It was dark in the cell, so I couldn't see Darius face where I sat.
I stood up slowly and made my way to the front, all the while I felt his eyes on me and I wanted to crawl out of my skin.
I stopped a few feets away from the door and what I saw made my breath hitch.
His black hair, thick and glossy, cascaded in waves past his shoulders, framing a face that was both striking and enigmatic.
His nose, perfectly straight and sculpted, added to the sharp angles of his features.
A smirk played on his lips.
But it wasn't his sculpted features that made me pause, it was his eyes.
His eyes were a captivating contradiction, a mesmerizing blend of emerald and sapphire. His left eye, a vibrant green, held a depth that seemed to draw you in, while his right eye, a piercing blue, radiated an intensity that was both alluring and unsettling.
Darius was ridiculously good looking. And he's soon tall! Like a human walking tank.
Mother always told me that it was the evil ones who were the most good looking, their beauty a mask for the darkness within.
And Darius, with his devilishly handsome features, was the perfect embodiment of that age-old adage.
"Done admiring me, love?" Darius teased, the smirk now turning to a grin.
I bared my teeth at him and took a step closer. "I'm not admiring you," I replied coolly, despite the rage boiling in me. "I'm memorizing every detail for when I finally end you. Victory deserves to be savored, after all."
Darius' grin widened, and he leaned in slightly. "How charming, Silver Wisp. Just remember, it's hard to savor victory, when you're the one tasting defeat."
I clenched my fist at the ridiculous nickname. Not wanting him to see the effect he has on me, I stepped back.
"Why am I here?" I asked, crossing my arms.
"You're my prisoner," he answered dryly.
"Why didn't you kill me?"
He shrugged. "You are one interesting creature, Silver Wisp. I was intrigued. You managed to cut me in battle. No one has ever done that in years. I like challenges, and you're one good challenge. It'll be a shame to just kill you off like that."
His words were nonsense, but I watched him, speechless.
The thought that I was the first to crack his defenses in years filled me with a strange pride. But I kept my face impassive, refusing to give this monster any satisfaction.
"You will come to regret not killing me when you had the chance, Darius," I said, my voice steady. "Mark my words: I will be the end of you."
The smirk was still on his face but his mysterious eyes now held a dangerous glint. "Like I said, I love a challenge. Let's see how this ends. And trust me, love, the ending won't be in your favor." And with that he turned and left.
I released a breath I didn't know I was holding, and sat back on my bed.
For all my shows of bravo, Darius scared me. His aura was too dark, too intimidating. Even though he wasn't covered in blood right now, I had to force myself not to shake in his presence.
But I would still make do on my promise. I would be the end of him. I didn't know how, or how I was even going to get out of this cell, but I would end him.
For Lilith.
***
DARIUS POV
I leaned back in my chair, the dagger slipping through my fingers.
Lucian's report on our casualties was a grim necessity, but I found myself unable to fully engage.
My mind was lost to a particular silver headed person.
She intrigued me, deeply, and I wasn't one to get intrigue.
How she had managed to break through my defense… I still couldn't wrap my head around it.
I have fought different battles for years. Fought men who were trained brutally to kill, and not once had any of them ever got a scratch on me.
But this silver creature, so small and seemingly insignificant, had pierced my defenses. The deep cut on my side, now stitched shut, still throbbed with a dull ache.
I had underestimated her, and the price of that miscalculation was etched into my flesh.
It was a wake-up call, a brutal reminder of my vulnerability. The illusion of invincibility had shattered, replaced by a stark realization: I was not untouchable. I could be killed.
"Are you even listening to me, Darius?" Lucian said as he crossed his arms.
"No," I answered dryly.
Lucian signed and sat at the chair across from me.
"I didn't offer you a seat," I said as I eyed him.
"And I don't fucking care." He eyed me back.
Lucian was the only one who talked to me like that. The others who tried... Well, they didn't get to see another sunrise.
He was like a brother to me. We'd seen the worst of it, the ugliness of life, the brutality. No beauty, just harshness. But we'd survived it all, together.
So I let him live while he talked to me the way he did because if I killed him I wouldn't have anybody left to trust again in my dark world.
I may be heartless but sometimes I still need someone I can trust. I wouldn't have survived this long without Lucian.
"You've been distracted since you returned," Lucian said, and if I didn't know better I'll say it was concern in his eyes. "Did something happen?"
I didn't answer him and just raised my shirt, showing him my bandage side.
Lucian's eyes widened, and he leaned forward. "Tell me that person is dead," he said, his face hard.
I smirk. "She's not."
Lucian raised his eyes to mine. "She?"
I nodded. "Yes, Lucian, she."
"Are you getting old, Daruis?"
I snorted but said nothing, returning my shirt to its position.
"If she's not dead, then what happened? She got away?"
"No. She's in the dungeon. If she had gotten away I would have hunted her to the end of the world and drew my own pound of flesh."
Lucian nodded. His face had lost the hardness and now he was smirking. "Someone managed to cut through the almighty Darius defense. I gotta admit I'm impressed by her. I would like to know who trained her."
"You wouldn't believe what you'll see," I said, once again slipping my dagger through my fingers. "I underestimated her."
"What do you have planned for her?" Lucian asked, an edge to his voice.
A grin split through my face, and I put the dagger down.
"No." Lucian shook his head. "I don't want to hear it. You're a sick fuck, Daruis. I feel sorry for that poor girl for whatever you're about to do to her."
"I'm not that cruel, Lucian," I said, still smiling. "Whatever you're thinking in your head is not what I'm going to do. I'm going to play a game with her."
Lucian was still shaking his head. "A sick fuck."