Hey kiddies looks like i finally got the next chapter for "temptress" out. i hope you all enjoy it and remember to review. don't worry this isn't one of those "harem girl meets pasha" type deal. tell me what you think everyone and thanks so much to my darling editors for putting up with reading multiple drafts and my millions of spelling errors.
email: bright_eyes_844@yahoo.com (i try to answer every email i get and i usually send out an email to inform of updates....love feedback)
Temptress
Violet Goddess
Chapter 2
Disbelief coursed through him as her words slowly, reluctantly registered. He felt a pain stab somewhere in the region of his heart as he stared down at her. Looked at those same blue eyes that had haunted his dreams for the past four hundred years, looked at the same flawless skin that felt like satin against his calloused hands, every feature the same as he remembered, the same as those which were burned into his soul. It had been so long, so very long since he had seen her, felt her against his skin and he felt rage that anyone could show him this piece of heaven and then deny him it all in the same foul stroke. He refused to believe anyone could be that cruel.
"You! You are Serena!" The words came out hard and unyielding, sounding slightly desperate even to his own ears. That, more than anything, shocked him. He had been king for more than six hundred years, had learned to move earth and sea at a mere thought, had kept peace in the land and learned to be alone, or so he'd thought, but never once in all those long centuries had he begged anyone. He realized he was begging now and couldn't seem to muster up enough strength to care. She had to be his princess. She had to be Serena. The thought of her after so long next to him, the thought of her denying it, of denying them, was more than he could bear and something primal and tortured inside him snapped free of its restraints and roared in fury at what it had lost. His eyes smoldering and possessive, Darien slammed his mouth against hers, demanding a response, savoring the feel of her after so long without her. He groaned at the feel of her soft lips against his, at the taste of her as it slowly invaded his senses. It was heaven and hell holding the only thing he desired so close and feel his passion rise but feeling her remain stiff and unresponsive.
Pulling back with a growl, he stared down at her and promptly ripped off the red veil that had once seemed so mysterious and appealing to reveal her hair. It spilled out in the gold waterfall he knew it would be. The hell this wasn't Serena! his mind screamed. He plunged his hand into the wealth of silky hair and gripped it ruthlessly around his fist. Tipping her head back he mercilessly exposed the slender line of her throat to his hungry gaze and dipped his head to taste her satin skin. It wasn't until he heard her whimper of fear that the tore himself away and looked down at her tear-stained face. Cursing softly he gently wiped away the silent tears cascading down her cheeks. He didn't recognize this violence in himself, this part of him that felt the need to dominate and possess, but he couldn't fight it. He knew that he would kill anyone that tried to take Serena away from him now, he would kill them without mercy or remorse and it scared the hell out of him. With a sigh of frustration Darien collapsed against her, burying his face against the creamy flesh of her neck.
"I'm sorry." His voice was a mere thread of sound but in the utter silence of the room it was as if he had bellowed the words. His breath was ragged as he lay against her, willing calm into his body, into his mind that was swarming with turmoil and desire for the small woman lying beneath him. He had wanted her before he thought her Serena but now the desire to take her overwhelmed his every noble intention. Even if he found out later it wasn't her, the illusion was there now and for this one moment he could have his love again, could have her with him in the ways he wanted for all those centuries he'd only been able to find her in his dreams. The temptation was nearly unbearable and he felt his muscles clench in restraint.
"I'm not Serena." Darien never showed any indication that he heard her strangled words but she knew he had. She knew that she could play out being this mystery woman he seemed to think she was, she could pretend to be this woman and escape the imprisonment that was a certainty and perhaps return back to her people. But even as the idea formed she pushed it away, something inside of her warning her not to go down that path. No matter the consequences she would not give into one man's desperate wish, king though he might be, that she was some long-lost love. "I'm sorry, I wish I was this woman, but I'm not." She heard something that sounded like a sob at her words and was astonished that the merciless king of Crystal Tokyo was showing so much emotion, let alone over a single woman.
Lying there with the feel of smooth silk beneath her heated skin and his hot breath raggedly fanning her neck Usagi couldn't help but appreciate the irony of it all. Here she was sent to assassinate the very man who thought her his lost lover and instead of killing him she was now beneath him, her hair gripped tightly in his fist as she tried to convince him she was not this "Serena." Ahh yes fate had a sense of humor after all, she thought wryly. Just as she was thinking that she would welcome whatever atrocity was coming next as long as it would happen already her intended victim lifted his head. She gasped at the tortured look etched on his beautiful face, his chiseled features still breathtaking even with red-rimmed eyes and a sardonic twist to his mouth. Before she realized her intent, she brought up a shaking hand to smooth out the frown from his mouth, drawing her fingers tentatively against his lips. At once his eyes darkened and he opened his mouth, drawing a single finger within the warmth of his mouth. His eyes never leaving hers as he began to suckle it insistently.
He watched a gamut of emotions run across her face, from fear to confusion and finally to a tentative desire that shocked Darien to the core. To see her look at him with that burgeoning passion nearly snapped his control then and there but he knew that he had to go slowly. Carefully he from her finger to her wrist, placing small, open-mouthed kisses against the sensitive skin of her wrist and inner arm. Working slowly he made languid progress toward his ultimate goal of her succulent mouth but when he felt her stiffen and then go limp he raised himself on his arms to look directly at her. Instead of the passion-flushed face he was expecting Serena's features were lax with what appeared to be sleep, her lashes forming small crescents against the dusky rose of her cheeks. Confusion coursed through him until he heard the one voice he had never truly expected to hear again.
"I would have expected better from you my king." Pluto's voice was pure and melodious as it drifted through the exquisite room. She stood on the balcony, the night sky framing her slender figure as it was revealed and then hidden by the billowing silk that divided the night from the plush chamber. Green hair swayed sensually as she walked towards the massive bed where Darien still lay atop his Serena, an amused expression clear on her face.
"Pluto." The acknowledgment was terse and laced none-to subtly with annoyance.
"It's been quite awhile, has it not my king?" She stood now at the end of the bed, Usagi's flowing hair pooling around her feet and a furious Darien staring up at her, his feet tangled in the pillows against the head board as he continued to lay rather indecently across Usagi.
"My king might it not be possible for you to stand. You seem to be in a rather, shall we say, compromising situation?" A flush of embarrassment crept across his face as he slowly slid off Usagi but as he looked back down at her and saw her unconscious state his eyes snapped back to Pluto, flashing in accusation.
"You have anything to do with this?" He waved his hand to indicate the petite blonde lying so helpless on his bed.
"Yes. I thought we needed to talk and she doesn't need to be privy to all of this....yet."
"Yet?" One eyebrow rose in question at Pluto's characteristically enigmatic words. She merely ignored his question and swept past him to a delicately carved chair that sat conveniently next to the bed, its dark mahogany back pressed against the marble wall. It was obvious it was more decorative than functional. Sitting with regal bearing, her slender legs crossed casually, she stolidly regarded Darien.
"She is not Serena, Darien." The words were hard, precise, a fact being presented to a stubborn, petulant child. She merely held one elegantly gloved hand up at the instant denial that sprang to his lips. "She isn't, Darien. This girl is not your nor my Serena." She watched sad, tortured eyes stare down at the girl who looked so much like the only woman Darien had ever loved, ever wanted, ever truly needed and for the first time in her timeless existence Pluto felt a sliver of pity slice through her blood.
Oh emotions were not new to her. She had felt anger and rage, bitter sorrow and helpless frustration. She was the keeper of time, watcher of its threads but never, never to interfere. She had stared at her beloved princess and had known, known she was going to live her terrible fate, known her kingdom would fall and not even a single remnant would survive. She had gone to her wedding thousands of years later and known she would be separated from her love, known the horrible pain, the anguish they would feel and yet she had said nothing. Was permitted to say nothing. Time had laws of its own, rules that one had to follow to survive and so Pluto pushed the pity aside with little more than a glance of curiosity and stared back into those eyes of pain and ice, knowing she could say nothing now.
"Then why?" She knew what he was asking. Why would fate show him this glimpse of the one thing, the only thing he had ever truly wanted and then tell him casually that it was only an illusion. Was fate so cruel? The question shimmered between them unspoken and still Pluto remained silent knowing she could not speak beyond the words assigned for her. "Why? Damn it Pluto why?" His voice was hoarse as if he could not decide whether to scream or succumb to the tears she knew flowed so near his hardened surface.
With silent movements Pluto approached the slight figure that lay dwarfed by Darien's massive bed. With a pained look she stared down at the girl who was all slippery blonde hair and crimson veils.
"Her name's Usagi," she told him, her hardened eyes meeting his desperate ones. No emotion showed there, no it was carefully hidden behind a mask forged by time and tragedy. "She hails from the tribes of the north."
"Yes she was a 'gift.'" Darien didn't glance away from the knowing look Pluto sent him. It was well known to the people of Crystal Tokyo that their king loved women. And though he seemed to take little joy in their company he amassed them as another would jewels or art. Like baubles carelessly acquired and then just as carelessly tossed aside as his interest waned. His jet black hair and midnight blue eyes with their shadows and secrets would have drawn women to him had he been no more than a pauper but he was far from that. He was the most powerful man on Earth.
No one knew for certain if their king had always been the indifferent man he was now. Few in truth thought to ask. Life was prosperous due to his guidance and if he liked a few women then so be it. Only those around him knew the truth. Only they remembered Serena and the laughter and life she had carried with her.
"They sent her to kill you." The words snapped him instantly from his thoughts. A small, cruel smile curved his lips then.
"They would. An assassin is very much their style." His eyes had drifted to Usagi and then pointedly to the small knife that lay so innocently across the room, glinting against the dark marble.
"What will you do with her?" Pluto's voice held no curiosity, no uncertainty. She already knew of course, she was asking the question for his benefit, letting him know that he would have to make a choice.
His voice was flat as he looked down at the small woman who was, by her mere existence, wreaking havoc with his life, with his heart. "I think we both know the answer to that question Pluto."
* * *
A small moan escaped Usagi's lips as she shifted restlessly against the wispy material tangled maddeningly around her body. It was the sound of silk whispering against silk that filled the silent room as she moved that prompted her to try and work through the fog shrouding her thoughts. Why was she lying on silk coverings? Where was her soft bedroll of furs? Her eyes snapped open then.
This wasn't her camp. Where were the stars? The dark interior of her tent had always highlighted the bright points of the desert sky through the small hole cut in the top to release the smoke from her fire. There was nothing like night in the desert. The cool wind still carrying the smell of the heat of the day mixed with musty sand and dirt. The sounds of life burgeoning around you, welcoming night as you drifted off to sleep. It spoke of peace and solitude.
As Usagi lay looking up at the black canopy covering the bed she knew where she was, she was still in his chambers. It was a disheartening thought for she also remembered that she had failed to kill him.
"Are you going to execute me then?" she asked the dark figure that sat in the shadows of a room shrouded in far too many. They seemed to flow into one another as he leaned forward and glared at her. Usagi felt his eyes burn into her. She could barely make out the outline of his body, all except his eyes. They burned as if with the flames of hell as he stared at her, revealing no emotion to her.
He stood then and stepped forward to smile at her. The move surprised Usagi not at all, she knew the tactics of a warrior and this man was nothing if not a warrior. A pity she could have admired him if she hadn't been sent to kill him.
"Do you think I should execute you then, my pet?" She cringed slightly at the endearment that was more to remind her that she was at his mercy than of their intimacy only hours before.
"Well, I don't WANT you to execute me, no." She was frightened by him and his threats, she was woman enough to admit that to herself. She doubted her pleas for mercy would sway him, but it truly didn't matter for her pride would never let her beg. She was of the tribes of the north, a people who had never fallen in battle to outsiders, a people who were honorable and just. A proud people. Oh yes she had pride and she would prove it even if she had to go to the executioner's block smiling like a madwoman. "But then again I wasn't aware I had a say in the matter." And with that she slumped down into the thick down mattress and stared back up at the canopy cover.
"Brave words from a woman who faces death." His words were as icy as his eyes. She felt annoyance rise up at the fact that he would continue to harp on the fact that he could kill her. What did he expect her to do? Collapse into a heap of tears? Kiss his boots? Not damn likely!
"You know I think you have way too much black in this room. I mean the bed, the walls, the ceiling, the floor, need I go on? It's depressing." Her voice sounded casual, but it was all forced. She was shaking with fear and anger at the man in front of her. He was right, he did hold her life in his hands but she would be damned if he was going to intimidate her.
Darien could only blink in shock at her words. God she was so like his Serena, always putting on a brave face no matter the odds. No damn it she is NOT Serena, he screamed to himself. Taking a deep breath he hardened his heart to the woman in front of him wearing his lover's face.
"I know who sent you." Her eyes widened slightly at that but that was the only outward reaction as she continued to stare straight up, her hands idly caressing the silk sheets beneath her. Darien found his eyes following the absent movement of her fingers as they slid across the fabric, felt his body stir despite his determination to remain unaffected. Even now, knowing she was not his Serena, he still wanted her with a force that fairly shocked him.
"What are you going to do to them?" There was no use denying who had sent her. For the love of the gods she was sent to him as a present from her tribe, how could he not know? No one truly thought she would fail, she had had the blessing of the gods of the north behind her and yet here she sat, her mission a disaster.
"Retaliate." The single word echoed off the cold stone and rung a death knell for the people she loved. He would kill them. Every single man, woman and child of her tribe would be eradicated for their attack on him. She felt the tears well up and slide silently down her cheeks leaving small, salty tracks. He would kill them all! He would kill her father. He was their leader and a generous old man who had lost his wife in childbirth to receive his only child. This heartless man in front of her was going to kill him. He would kill Celia, the spunky little girl who always made doe eyes at Daneth who she claimed she was going to marry just as soon as she was old enough. And he would kill the man she loved. He would kill Seiya.
REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! tell me what you thougt because i don't write if no one is reading.
email: bright_eyes_844@yahoo.com (i try to answer every email i get and i usually send out an email to inform of updates....love feedback)
Temptress
Violet Goddess
Chapter 2
Disbelief coursed through him as her words slowly, reluctantly registered. He felt a pain stab somewhere in the region of his heart as he stared down at her. Looked at those same blue eyes that had haunted his dreams for the past four hundred years, looked at the same flawless skin that felt like satin against his calloused hands, every feature the same as he remembered, the same as those which were burned into his soul. It had been so long, so very long since he had seen her, felt her against his skin and he felt rage that anyone could show him this piece of heaven and then deny him it all in the same foul stroke. He refused to believe anyone could be that cruel.
"You! You are Serena!" The words came out hard and unyielding, sounding slightly desperate even to his own ears. That, more than anything, shocked him. He had been king for more than six hundred years, had learned to move earth and sea at a mere thought, had kept peace in the land and learned to be alone, or so he'd thought, but never once in all those long centuries had he begged anyone. He realized he was begging now and couldn't seem to muster up enough strength to care. She had to be his princess. She had to be Serena. The thought of her after so long next to him, the thought of her denying it, of denying them, was more than he could bear and something primal and tortured inside him snapped free of its restraints and roared in fury at what it had lost. His eyes smoldering and possessive, Darien slammed his mouth against hers, demanding a response, savoring the feel of her after so long without her. He groaned at the feel of her soft lips against his, at the taste of her as it slowly invaded his senses. It was heaven and hell holding the only thing he desired so close and feel his passion rise but feeling her remain stiff and unresponsive.
Pulling back with a growl, he stared down at her and promptly ripped off the red veil that had once seemed so mysterious and appealing to reveal her hair. It spilled out in the gold waterfall he knew it would be. The hell this wasn't Serena! his mind screamed. He plunged his hand into the wealth of silky hair and gripped it ruthlessly around his fist. Tipping her head back he mercilessly exposed the slender line of her throat to his hungry gaze and dipped his head to taste her satin skin. It wasn't until he heard her whimper of fear that the tore himself away and looked down at her tear-stained face. Cursing softly he gently wiped away the silent tears cascading down her cheeks. He didn't recognize this violence in himself, this part of him that felt the need to dominate and possess, but he couldn't fight it. He knew that he would kill anyone that tried to take Serena away from him now, he would kill them without mercy or remorse and it scared the hell out of him. With a sigh of frustration Darien collapsed against her, burying his face against the creamy flesh of her neck.
"I'm sorry." His voice was a mere thread of sound but in the utter silence of the room it was as if he had bellowed the words. His breath was ragged as he lay against her, willing calm into his body, into his mind that was swarming with turmoil and desire for the small woman lying beneath him. He had wanted her before he thought her Serena but now the desire to take her overwhelmed his every noble intention. Even if he found out later it wasn't her, the illusion was there now and for this one moment he could have his love again, could have her with him in the ways he wanted for all those centuries he'd only been able to find her in his dreams. The temptation was nearly unbearable and he felt his muscles clench in restraint.
"I'm not Serena." Darien never showed any indication that he heard her strangled words but she knew he had. She knew that she could play out being this mystery woman he seemed to think she was, she could pretend to be this woman and escape the imprisonment that was a certainty and perhaps return back to her people. But even as the idea formed she pushed it away, something inside of her warning her not to go down that path. No matter the consequences she would not give into one man's desperate wish, king though he might be, that she was some long-lost love. "I'm sorry, I wish I was this woman, but I'm not." She heard something that sounded like a sob at her words and was astonished that the merciless king of Crystal Tokyo was showing so much emotion, let alone over a single woman.
Lying there with the feel of smooth silk beneath her heated skin and his hot breath raggedly fanning her neck Usagi couldn't help but appreciate the irony of it all. Here she was sent to assassinate the very man who thought her his lost lover and instead of killing him she was now beneath him, her hair gripped tightly in his fist as she tried to convince him she was not this "Serena." Ahh yes fate had a sense of humor after all, she thought wryly. Just as she was thinking that she would welcome whatever atrocity was coming next as long as it would happen already her intended victim lifted his head. She gasped at the tortured look etched on his beautiful face, his chiseled features still breathtaking even with red-rimmed eyes and a sardonic twist to his mouth. Before she realized her intent, she brought up a shaking hand to smooth out the frown from his mouth, drawing her fingers tentatively against his lips. At once his eyes darkened and he opened his mouth, drawing a single finger within the warmth of his mouth. His eyes never leaving hers as he began to suckle it insistently.
He watched a gamut of emotions run across her face, from fear to confusion and finally to a tentative desire that shocked Darien to the core. To see her look at him with that burgeoning passion nearly snapped his control then and there but he knew that he had to go slowly. Carefully he from her finger to her wrist, placing small, open-mouthed kisses against the sensitive skin of her wrist and inner arm. Working slowly he made languid progress toward his ultimate goal of her succulent mouth but when he felt her stiffen and then go limp he raised himself on his arms to look directly at her. Instead of the passion-flushed face he was expecting Serena's features were lax with what appeared to be sleep, her lashes forming small crescents against the dusky rose of her cheeks. Confusion coursed through him until he heard the one voice he had never truly expected to hear again.
"I would have expected better from you my king." Pluto's voice was pure and melodious as it drifted through the exquisite room. She stood on the balcony, the night sky framing her slender figure as it was revealed and then hidden by the billowing silk that divided the night from the plush chamber. Green hair swayed sensually as she walked towards the massive bed where Darien still lay atop his Serena, an amused expression clear on her face.
"Pluto." The acknowledgment was terse and laced none-to subtly with annoyance.
"It's been quite awhile, has it not my king?" She stood now at the end of the bed, Usagi's flowing hair pooling around her feet and a furious Darien staring up at her, his feet tangled in the pillows against the head board as he continued to lay rather indecently across Usagi.
"My king might it not be possible for you to stand. You seem to be in a rather, shall we say, compromising situation?" A flush of embarrassment crept across his face as he slowly slid off Usagi but as he looked back down at her and saw her unconscious state his eyes snapped back to Pluto, flashing in accusation.
"You have anything to do with this?" He waved his hand to indicate the petite blonde lying so helpless on his bed.
"Yes. I thought we needed to talk and she doesn't need to be privy to all of this....yet."
"Yet?" One eyebrow rose in question at Pluto's characteristically enigmatic words. She merely ignored his question and swept past him to a delicately carved chair that sat conveniently next to the bed, its dark mahogany back pressed against the marble wall. It was obvious it was more decorative than functional. Sitting with regal bearing, her slender legs crossed casually, she stolidly regarded Darien.
"She is not Serena, Darien." The words were hard, precise, a fact being presented to a stubborn, petulant child. She merely held one elegantly gloved hand up at the instant denial that sprang to his lips. "She isn't, Darien. This girl is not your nor my Serena." She watched sad, tortured eyes stare down at the girl who looked so much like the only woman Darien had ever loved, ever wanted, ever truly needed and for the first time in her timeless existence Pluto felt a sliver of pity slice through her blood.
Oh emotions were not new to her. She had felt anger and rage, bitter sorrow and helpless frustration. She was the keeper of time, watcher of its threads but never, never to interfere. She had stared at her beloved princess and had known, known she was going to live her terrible fate, known her kingdom would fall and not even a single remnant would survive. She had gone to her wedding thousands of years later and known she would be separated from her love, known the horrible pain, the anguish they would feel and yet she had said nothing. Was permitted to say nothing. Time had laws of its own, rules that one had to follow to survive and so Pluto pushed the pity aside with little more than a glance of curiosity and stared back into those eyes of pain and ice, knowing she could say nothing now.
"Then why?" She knew what he was asking. Why would fate show him this glimpse of the one thing, the only thing he had ever truly wanted and then tell him casually that it was only an illusion. Was fate so cruel? The question shimmered between them unspoken and still Pluto remained silent knowing she could not speak beyond the words assigned for her. "Why? Damn it Pluto why?" His voice was hoarse as if he could not decide whether to scream or succumb to the tears she knew flowed so near his hardened surface.
With silent movements Pluto approached the slight figure that lay dwarfed by Darien's massive bed. With a pained look she stared down at the girl who was all slippery blonde hair and crimson veils.
"Her name's Usagi," she told him, her hardened eyes meeting his desperate ones. No emotion showed there, no it was carefully hidden behind a mask forged by time and tragedy. "She hails from the tribes of the north."
"Yes she was a 'gift.'" Darien didn't glance away from the knowing look Pluto sent him. It was well known to the people of Crystal Tokyo that their king loved women. And though he seemed to take little joy in their company he amassed them as another would jewels or art. Like baubles carelessly acquired and then just as carelessly tossed aside as his interest waned. His jet black hair and midnight blue eyes with their shadows and secrets would have drawn women to him had he been no more than a pauper but he was far from that. He was the most powerful man on Earth.
No one knew for certain if their king had always been the indifferent man he was now. Few in truth thought to ask. Life was prosperous due to his guidance and if he liked a few women then so be it. Only those around him knew the truth. Only they remembered Serena and the laughter and life she had carried with her.
"They sent her to kill you." The words snapped him instantly from his thoughts. A small, cruel smile curved his lips then.
"They would. An assassin is very much their style." His eyes had drifted to Usagi and then pointedly to the small knife that lay so innocently across the room, glinting against the dark marble.
"What will you do with her?" Pluto's voice held no curiosity, no uncertainty. She already knew of course, she was asking the question for his benefit, letting him know that he would have to make a choice.
His voice was flat as he looked down at the small woman who was, by her mere existence, wreaking havoc with his life, with his heart. "I think we both know the answer to that question Pluto."
* * *
A small moan escaped Usagi's lips as she shifted restlessly against the wispy material tangled maddeningly around her body. It was the sound of silk whispering against silk that filled the silent room as she moved that prompted her to try and work through the fog shrouding her thoughts. Why was she lying on silk coverings? Where was her soft bedroll of furs? Her eyes snapped open then.
This wasn't her camp. Where were the stars? The dark interior of her tent had always highlighted the bright points of the desert sky through the small hole cut in the top to release the smoke from her fire. There was nothing like night in the desert. The cool wind still carrying the smell of the heat of the day mixed with musty sand and dirt. The sounds of life burgeoning around you, welcoming night as you drifted off to sleep. It spoke of peace and solitude.
As Usagi lay looking up at the black canopy covering the bed she knew where she was, she was still in his chambers. It was a disheartening thought for she also remembered that she had failed to kill him.
"Are you going to execute me then?" she asked the dark figure that sat in the shadows of a room shrouded in far too many. They seemed to flow into one another as he leaned forward and glared at her. Usagi felt his eyes burn into her. She could barely make out the outline of his body, all except his eyes. They burned as if with the flames of hell as he stared at her, revealing no emotion to her.
He stood then and stepped forward to smile at her. The move surprised Usagi not at all, she knew the tactics of a warrior and this man was nothing if not a warrior. A pity she could have admired him if she hadn't been sent to kill him.
"Do you think I should execute you then, my pet?" She cringed slightly at the endearment that was more to remind her that she was at his mercy than of their intimacy only hours before.
"Well, I don't WANT you to execute me, no." She was frightened by him and his threats, she was woman enough to admit that to herself. She doubted her pleas for mercy would sway him, but it truly didn't matter for her pride would never let her beg. She was of the tribes of the north, a people who had never fallen in battle to outsiders, a people who were honorable and just. A proud people. Oh yes she had pride and she would prove it even if she had to go to the executioner's block smiling like a madwoman. "But then again I wasn't aware I had a say in the matter." And with that she slumped down into the thick down mattress and stared back up at the canopy cover.
"Brave words from a woman who faces death." His words were as icy as his eyes. She felt annoyance rise up at the fact that he would continue to harp on the fact that he could kill her. What did he expect her to do? Collapse into a heap of tears? Kiss his boots? Not damn likely!
"You know I think you have way too much black in this room. I mean the bed, the walls, the ceiling, the floor, need I go on? It's depressing." Her voice sounded casual, but it was all forced. She was shaking with fear and anger at the man in front of her. He was right, he did hold her life in his hands but she would be damned if he was going to intimidate her.
Darien could only blink in shock at her words. God she was so like his Serena, always putting on a brave face no matter the odds. No damn it she is NOT Serena, he screamed to himself. Taking a deep breath he hardened his heart to the woman in front of him wearing his lover's face.
"I know who sent you." Her eyes widened slightly at that but that was the only outward reaction as she continued to stare straight up, her hands idly caressing the silk sheets beneath her. Darien found his eyes following the absent movement of her fingers as they slid across the fabric, felt his body stir despite his determination to remain unaffected. Even now, knowing she was not his Serena, he still wanted her with a force that fairly shocked him.
"What are you going to do to them?" There was no use denying who had sent her. For the love of the gods she was sent to him as a present from her tribe, how could he not know? No one truly thought she would fail, she had had the blessing of the gods of the north behind her and yet here she sat, her mission a disaster.
"Retaliate." The single word echoed off the cold stone and rung a death knell for the people she loved. He would kill them. Every single man, woman and child of her tribe would be eradicated for their attack on him. She felt the tears well up and slide silently down her cheeks leaving small, salty tracks. He would kill them all! He would kill her father. He was their leader and a generous old man who had lost his wife in childbirth to receive his only child. This heartless man in front of her was going to kill him. He would kill Celia, the spunky little girl who always made doe eyes at Daneth who she claimed she was going to marry just as soon as she was old enough. And he would kill the man she loved. He would kill Seiya.
REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! tell me what you thougt because i don't write if no one is reading.