The Deal With The Devil
600 Words
Ariana sat frozen, her pulse hammering in her ears.
Rahaan was dead.
Her vision blurred. Her breathing turned shallow. The words kept echoing in her head, but they didn’t feel real.
She grabbed onto the edge of the nearest chair, her nails digging into the leather.
“No,” she whispered. “That’s not possible. He was—he was fine.”
Dante’s gaze never left her. His expression was unreadable, but there was something dark lingering in his eyes.
“Ariana—”
“No!” she snapped, stepping back. “You did this.”
Dante exhaled, running a hand through his dark hair. “I told you to stay away from him.”
Her stomach twisted. The way he said it—so calm, so certain.
“You killed him,” she choked out. “Didn’t you?”
Dante didn’t answer immediately. He studied her, his expression careful.
Ariana’s throat tightened. She felt like she was standing on the edge of a cliff, about to fall.
“I warned you,” Dante finally said.
Her hands clenched into fists. “That’s not an answer!”
Dante took a slow step forward. “You think I wanted this?” His voice was low, steady. Too steady.
Ariana didn’t know what to believe anymore.
All she knew was that Rahaan was gone.
And Dante—Dante was still here.
The realization slammed into her like a fist.
Rahaan had been the only good thing left in her world.
And now, he was dead.
Because of Dante.
Something inside her snapped.
She lunged at him, slamming her fists against his chest. “You ruined my life!” she screamed. “You took everything from me!”
Dante caught her wrists effortlessly, his grip firm. “Ariana—”
“Don’t touch me!” she sobbed, struggling against him.
But Dante didn’t let go. He pulled her closer, his grip like iron.
“Listen to me.” His voice was sharp now, cutting through her hysteria. “Rahaan was going to die either way.”
Her body stiffened.
His words sliced through her like a blade.
“What?” she breathed.
Dante’s jaw tightened. “He got involved with the wrong people. I told you before—he was a liability.”
Ariana shook her head. “No. No, you’re lying.”
Dante sighed, his hands still wrapped around her wrists. “Think, Ariana. Who do you think put the target on him?”
Her stomach dropped.
Rahaan’s accident. Mira’s betrayal.
Nothing made sense anymore.
Dante leaned in, his lips brushing against her ear. “You want the truth, Angel?” His voice was dark, hypnotic. “The people after you… they were going to use him against you.”
Ariana’s pulse spiked.
Dante released her, stepping back. “You can hate me all you want,” he murmured. “But if I hadn’t intervened, you’d be dead right now. And so would he.”
Ariana sucked in a shaky breath.
Dante’s words were suffocating. Suffocating because part of her knew he was right.
Rahaan had been an easy target. She had been the real prize.
And Dante…
Dante had been controlling this game from the beginning.
Her knees felt weak.
Dante exhaled, watching her reaction carefully. “You can cry, you can scream, but the truth doesn’t change. You’re in my world now. And in my world, people who are weak—die.”
Ariana’s breath hitched.
Because, for the first time, she realized something terrifying.
Dante wasn’t the villain in this story.
He was the only thing keeping her alive.
- Writer
