Chapter 5 Chapter 5

Bailey’s POV

“Get ready… He’s about to make his move,” Nathaniel said, calm as if we were just having a picnic. Wait, did he just say that the gentlemanly mercenary/pirate leader was going to attack? And he was calm about it?!

“Make his move? What the hell am I supposed to do?!” I was losing my mind. I could get killed any second with this psycho.

“Try not to get yourself killed and let me do the rest.” Wow. That’s your comforting advice? Man, he must be awesome with the ladies.

“Nathaniel! I have two options for you!” the mercenary leader finally spoke, apparently bored of waiting.

“The first, and probably the best for you, is to hand over the girl peacefully, and we might consider letting you live after we roughed you up enough,” he said with a smug smirk, making the rest of his crew laugh.

“The second is to make a soap opera out of it and fight to the death. I prefer the first option—I had enough drama for today.” Okay… I kind of loved that. TV show references? This guy gets me. Maybe there are TV shows here too.

“What will it be, Nathaniel?” he asked, waiting for a reply. Nathaniel just… stayed quiet. The thought of being tortured and killed didn’t even seem to phase him.

“Killing that so-called friend of yours made just the effect I wanted… You became soft, Ares, slow. Paranoid even. It took you longer than before to make your move. I was starting to get bored,” Nathaniel said, clearly trying to provoke him. I just hoped Ares wasn’t stupid enough to fall for it.

“Duck, girl!” Nathaniel barked suddenly. My instincts kicked in—I ducked immediately. Two men behind us charged, and Nathaniel swirled over me, intercepting them. Both men were massive—like Titans. Shirtless, crisscrossed belts across their chests supporting giant swords on their backs, fists the size of… well, watermelons. Dumb as rocks, too, but perfect for a fight.

Nathaniel held their fists like they weighed nothing. Not even a twitch. Compared to them, he was a mouse holding lions in check. And yet, he didn’t move a muscle. It was… terrifyingly impressive.

Then—BAM! A hard kick hit my side like a sledgehammer. I flew into a tree, back slamming against it. My hospital gown ripped. Warmth ran down my spine. Blood. Fantastic. I was bleeding, bruised, and probably about to die.

I looked up and the other giant was in front of me. How did he get there so fast? Wasn’t Nathaniel holding him?

“You son of a—” Nathaniel spat at the mercenary lord.

“Actually, it was pure logic, your Majesty,” Ares said calmly. Wait… did he just call Nathaniel “Your Majesty”? Oh, come on.

“Majesty?” I whispered, blinking in disbelief.

“You didn’t know, dear? He’s the king of these lands. Inherited the throne from his deceased father. Noble, the best we ever had… until one son—Nathaniel—decided to send everything to hell just to grab more power.” Ares’s voice was full of hate. I couldn’t blame him. Nathaniel had killed his friend just to make a point. I wanted to puke.

“The girl must mean something to him. He protects her. And his powers… aren’t at full strength. Otherwise, he’d have torn us all to shreds already. Am I right, Your Majesty?” Ares turned to Nathaniel, grinning like a curious little boy.

Nathaniel’s silence was intimidating. His grip on the Titan never wavered. His gaze—pure black eyes—shifted to me. Shivers shot down my spine. I was about to die, I just knew it.

“What is your name, girl?” he finally asked, breaking the tension.

“What?” I blinked. Why did my name suddenly matter?

“Your name! We’ve been on this journey, and I don’t know your name. I don’t like not knowing names.”

“Bailey… Bailey Durant,” I said, trembling, feeling like I’d just given a confession.

“Bailey… unusual. How tolerant are you to pain, Bailey?” His first smirk. A first expression. If I survived this, I’d scrapbook all of Nathaniel’s firsts.

“How the heck should I know?! Last time I felt real pain was when my ex dumped me over a… bloody stripper he thought was his soulmate!” Ugh. My horrible love life flashed through my mind. I wanted to vomit. And yes, the stripper was 50… and male. WHAT?! I was fifteen and dumb!

“If it’s anything like that, then I can handle it,” I tried to sound brave.

“This is far worse than that idiotic story,” Nathaniel said, not blinking. Again. For heaven’s sake, blink once.

Then—pain. Sharp, electric, shooting through my entire body. My nervous system vibrated from head to toe. I couldn’t stand. I crouched, hands clutching my head, nails digging into my scalp. The ringing in my ears escalated.

Nathaniel’s dark magic radiated in waves from him like smoke. I couldn’t escape it. I wanted it to stop. I screamed, tears streaming, sweat dripping. My heart raced, pounding like a drum in my chest.

“Let him go!” the Titan in front of me barked.

“Or what?” Nathaniel’s smile was cold as ice.

The Titan charged. His giant fists hit… an invisible barrier. He bounced back like a ragdoll.

“Stand down, Spartan!” Ares shouted, but Spartan had other plans. He charged toward me, lifting me by the throat like I weighed nothing. Sharp pain radiated through my chest, still pulsating from Nathaniel’s magic. My vision blurred. I just wanted it to be over.

“Let her go! Her suffering doesn’t matter to me, but your friend’s death will!” Nathaniel’s dark magic surged again, directed at the Titan.

“Watch closely…” he whispered in Latin: Lacero.

The Titan’s hand shattered into tiny shards of glass. He screamed, trapped in agony. My head spun, ringing deafening. The heart in my chest pounded as if it would explode.

“The barrier’s weakened!” Spike yelled.

“This is our chance! Attack with full force!” Ares barked.

The mercenaries hit the invisible wall. Pain ripped through me, like bones cracking under pressure. I screamed, raw and unfiltered.

“Let… go!” I screamed at Spartan, struggling. My magic flared—the heart in my chest responded. I forced it to act.

I landed on the ground. Spartan flew backward at terrifying speed, impaled on a jagged tree branch. His body twitched. Dead.

I froze, hands covering my mouth. I… killed someone.

Nathaniel released the Titan he had been holding. That Titan knelt, clutching his shattered arm, eyes wide in horror at his brother’s impaled corpse.

Nathaniel’s nose bled. Mine did too. Full power. Gone haywire. The Titan screamed, enraged.

“I… my brother… my blood… you killed him!” he roared, charging at me.

Nathaniel blinked at him, expression unreadable.

“Spike!” Ares shouted.

“On it!” Spike intervened, and in a blink, the Titan and Spike vanished behind Ares.Perfect! Here’s your Chapter 5 ending with the humor threaded back in, keeping Bailey’s modern, sarcastic voice intact while still ramping the tension:

Vertigo hit me. I was falling, spinning, completely helpless… until Nathaniel appeared. In a blink, he caught me before my skull met the hard, rocky ground. My body screamed, my heart pounded, and the world tilted. Seriously? Could gravity pick a better time to exist?

And then—a voice. Cold, metallic, dripping with menace—cut through the chaos:

“Enjoying the chaos, little human? Because it’s far from over.”

I froze. My stomach dropped. My blood ran ice-cold. Great. Just great. Like I needed another psychos out to get me today.

Nathaniel’s grip tightened around me. His black eyes darted past mine, and for the first time, even he looked tense. And here I thought he never blinked. Does he ever sleep? Or blink? Or eat? I have so many questions.

I wanted to scream. I wanted to run. But there was nowhere to run. And somewhere deep down, I knew—whatever was coming next… it was going to hurt. Bad.

Oh, and of course, I thought grimly, I left my comfort blanket and emergency chocolate stash at home. Perfect timing, Bailey. Way to adult today.