Legend of the North

Chapter 13: The Sellers Family (4)

The two women stared anxiously at Cristian, fearing what he intended to do with them. He combed a hand through his hair, berating himself for being softhearted.

Cristian had intended only to grab Mrs. Sellers while keeping Mr. Sellers and Katie as hostages. It was the most reasonable option. He needed an adult to get the money, and Mr. Seller hadn’t been a choice from the beginning, as Cristian expected the man to try to save only his own skin. The man would likely choose to abandon his wife and child if it benefited him, but Cristian never expected him to be so ruthless, trying to kill them while trapped in the dimensional space.

Just thinking about it enraged him, and Cristian placed Fenrir down as he stood up to kick the couch he had been sitting on. The women screamed and huddled close, refusing to look him in the face.

“Stop that. I won’t hit you as long as you don’t try anything funny,” he said, sitting back down onto the armrest of the couch to avoid sitting on Fenrir.

“Why should we believe you?” Katie demanded, glaring at him.

He crossed his arms and said, “You were the one to pick a fight first. If you hadn’t, I wouldn’t have done any of this.”

That was a lie. Cristian wouldn’t have hesitated to find a way to make her pay for what she did to him in the last life. It was what she owed him after all, even if she didn’t know it.

Mrs. Sellers hid Katie’s face in her arms as if to shield her and said, “We’ll give you everything you want. Just leave us alone.”

“You already know what I want. Hand over the money now. If you attempt to contact anyone or send out a message about the situation, I won’t hesitate to throw you back with your husband. I’m sure he would be happy to see you,” Cristian said.

The women flinched, recalling what had happened moments prior. Mrs. Sellers quickly stood up, pulling Katie up with her, as she turned to get the money.

“Hold it. Katie stays,” he ordered.

Mrs. Sellers pushed Katie behind her as she said, “W-wait. Didn’t you say you wouldn’t do anything to us?”

Cristian nearly rolled his eyes as he said, “I won’t do anything to her, but the last time I left the both of you alone together, you ended up attacking me. She stays here so I can keep an eye on her. I won’t send her to be with your husband as long as she doesn’t try anything.”

The women shared a look before they reluctantly parted. Mrs. Sellers slowly walked away as she anxiously glanced back at them. Katie refused to look in his direction, keeping eyes solely directed in the direction her mother disappeared too.

“You can sit down,” Cristian suggested, making her flinch.

She shot him a suspicious glare, keeping her distance. Unbothered by the glare, he adjusted his posture so he had one leg propped up on the armrest. He placed his elbow on his knee and rested his head on his closed fist. Fenrir yawned, lying down on the couch.

As they waited, he went over what he needed to do next. Obviously, he needed to determine what places he could go to for supplies. Since everyone in the world knew about him already, many places would bar him from entering. Those that didn’t would probably charge him exorbitant amounts of cash to take advantage of him. Cristian also knew that word would quickly spread about what he had done to the bullies. Basically, his current identity was no good.

His eyes narrowed, making Katie stiffen from fear. She had no clue what was going on in his head and feared what it meant for her family. Forget getting revenge, she should have never gotten involved with such a crazy guy. There was no way he could be human.

Mrs. Sellers quickly returned with two briefcases, one in each hand. She nearly tripped over her knees, placing them in front of him.

“Here’s the money. Take a look,” Mrs. Sellers said, refusing to look at him.

He straightened himself but did not bend down to take them. Instead, his gaze turned to Fenrir beside him. The wolf noticed his stare and looked back at him.

[If you’re asking if they’ve been boobytrapped, then you’ll be happy to hear that I can’t sense anything wrong with them.]

It was only after hearing Fenrir’s declaration that Cristian dared to grab one suitcase to check the contents. The moment he opened it, he was greeted by the sight of thick stacks of bills. He picked up one stack and flipped through them.

After placing it back in the suitcase, he said, “This isn’t enough.”

“But that’s five million already,” Mrs. Sellers blurted, gobsmacked.

So that was how much was in the two suitcases. He hadn’t wanted to waste time counting every bill, so this made things more convenient, but he wasn’t going to tell them that.

“Maybe you shouldn’t have attacked me when I made the demands in the first place, but I’m willing to let things go if you do something else for me,” he said, shutting the suitcase.

“What do you want?” Mrs. Sellers asked wearily.

“I want you to temporarily shield me from everyone,” he said.

The women stared at him with visible confusion painted on their faces as if he had just spoken gibberish. He set the suitcase back down on the floor and stood up.

“Your daughter should have already told you that I made a few enemies. I want to lay low for now, and you’ll be my cover,” Cristian said.

“Why should we do that?” Katie snapped.

“Katie,” Mrs. Sellers hissed, but Katie was too incensed to listen.

“You come into my home and threaten my family. We should call the police to have them deal with you,” Katie said, pointing her finger at him.

In an instant, Cristian’s face turned cold. Katie realized her mistake too late as Cristian stalked towards her. She backed away until her back hit the wall, and he towered over her. His intimidating presence made her knees weak, and all she could do was quiver.

“Are you sure you want to do that?” he asked emotionlessly.