this was the reason no one took ghosts as familiar."

Kian’s eyes widen a smidge, "Seriously, you didn’t know?" He looks me in the eyes this time and I do the same.

"No." I shake my head, "But I don’t think Crystal is draining me. I am aware of myself more than anyone else. I would have known. In fact, I feel more energetic and powerful since I took her in." 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Kian hums as if contemplating, "Are you serious? I mean, I think Crystal is a rank A, no, maybe a rank S, or even a higher-ranking ghost. She can easily drain you out within a month."

I tap my chin with one of the broken pens that I found here as I hum and contemplate his question, "Maybe this is why I am still fine? She is a very high-ranking ghost. This is why I am not drained yet. Maybe she knows how to control her power properly?"

"Throw that damn thing aside, it is lapped with ink." Kian takes the broken pen from my hand and tosses it aside, "Were you always this optimistic, or are you getting rubbed off by your dumb-looking fiance?"

I fish out another broken pen as he tosses the first one into the dark. I shrug, "Who knows? Might be. I’ve known Kelly for years."

"Where are you fishing out those nasty things from?" Kian is disdainful.

I grin, "I picked them up from their pile. Though they will make it easier to penetrate your chest."

"For Gods’ sake Liam—" Kian just starts his admonishment when the doors of the closet swing open and light pours in. We both freeze.

"Should I excuse you guys for a moment?" Crystal is standing outside with her forever blank face. "And why are you two covered in ink?"

Kian and I exchange glances and our eyes widen.

Oh...it’s bad.