Venomous love awaits...
Vermeen watched his boys take a stance on combat, but there wasn't a motive to unleash such brutality.
"Stand down." He raised his hand to hold his warriors in place before they began a bloodthirsty war.
In their eyes, frustration, annoyance, and obedience were expressed at the action of their master, who had promised them a war to gratify their hunger. They dared not question his decisions. They were his bots, as he was their control.
My boy, my boy, he thought, I do hope all my training and hope in you would bring me the orb. You shouldn't let me down. He gulped, poised with confidence in his men.
The presence of Vakiyv caused them to head back to their world, The Blood Veil, and rejoice at the subtle retrieval of the orb they had for many years hunted and never found until Vakiyv rescued Shyva. There it was, the image buried in Vakiyv's memory, captured when he was unconscious.
Inside Nyla's floating vessel beamed red at a threat in the dome; she drove with speed, assuming doom would befall her world for what she had unleashed on the lords. Approaching the dome, she noticed it wasn't destroyed yet, giving her a little hope.
"The overseer approaches the Dome and would be alighting." A mechanical voice announced the arrival of Nyla's ship, soaring around the armies of her soldiers and that of Vermeen before landing. The day hadn't worked in her favour as she dealt with one problem and another.
Immediately, she was out, walking to her guest. She fumed at Vermeen's presence. Walking towards him, she kept a bland face. "Overseer Vermeen, we need to talk."
Nyla looked around her army and nodded towards her commander to step away and continue their activities before the interruption of an ally.
Nyla moved forward while Vermeen followed behind her. She was furious after all that had gone through her summoning by the lords and now to meet her world in a near battle. Nyla climbed onto a low, floating white platform, and Vermeen joined while it lifted them both to Nyla's working tower. The floating platform stopped before the glass window to Lailah's quarters. Nyla tapped a glass tile on the wall, rearranging the hexagonal glasses. They divided to create a passageway.
Nyla leapt to walk, and Vermeen followed behind her.
"What are you doing here?"
Nyla asked without looking behind; she was impatient, burning within her at how Vermeen would behave this way.
"Nyla, I have been an ally for years. Why do you ask me this when we have history, and you know more about me than anyone?"
"You flew into the Dome, and it detected your intentions."
"You always had sophisticated technology, but you should trust your gut. Trust me. I won't do you any harm. I will never harm you." He walked closer to Nyla, lowering his neck to whisper into her ears. His voice had an effect on her as she took a deep breath, gulping. He lifted his hand to touch her face, but she pulled away from him.
"Your hostility demands my forceful hand."
"I only came to see you."
"See me?"
"You have never prioritized me over your wants. You are too ambitious for power, and I often regard you as a clone."
"I have my reasons."
"Yes, your reasons." She turned to face him, raising her brow, "You lie every time; I can't tell if you tell the truth or not. You know why I haven't stopped you from coming to my world?"
"You tell me." He stepped closer to her, one stride following another, and she kept backing away till she bumped against the wall, the hardness against her back.
Vermeen won. Only if you knew how much I desire you still, how much I want to possess you, but you won't let me.
"You won't…" he trailed, wrapping an arm around her, bringing her to melt in his wrap of desire. Staring into the eyes of a man she loved or still did, the man she shared secrets of her youthful years, all alone before the world fell to pursue his needs over her.
You ripped my heart apart, and now you want to use what I had against me, Vermeen. It took me fifteen vasa to fight that feeling and be free, but here you are, bringing it back.
Nyla pulled away from him and walked away.
"There's something you want, which is the only reason you are in my world."
Vakiyv appeared in a dark room with an orb swirling lights dancing on the walls. More precise illumination from the top of the orb shone in a linear path to the top of the chamber. When his intuition kicked in, Vakiyv lifted his leg, about to take the next step onto a tile. His foot nearly landed on the dark tile when he retracted it, leaning on his left foot. Slowly, he raised his right leg till his feet were together.
He should have known better than to take uncalculated moves that could jeopardize his cover and the mission, leading to a war. Vakiyv took precautions not to gasp and to breathe, following a pattern of holding his breath for a few seconds and breathing slowly. He couldn't risk any weapon being triggered. Not so many people knew about the Messerayf, but little did he know that the information was extracted from his mind, the images, and his actions-all of it.
Lifting two fingers to tap the side of the head, he was given an in-depth view of the room. Beneath the tile, he stood upon were sharp rods arranged in rows. He couldn't believe he would have been killed like a beast. Ahead, behind the walls, were dispensing machines that flung as many hot rings at an intruder at an incredible speed. Hanging above were torches that would have burnt him till he was non-existent. There seemed to be no way out, but he couldn't believe that; he had to find a way.
I could tell their technology was better than ours. I applaud their defence. We might never be a match for them in that, but our strength and agility they cannot handle except for one.
He chuckled at the angry face that appeared in his thoughts, and his heart banged against his ribs. But his life was at stake, and he had to gather his thoughts, which meant not thinking about Shyva.
Vakiyv's first task was to get away from the tile. The slightest tread on the next and the rods beneath would be lunged, triggering the alarm. Vakiyv's in-depth lenses were a guide as he pulled out discs from his dark suit, suspending them in the air. The discs released sharp legs, clinging onto the walls and releasing ropes. Vakiyv gripped the first, and it pulled him upwards. As he approached the laser torches, he cloaked himself so he wouldn't be detected by the torches.
Above, he threw more discs to suspend ropes in sequential order; he couldn't risk crawling on the wall because of the hot rings within. The leap from one rope to another was strenuous, but it was a better idea than being torched. Every leap brought him closer to the orb. Hanging onto the last rope, he stared below and leapt to the step of the glass brace that held the orb. Vakiyv was astounded; he had never seen anything like it, and it was beautiful. He stared long at the Messerayfand remembered the day he saved Shyva.
Vermeen didn't give up. He had to gain her trust one way or another. He caught her hand.
"Let go of me." Her voice was cold, and her eyes flared with rage.
"You want to know why I left?" he held her gaze, which softened after he knew she would fall for it and wished it was a different circumstance.
I am sorry, Nyla, I still love you, and that mistake would make me prey to many, and I cannot allow that. I need the Messerayf, and there is no other way but to deceive you by giving me all of you that I yearned for. You will only hate me when you discover the truth.
"I left because of you because I couldn't accept we were meant to be together. I was scared I might hurt you and lose you, so I left."
"You left because you couldn't own up to what you felt." she whispered, "Do you know how long I have wanted to hurt you for the pain you caused me and…" Nyla froze, a moment taunting her to tell him the truth. I wish I could, but it wouldn't change anything; let me have this moment.
"And?" he asked, his voice low, lowering to breathe against her neck to show how much she affected him. The man in the same room was confident, not the wild man he used to be. His silver hair slipped, and shiny eyes expressed his vulnerability.
His body was built from many years in the army and many years after. Charm laced his voice and his body. His strong jaws clenched, and his square face taut from the outburst of terrestrial desire. His leanness bonded with her softness.
I will be the most powerful in this land, more powerful than the Lords if it'll be at the expense of a woman, so let it be.
Dragging her urgently with need, she gasped, and he possessed her lips with the need that almost made him mad for years, needs that haunted him in the dark, needs he couldn't resist no matter how hard he tried.
"I love you," she whispered between kisses, and his heart ached. She always knew I was going to choose power over her. She wasn't convinced, but I had seen to that, Zixcha!!! I will miss you.
He tore at her white suit and his and lowered her to the floor, not leaving her; he was going to possess all of her and inflict upon them the misery of this memory.