Disclaimer: I seriously don't own the Night World series.
"Ha-nakhat, wait!"
"No, I can't," and now her voice mirrored the alarm in her irises. "Please, leave me alone."
She hurried inside, and Thierry swore he heard something about "she was right" whispered quickly. He slumped against the steps, resting his head in his hands. How had this happened? He had finally gotten her back, and now one word was ripping them apart.
"Oh, don't feel too bad Thierry."
He snapped his head up.
"Most girls don't want to date the devil."
Thierry stared at Maya, her angelic face reflecting demons back at him. He stared for one moment. In the next, he lunged.
Ha-nakhat checked to make sure the door to her room was locked, and then checked it once more, just in case. Her emotions were so horribly jumbled that she felt like crying simply from confusion. Thierry had seemed like such a good, honorable man, and she had been sure that they had had a connection. When he touched her, she felt safe, and at home, and joyous, and electric all at once. A sensation that went all the way from the tips of her toes up to the base of her spine. And yet…
…and yet, the woman she had met before dinner, tonight. The beautiful woman with the long dark hair and the fair skin. Her name was Maya and she had known Thierry as well. Very, very well, according to her—in ways that made Ha-nakhat blush. Their conversation hadn't lasted long, but it had made an impression on Ha-nakhat.
"Pretty young thing like you, of course he's already all over you." Maya had purred, concern glittering in her dark eyes.
"What do you mean?"
"Oh, don't be too innocent, doll. Thierry may look sweet, but he has the insides of a devil. He has charmed so many girls, he can't even keep their names straight."
Ha-nakhat had shaken her head. "Thierry wouldn't do that…he seems so nice."
That had only caused Maya to grin like a half moon. "Of course he seems nice, how do you think he gets close to young, virtuous maidens like yourself? But darling, he'll add you to his conquest list without thinking. And then he'll leave you."
"No."
"You don't know him. I do. You should stay away from him, Ha-nakhat. Stay away, and refuse to see him." Seeing the reluctance in Ha-nakhat's eyes, Maya had shrugged. "Or not. I was just trying to warn you, because you seem like a good girl. But disregard my advice, please. Only, don't be surprised if he can't even remember your name, doll."
Before Ha-nakhat could protest, Maya had sashayed away, leaving behind only disbelief and confusion with Ha-nakhat. Still, she had been willing to trust Thierry, believing that someone who seemed so good had to be good. But Maya had been right. Out there, he had called her someone else's name. He had been using her. Flashing her those heart melting smiles just so he could woo her. Taking her hand in his. Looking at her in a way that made her want to give him everything. And it had all been an act…
Tap. Tap. Tap.
She ignored the knocking on the door, hoping whoever it was would just go away.
Tap. Tap.
"Chet? Is that you? I'm…busy."
Tap. Tap.
"Chet…?"
Reluctantly, Ha-nakhat moved to the door. She pulled it open, expecting to see her friend, Chet, waiting.
Instead, she saw Thierry.
Seeing that she was about to close the door, he reached out a hand.
"Please, Ha-nakhat. Don't. Let me explain—,"
"You owe me nothing."
"I want to explain." And his voice was so tormented, so pleading that she hesitated.
"Let me come in," he said.
"I—no. No I can't do that."
"Fine. Then come out here. We'll find someplace to talk outside. Just let me explain. That's all I want to do, I swear it."
Even though she knew she was mistaking a mistake, Ha-nakhat nodded. She couldn't help it. No matter what logic and her brain were trying to tell her, her heart's only mission was to beat closer to his. Thierry smiled—a half grin that didn't quite reach his eyes. He turned down the hallway and waited for her to follow. He led her to the courtyard, by the fountain. The water was lit up from underneath, and flowed from inside the palace. The warmth combating the harsh weather outside made the water steam. The scent of lotus and aloe vera came up in waves, making Ha-nakhat feel as though she were in a dream. But then she looked at Thierry and remembered what Maya had said, and felt as if she were slipping more into a nightmare.
"So explain, then."
"First, I need to know…what did Maya say to you know?"
Ha-nakhat blinked.
"You know Maya is here?"
"Wherever lies and deception are, Maya is there, so yes. Also, I might have had a run in with her a few minutes ago. But we'll talk about that later. First, please tell me what she said to you."
"She said…" Ha-nakhat felt a warm blush rise to her cheeks just thinking about the words. But she swallowed and forced herself to look Thierry in the eye. "She said that you like to play games with girls. That you travel around the world, sleeping with whomever you choose. She said that it's fun to you, and that you will always, always leave."
Thierry had looked away from her in the middle of the speech, and for a while, there was no sounds but the gentle lapping of the water and her own ragged breathing. Saying it aloud hurt more than when Maya had said it.
Thierry looked at her, and she saw there, in that one moment, that Maya had been wrong. Thierry didn't even have to speak; his eyes told her all she needed to know. Still, he went on.
"I…I promise to you...I swear that every word out of that woman's—if you can even call her that—mouth was a lie. A horrible, viscous lie. Ha-nakhat…I have never fallen in love with anyone but you. And it will always be you. Maya thinks she loves me, and she will do anything to tear us apart…but her evil cannot shed a light on my love."
Ha-nakhat was so moved that every instinct in her body urged her to move closer to Thierry, to wrap her arms around his shoulders and pull him close. Especially when he said the word 'love.' Her heart seemed to sing a tune of happiness and joy that she had never experienced before, and when he held out his hand to her, she accepted it. But she still had one question.
"You called me Hana, before. Why?"
Thierry stiffened, his eyes pooling with dark shadows. Ha-nakhat attempted to pull her hand from his grasp, but he held on, stubbornly and with a tinge of desperation.
"Why, Thierry?" She repeated.
"The truth?"
"Of course."
He sighed. "You won't believe it."
"I think I might, if you look me in the eye while you say it."
And so he did. He looked her in the eye and he held her hand while he told her of the girl he had met centuries ago. Of how he had met her body—the original, not the reincarnation that she was now—and how he had lost her, and had vowed to meet her again. He had finally found her, after years of crushed hope and searching endlessly. He said that a spell had been cast upon him—one that allowed him to survive through the ages, looking for her. And toward the end, he repeated the word he had said before:
"I loved you then, and I love you now. That we could not be together in your past life was a tragedy. A horrible tragedy. But the truth is…I need a second chance. I need you."
He tilted her head upwards, so that she could see the truth shining freely in his eyes. And even though everything he had just said was crazy, impossible, the ramblings of a madman…even though it was all of those things, Ha-nakhat believed it.
"I recognize that this is a lot to take in. And I don't expect you to believe it. But if you'll just consider it…"
Thierry squeezed her hand, and stood. Ha-nakhat only had a second to make her choice. He stepped away, back toward the palace. Ha-nakhat stood, grabbed his hand, and stepped in front of him. He looked at her, confused but patient, perhaps waiting for her to ask more questions, or make more accusations. She did neither.
Instead, she kissed him.
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