How to Make a Sinner Sleep - Chapter 90: Chapter 90

Kaden had wanted progress, and he received it in Reed's quick actions.
Through previous evidence that he and Bolivia collected about Reed's allies and their greed, as well as Reed's thorough weeding of hindrances, it wasn't long before the prince decided to eliminate his allies.
Disobedient pawns were more useful dead than alive.
The second summons Kaden received was to a secluded and abandoned house in the depths of the slums. A fire had long burned it down, and due to the death of the inhabitants, it'd never been rebuilt.
A meeting, Reed had called it. Kaden fastened his daggers to his belt in a tavern's room, Bolivia leaning with her arms crossed against the wall.
"Tonight," Kaden told her calmly. "He'll decide whether or not to keep them alive. We only have a certain amount of time to make certain of it."
Bolivia had been spreading whispers around the Crown Prince's capabilities, 'accidentally' revealing the recording to the most cowardly ally. Doubt and distrust that had been simmering since Richard Hall's grand disappearance only grew.
The summons tonight made all of Reed's allies restless and fearful.
Kaden received information that they planned to meet in this tavern earlier, discussing their plan for the meeting. The weak cluttered together in hopes to overturn the powerful—and sometimes, they succeeded. This would not be one of those times.
"They've booked the tavern and emptied the underground floor."
Bolivia grinned. "So they're making it easy for us?"
"Yes. We'll go cause havoc and make sure there's no possibility of them remaining idle." replied Kaden calmly, rolling up his sleeves to reveal defined arms. He brushed his hair back, several disobedient strands falling over his forehead.
"Will this end? Tonight?" wondered the snake woman suddenly.
Kaden paused in his movements. "Not everything. The corruption is so deeply rooted it can't end so easily. But your vengeance can. Even if it was Reed who bought those parts, it was these scum that harvested and sold them. I will kill Reed. But you can find peace."
"Trying to play a good boy now, human?"
He laughed. "Is it working?"
Bolivia snorted, dismissing him. "They're downstairs right now? We're going, right now?"
"Make haste, snake. Can't keep up with the pace everything's unfolding?"
"Can't keep up? Ha! Worry about your fragile body first."
The two—unwilling partners by circumstance, but two souls that had met an understanding—stared at each other for a moment. There was no farewell, no wishing each other well. They turned to the door and left for the underground room.
Along the way, they bumped into a wandering young man. His eyes seemed to widen slightly upon seeing Kaden, but the other didn't reveal any recognition.
"Sorry," Kaden said, nodding once before he continued past.
By their arrival, the gathering of nobles had already begun. There were around eight, two of which Kaden vaguely recognized. Influential people that harboured great wealths—regardless of their particular standing in the hierarchy.
He waited for the conversation to take a turn, for their worries to express. Their concerns, their suspicions. Richard Halls death was yet to be confirmed, spread by word of mouth.
However, they were restless. Would their lives be reaped next?
At that question, Kaden slowly clapped his hands. It echoed across the space, an underground bar that only opened at the end of the week. Old wooden tables and chairs neatly tucked around them, and the ceilings were high.
All heads turned to the door.
The man at the doorway approached leisurely, smiling. "When will you become discardable? Will it be when you don't have enough to give, or your betrayal? Or will he simply bore of you—these are all very good, very wise questions to consider."
"You—who are you? This is a private meeting!"
"And now your privacy includes me. Is there a problem?" Kaden bowed, welcoming Bolivia inside to stand beside him. "And her." Several gazes trailed to the woman's naked skin, and then twisted into horror upon her slithering tail.
"I've come with advice, as a kind soul does. Weren't you discussing Richard Hall's death? Slain by the Crown Prince himself? I can assure you its true. That is no mere gossip."
"What nonsense! Leave, or I'll call somebody to drag you out!"
Kaden spread his hands in the air in mock surrender.
"Take a long, hard look at my face, gentlemen. What's the identity of a pink-haired fellow that stalks behind the royal family like a dog on a leash? Has a name come to mind?"
He laughed sharply, daggers in his voice cutting any misunderstanding. The nobles, well-aware of the rumours in their circle, were paralyzed with fear.
"You don't want to believe my words? Then fine! When you are dead at my hands, at my dagger's tip and the prince's command, I'll wish you well!"
Bolivia's tail whipped around the room, sending chairs clattering into tables, creating more disorder.
Her sharp teeth gleamed underneath a wicked smile. There was no denying the horrors of her beauty or the limits of her strength.
"Now, now, royal puppy." smiled Bolivia as Kaden tilted his head to look back at her, scowling.
He sneered. "Don't call me that, you half-bred lizard."
"Fragile human."
"Foolish monster."
They both clicked their tongues impatiently and with a lunge, they entangled in a burst of violent movements that were difficult to observe. Tendrils of illusion tipped on Kaden's fingertips, making his movements appear more exaggerated.
His head throbbed; the madness buzzed; and he ignored it.
Furniture kicked up around them, pummeled and broken into shards of wood and bark.
When they pulled away, Bolivia had a hideous cut running between her chest.
Kaden spun a duel pair of daggers in his hand, slicked with a dripping crimson. He swiped it across the air, blood splattering onto one of the cowering nobles.
His lips parted, a bemused curl tilting them. "I forgot about you. Apologies, would you like a napkin?"
He walked over to the shambles of the room, finding a random napkin on the ground that was covered in dust and splinters of debris. Unbothered, he casually strolled back over and crouched down.
The man's head cocked slightly, a smile flitting over his lips. The beautiful, devestating man. The stray that the prince had marked as royalty.
Amidst the disorder in the room, he was both unsuited and suited.
"Are you going to take it from me, or should I pretend to be a mother and wipe the blood for you?"
The noble wasn't one Kaden recognized by appearance, but he took amusement in their shuddering nevertheless. All talk, never action. They were good at robbing money from the poor and nothing more.
However, gazing at the pleasant twist on the man's pale lips, and the scrutinizing lucid green gaze that watched them, nobody could deny his identity.
This was Kaden Chauvet, the crazed dog of the Royal Family.
His eyes seemed more sinister as they curved. "Now, what will you do? It seems like I'll see you later tonight, gentlemen."
The nobles scrambled to scatter, fearful of getting caught in another one of his mad rages, his violent outbursts.
Kaden laughed out loud, standing in the midst of the clutter as he called after them,
"I pray for a peaceful resolution!"
Nobles like them were especially talented in saving by their own skin. Kaden did not doubt that his provocation and their fear would result in a delightful scene.
Bolivia squatted down behind him, snickering. "You said you were acting, human, but there's definitely something wrong in that head of yours."
"Coming from you?" remarked Kaden as she shrugged in admittance. "That should be enough for them to scamper or rebel. Their anxiety was at a peak, and it only needed a gentle nudge."
"That was gentle?"
"It would've been if you hadn't lunged at me all of a sudden."
"You responded as quickly as I did—don't tell me you weren't itching for a little scuffle." She blew him a kiss, hissing. "Your pretty face is unharmed anyway."
"So I'm pretty?"
"For a human. It's one of your few merits." She smiled. "Although your friends are prettier. I've seen them wandering, a few times. Do any of them like drinking?"
"Niklas seems to have a high tolerance. Flirt with him, if you wish. Don't disturb the others."
"Am I not good enough for the beautiful lady friends of yours?"
"Yes."
Bolivia snorted, her tail slithering across the ground and shoving more tables to the side playfully. "No matter. With your permission, I'll meet that friend of yours. The one who can drink is better than a handsome man that cannot."
Kaden glanced sideways. "Their tolerance is a deal-breaker?"
"My preference. It's more fun to drink them to the ground when they're confident in their ability."
Kaden shook his head at that, gazing around the room. He'd send the tavern reinbursement another time, under a different identity. Under the Crown's identity, most likely.
They still had some time before the meeting. No doubt, the most cowardly would run—but perhaps that was intelligence, too.
The prideful would confront Reed on his killing of Richard Halls, and perhaps attempt to replace the deceased and earn a profit. Reed's temper was tender lately, easily annoyed.
Bolivia gazed at the broad back of the human she did not dislike.
"He'll order you to kill them."
"And I will. Unhesitantly. But remember, snake, the weight of every life you take. Only by acknowledging death can you remain sane in obscurity."
"And when you kill without remorse?"
"Then there truly is no going back." Kaden offered a wry smile. "There's no pretending to be human anymore."
"I'm not human," she remarked with a small smile. "Kidding, don't roll your eyes at me, human. I know what you mean. Enough, this serious talk feels awkward—did you decide which one to give an extra scare to?"
Kaden nodded. They'd both agreed, after their antics here, they'd follow up by thoroughly tormenting one of Reed's allies as the cherry on top.
There had been one man, still as a stone and calm in his expression—if not for his twitching fingers and the slight tremble in his legs that itched to run. He'd already determined where all their rooms were, so it was a simple task to follow.
The tavern, during its least busy season, was not very occupied.
Kaden stepped forward, his hand resting on the door handle before he realized it's never been completely shut. The slightest gap allowed a sliver of light to stream out, just barely.
Then, a whimper came from inside the room. Before Kaden could react, Bolivia had thrown the doors open in haste, freezing at the entrance. Her blood boiled, a storm brewing under her skin.
There, a chained fae curled into themselves on the floor, flinching away from the man that held her delicate wrist tightly. A needle shone in his hands, the tip spilling with a drop of blood.
Kaden spun sideways, reaching to grab Bolivia; but she had already lunged.
"Bolivia!"
Her hands stretched out, nails sharpening into gleaming and vicious points while her fangs bared. In a panic, the man jammed the needle down, piercing the swaying tail that had wrapped around his body.
The woman's body froze once more, mid-movement. Kaden watched in horror as she shuddered, and her scales appeared to be drooping—no, Kaden realized in terror.
They were melting.
Her arms twisted into crooked positions, the sound of bones cracking and distorting under scaled flesh.
Kaden spun to the noble, shouting. "What was in that syringe?"
The noble seemed horrified as the tail twisted around him constricted, his cheeks turning red. "Hahaha—!" He choked. "That's not just blood, it's a fusion! You may look down upon us, Reed's dog, but we are the ones who know the most!"
Bolivia's body continued to lengthen and warp, her shadow filling the expanse of the room under the glowing lampshade.
"Bolivia!" Kaden yelled, taking a step back as he threw the door shut. "Calm down! The Reversal—if this is the Reversal, you have to calm down! Your anger only hastens the reaction! Do not do anything that will cause your emotions to spiral even more!"
He felt panic stirring his entire body, recalling the knowledge he'd learned from Nicola. He didn't know what was happening, or what he could do—at this moment, Kaden was terribly incapable.
As long as Bolivia survived, nothing would matter.
"Your goals, Bolivia! You can't kill him, that'll make your emotions spiral." He took a breath, attempting to calm down. His breath hitched as he begged, "Your goals, Bolivia. We're so close to bringing them all down."
The woman had been long blindsided by the noise in her head, the screaming voice seeking blood and vengeance. Reason had long  faded as her drooping eyes turned to the slumped fae and the ragged stump where one arm should've been.
They raked over to the man trapped in the coils of her tail, huffing and puffing miserably. Hope glowed in his eyes as Kaden shouted—he believed that she would not kill him.
In those few seconds, Bolivia made a decision.
If she had to lose her sanity, then she would receive vengeance of some kind.
Her changed gaze seemed to rest on Kaden briefly, and it almost appeared tender. Softer. Then, she spun around and her tail tightened. It did not stop even after he choked his last breath, squeezing until blood pooled out of his orifices.
Bolivia, or the skin of her, gazed at the limp corpse with glowing delight.
It felt like hours. Hours before her tail fell limp, released the ragged body and slumping to the ground in its shriveled form, liked shed skin that had been pulled too thin. The lampshade had been knocked over, shattering on the tavern ground.
Kaden stood in the dark room of the dead. He realized then that the fae, that appeared to be sleeping, had yet to rouse.
With a shaking laugh, he wondered if she were dead too.
The man staggered back, slumping against the closed door. Red painted the floors in the grotesque murder of the corpse, and Bolivia's shriveled, deformed body.
He fell deathly quiet, eyes fixated on the scene. As if watching would allow for a twitch of movement to rouse in the three bodies in the room.
Calm down.
He cleared the thoughts from his brain, slumping further against the door.
What do you have to do next?
His mind went numb, draining of his terror.
The next step. What is the next step. There is a next step.
If he pretended, could these unsettling emotions fuse with the blood and spill away?
First, Kaden had to repeat each thought thrice. First, take the faerie away in case she's still alive. If there's a way to save her at least. There's a faerie doctor in town, I know that. I know.
Next, He force himself to continue though his gaze remained on Bolivia. Next, the meeting will still occur. I still must attend. I'll attend, and—and I'll do whatever Reed tells of me.
He wondered where that woman's eyes were, in the sagging flesh that remained?
Those are the next steps. That is what I have to do next.
Kaden choked, and he wanted to cry. When he buried his face into his hands, he realized that no tears would come. Therefore, the man raised his head again and stared at the bloody scene.
A clock ticked in the background, reminding him of every second passed.
In that dark room, with three bodies, a man sat at the door and gazed at the corpses. Until seconds became minutes, and became hours.
The man did not move.