Viola took special care in washing my clothes so I could wear them home. Or…my temporary home anyway. Asher came to my room to get me when his eyes narrowed on the necklace I was wearing. To my surprise, he gripped it in his hand without effort and examined it with a careful eye.
“What is this?” He asked.
“Obviously not what I paid for,” I snatched it out of its hands, “It’s supposed to protect me from you night-dwellers, especially those with a certain gift that allows them into your mind unwanted.”
“It may attract a thief or two but it won’t keep any of my kind from harming you,” he laughs, “but this on the other hand,” he brandished a silver bracelet with an obsidian stone in it, “I can touch it because it isn’t pure silver, but the stone, it protects its wearer from night-dweller gifts.”
I took the bracelet and clasped it around my wrist. The bracelet tightened around my skin and pricked me, drawing a single drop of blood that slithered to the obsidian stone in the middle and brought it to life. I yanked off the necklace I’d been given and tucked it into my pocket.
I recalled Darius recoiling at the sight of that necklace, but if what Asher is telling me is true, Darius has been faking it this entire time, slipping into my thoughts whenever it suited him. That’s why he believed me so easily about Asher. He’d peered into my mind and he already knew. Damn him for making me grovel when he knew the truth.
“Thank you.”
“He’ll know what I’ve done. He’ll be able to sense its presence,” Asher warned, “And if anyone can find a way around the power in that stone its Darius. Just remember, as long as it pulsates its working. The moment you no longer feel its heartbeat, Darius has successfully weakened its abilities.”
I nodded. He held out his hand for me to take and after double-checking to make sure I had everything, I followed him out to the car waiting in front of the house. Viola seemed sad to see me go. She hugged me for so long that Asher had to pry her off of me. His siblings just laughed at some hidden joke I wasn’t privy to.
It took about an hour to get back to the hotel where my family and where Darius was waiting for us. In just a few short hours there was another conference, this time within an upscale night-dweller territory.
My feet felt like lead as I walked through the lobby of the hotel and to an open elevator. What awaits me the moment I get off this elevator…I do not know? I can only hope for a calm, civil greeting, followed by a private conversation that may or may not end well. Seeing the dread in my eyes, Asher gave me an encouraging smile. A snake…a very charming, very calculating snake. I can’t forget that.
The elevator doors opened into the foyer and as I rounded the corner to the living room, my heart slammed into my chest. There he stood, that ethereal stillness, and his eyes narrowed. He monitored the close proximity between Asher and myself, his eyes examining every inch of me before he tore his gaze away from me and resumed his conversation with his brothers.
That was it. That’s all the attention he gave me. Disappointed I retired to our bedroom where Helena was waiting. The bed didn’t even look like it had been slept in, which meant he’d slept elsewhere…with Aria I’m sure. That’s how easily replaceable I was to him. Part of me hoped my absence would jolt him to his senses, but it had no such affect, and why should it? Aria was waiting to welcome him with open arms whenever I wasn’t around.
“I’m glad you’re home,” Helena smiled.
“At least someone is,” I sulked, not bothering to hide my disappointment.
“Do not be fooled Lady Draven, he’s been a mess since you left, and cranky…very very cranky.”
“So cranky he spent the night with his other wife?”
“Yes, but they mostly argued. Once I accidentally let it slip what he’d told you, she flew into a rage, demanding he end your marriage,” a mischievous smile spread across her face.
On purpose…she’d let that little detail slip on purpose. I could kiss her. Instead I wrapped my arms around her and squeezed. Caught off guard, it took her a moment to recover, but then she hugged me back.
“Is he angry with me?” I asked.
“I wouldn’t say angry. He’s worried. Very worried. He does not trust his uncles family and for good reason. Lucien and his family are rotten to the core. The next time you and Lord Draven get into an argument, lock yourself in the bathroom or something. Don’t align yourself with the likes of Asher Draven.”
I nodded, about to respond, when Darius walked into the room. A simple gaze from him took my breath away. His unnatural beauty is as much a weapon as every other part of him. With him, I’m in way over my head.
He and Helena seemed to be having a silent conversation. She nodded even though he hadn’t audibly said anything and left the room. I just stood there, my feet frozen to the floor, unable to move as he came towards me.
Darius’ eyes took in every inch of me, devouring me before they came to a stop at my wrist…at the bracelet. “Who gave you that?” He asked.
“Asher,” I quickly confessed, “After he informed me the necklace I wore had no affect on you.”
He sucked in a deep breath and said, “I’ll make him pay…I mean thank him for that later,” he smirked. Not a slip of the tongue, his slip was deliberate. “Have they hurt you in any way?”
“No, unlike you.”
Darius closed his eyes and sighed, “I wasn’t trying to hurt you.”
“First you tell me you love me and then you act as if I’m this incurable disease you can’t get rid of…as if loving me is some horrible infection you needed to get rid of…of course it hurt me.”
“And you ran right into the arms of my enemy.” That hurt him more than anything. I could see it in his eyes. Up until now, I didn’t think anything I did would have any affect on him.
“An enemy who treats me more like family then you ever have,” I fired off an insult I knew would hurt him. It hit its mark and he went silent. “They embraced me Darius. No walls, no constraints and no bullshit. I wasn’t a stain on their name or a joke at the dinner table…I was Giselle Mason, unquestionably, and not one of them looked down their noses at me because of it. Not like you and your family.” A lie, but its a necessary one.
He grimaced at my words but he sat there and listened. He didn’t get up and walk away. The pained expression on his face grew the more I divulged, until he could take no more.
Darius kissed me on the forehead, mid rant and walked out of our room. Helena returned with a worried look on her face. “What did you say to him?” She asked.
“The truth.”
“It’s not his fault you know. He has his reasons for being the way he is?”
“Like what?” I asked.
When Helena opened her mouth to answer, I wasn’t expecting the explanation that came out. She began with the mental grooming he endured at the hands of his father when he befriended a human servants child. He and that child grew to be best friends and when he was fifteen, his father summoned Darius to his chamber and forced him to murder that child to spare him from his father’s wrath. The guilt, the anger, and the self-loathing Darius must have felt at killing his best friend. He feared whatever his father would do would be worse…less merciful. No more than a year later Darius had grown fond of a human girl during a time where the schools were integrated. For years he and this human girl, Ariana, kept their secret relationship from his father. When his father finally found out, like his best friend, he was given a choice to either kill her himself or his father would do it.
According to Helena, Darius pretended he would kill her and tried to relocate her and her family without his father’s knowledge, but the people he entrusted to help him double-crossed him. She and her entire family were slaughtered. Her head was brought home to Darius and placed in a display case in his room to remind him what would happen should he ever choose to love another human.
Tears filled my eyes. The pain he must’ve felt…the things he had to endure…words escaped me at the moment. I felt torn between believing Helena and wondering if this is just another chess piece being moved into place.
“Now you understand why.” Helena whispered to me, “After Ariana, he turned that part of himself off. He refused to get close to another human again.”
Before I could ask more questions, Darius walked through the door and entered our bedroom so he could change. I couldn’t move. I was stunned. A complicated person indeed. There are so many layers to Darius Draven and I’ve only scratched the surface of how deep those layers go.
When I could finally move my feet I followed him into our bedroom. Staring at him now felt like I was looking at him with a new pair of eyes.
“You sabotaged the construction of the human communities,” I blurted out. It’s the wrong time to reprimand him for what he’s done, but time isn’t something I have at the moment.
“I had no choice,” he replied, taking his clothes off. I watched every movement with baited breath, “After you backed us into a corner I had to find a way out of it. Either that or my father was going to pay you a little visit. One you may not have walked away from,” he said as he looked over his shoulder, “and if you did, you wouldn’t be the same. So I made a deal with another devil and offered our construction company for his pet project, killing two birds with one stone. With our resources spent elsewhere helping our own people, no one would question our timing and dedication to your cause. We hold on to the Frederick faction and our power continues to grow.”
A brilliant mind indeed. Curious as to whether Helena was telling me the truth I said, “Tell me about Ariana.” Darius went still. Slowly his eyes slid to mine, and pain shone on his face.
“Who told you about her? Asher?”
Asher knows? When he was defending Darius he purposely left that part out. Of course he would only tell me a partial truth. Snake.
I walked over to Darius and began buttoning his dress shirt, “You loved her.” It wasn’t a question.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” he spoke barely above a whisper.
“Is she the reason why you won’t let me in?”
Darius grasped my wrists in his hands and backed away from me, dressing himself, “You should get ready for the tour tonight.”
“Talk to me Darius,” I sighed.
“This conversation is over,” was all he said before throwing on his jacket and leaving the room.
Helena rushed in shooting daggers at me with her eyes for betraying her confidence, but at least now I know it’s true. She helped me get dressed and then I met Darius in the command room on the other side of our suite. He looked surprised to see me sitting there until Asher announced I’d be joining them for every meeting going forward. It’s a luxury Darius would never give me.
“I object to her presence here,” Darius announced.
“Object all you want, but as the human emissary, she should be present to negotiate all matters regarding the human population,” Asher countered.
“She’s my wife and I say she has no place at this table.”
“Unfortunately for you, her title supersedes your controlling nature as her husband. She stays.”
Darius’ temples flared. His eyes met mine and I looked away. “Can we get on with the meeting?” Anya asked.
“He’s using you,” Darius finally spoke to me.
“So is everyone else,” I shrugged, “Including you.”
He shook his head and motioned for Jackson to start the meeting. Being a part of the negotiations was just as I expected it to be. Darius ruled with an iron fist while Asher challenged him every step of the way. Some challenges he won and others he didn’t. Jackson met his match in Alexander and William met his match in Anya. They argued protocol, methods of execution, and introduced new bills from both sides.
Those bills that oppressed the human population I rejected, while others that could potentially help them I backed. My father and Lucas for the most part sat and did as Darius wanted. Now I see exactly how the human population ended up where they are. Thankfully, being at this meeting gave me some much-needed information, like the fact that a good portion of the night-dweller population is sympathetic towards the human plight. It’s information I planned to use to further my cause.
Darius called the meeting to an end and we all headed down to the cars waiting out front. As soon as we’re alone Darius pins me with an icy glare. “Did you sleep with him?” He asks.
Frowning I reply, “Who?”
“Asher.”
“Of course not. Darius, it wasn’t like that. He never made a move on me.”
“If he had would you have let him?”
“I don’t know, should I?” Darius laughed, but not because he thought my response was funny. He’s a hair away from losing it. Choosing my battles wisely, I decide not to push him. “You’re still the only man who’s ever touched me Darius.”
“Yes, but am I the only one you want to touch you?”
“Why? Where is this conversation going anyway?”
“First you openly flirt with Ethan in my face and now you and Asher share some unspoken bond. You’re siding with him during our meetings, you deliberately disobeyed me and you’ve honored an agreement to spend one day a week with him that we can’t take back.”
“Why do you care Darius? You don’t love me, remember?”
His temples flared. I’m pushing him even closer to that invisible edge where his self-control hangs by a very thin thread.
Darius goes silent, looking away from me. I can tell by his breathing that he’s trying to calm himself down before continuing. He’s angry and he doesn’t want to hurt me. “I love you Darius, but you don’t make it easy. You married Aria, you constantly tell me how much I don’t mean to you and I don’t know how to feel about that. I just know it hurts,” I sigh, trying to be the bigger person, “So when Ethan and Asher gives me the attention I so badly crave, I do find myself wondering what if. What if I hadn’t married you? What if I was free to be with one of them instead? What if-”
“Stop talking,” Darius spoke through gritted teeth, “Say another word and I don’t know if I’ll be able to stop myself from what comes next.”
“I don’t say these things to hurt you. I want you to understand me just like I’m trying to understand you Darius.”
The rest of the ride to the next conference location was silent. He wouldn’t even look at me. The moment we exited the car and the cameras began flashing, he took my hand as if we were the picture of marital bliss and escorted me inside.
Being that the town we’re in is one of night-dwellers, most of the questions were addressed to Darius. I almost didn’t even have a need to be there…almost. Towards the end of the conference I noticed a figure making its way to the front of the reporters. He didn’t have a camera nor did he have a news crew with him. He was alone. He stepped out in front and when he did Darius noticed him too.
The crowd grew so quiet you could hear a pin drop from a mile away. The reporter’s eyes danced back and forth between Darius and this mysterious man. Darius obviously knew who he was. The two of them were locked in a death gaze, refusing to look away.
Darius was the first to speak, “Ladies and gentleman of the press, your lord Claudius Frederick,” he introduced the man standing in front of the crowd.
“Thank you for the introduction Lord Draven,” his eyes slide to me. He takes a step towards me and Darius stiffens.
“That’s far enough,” he warns.
Claudius heeds his warning but he never takes his eyes from me. His answering smile gives me goose bumps. “I simply wanted to meet lady Draven. It seems we have a lot in common.”
“I’m pleased to meet you Lord Frederick,” I flash him a genuine smile.
“I have a question for you Lady Draven,” he takes another step closer to me. Darius’ eyes track his movements, but he doesn’t intercede. I move closer to Darius, just in case. “Oh don’t worry Madame, I won’t hurt you.”
“Ask your question,” I straighten and put some authority behind my voice. There are cameras and I can’t afford for my people to think me weak.
“Now that Draven construction has conveniently dedicated all of its resources to California, how do you plan to proceed with your human project?” Frederick asked.
I can tell by the smirk on his face he plans to humiliate Darius and show the world just how corrupt the Draven administration is. It’s true, but if Darius goes down so do I. In protecting his interests I protect my own.
Don’t answer that…Ignore him…he’s baiting you into a trap…Darius speaks to my mind.
“I’m glad you asked,” I smile, “The Draven administration is not without organization. Therefore, when the need came for Draven construction to be elsewhere, A and D construction, run by my husbands extended family, gladly stepped in to lend their full support to our cause. The construction of human communities will continue as planned as well as jobs for the night-dweller population.”
“Oh,” Frederick replied, his smile fading, “I wasn’t aware of such an arrangement.”
“Then you underestimate my husbands brilliance. He brokered the deal amongst family to insure the care of his people and the human communities alike, as well as the Draven family legacy. You should all be grateful for his innovation and ingenuity.”
Reporters began sounding off all at once asking Darius questions. Cleverly he ended the conference and we were escorted backstage. Asher glared at me as I passed him and when I looked back I could have sworn Frederick’s lips formed a subdued smile. Now I was just worried about Darius’ response. I disobeyed him yet again and I kept things from him, important things. Would he drain me within an inch of my life? Or would he finally start to see me as his equal?
ns 15.158.61.48da2
