The next afternoon we were summoned to the Draven residence to discuss a possible union between Darius and I. I sat across from him, scowling, and refused to participate. There’s no way I’m marrying Darius. None.
“Do you know what marrying a human girl-a blind human girl at that, would do to my reputation?” Darius balked, “Everyone…our adversaries and allies alike will think I’ve gone soft. Predators respect fear father, not kindness.”
“Your reputation could use a little finesse,” his father dismissed his whining, “Our own people are afraid of you.”
“As they should be. And need I remind you about Aria?”
“Aria is promised to Caleb,” his father replied.
“She’ll never agree to that union.”
“Then she will find another suitor. As of yesterday, your hand to her was rescinded.”
Darius roared and wood shattered against the wall behind him. I flinched. I’d never heard him lose his temper like this before.
“This is bullshit!” He shouted, “When the war reaches our doorstep and people start dying, I don’t want to be responsible for her! I don’t want her blood on my hands! You know what they can do! Give her to Jackson, please.”
“Jackson is spoken for.”
“William them!”
“William is also spoken for.”
Darius didn’t want to marry me any more than I wanted to marry him. Good. Then it’s settled. This …whatever this is…its not going to happen.
In a cold, icy tone, Viktor addressed his middle son, “You will do what I say, because my word exceeds your free will. Do not test my patience boy.”
“She can’t even defend herself and our enemies are numerous. Does her father know about the threat we face from our own bloodline? Does he know that your own brother seeks to turn you to ash?” Darius asked, “We are at war with our own family. They will capture her and use her as a tool to get back at us because she is a liability in this state father. She can’t even see them coming. Please don’t make me do this.”
“While I’m sure I can defend myself, I don’t want to marry him either. He’s pretentious, spoiled, and he’d be a terrible husband. Let Aria carry that burden if she wants to, but me, when I get married it won’t be to some boy who loves his own reflection more than he loves me. It will be with a real man whose wise, brave, considerate and less…Darius.”
“That’s Lord Darius to you,” Darius’ quick response conveyed a warning.
“You are not my lord, nor will you ever be,” I shot an icy glance in his general direction.
Viktor roared with laughter and my father quickly followed suit. “Don’t provoke me or I’ll spill your blood all over this table,” Darius threatened me.
“Spoken like a true monster,” I said to get underneath his skin, “You’re not husband material…you’re predatory by nature and beyond saving.”
“That’s what is wrong with you humans, you think everything needs saving…you think everything needs to be like you. I’d rather die than be human with your flaws, your blind arrogance, and your ignorance.”
“See,” my father chimed in, “You’re already arguing like a married couple.”
Silence filled the room. We were to be pawns in a political game our father’s wanted to play with the world. Our worlds. Human and night-dweller. If I could see Darius’ face I’m pretty sure his expression would be the same as mine. Disgust. Resentment.
Our union would be nothing more than a business arrangement. A ruse. And yet, I think we both knew we would agree to whatever they asked us to do, because for all intents and purposes, our father’s were law. Neither of us would marry for love. We’d have to suffer each other until I’ve passed on. Then and only then would Darius be free to love again. Me…I wouldn’t be so lucky. I’d die an old woman, attached to this monster that despises me as much as I despise him. I’d never know love. I’d never know true happiness.
“For the love of your God, will you please stop thinking?” If I didn’t know any better I’d say there was a hint of sympathy in his tone.
“From this day forward, everything you both do will be a political move. You’ll make appearances together, attend gatherings together, speak at press conferences together,” Viktor informed us, “Giselle’s things are being moved here as we speak.” My stomach twisted and I died a little inside.
Not only was I back in the lions den but I was expected to get along with him…grow to love him…have his… “Wait, am I expected to have his children? Is that even possible?” I gasped, hoping my expression didn’t look as horrified as I felt.
“That’s a good question,” both my father and Darius replied in unison. From their silence I’m assuming they’re both looking to Viktor for answers.
“It is possible under careful supervision, as a child of Darius’ will rip its way out of your womb if left inside for too long, but we have provisions for that. We have a team of highly trained individuals who specialize in a crossbreed birth,” Viktor confirms my worst fears.
“This is crazy. He doesn’t love me, or I him for that matter. And I doubt he could be faithful long enough to have people take our union seriously. He’ll make a mockery of me, my family name, and my family’s reputation will be a joke.”
“He will do no such things as he will be faithful to you,” Viktor assured me. A veiled threat to Darius should he think to defy his father. Darius answered his silent threat with a low growl that sent vibrations throughout the room.
“Human girls cannot handle what I have to offer in the bedroom. I’ll split the poor girl in two.”
I wanted to vomit. Such arrogance, “April seemed to handle it pretty well that day I walked in on the two of you. Thank God I’m blind.”
“You’ve been dabbling with your offerings?” Viktor seemed surprised.
“Why not? They’re mind to do with as I please. Humans aren’t much good for anything else,” Darius scoffed before saying, “besides, she’s not the only offering I’ve had the…displeasure of seeing naked.”
I took off my shoe and lunged it in his direction, listening for it to strike him. Nothing. It hadn’t struck him or hit anything else. It just vanished. The table was now quiet. Were they staring at me or Darius, or both?
My answer came when my chair was pulled away from the table and icy fingers gripped the back of my calf. I flinched, sucking in a breath. The faintest hint of lavender tickled my nose and I knew then whose icy fingers were on me. Darius. He slipped my shoe back onto my foot and then he whispered to me, “You weren’t even close.”
I wanted to hit him, but he vanished just as quickly as he came.
“Interesting,” Viktor chuckled quietly, “Silas I believe our work here is done. Let’s leave the two lovebirds to get acquainted. Darius, be a gentleman and help Giselle to your room.”
“No,” Darius protested, “My room is my sanctuary. She can stay in her old room.”
“If we had more time I would care, but time is a luxury we do not have with our enemies pressing forward Darius. The quicker the two of you concede to a life together the easier it will be for you both.”
Silence. I knew Darius was in the room because I could still smell that hint of lavender, but our father’s have left us to our fate.
“I’m tired. Will you please just guide me to our room?” I hadn’t the strength to fight with him or argue or protest. I just wanted to sleep.
Slender icy fingers slid over my hand and guided me to our room. I was hoping he’d stay so we can talk, but the door opened and shut behind me. Exhausted, I took a step forward and ran into something hard. A wall. Using my fingers, I felt around the room until I could make out a few objects. There was a broom, a mop, some buckets and tissue. That jerk locked me in a broom closet!
Feeling my way back to the door I tried the handle. Locked. He’d locked me in a broom closet, “Darius!” I pounded on the door.
“That’s Lord Darius Draven to you,” he spoke through the door.
“Let me out of here! Now!” I demanded.
“I locked you in this closet so you can understand just how vulnerable you are. Get some rest. It’s going to be a long night buttercup.”
Silence. Again that silence. I couldn’t tell if he was still on the other side of the door or not. I called out his name, but he didn’t answer.
“Darius, please,” I sulked.
“Let me give you your sight back Giselle,” he finally spoke.
“No.”
“Then enjoy your night.”
I waited for him to open the door and stop this foolishness, but he didn’t. This time when I called out his name eerie silence answered back.
Panicked and tired, I banged on the door and shouted for hours before someone finally heard me and came to let me out. When I finally stalked into our bedroom I could have sworn Darius chuckled.
“You’re a jerk,” I grit my teeth.
“Hello sweetheart. Cara is in the bathing room waiting for you. We can’t have you climbing into bed smelling like cleaning chemicals, can we? It might ruin your reputation.”
I narrowed my eyes in the direction his voice was coming from and hissed at him. He just laughed. That laughter…I hate his laughter. I hate him.
“Come Giselle, let me clean you up.”
Cara guided me to the bathroom and helped me undress. I didn’t bother trying to stop her this time. Not even when she gently began to wash my hair as tears slid down my face. My life was no longer my own. I’m no longer free. I’m his. His to do whatever he wants. No longer an offering, but still in submission. It makes you wonder what the difference is between an offering and a wife…or soon to be wife. Perhaps if I go to sleep and wake up again, this will all be one big mistake. A nightmare I’ll awaken from.
After Cara bathed me, she dressed me in a silk gown that grazed the top of my foot when I walked. I didn’t bother talking to Darius as I lay down in bed, nestled myself in the covers and went to sleep. Tomorrow. We would talk tomorrow and establish some boundaries. Or at least I would.
That night I had another dream about Darius. I woke up mid-release and swore as the sheer pleasure of it rippled throughout my body. I gripped the sheets, clenching them in my fists as my back arched and bit down on my bottom lip. Darius chuckled in response to what I’m sure he saw in my mind and simply said, “Interesting.”
Panting and out of breath I demanded, “Make it stop.”
“I can’t. My blood must run its course.”
“Well how long will it take?”
“Weeks…months…years.”
“I bet you’re loving this, aren’t you?” My eyes narrowed in anger.
“You’re not the first human to ingest my blood and you’re certainly not the first woman in history to have wet dreams about me.”
Rolling my eyes I said, “Whatever. What time is it?”
“A little after three in the morning.”
“And you’re still up?”
“My kind…we don’t…we never sleep. We don’t have to.”
“Oh.”
Since I’m up and probably not going back to sleep for a while I may as well get to know him, “Where’s your mother?”
“Here on the grounds.”
“Why have I never seen her?”
“Because her beauty has been known to cause wars. She’s locked herself away determined never to show her face again.”
“Is that a joke? Are you messing with me right now?”
“No. I’m serious. It is my mother who started the feud between my father and his three brothers. They were all vying for her affection at one point, every one of them except for my father. He let them grovel like fools trying to appease her, while he took a more allusive approach. She had a month to choose a suitor and my uncle Lucien was the projected winner. He wined and dined my mother buying her lavish gifts and catering to her every whim. During the last five days she had to spend a day with each of them and on the fifth day choose a suitor. By all accounts she was madly in love with my uncle Lucien. Even my father said so. But come the fifth day, it was my fathers name she’d spoken.”
“Why?” I asked, hanging on his every word now.
“Unbeknownst to everyone, while she was in love with my uncle Lucien, it was my father she allowed to violate her in the worst way. For three weeks they kept the fact that they met in secret. You see…my father’s aloofness peeked her curiosity. She approached him one day when they found themselves alone and he charmed her right out of her clothes. He buried himself so deep inside her that she shouted his name to the Gods and they responded by giving her a child. My brother William. On that fifth day she had no choice but to give her hand to my father because she was carrying his child. When my uncle Lucien found out, he and my father sank an entire country into what you know as the Atlantic Ocean fighting over her. It broke my mother’s heart. She convinced my uncle Lucien and my father to make peace,” Darius went on.
“Why are they at war again then?”
“It was agreed upon that every year for a month my uncle Lucien would get to spend time alone with my mother. She convinced him to take a wife, Aelynn. Together my uncle and Aelynn gave birth to a daughter and two sons. Anya, Alexander and Asher. A little over a year ago, my uncle Lucien began to go mad. He convinced himself my father had violated Aelynn the way he violated my mother and swore he’d seek revenge on my father. So my father who has honored that oath he made with Lucien every year, revoked Lucien’s right to see her.”
“And now he seeks to destroy your father?”
“Not just my father, all of us. He could hurt my father physically but the pain would eventually go away and the wounds would heal almost instantaneously. He doesn’t just want us dead, he wants my mother…he wants my siblings and I dead and my father bankrupted. He’s willing to take all of those things by force if necessary, which means we must be on guard at all times. He’s not even the worst of our worries.”
“What are the worst of your worries?” I yawned.
“Rest. We can discuss more tomorrow.”
I didn’t argue or protest. Too tired. I lie back down in bed, finally, and fell fast asleep.
ns 15.158.61.20da2
