CHAPTER FOUR
2069 Words
Darius's P.O.V.
I didn't take my car. I'm faster on my own two legs than any machine. I left my driver to bring the vehicle back to the kingdom and took off, the world a blur around me. I was a missile, fueled by rage and the need to protect my people.
In less than an hour and a half, I was at our borders. The air was thick with the smells of fire, blood, and werewolf. This was the biggest attack they had launched so far. The first werewolf I came across didn't even see me coming. I snapped its neck in a single, fluid motion, and the true fight began. For the next three hours, I fought with a savage intensity I hadn't felt in decades. We fought them tooth and nail until they finally fled, leaving their dead behind. After the last werewolf dropped to the ground, the roar of battle was replaced by an eerie, heavy silence. The adrenaline that had coursed through my veins for three hours slowly began to fade, leaving behind a deep exhaustion. I took a moment to catch my breath, my chest heaving, and then I began to walk.
The damage was worse than I expected. Piles of fallen werewolves were scattered across the land, their mangled bodies a testament to our ferocity. The air was thick with the scent of their blood, mixed with the acrid smell of ozone from our magic and the lingering smoke of singed trees. This wasn't just a fight; it was a m******e.
I walked the perimeter, my eyes scanning for any of my people. I saw a group of my soldiers tending to their wounded, their faces grim and weary. I stopped beside my lead commander, who immediately straightened up.
"Report," I said, my voice hoarse.
"They came at us hard, my king," he said, his eyes filled with rage. "We lost five soldiers. Two are heavily wounded, but they will survive. The rest... well, the rest held the line."
My heart sank at the news. Five of my people, gone. I walked past the commander and toward the bodies of my fallen soldiers. The sight of their lifeless bodies, blood staining the ground, filled me with a cold, simmering rage. This wasn't just a number; these were my men, my family.i turned away from the c*****e and headed back toward the main castle. The thought of a long, hot shower was all that kept me going. I needed to wash away the blood and the stench of battle, but I knew the memory of this night would stay with me. The attack was a clear message from Logan Black, and I knew I had to act.
I went to my room and took a long, hot shower, letting the blood and grime of the battle wash off my skin. It was after two in the morning, and there was still so much work to be done. I didn't feel like eating anything, so I just grabbed a blood bank from the mini-refrigerator in my room. I drank it in one long gulp, the familiar taste satisfying my primal hunger.
But as I drank, my mind drifted to her. I couldn't help but wonder how Elisa's blood would taste. She smelled so different, so unique, yet at the same time, distinctly human. It was an impossible puzzle, and it filled my mind.
And then another thought hit me. I had seen her with the delivery guy, the same one who had given her that pizza and coffee. He had looked and felt like a witch. Why would a witch be delivering a human's food? And why did that pizza and coffee smell like they were laced with some kind of potion?
Everything about her was a mystery. Her unreadable mind, her unique scent, and now her connection to a witch. It was all a little too much to be a coincidence.
A few hours after I returned home, Dimitri knocked on my door. He handed me a small tablet and left without a word. I opened the file to find the report on Elisa Blackwood.
My eyes scanned the details. Age, twenty. Her date of birth. Then I read about her mother's death five years ago, followed by three years in an orphanage. My jaw tightened as I read the last sentence: ...stayed for three years before she was sent out to the streets, trying to survive.
I was a king, but I had never experienced such hardship. The thought of this beautiful, defiant girl fending for herself on the streets was a cold weight in my stomach. She was a survivor, not a mystery. Her sass wasn't a challenge; it was a shield. It all made sense now. The defiance, the cautious eyes, the fierce independence. Everything I had seen in her was just a result of a life spent fighting to survive.
The report also listed her phone number. I looked at the string of digits, a direct line to the one person who had managed to completely baffle and intrigue me. This report wasn't just information; it was a key to understanding a life I could never comprehend, and a life I was now desperately drawn to.i put the tablet down, the cold hard facts of her life staring back at me. A long night ahead of me. I had reports to read, soldiers to check on, and a strategy to plan against Logan Black. My heart ached to go to her, to understand the mystery that she was, but my kingdom's safety had to come first. Her unreadable mind, her unique scent, the witch that delivered her food... these were puzzles for another day.
I had to be a king.
I pushed away the thoughts of Elisa and walked to my study, the largest and most well-lit room in the castle. Maps of my kingdom covered the walls, and a large table in the center was piled high with scrolls and documents. Dimitri was already there, a serious look on his face.
"My king," he said, handing me a detailed report. "The casualties from last night's attack. We also found more evidence of their tactics. They are becoming more organized."
I took the report and began to read. My focus was absolute, my mind now clear of all distractions. We discussed battle formations and defense strategies for hours. The long night was spent planning, my mind sharp and focused on the threat. There was no room for curiosity about a human girl. There was only the duty of a king.
Lisa's P.O.V.
It had been one week since I heard from Darius, and I was so worried about him. He had just disappeared after his so-called "emergency." I didn't even have his number to call him. I knew it sounded crazy—I'd only met him a few times, and yet I was consumed with concern. I had been restless all week. I told Caro, and she immediately offered to take me out for ice cream and brownies. She knows they always make me feel better.
We sat in a booth, and she watched me push my ice cream around in the bowl, my appetite gone.
"Still feeling uneasy and moody?" she asked.
"Yeah," I sighed. "I can't even enjoy my ice cream and brownies."
"I'm sorry," she said softly. "But honestly, do you have feelings for Mr. Handsome?"
I squirmed in my seat. "No, of course not!… I mean… maybe. I don't know, okay?"
"Apart from his name, do you know anything else about him? A cell phone number? We could try calling him," she suggested.
I shook my head, embarrassed. "No. I know I sound crazy. Even I don't understand myself."
"It's okay," she said, reaching across the table and squeezing my hand.
"Please," I said, my voice quiet. "Let's change the topic."
She smiled. "So, how is work?"
"Fine. You?"
She laughed, the sound easy and warm. "Are you trying to mock me? You know how much I hate working."
I finally laughed too. We talked for hours after that, the conversation a welcome distraction. By eight o'clock, we said our goodbyes and parted ways. When I got home, the first thing I did was go to the kitchen to make a fresh pot of coffee.Ding dong. The doorbell rang, a sharp sound that cut through the quiet of my apartment. I wasn't expecting anyone, especially not at this hour. I opened the door, my heart already pounding, and saw him. The same creepy delivery guy, with that unsettling look in his eyes.
"Miss Blackwood?" he asked, his voice smooth and cold.
"Yes, that's me," I replied, a wave of unease washing over me.
"I have a package for you from an anonymous sender," he said, holding out a small box.
An anonymous package? I immediately thought of Darius. It had been so long since I last saw him; maybe he was trying to reach out. The thought was enough to push my fear aside. "What is it?"
"If you'd just sign here and here to receive your package, Miss," he said, holding out a tablet. I quickly signed and took the box, my hands shaking a little. I went inside and locked the door behind me, my mind racing with a flicker of hope.
I opened the package and saw a small vial of a clear, shimmering liquid inside, along with a note.
'I was just about to have my coffee when I remembered your love for it. This is a remedy to help with stress. Add some to your coffee tonight.'
It had to be him. I knew it. He had remembered our conversation. I was desperate for anything to ease my mind, so without a second thought, I added the entire vial to my coffee and drank it all in one gulp.
After a few minutes, the room started to spin. My head felt light, and a wave of dizziness washed over me. I stumbled, my vision blurring, and then I heard a sound that made the blood run cold in my veins. My front door opened. I looked up and saw the delivery guy standing there, his "creepy" look gone, replaced by a terrifying smile of pure malice. He had planned this all along.
The world spun around me. My vision blurred and my limbs felt heavy, like they were filled with sand. All I could do was stare in horror as the delivery guy's face twisted into a menacing grin. He took a slow, deliberate step into my apartment, his eyes gleaming with a cold, triumphant malice.
"What… what are you doing?" I managed to slur, my voice thin and weak.
He didn't answer. He simply closed the door with a quiet click and took another step toward me, his shadow looming over my face. I tried to back away, to scream, but my body wouldn't obey. The potion had already taken over, leaving me a helpless, terrified prisoner in my own home. He leaned over me, a chilling smile on his lips as he reached out to grab me. I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing myself.
But then I heard it. A loud crash from behind him. My eyes flew open and I saw a whirlwind of dark motion. It was Darius, a furious blur of black and red. He moved with a speed that was impossible for a human, his face contorted in a mask of pure rage.
The delivery guy didn't even have time to react. Darius grabbed him by the throat and slammed him against the wall with such force that the plaster cracked. The man’s triumphant look vanished, replaced by a look of sheer, unadulterated terror.
I collapsed to the floor, too weak to stay on my feet. Darius didn't spare the man a second glance. He simply let go of him, and the man crumpled to the floor, unconscious. Darius was by my side in an instant, his hands on my face, his red eyes blazing.
"Elisa," he said, his voice a low growl of anger and relief. "What did you do?"
- Writer
