#9
1017 Words
Aria.
I didn't stop running until my back hit the cold wall of the corridor far from the dungeons, my chest heaving with every ragged breath I pulled in.
My hands wouldn't stop shaking.
I had seen death before. Living in a rogue town for three years meant that violence was never far away. But nothing — nothing — could have prepared me for what I had just witnessed. That woman had looked me directly in the eyes before swallowing that pill. Like she was making peace with her decision. Like she had already accepted what was coming.
Who had that kind of power over someone?
Who could make a person choose death over speaking?
He did.
Eryx.
I had looked at him and seen a killer.
"Dump the body" He said in the most coldest way possible without even battling an eyelash. He could do the same to us too.
I straightened up immediately and wiped my face with the back of my hand. Damon and Diana were with Freya back in the small quarters assigned to the lower maids.
They were safe. They were fine. I needed to get back to them before they noticed how long I had been gone and started panicking.
I pulled my uniform straight, tucked a loose strand of red hair back under my cap and started walking like nothing had happened. Head down. Steady steps. Invisible.
That was the goal. Be invisible.
It took me longer than I would have liked to find my way back through the winding corridors of the palace. Everything looked the same — tall stone walls, gold fixtures, carpets so thick my feet sank into them with every step.
I finally found the staircase that led down to the lower quarters and had just placed my foot on the first step when a hand wrapped around my wrist from behind.
I spun around with a sharp gasp, already preparing to fight —It was Talia.
Up close, she was even more striking than I remembered. Sharp green eyes, high cheekbones and a smile that never quite reached anywhere genuine.
"Selena," she said my fake name slowly, rolling it around her mouth like she already knew it wasn't real. "You and I need to have a little conversation."
"With respect my lady, I have duties to attend to," I said, keeping my voice completely flat.
"Your duties can wait," she said pleasantly, tightening her grip just enough to make the point. "Walk with me."
It wasn't a request.
She led me through a side corridor I hadn't noticed before, away from the main halls and the other maids moving about with their trolleys and linens.
The further we walked the quieter it became until it was just the two of us and the distant sound of wind pressing against the stone walls.
She stopped and turned to face me, folding her hands neatly in front of her.
"I can't read you." she said, tilting her head. "The others keep their heads down and scurry about. But you — you walked straight up to the Alpha and smirked at him. I had expected you to run far away... but I see you're different..." She smiled. "That takes either extraordinary confidence or extraordinary stupidity."
"I meant no disrespect to the Alpha," I said carefully.
"No, of course not," she agreed far too easily. "And yet he chose you specifically for his chambers. Out of all the maids present." She took a slow step towards me. "Interesting, isn't it?"
I said nothing.
"I'm going to be very direct with you Aria, because I think you're smart enough," she continued, her green eyes never leaving mine. "Whatever you think you are doing here, stop. Whatever you think is going to happen between you and the Eryx, it won't. He has a path already chosen for him and a woman already chosen to walk it beside him. That woman is not you."
She was talking about herself.
I almost laughed. If only she knew that the last thing I wanted was Eryx. That I had come here to steal his blood and disappear into the night. That I would hand her the throne with a bow on top if it meant keeping my children safe.
But I couldn't say any of that.
"I understand, my lady," I said quietly.
She studied me for a long moment, clearly searching for something in my expression. I gave her nothing.
"Good," she finally said, stepping back.
"Then we understand each other." She walked away without another word, her heels clicking against the stone floor in perfect, measured rhythm.
I waited until the sound completely disappeared before I let out the breath I had been holding.
My hands were shaking again — not from fear this time. From fury.
She had come to my home. She had threatened my children with those same perfectly manicured hands and that same pleasant smile.
She had looked me in the eye that day and told me she gets work done smoothly and silently — and now she stood here playing the gracious noblewoman.
I thought about Damon and Diana sleeping soundly tonight, completely unaware of the woman walking these very halls who had once sent men after them.
I thought about how easily she had smiled.
I clenched my jaw and started walking back towards the lower quarters.
Get the blood. Protect the children. Leave.
That was all that mattered. That was the only thing that mattered. I repeated it to myself with every step.
By the time I reached the door of our small quarters and heard Diana's muffled giggles from inside, my breathing had steadied.
I pushed the door open and Diana launched herself at me immediately, nearly knocking me off my feet.
"Mummy!! Damon said I talk too much!!"
"You do talk too much," Damon said from the corner, not even looking up.
I held Diana tightly and pressed my lips to the top of her head, closing my eyes.
Get the blood. Protect the children. Leave.
I could do this.
I had to.
- Writer
