Pride-Niklaus's Point of View
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"It's not Dominic that I'm crushing on, Nik, don't worry. His flirt is harmless and I feel absolutely nothing for him like that."
I frowned, my mind racing with confusion, a pinch of suspicion creeping in. "So, you are crushing on someone, then?" I pressed, my voice carrying the weight of curiosity, though I could feel the protective edge sneaking into my tone. Something wasn't adding up. My sister had never been the type to openly talk about her crushes, so this was new.
She hesitated for a moment, the pause stretching out long enough for me to catch her flushed cheeks, a deep shade of pink creeping up her neck. "I am," she finally admitted, her voice small and soft, almost shy. Her face, already red from embarrassment, seemed to glow brighter, her gaze flicking away from mine. There was something undeniably vulnerable about the way she was acting, and I wasn't sure how I felt about it.
A smirk tugged at the corner of my lips, though it was edged with sarcasm. "Who do I need to kill?" I asked, the question half-joking, but fully serious. It was instinctive. No matter who it was, I wasn't about to let anyone get too close to my little sister. The thought of some idiot breaking her heart sent a dangerous surge of protectiveness through me.
Dove's eyes went wide with panic, her hands shooting up in defense. "No. Don't go that far, Nik!" she exclaimed, her voice thick with alarm. She shook her head rapidly, clearly not expecting that kind of response from me, but the fear was real in her expression.
I leaned in, my voice dropping low, an undertone of warning. "Who is it?" I pressed again, more insistent now. I could already feel the wheels in my mind spinning as I plotted out how I might go about eliminating the unfortunate soul who had caught her eye. Whoever they were, they'd better be ready to meet the consequences of being on the wrong side of me.
She sighed deeply, frustration pouring off her in waves. "Please, Nik, I need your help to win this person over. I don't know how to flirt, or how to woo anyone. I'm terrible at this whole thing. I don't know the first thing about courting someone. Ugh, I'm a disaster at it. You, though—you're a natural flirt. You know more about all this than anyone, even if you haven't actually dated anyone." Her voice wavered, as if she was losing confidence in the moment. "So... can you help me?" she asked, her tone shifting, pleading now.
Her eyes softened, widened with hope, and she clasped her hands together in front of her chest, a silent request that felt almost too much for me to ignore.
"Pretty please?"
My jaw went slack in shock. I wasn't sure if I'd heard her correctly. "I ain't helping you date anybody, Vain-Dove," I muttered, my voice a mix of disbelief and a hint of annoyance. I couldn't believe she was asking me for this kind of favor. It was absurd.
"Nik!!" she cried out in frustration, her face burning with a mixture of embarrassment and irritation. "I'm serious! I can't stop thinking about her. She's been on my mind since last semester, for Gods' sake. I thought about her the entire vacation. And now... now I'm dreaming about her every hellish night. It's driving me insane! I can't focus, I can't sleep, I can't even think straight. I keep seeing her face everywhere I go. I don't know what to do. I'm going crazy here, Nik!"
Her voice cracked slightly, the emotion spilling out in waves as she tugged at her waist-length wavy black hair, clearly at her wit's end.
"I need her. I want her. I can't see her with anyone else. The thought of someone else with her—ugh, it makes me want to kill them! She needs to be mine. She has to be mine. Please, Nik, help me." She finished, the desperation in her voice so thick it almost made me uncomfortable.
I stood frozen for a moment, my body locked in place. Her words hit too close to home, the intensity of what she was describing striking a chord deep inside me. I knew exactly what it felt like to be consumed by thoughts of someone—obsessing over them until they were all you could think about, until it started driving you insane.
My sister had no idea how much I could relate to that feeling. It made my stomach turn. I swallowed hard, trying to steady myself before I spoke again, though my voice was rough, lower than usual. "Who is the girl?" I growled, the words leaving my lips sharper than intended, but there was no turning back now.
Dove's face immediately lit up, relief washing over her as if she hadn't expected me to take it this seriously. "Aye, I love you, Nik," she said, her voice full of affection and a little bit of pride. "It's Adeline Maria Wyatt."
I froze, the blood draining from my face as the name hit me like a blow to the chest. "Adeline. Maria. Wyatt," I repeated slowly, each word feeling like a curse as they echoed in my mind. "The top 1 under Scarlet? The vice-captain of Tartarus? A vampire?" My voice fell off into a whisper, a sense of dread creeping up on me. Of all the people she could have picked, it had to be her.
Dove sighed deeply and flopped back onto my bed, letting out a breath of frustration that I could practically feel in the room. She wasn't just anxious, she was clearly battling with the weight of her feelings. "I know," she said softly, her tone resigned, like she already knew how much trouble she was in.
I leaned back against the balcony railing, my mind spinning with the implications of what she had just told me. "You picked quite the complicated one, sister," I scoffed, shaking my head, trying to wrap my mind around the situation. There was no way this was going to be simple. Adeline Wyatt was not someone you just casually pursued. She was a force in her own right, one of the most difficult people to get close to in Sky-Eden, and for good reason.
"Hey," Dove shot me a filthy look, clearly irritated by my assessment. "You have no right to say that."
I glanced away, my eyes narrowing, and my thoughts grew darker.
"I don't know what you're talking about," I muttered, though my tone was heavy with concern. "What I do know is that Adeline is the heiress and daughter of one of the most powerful Vampire Grand Dukes in the Drakyre council of Hearthstone Kingdom. You know, the same place Scarlet is the Crowned Princess? Her father is on par with Kai's father in our council. Their family is ridiculously powerful, not just in Scarlet's realm, but across the entire kingdom. It's no wonder Scarlet picked her to be part of Tartarus. She has a reputation that extends far beyond Sky-Eden. And she's one of the hardest people to get close to. You sure you want to get involved with someone like that?"
Dove pouted, her frustration bubbling over, though she tried to hide it. "So am I," she grumbled. "But your little Scarlet is the hardest to get. You can't deny that."
The mention of Scarlet's name immediately put me on edge. Thank the Gods she wasn't the type to bend for anyone. She had her own priorities, and she didn't give in to the pressure of people trying to get close to her.
If she did, I'd have my hands full with a mess of reckless individuals. I gritted my teeth, my mind spinning with dark thoughts. "I'll help you," I said begrudgingly, my words coming out reluctantly. "But only if you stop bringing her up like that."
Dove bit her bottom lip, clearly unsure of how to respond to that. "Aye, I'll do my best," she promised, her voice quieter now, but the glint in her eyes told me that this wasn't the last time we'd be talking about this. Far from it. This conversation was just beginning.