DARIUS POV
"What are you doing, Darius?" Lucian asked as soon as we entered my office.
"Hmm?" I murmured, pouring a drink. Sipping slowly, I watched Lucian's clenched jaw and fist. I relished his agitation.
"What was that about?" he asked through clenched teeth. "A game? That is not a game, you stupid bastard. That is just stupid. You underestimated her once before and you're clearly doing it again. Kill her or don't, but just be done with her."
"No," was all I said, and Lucian snapped.
He walked to me, snatched my drink, hurling it against the wall. Liquor and shattered glass cascaded down.
"You just wasted good liquor," I said.
Lucian chest was rising hard. Oh, he was pissed.
"Did you see how she got a rise from you down there?" he asked, his voice trembling with barely contained anger. "You don't get pissed no matter what people say. But you were barely containing your anger back there. She will continue to get a rise out of you, and then one day you'll slipped and she'll be there to slit your throat. Is this really about your ego?"
"Yes." There was no need denying it. That girl, barely reaching my chest, breached my defenses, carving a deep gash in my side. My pride—shattered. This game's on, and she won't land a single scratch. Then comes her reckoning.
"A fool," Lucian muttered as he turned. "A goddamn fool." And with that he left.
I picked another cup and filled it again and then get lost in my head.
Who had trained her? Maybe an assassin? They were that good.
Lucian was, yet again, correct. She had managed to provoke me. Normally, I was indifferent to others' opinions, so irritation was rare.
Yet this insufferable silver wisp ignited a fury in me I hadn't felt in years.
As a man known for my cruelty, I was accustomed to a barrage of insults. I had mastered the art of ignoring them, ensuring no reaction ever escaped me.
She had broken through my defense and now she had gotten a rise out of me.
The only person who had been able to do that was—
No, there was no need thinking about that. I pushed that memory behind the wall where I put the rest shits I never wanted to remember.
That girl has a fire in her. I was going to enjoy quenching that fire.
***
RAVENNA POV
I was lead down an hallway that doesn't seem to have an end. I couldn't help but stare as I walked.
This place looked… It looked old. Ancient. When I had been at the dungeon, I could tell this place was old by the walls. There hadn't been a window so I couldn't see outside.
When the guards had come dragged me out the cell I had asked where they were taking me but I wasn't given an answer.
So now I was just following them to who knows where. But I wasn't scared. Darius didn't want me dead—at least not yet.
We walked up a staircase and then into another hallway. But this one didn't seem so endless.
Then I was all but pushed inside a room and they left me. I heard a lock clicked once they went outside.
Great. I was locked in.
I finally looked around the room and my breath caught in my throat.
The house has looked ancient, but this room felt like a portal to another era. The contrast was striking.
The first thing that caught me eye was the large bay window that framed a stunning view of the sprawling gardens outside.
I walked to the window and looked outside. It seems I was in a… castle.
From what I could see from here, it looked like some ancient castle.
I moved out the window and went back to admiring the room.
The walls were adorned with intricate moldings, echoing the elegance of the past, yet they were painted in a soft, calming gray that gave the space a modern touch.
In the center of the room stood a plush king-sized bed, draped in luxurious white linens and topped with a cascade of decorative pillows in various shades of blue.
It looked so inviting. After nights of sleeping on that thin mattress, I couldn't wait to sink into that bed.
To the left, an antique writing desk sat beneath a stylish lamp, its sleek lines a nod to contemporary design while the wood's deep finish spoke of craftsmanship from a bygone era.
My gaze was drawn to the far wall, where a large television hung, seamlessly integrated into the decor.
Across from the bed, a cozy sitting area beckoned. Two deep armchairs upholstered in rich navy fabric flanked a small glass coffee table.
This room, a harmonious blend of the old and the new, was a nice comfy prison. At least they gave their prisoners good rooms before they killed them or make them play stupid games.
As I explored further, I noticed the en-suite bathroom through an open door. And I rushed towards it.
It was a sanctuary of marble and glass, with a deep soaking tub that promised relaxation and a spacious shower with rainfall fixtures.
I immediately filled the tub with water and searched the cabinets for soap. I found a cabinets filled with soap and healing salt. A comfy prison indeed.
I took out my clothes and threw them in the trash. There were gone. No saving them. I unwrapped the bandage from my shoulder and I resisted the urge to look at the wound.
I stepped inside the tub and immediately felt relieved. I washed myself quickly and stepped out, even though I wanted to spend the whole day here.
I was in enemy's territory, there was no time for relaxation.
I wrapped myself with the large towel and left the bathroom. I couldn't put back those clothes on so I just laid in bed with the towel tight around me.
My jailor would provide clothes for me. It's the least he could do.
I stared up the ceiling, my thoughts a wild mess. I thought of these past months, of everything that had happened to me and I couldn't help but feel overwhelmed.
My life was shitty.
I had just found a place I belong, a people I could call my pack and a girl I could call my best friend. And I had lost everything.
If I managed to kill Darius and be free of this place, I couldn't go back to Stonehowl. I didn't deserve to go back there.
It seems happy endings are not for me.
I stared up the ceiling and cried until I fell asleep.
I jolted awake at the sound from the door, my mind immediately on high alert.