The Man in Black
901 Words
"Run, my Queen... He has come for you himself."
Vaeros' warning echoed inside my mind as I looked at the sky. My heart pounded so hard it actually hurt.
Dark figures descended from the clouds and got bigger with each second that went by. They weren't birds and they weren't dragons, they were wyverns.
I had only heard stories about them. Each beast carried an armored rider dressed in black.
A man unlike the others flew ahead of them. His armor was edged with crimson and darker than the night itself. As his wyvern circled above the castle, a long black cloak billowed behind him. Even from this distance, I could feel his eyes fixed on me, cold and patient. As though he had already made up his mind how this would turn out.
The courtyard went silent. Every soldier tightened their hold on their weapons.
Lucien moved in front of me silently.
"You stay behind me."
I frowned.
"I'm tired of hiding."
"This is not hiding. This is strategy."
Before I could protest, the lead wyvern landed with enough force to shatter the stone under its claws. The rider descended gradually. His motions were calm and quite elegant.
He took off his helmet. My breath caught. He looked younger than I had anticipated. No older than thirty.
His dark hair fell to his shoulders, and a thin scar ran from the corner of his left eye to his jaw. His eyes were the deepest shade of blue I had ever seen. They were beautiful and completely empty.
He started smiling.
"Lucien."
The Lycan King's look became serious.
"Malachar."
"So it really is you," the stranger said and chuckled softly.
"I've missed our conversations."
"I haven't."
Malachar's face always bore a smile. His eyes moved toward me.
"So... This is Queen Selene's daughter."
Every instinct inside me screamed that I should look away, but I couldn't. It felt as though those blue eyes were searching every corner of my soul.
He tilted his head.
"You look just like her."
I swallowed.
"You knew my mother."
It wasn't a question. He nodded.
"I did."
Anger flared inside me.
"Then tell me. What happened to her?"
His smile faded.
"I killed her."
The world stopped. The words echoed through my head.
No, he couldn't have. He was lying. He had to be.
"You expect me to believe that?"
"I don't expect anything."
His voice remained calm.
"I simply told you the truth."
I took an unconscious step forward. Rage burned hotter than fear.
"You murdered her."
"I ended a war."
"You murdered my mother!"
My voice cracked across the courtyard. Lucien grabbed my arm before I could get any closer.
"Aria."
"Let me go."
"No."
"He admitted it!"
"I know".
"Then why are you stopping me?"
Lucien's hold became stronger.
"That's exactly what he wants."
Malachar giggled.
"The Lycan King knows me well."
He clasped his hands behind his back.
"I didn't come here to argue."
Lucien narrowed his gaze.
"No?"
"I came with an offer."
An offer? For me?
"I'm don't want anything from you."
"I believe you do."
He reached inside his cloak and pulled out a tiny silver pendant. The exact instant I saw it, my heart stopped. It was identical to the one I had seen in my vision. The pendant my mother had.
"From where did you get that?
"It belonged to Selene."
"Give it to me," I said with a trembling voice.
"You can have it."
Hope seemed to flash inside me. Then he smiled once more.
"Come and take it."
The whole courtyard felt tensed. Lucien moved one step forward.
"If you move another inch..."
Malachar interrupted him with a laugh.
"You gonna kill me?"
"No."
Lucien's golden eyes flashed.
"I will make you wish I had."
For the very first time, Malachar's smile stopped. Just for a second, then it came back.
"I almost forgot. You're still protective."
His eyes turned back to me.
"Tell me, Aria... Has he told you why he refuses to leave your side?"
I frowned.
"What?"
Malachar chuckled as he seemed entertained.
"I see. So he hasn't."
Lucien's voice grew dangerously quiet.
"Enough."
"She ought to be aware, though."
"She will hear nothing from you."
"Oh, I think she should."
Malachar stared straight into my eyes.
"The Lycan King is not protecting you out of charity."
A knot formed in my stomach.
"What are you saying?"
Lucien kept quiet. He was too quiet. Malachar's smile grew bigger.
"Twenty years ago... Lucien made a promise."
I looked at Lucien.
"What promise?"
His jaw tightened.
"Lucien?"
He would not meet my eyes. I felt something sink within me.
Malachar murmured lightly.
"He promised your mum... That if she passed away... H would become your mate."
The words shocked me like a lightning strike. I watched Lucien, unable to think or breathe.
It was not possible. Kael was my mate. Wasn't he?
Lucien at last turned to look at me. His expression held something I had never seen before. It held regret.
"Aria... I was going to tell you."
Before I had a chance to answer, the pendant in Malachar's hand suddenly began glowing. A deep c***k split the ground beneath our feet.
Lucien looked toward the heaven.
"No..."
I followed his gaze. The clouds above the castle had turned blood-red. And something enormous, something far larger than Vaeros, was beginning to emerge.
- Writer
