Chapter 340: A Leap Of Faith
Ezra sighed even as he kept his eyes on her.
No matter how much he thought about it, he was up against a wall.
He had no leads except Lana. And she'd be protected by James.
She had to be.
At this point, he had no other choice.
If this future version of Connell truly knew the outcome of everything he'll do…
If she had even the foundations of a solution, then he'd take the risk.
"Fine." He nodded with a resigned sigh. "I'll follow your instructions."
Connell nodded with a smile and for a brief moment, Ezra could see relief in her eyes.
Then it disappeared as if it had never been there.
Somehow, seeing that calmed Ezra. Connell wasn't all knowing. She couldn't escape everything even if she'd been through this before.
Then he paused.
What if she'd shown him relief to put him at ease?
No. He couldn't think like that. Yes, he'd be on guard but there should be no second guessing.
They both needed each other.
He stepped forward, grabbing the chains attached to her.
With a flex of his vitality in a complicated pattern, the chains fell to the floor.
Connell grinned, standing as she rubbed at her wrists. "Finally."
"Follow me." Ezra said, gesturing for her to follow.
They stepped out of the cell and into the hallways of the building.
Ezra walked to the diligent guards. "Relax security protocols for now. Return to normal operations." He said. They'd done enough.
The peacekeepers exchanged uncertain glances but none dared to question him.
They moved to carry out his orders as he and Connell walked to his office.
It somehow felt like he was in a video game and had just crossed a checkpoint he couldn't go back from.
He didn't know if it was an achievement or a disaster. Only time will tell.
When they entered his office, Olivia and Red were already waiting.
They turned in anticipation but that quickly morphed into confusion the moment they saw Connell walk in beside him.
"Connell?" Olivia raised an eyebrow. "What's she doing here?"
Ezra closed the door and gestured for Connell to sit.
He turned to meet the eyes of his wives and spoke with utmost confidence. "Connell will be assisting us with the investigation."
Red's eyes narrowed. "Assisting? Is that-" She paused. "Has the possession mystery been solved, then?"
"yes." Ezra nodded. "The person possessing Connell isn't what we thought it was. She's Connell, but from the future. She sent her consciousness to help us. That's why she had the blackouts and joined the peacekeepers."
Olivia and Red exchanged skeptical glances.
Olivia leaned forward as she asked her question. "So, she is Connell's… consciousness from the future?"
"That's right." Ezra nodded. "She came back to prevent a future where Faewall burns… and where I'm responsible."
"Wait, what?" Red blinked.
"Apparently, I fought along side my brother-in-law and destroyed Faewall."
"That's even more confusing." Olivia said, a slight frown on her face. "You don't have a brother-in-law."
"That… is true." Ezra said with a frown before turning to look at Connell. "I want the story on that later."
Red crossed her arms, studying Connell with suspicion. "So, we're supposed to trust her just because she claims to be from the future?"
"No. We're not trusting her because of what she says but what we know." Ezra said plainly.
He explained what he'd heard in the cells, telling them of the future where Faewall is destroyed and everything falls apart.
Her knowledge of his golden eyes and abilities. The fact that she knew what he was here for.
How she'd come back every time to prevent disaster and how the future still ends the same way. And the fact that this is her final attempt.
After the explanation, Olivia stood there with no expression on her face. "So… she's seen this all before?"
"Yes." Ezra said quietly. "And she's here to change it."
He quickly explained why she wasn't telling them all the details of what's coming and why.
"She believes that by following her instructions, we might finally alter what's coming." he told them. "It's a risk but… it's the only option we have."
Red met Ezra's eyes. He could see the doubt in her eyes. "So we're trusting her?" She asked.
Ezra's gaze hardened. "Yes. For now, we are."
Connell watched the exchange with a calm, almost detached expression. When she spoke, everyone turned to listen to her.
"I know this is hard to believe. But I promise, I want the same outcome you do. If you follow my lead, we have a chance of stopping this."
Red and Olivia exchanged glances. They still had doubts but nodded anyway.
"I don't trust you." Red said. "But I trust Ezra. That's good enough for me."
Olivia nodded in agreement.
"Perfect." Ezra nodded. "Now, we can begin."
He walked to his chair and sat on it, leaning back. Everyone found somewhere to sit or stand.
He turned to look at Connell.
"I want to know one thing." He said, his voice low. "What brought me here to Faewall? Why did I feel the need to come here?"
Connell's expression hardened and she shook her head. "Forget about it. Even if I could explain it to you, I wouldn't."
Red frowned at her. "How are you supposed to help us if you won't even tell us something as important as this?"
Connell sighed, her eyes darkening as she looked directly at Ezra. "What you're here for… it's the exact thing that will take away your humanity."
At her words, everyone swallowed what they were about to say.
"What you're searching for is the very thing that makes you burn Faewall to the ground." She said.
"If I could, I would have destroyed it myself. But I can't. I'm not a Noble like you and James and that means it's beyond my reach."
Ezra exchanged a glance with Red and Olivia.
The thing was still affecting their soul bonds. And now, it seems like they'll have to leave Faewall without getting their hands on what they came here for in the first place.
Whatever this thing was, it was obviously powerful enough to demand their caution.
That meant leaving it the fuck alone.
Ezra nodded slowly before he remembered something he'd flagged as odd.
"Alright, then tell me this. How do I have a brother-in-law? None of my wives have any family that I know of and yet somehow, I have a brother-in-law."
Connell raised a hand, her expression blank. "For this to work, Ezra, you need to understand something.
"I can't just hand you information about the future just because you asked. When you know too much, it ruins the outcome."
Red scoffed.
"But think about it." Connell continued. "Who among your wives have you recently realized has kept secrets from you?"
The question hit Ezra like a punch to the gut. Gen. It had to be.
If she'd hid everything about her coven from him, who knew what else she'd hidden.
She could have a connection to her past that he didn't know about, then through her, he could have a brother-in-law.
Someone she hadn't told him about, someone who might be tied to everything happening now.
He frowned. But she was the last survivor. She didn't have anyone else.
Which means the brother-in-law was probably dead. But that didn't matter. He had a tattoo capable of bringing people to life.
If his limiters had really been removed like Connell had said, there's nothing stopping him from raising the man as his minion.
"I can see you've arrived at an answer to your question." Connell said, her tone full of approval.
"Alright." Ezra cleared his thoughts, and turned his attention back to the original matter he'd had in mind. "We'll figure out the rest later. Right now, let's focus on Lana. What's our next move?"
Connell's expression shifted as she seemed ready to answer but then something changed.
Her face stilled, her eyes unfocused, and for a brief moment, she stuttered, her words failing to form.
Ezra watched as the confidence in her eyes slipped away, replaced with confusion and fear.
The future consciousness was gone, leaving behind the present Connell.
Connell looked around the room, her eyes wide. "Captain? What… what happened?"
Ezra stood up, moving to the young vampire.
"Calm, Connell." Olivia said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Calm."
Connell stared at Olivia and slowly calm. Olivia did have that effect on people.
Ezra crouched in front of the sitting vampire. "Connell, listen to me carefully. There's no need to be afraid. We now know who's been possessing you."
He saw the hope in her eyes.
"It's your consciousness from the future, sent here to help us stop the destruction of Faewall. You've been helping us all along, even if you didn't know it."
Connell's face paled, her mouth opening in shock. "Me… from the future?"
Ezra nodded. "And now, we need you to stay close. We have no idea when your future self might return, but until she does, we'll need your help."
"And after all this is done, we'll help you seal the link between you two. No one would be able to possess you again."
It shouldn't be too hard to do. All she needed was a new tattoo a shit ton of vitality.
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"Trust me." he nodded solemnly.
Connell hesitated, glancing between Ezra, Red, and Olivia.
Then she nodded, fire appearing in her eyes. "Understood, Captain. I'll be right here."
"Perfect." He stood up with a grin.
One way or another, they'll stop the Cutting Off.