Someone was calling her name.
"...la!"
She knew this voice.
"Silla!"
She finally opened her eyes.
There was a man. He was holding her in his arms.
Declan lifted her fragile body up and let her lean against him.
"It's okay, Sil."
He said her name consolingly.
"It's okay now. Nothing like z'at v'ill ever happen again. You are safe.
She felt tired and her body was heavy.
She desperately needed someone, anyone.
Silla hugged him tightly.
He spoke to her again, "You are safe now, my lyubov."
"How many days has it been?" She asked. Her mouth felt so dry it was like she had sandpaper in her mouth. He patted her head and smiled.
"A little over three days."
She sighed, "At least it hasn't been that long... I'm glad."
He quickly looked angry.
"Are you serious? Considering what happened to you, how can you be so calm?"
"..."
"Lawson said if you didn't v'ake up in four days, z'ere was a good chance you might never v'ake up! You v'ere almost fucking killed!"
He was genuinely angry. She was still in shock; she didn't know what to say.
"... I'm sorry."
Declan seemed upset. He lowered his face. He was holding onto her tightly, and he looked like a child afraid to let go of his mother.
She couldn't say anything.
Declan looked sad and lonely, and she wanted to touch his face, but she did not have the energy to do so. Instead, she fell asleep as he whispered to her. She felt safe as she closed her eyes.
...
Awake for the second time she opened her eyes once again, the first person she saw being Declan. She felt incredibly bad when she saw him, but she didn't show it.
Quickly she sat up with his help. "Are you okay? How do you feel?" He blathered out so quickly she barely understood him. He seemed anxious and eager for just some human contact.
He looked haggard. His usual dark circles underneath his eyes were much darker and prominent. Meanwhile, his hair was disheveled and his skin pale and sickly like he hadn't been eating. With guilt she looked away and replied, "I'm okay now."
His cool hands touched her shoulders, and it felt nice against her clammy skin. Why was she sweating so much? She was confused. Silla's heart was pounding fast as she stared at his face.
This crazy beautiful mad man...
Why was she having a heart attack? This had never happened before. She could hear her own heartbeat in her ears.
Was it because of Declan?
...No, it couldn't be. She must have been hurt worse than she thought. "What happened to after I passed out?"
Suddenly, Declan's face became darker, and he remained silent.
She asked another question hesitantly, "What happened to the... Assassin?"
Declan frowned. "I'm having a friend keep him locked up. For safety purposes of course. People like z'at shouldn't be allowed to roam around."
"I see."
He laid her gently back down and gently pets her head talking to her a little to keep her company and to keep his own sanity.
"Silla..." He begins, his hands palming the bed above her. He seems a bit unsure as he hangs his head, closing his eyes for a second before lifting his gaze again.
"If I were to do some really bad things... Would you be afraid of me? Would you hate me?"
"W-What do you mean?"
"I mean if... If I were to hurt people... And they completely deserved it... But you come to learn that I'm not an entirely good person, how would you feel about me?"
She hazily searched his expression. What was he trying to say? She wasn't certain she got what he was attempting to tell her, but she does know that nothing could change his previous actions. Nothing at all.
"I don't like you, but I don't hate you and that's not going to change." She whispered a gentle smile coming up her face as she looked up him.
He stared at her and she watched as his eyes soften to one of endearment and something else... Relief. His body slightly relaxes, his orbs taking on a brighter shade. He lowers his head and kisses her cheek like the perfect gentleman. He wanted to tell Silla the truth, about everything; the darkness and madness that are boiling inside him, the deathly coalition that is after her.
Whatever was she to do with this gorgeous murderous man?
After that day Declan kept even more bodyguards around Silla and made sure he had surveillance of her. Nearly losing her to an assassination attempt unknowingly traumatized him. He had just gotten his treasure back and wasn't about to let anything take her away from him.
Eventually getting up to get a snack once out of the kitchen, she heard some clattering and yelling in there. Poking her head back in she saw Cain successfully and rather violently jamming a butter knife into Declan's left hand. All the while pulling each other's hair and shoving themselves into the kitchen cabinets.
The whole room seemed to be a mess in just a few seconds. Broken plates and glasses, cabinets ripped off their hinges, and the boys wrestling on the floor...
Her jaw dropped when they both groaned in pain. Declan turning to the side his eyes widening his in surprise at her presence. "You son of a bitch-" He yanked the blunt butter knife out of his hand and swung at him. Some of his blood splattering onto the floor. Luckily, Cain caught his wrist in time.
Before he could do anything else, Declan pointed to at the door in a frenzy. Cain sparing a glance from the side immediately dropped the 'weapon' on the floor. Both of them both staring at her awkwardly and shocked as they both got caught.
"Are you guys... Uh, joining me for ice-cream? Haha, oh God..." Silla then covered her mouth in shock. She didn't like them fighting as it always gets messy, but she didn't know how to stop it because they do it behind her back all the time.
Declan smiled sweetly as he covered his wound with his other hand.
"Maybe later, dear. I need to have a 'talk' with Cain-" Declan stared at the small yet violent boy walking past him with a bowl of ice-cream he prepared a while ago. Each of them completely ignoring their injuries as the green eyes man gently placed a hand on her back.
The though of this boy next to his woman made his blood boil, but his only option was to play nice. So once Silla left, he was free to say or do whatever he wanted.
"V'hy don't you get lost already?" Declan looked at Cain with a sneering look, keeping a gentle smile on the surface. He wouldn't have said anywhere else, but Silla was just around the corner, so he had to mind his face.
"Ah, so it's like this. Hey, I've got a rough idea of your personality, so why don't you show your true colors?" Cain accused him with a frown.
"V'hat ever do you mean?"
"I've known that you're just pretending to be gentle in front of her, so show your true self, you weed." The small boy grimaced at the leering older man.
Look at this! He knew how to play cute. He wasn't a street rat for nothing. Declan laughed.
"I see you have some sense, little boy."
"What's with this 'little boy'!" Cain angrily shouted.
"Didn't you call me a 'weed'? Judging by your poor choice of v'ords, I'm sure your referring to me being a nuisance and my green eyes. So I replied on a level you could understand." Declan smirked evilly.
"You son of a bitch!" The small boy growled out.
"It's so tempting to provoke you." He smiled deeply at the reddish face of the small boy.
"You seem to have been hovering around my Silla for awhile now."
"So what?"
"Get lost. Take my advice v'hile I'm still telling you nicely. She's mine, and I don't like to share regardless of the type of relationship you have. I v'on't let anyone else have her."
"What's wrong with you?"
"How much do you know about Silla, little boy?" Declan didn't have to close his eyes to remember everything. His longing for his little raven haired lady sprang up. He wanted to see her, but he had to quickly wrap things up with this annoying midget.
"I track her every movement v'ith the tracker I placed in her bracelet. Right now she is twelve meters a'vay from our current location. Currently, she is eating popcorn and v'atching the real house v'ives of Atlanta. She is on episode twelve of season six. She is twenty-three minutes in the episode."
"....What?" The boys expression distorted. It was quite eye-catching to see his face paling. He felt satisfied for a moment.
"Are you a complete nut?"
"Maybe."
"Hey, weed, does she know you're this crazy?"
"What do you think? Does she seem to know?"
"You son of a bitch!" Cain yelled running away with a look of disgust.
...
Leaving her bracket behind and on her way out the mansion Silla suddenly bumped into a hard figure. Looking up she was then met with pale grey eyes. It was George!
"Oh sorry Madam~" He exclaimed dramatically imitating Portio from a few days ago causing her to laugh but helping her stand back up. Declan would eventually find out that she left, but it would be fun to piss him off anyways despite his craziness.
Silla was in deep shit either way...
Bored George looked over at her with mischief in his eyes. "Declan is very soft and gentle to you, right?" He asked as if he was getting at something.
"He should be near the entrance of the wall in an hour; why don't we go spy on him for once and maybe you'll see what he really is," he suggested temping her. She couldn't deny the fact that she was curious about the side of Declan that she didn't know about. Yet at the same time, she didn't want to believe it...
"Alright... I guess it's fine to watch," Silla agreed as they headed towards that direction.
Once there they ducked down and hid behind two large wooden crates so they could watch from a safe distance. Ahead of them was Declan with his back turned making it impossible to see his face. He seemed to be talking to two other men and by the looks of it was serious. In front of him laid a man gagged and bound in tight ropes. He looked like he was severely beaten and had blood dripping from his face as he sat on the ground begging for forgiveness and seemingly his life.
Turning slightly Silla was finally able to see Delclan's face but was surprised when she saw the sinister expression he adorned.
She had never seen that look on him before...
His green eyes were crazed and wide while his sharp hawk like gaze looked down at the beaten man as a sick smirk rose on his face. He seemed to be getting immense pleasure in hurting this man. He really did seem like a different person. The Declan she knew liked to joke around, but he always had a gentle smile.
Watching them further in curiosity he violently kicked the beaten man to the ground knocking him over. Declan's large foot soon stepped on the mans back holding the beaten man under the extreme pressure of his body weight. "Slit his throat and hang the body outside the v'all so z'ey know what happens to traitors," he ordered the men as he darkly looked at the beaten man with a face void of emotion as the man started sobbing loudly.
"See, that's the Declan that I know," George whispered behind her.
"I-Is it alright for him to act like that?" She questioned.
"Who knows?" He responded.
Silla jolted up with clenched fists revealing her position. The green eyed man still had his back to her but the men with him seemed to notice me. "W-What are you doing?!" George questioned as she blocked him out.
"M-Madam?" One of Declan's men beside him nervously stuttered noticing her presence. At his words the sandy blonde man jolted in surprise and whipped his head in her direction. His face showing shock at her presence.
"Silla...?" He whispered as she stood frozen; his face softening.
This entire time...
He was tricking and lying to her. Every emotion he showed her was fake and for some strange reason it hurt.
At her hurt expression and confused look his eyes saddened. His eyes showed dread and sorrow while they stared at each other. His head slumping in shame as his blonde hair fell covering his eyes frowning; his lips slightly quivering.
Silla flinched and took a step back. This small but impactful reaction caused his heart to shatter, how much did she see? Did she hate him? Will she ever see him as her mostly harmless, loving, stiff, teddy bear that brings her beautiful flowers after every 'job'? Will she still braid his hair? Will she still sleep in the same bed as this cold blooded killer?
She always gave him foreign gentle touches that were uncommon in his ordinary life and now he didn't think he could live without them.
There was a hideous violent side written into his DNA that he never wanted her to see. He panted heavily at the mere thought of her leaving him again.
It was a dark side he had hidden when Silla first smiled at him. An abhorrent side of him he had learned to accept to keep her out of harms way. She couldn't even begin to imagine the countless hearts he stopped just these few months because they either wanted Silla for themselves- the gruesome way- or they were ordered to attack her in the most atrocious way possible.
Because the moment he took her as his bride and screamed it to the entirety of the city, he had sealed the fate of her being constantly targeted. All of it was done without Silla's knowledge. He wanted to keep her out of this side of his world.
He was aware that she knew his line of work not quite where he stood on authority but he knew that she tolerated gore quite well. But he had never allowed her to witness how.
"This entire time you were lying to me..." She murmured.
"Faking kindness and gentleness. Why even act in the first place?" Silla spat hatefully.
"I v'asn't faking it my dear... I only reserve z'ose emotions for you," He said surprising her as she started to back away wanting to be far away from him right now as possible but her legs gave out and she fell face first into his chest where he held her still. Holding her still with one hand while he calmly brushed her hair with the other.
"You are not leaving," He whispered in her ear dragging her back to the mansion.
Once back in their room he threw her on the bed and crawled on top of her small form. His large hands gliding up her sides slowly moving under her clothes ending with him wrapping his arms around her. Snuggly laying his head in the crook of her neck his eyes clothing as he breathed deeply her hair tickling his face a little; his hands tightly gripping her waist and back. "Do you z'ink of me as a monster now?" Declan whispered resting his forehead on her own his pale green eyes staring straight into her soul his pupils expanded a little as she became closer.
"T-There's no real a-answer to that question..." She murmured as Declan raised an eyebrow.
"Hmm... You still didn't answer my question. I v'ant to know v'hat you z'ink of me~" He asked rolling back on top of her tilting his head as if he was waiting for her answer.
"Umm... I-I think that you are definitely a-a bad person but it d-doesn't really matter because I don't care what you are," Silla told him.
"Ty ponyatiya ne imeyesh', naskol'ko ty zamanchiv, moya lyubov'." He mumbles to her as he gently caressed her cheek.
Sighing he plopped back onto his side and continued to stare at the woman in front of him. "Then do you hate me?" He asked once again.
"H-Huh?" She looked at him as if he were crazy. Why would he even care what she thought of him?
"I kidnapped you... Do you hate me for it?" He restated so she could understand.
"N-No... Not r-really," Silla answered as his eyes widened. She wasn't lying. She doesn't hate him. But she doesn't like him either. Besides she had to carefully choose her words as she could see just how serious he was. She didn't want to piss him off to the point he would kill her.
Snapping out of his incessant staring Declan suddenly wrapped his arms around her in a soft hug yet impossible to escape. She tried to pry his arms off and push his face away with her hands but it didn't work; he was stuck to her like glue. A child like blush running up his face as he smiled widely to the point she couldn't see his eyes. He looked so happy that it was like flowers were floating around him.
Did he misunderstand her?
"D-Del?" She questioned trying to get him out of his dream land.
"You've finally accepted me..." he said kissing her on the cheek.
"W-What?" She stuttered.
She still didn't know why he kidnapped her...
Despite being so sweet to her so far, deep down Silla knew that there was something strange, dark and ominous about him.
To Be Continued...