In War, There Is Love

Your Weakness

“She blinded him!” the voice of one of the males was all she could hear despite covering her ears with little hands. “The little w***e blinded him with her light.”

Her eyes remained closed just as her mother had instructed. “Close your eyes, Maya. When things get bad, close your eyes. Forget. This isn’t real, this is just a nightmare. Forget. Forget. Forget.”

She couldn’t forget now, however. Not when the slap across her face hurt so badly, for a second she thought it left her deaf.

It hadn’t.

And at that moment Maya wished with all her heart it had. Because not hearing anything was better than hearing her mother’s screams for help.

Screams that would never, ever be heard.

A deep breath managed to get her out of a memory. It felt like she had been drowning and that had been her first breath out of water, barely able to survive.

It was a new memory. One Maya had never had before.

Had she blinded someone back then just like she did now?

Slowly, she touched the small scratches that the tongueless vampire guard had left on her shoulder. They were harmless, but not the memory that they had evoked.

Forget, both her parents had said a million times, she could hear them clearly inside her head. Forget, Maya.

How could she forget now?

Tears pierced her eyes but she refused to cry. Not for the vampires, not for her fate, not for anything. She was stronger than that.

Someone knocked on her door, but they didn’t wait for her to answer before they pushed the door open. And there was a small fraction of a second when Maya was disappointed that it was Lilith and not who she thought it would be.

And she cursed herself for it. How could she want comfort from the same person she doubted was behind all of this in the first place? What was wrong with her?

“Maya,” Lilith spoke, softer than Maya had ever heard her before. And she hated it. “Are you alright?”

“I’m perfectly fine,” she almost snapped. “Don’t I look fine to you?”

Lilith sighed. “I didn’t say that.”

Silence followed her words.

“You aren’t really good at this, are you?” Maya asked. It was almost comical actually.

“It seems I am not.” But she sat down on the couch either way, and signed for Maya to sit down too. “But I’m sorry this happened to you in your own home.”

“My home?” She could barely keep the bitterness from her voice. “This isn’t my home.”

Lilith looked genuinely sad at her statement. “It could be.”

“It cannot.” Having this conversation was actually ridiculous. “Your people will always see me as their enemy.”

“It was one person.” Lilith took her hand, taking Maya by surprise. “It doesn’t mean everyone hates you. Demetrius will find them.”

“And what if it’s your own brother?” But even saying it felt somewhat wrong. Especially after she had felt his lips on her hair, on her skin, soft, comforting, reassuring. God alone knew what would happen with her powers if she hadn’t touched her, calmed her down.

And what did that say about Maya? That despite her strong act, she was easily manipulated by her husband.

It was so easy to think that it was not him. So goddamn easy to fall for his words, his touches. No, he had said when she had asked him if he wanted to hurt her.

What if that was a game too? An act?

He could easily break her physically if he wanted to. But breaking her emotionally? That would be harder.

A challenge. And didn’t Demetrius love challenges?

In the end, wasn’t Maya here to kill him as well?

Then why did she want to believe so much that he didn’t intend the same?

“I can tell you it isn’t true a million times, but do you really, inside your heart, believe that?”

Maya shook her head. “I don’t know what to believe.”

This time, the door opened without knocking. “What did I tell you, Anthony?” Lilith said, annoyed.

“I was worried, alright?” he admitted, walking inside like he owned the chambers, sitting down between them casually.

And what Maya felt inside her heart was strange. Foreign.

He was worried about her. They both were.

Why? Didn’t they hate her?

“The gates are closed and everyone is inside their chambers. Interrogations will begin soon, and they will last until the he is found. Your husband’s orders.”

“Where is he now?” Maya couldn’t help but ask.

“Having fun with the guard.” He winked at her, the images in her head suddenly making Maya shudder.

Was he really... torturing the guard for her?

She forbade that thought immediately. If Demetrius wasn’t the one that had ordered him in the first place, then he was doing this for his ego. To prove a point to his Council members.

It had nothing to do with her and her wellbeing.

“Are you in need of medical attention, Maya?” Anthony grew serious immediately, but she shook her head no. There was nothing physical about her pain.

“I’m alright. Just a few scratches, nothing more.”

Another knock on the door and once more Maya’s heart betrayed her. “Come in.” Her voice shook, but once more she was disappointed to see another male at the door.

“Your Majesties.” The guard bowed down respectfully, but his gaze was fully on Lilith the entire time. Immediately, Maya recognized him as Lilith’s personal guard from the ball, the same one that followed her everywhere she went. “Forgive me for interrupting, but His Highness the King is starting with the interrogations.”

Both Anthony and Lilith stood up instantly. Surprisingly, Anthony took Maya’s hand in his and brought it to his lips. “Since you won’t let me hug you.” The smile on Maya’s face was sad. “You should rest. I’m still sending a maester, just in case. And please, come to us if you need anything, alright?”

She nodded almost instinctively, watching him leave. Lilith attempted to follow her twin, but her guard was at the door, suddenly blocking her.

“I’m accompanying you to your chambers, Princess,” he emphasized the ‘Princess,’ part, like it was a challenge that he dared her to take.

“What do you mean to my chambers, Rowan? I’m going with my brothers,” she protested.

“No, Princess, you are not. It isn’t safe.”

Maya’s brows raised in surprise.

“Do you think you can order me around?” Her voice rose. “You are my servant and I am your princess! You’ll do as I say!”

His hands turned into fists, his jaw tightening. Maya could feel the tension thick in the air. Their faces were so close for a second she thought they were going to kiss.

“Because I am your servant,” he said the word with bitterness and sarcasm, “and you are my Princess, it is my duty to protect you in times like these.”

Lilith managed to walk past time just a few steps. “I am a five-centuries-old vampire, I do not need your protection.”

“I happen to think otherwise.” He followed her, and now Maya could only hear their voices.

“Well, I happen to not to care about your opinions, Rowan.”

A small laugh escaped Maya’s lips. Their bickering almost reminded her of herself and Demetrius. Only this one included Lilith’s safety. While Maya literally doubted her husband might want to murder her.

And with that thought in her head, she started writing to her father.

***

Twenty-four hours since the attack on his wife, and Demetrius still had absolutely no idea who could’ve been behind it.

He had tortured the guard over and over again, had threatened and manipulated all his Council members, their children and siblings and other members of his clan that lived on his Court, and still he couldn’t point a finger and give a punishment.

The uncertainty behind all this was driving him insane. Just as Maya’s silence was.

She had joined him in the interrogation, surely so she could prove to them all that they hadn’t managed to hurt her—which Demetrius felt an immaculate pride in—but it was her short, dry answers that had left him even more bitter.

He would take her sarcasm and insults over her silence every time, and maybe that was one of the other reasons why he craved murdering someone like he craved blood. Her blood, to be more precise.

“Well, that was a success.” That was the longest sentence she had said all day.

“Maya—”

“Not even a bird could fly inside this Court without you knowing, right, husband?”

Now that he thought of it, no, he would not choose her sarcasm either. “I’ll find him.”

“Of course you will.” She turned her back at him, and Demetrius noticed how she had worn a beautiful blue dress with a high neckline and long sleeves.

She always either wore long-sleeved dresses, or gloves that reached her upper elbows. They looked absolutely elegant and gorgeous on her, however.

“Your doubts are messing with your head, wife,” he felt the need to say, to clarify, to reassure her. And this was all so strange. “Do you think if I wanted to kill you I’d hide behind a nameless guard?”

“Very reassuring.” She shook her head. “And yes, you could find a way to escape the Council of Peace’s laws if there were no proof.”

Demetrius could feel his teeth grind together, so strong, he was sure they would break. Were they really having this conversation?

Did she genuinely think he wanted to murder her?

“Are these yours, or your father’s words?”

She averted her blue eyes from him, giving herself away. He walked, until he stood close to her, both facing different directions. “Darling, go tell your father to worry about his own goddamn wife, and let me worry about mine.”

Demetrius could feel her go rigid, but he walked away without a word more, a smirk on his face that vanished as soon as he reached the Throne Room. There was one person he hadn’t asked yet, just so he could be sure it wasn’t actually one of his people.

“King Demetrius.”

Demetrius noticed how he did not bow down, but he let it slide.

“Ser Jeremiah.”

“You’ve asked about my presence.”

“Let’s leave the formalities aside.” Demetrius crossed his arms on his back, approaching the sly, blond wizard until he backed away. It took some courage on Jeremiah’s part to hold eye-contact. Demetrius knew how intimidating he could be. “Was it you, wizard?”

He narrowed his eyes. “Was it me, what?”

Rolling his eyes, Demetrius chuckled. “You know exactly what I’m talking about. Did you attempt to hurt my wife?”

If it was acting, Jeremiah was goddamn good at this already. “Are you suggesting I want to hurt Maya?”

“On a first name basis, aren’t we?”

Something flicked into the wizard’s hazel eyes. Did he think Demetrius was jealous?

“Yes. Which makes me close to Maya. Why would I want to hurt her?”

“There could be millions of reasons.” Demetrius knew exactly what he sounded like. Cold and uncaring. While inside, his blood was boiling, the need to tear someone apart increasing. “I’m just trying to find the one.”

“What you’re implying is ridiculous and you have no proof. Maya is my only ally in this place, and a close friend actually.” Ripping his heart out sounded more and more tempting with every word he said. “I could accuse you of the same thing actually. Everyone knows how much you hate her. Everyone speaks of it. Or is it more than hate? Is it obsession? Do you think I didn’t know you were there that day in the Arts Room, Your Highness?”

There was one thing in Demetrius’ head right now. He had underestimated the ambassador of the witches. He was observant and knew more than he let on.

And he had just declared himself Demetrius’ enemy.

And no enemy had dared to act against him in centuries until now.

“Is she your weakness?”

Weakness.

Was she?

Yes.

Demetrius tilted his head on his right, willingly turning his eyes red. “Your stay here in my Court won’t be for too long, ambassador. But if you’re getting out of here walking or in a coffin, that is to be seen.”

It was comical how Jeremiah’s expression changed.

“And ah. Tell your Queen to stay out of my Court if she doesn’t want me to go for hers. I promise her, it won’t be pretty.”