Free Web NovelChapter 230: Chapter 230
Caden’s POV
The entire room went silent after Gunnar asked about Riley.
Nobody answered him immediately because honestly, none of us knew what to say. The fact that he even remembered Riley at all already destroyed everything Carian claimed her spell would do.
Carian looked the worst out of all of us.
Her face had completely lost color and she kept staring at Gunnar like she was waiting for him to suddenly change his words and say he was joking.
But Gunnar wasn’t joking. He looked completely serious and fully aware of what he was saying.
Gunnar pushed the blanket away from his body and slowly stood up from the bed. Leslie immediately moved closer to him like she expected him to collapse after being unconscious for three whole days, but he stayed on his feet.
He looked a little weak but not weak enough to stay in bed.
"Where’s Riley?" he asked again, this time more impatiently.
I exchanged a quick glance with Cane before looking back at him. My mind was still struggling to understand how any of this was possible.
Carian herself looked like she was about to lose control.
I cleared my throat awkwardly before speaking.
"Do you know Riley?" I asked.
The moment I asked the question, Gunnar frowned at me like I had gone insane.
"What kind of silly question is that?" he asked immediately. "Did you hit your head somewhere?"
I rubbed the back of my neck awkwardly while Leslie looked away like she didn’t know whether to laugh or panic.
Then Gunnar suddenly stopped talking. His eyes slowly moved toward Carian.
He stared at her for a few seconds before confusion crossed his face deeply.
"How are you here?" he asked her slowly.
Carian swallowed hard but didn’t answer.
"You’re dead," Gunnar continued. "You shouldn’t be in the living realm."
Carian shook her head almost immediately. "No," she whispered. "No, that’s not possible."
Gunnar kept staring at her like he genuinely couldn’t understand why she was standing in front of him.
That was when Cane finally stepped forward.
His face was serious and cold as he looked at Gunnar.
"There’s something you need to know," Cane said.
Gunnar frowned slightly. "Where’s Riley first."
"She’s connected to this," Cane answered.
That got Gunnar’s full attention immediately.
Cane didn’t waste time after that. He explained everything from beginning to end.
He told Gunnar about Emberkin stabbing him with the Blackbane core. He told him how Leslie couldn’t heal him. He told him how our mother confirmed there was no cure. Then he told him how Carian appeared and used Riley’s life force to heal him and force the love bind spell on him in exchange.
The entire room stayed quiet while Cane spoke. The more Gunnar listened, the darker his expression became.
At first he looked shocked.
Then guilty when Riley’s sacrifice was mentioned.
Then angry. Really angry.
His jaw tightened so hard I could see the muscles move under his skin.
When Cane finally finished explaining everything, Gunnar stayed silent for a few seconds.
Then he slowly looked at Carian.
She looked nervous now. Actually nervous.
Her fingers kept trembling at her sides while she stared at him hopefully like she still believed the spell would eventually work.
Gunnar looked at her calmly before speaking. "Do you know why your spell failed?"
Carian’s brows pulled together immediately. "What?"
"You heard me," Gunnar said. "It failed."
"No," she said quickly. "That’s impossible."
Carian shook her head harder. "The spell works. It always works, it worked on you once."
"Not this time."
The room stayed silent while Gunnar slowly walked away from the bed and stood properly in the center of the room.
"Riley’s blood runs inside me," he said.
Carian froze.
"I fed from her one time," Gunnar continued calmly. "Her blood mixed with mine."
I frowned slightly as I tried to understand what he meant.
Then Gunnar looked directly at Carian.
"You used Riley’s life force to strengthen your spell," he said. "But her blood is already inside me. Your magic tied itself back to your sister."
That was when realization finally hit me too.
I looked toward Cane immediately and from his expression, he had already understood it before me.
Carian looked completely shaken now.
"No..." she whispered weakly.
Gunnar nodded slowly. "You tried to force a connection through Riley’s power while Riley’s blood already exists inside me. The spell had nowhere to settle."
Carian looked close to tears now. Her lips trembled as she stared at Gunnar.
"But I healed you," she said quietly.
"You did," Gunnar answered. "And I’m grateful for that."
Carian’s eyes brightened slightly after hearing those words but Gunnar continued immediately before she could speak again.
"But that changes nothing between us."
Her face fell instantly.
"I have nothing to do with you anymore, Carian."
"No," she said quickly, shaking her head. "Don’t say that."
"You need to release Riley and leave peacefully."
"I said no."
Her voice rose louder this time. Everyone in the room looked at her.
Carian stepped closer toward Gunnar with desperation clear on her face now.
"You belong to me," she said. "You always did."
Cane scoffed loudly from beside me while I kept watching Gunnar carefully.
Something still felt strange. Too strange. He was calm. fгeewebnovёl.com
This was Carian standing in front of him. The same Carian who supposedly manipulated him before. The same Carian who trapped Riley inside this mess. Yet Gunnar looked completely controlled.
Almost emotionless. Even when he got angry, it wasn’t explosive. It was measured.
That wasn’t normal for Gunnar. Not at all.
Gunnar looked at Carian quietly before speaking again.
"Nothing ties me to you."
Carian stared at him in disbelief. "What are you talking about?"
"Nothing ties me to you," Gunnar repeated firmly. "Not Summer. Not the spell. Nothing."
The moment he mentioned Summer, my brows furrowed immediately.
Leslie looked confused too.
Carian looked completely lost now.
"What do you mean not Summer?" she asked slowly.
Gunnar looked directly at her.
And the expression on his face changed slightly for the first time since waking up.
There was anger there now. Real anger.
"You heard me," he said coldly.
Carian shook her head immediately. "No. No, stop saying things like that."
Gunnar didn’t stop. "I know Summer isn’t mine."
