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Chapter Fifty-One: A Toast to Deception Pt 4
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Codename: Aconite Chapter Fifty-Two: A Toast to Deception Pt 5
Sathariel stares at me, skin sickly grey and dripping with sweat, his eyes wide with fury and his body shaking as he leans on the table. “Kill her!” he snarls, deadly intent shining in his eyes. With a serene smile on my face, I tap my finger on the table, then clench it into a fist. A moment later one of Sathariel’s men drops to the floor, the pristine white furniture now redecorated with his brain matter, the other guards looking at his corpse in surprise as he lays on the floor, blood spilling from a bullet-size hole in his forehead. I’m sure the back of his head looks even worse. “Even think of pointing those guns at me and you’ll be joining your friend before you can even lift your arms,” I warn, glancing over at Sathariel’s men. “You might be good, but my guy is better.” They look from Sathariel to me then to the window and after a moment’s pause, they take a step back, lowering their weapons. “Are you crazy? Do your jobs and fucking kill her!” Castor screams, but no one pa
Codename: Aconite Chapter Fifty-Three: A Vow of Forever Pt 1
Topaz eyes watch me with hesitation as Athena and I circle each other slowly, the plastic mat beneath our feet crunching under each slow step we take. I twist my hands around my staff, tightening my grip as I assess Athena’s poor hand positioning.Quickly I strike to the right, and although her body language is tense with apprehension, she successfully blocks my strike, the sound of our two weapons colliding resounding around the room. Without pausing I strike to the left, but she quickly manages to block me again. She has better reflexes than she thinks, but she doubts herself. She’s so focused on anticipating pain and being overpowered that it’s keeping her on the defensive.I hold both ends of the staff and thrust forward, aiming for her torso. She scrunches her eyes tight, pushing her staff out to block me, and though she’s successful her relying on luck to get her through is starting to aggravate me. I shift my hands, grasping the centre of the staff as I swing it down towards he
Codename: Aconite Chapter Fifty-Four: A Vow of Forever Pt 2
I tuck my sunglasses into my shirt as I stare at the modest, Brâncovanian style castle before me, its terracotta-coloured stone almost glowing in the light of the afternoon sun. The bees are buzzing as they fly from flower to flower in this charming garden that reminds me of something pulled out of Alice in Wonderland. I expect a deck of cards to pop out with cans of paint to paint the roses red.“What do you think?” asks Silas, coming to stand beside me.I look towards him, his face calm and serene as he looks upon his family home. Home being the keyword. The size and status of this stone structure means nothing compared to the memories he has made inside its walls. This is his home, and I can tell how happy he is to be back.I smile, taking his hand in mine. “It’s not at all what I was expecting, but it’s absolutely beautiful.”“I was hoping you’d like it,” he says, a giddy ere to his voice. He almost looks child-like in this moment, and although it’s a side to him I never even thoug
Codename: Aconite Chapter One: Aconite pt 1
I drum my glossy red fingernails along the patent leather steering wheel as two guards take a painstakingly long time to scan my car for explosives. If they take any longer I’ll be the one exploding. I was busy cultivating my batch of nerium oleander – more commonly known as oleander – a strikingly beautiful flower that is extremely deadly from root to petal due to containing lethal cardiac glycosides known as oleandrin and neriine. However, I was interrupted by a call from Uncle Dimitris begging me for a favour. As my favourite uncle, I couldn’t say no, but then again, no one says no to the most powerful νονοί in Athens. With my car finally cleared, the gates in front of me open and I am ushered through. I step on the gas and begin weaving through the familiar winding road umbrellaed by Mediterranean Cyprus trees. The road eventually opens to an expansive gravel driveway filled with cars all parked in neat rows, which alerts me to the meeting going on inside. I can even see my fath
Codename: Aconite Chapter Two: Aconite pt 2
The moment I enter, twelve heads turn in my direction, some looking displeased to see me, but I couldn’t care less. Each man is seated around a large oval mahogany table, in a dimly lit room just big enough to fit them all in. At the head of the table is Uncle Dimitris. His dark blue eyes focus on me, but he does nothing to acknowledge my presence. He’s 54, with a slim-toned build that comes up to 6’1. His salt and pepper hair is flat to his head but slightly swept to the side revealing the lines of age etched into his forehead. His trimmed salt and pepper beard hides his pointed jawline and almost disguises his olive-toned skin. It’s even more toned down due to the long-sleeved black button-down shirt he’s wearing that becomes taught as he leans his elbow on the arm of his chair. Sitting to his right at the table is my favourite man in the whole wide world. Mihalis Hatzis, my father. My father and Uncle Dimitris look like they could be brothers, but they share no blood. They are fam
Codename: Aconite Chapter Three: Avenging Angel Pt 1
I watch with satisfaction as the cleaners wrap up Zephyr’s body to carry his worthless carcass out of the meeting room. The men slowly slink out one at a time, glancing at Zephyr’s face frozen and contorted in a state of agony as the cleaners zip the body bag closed. Some men’s eyes fill with contempt for their traitorous brethren, while others fill with trepidation. It’s the trepidation that concerns me. Contempt tells me they feel he got what he deserved. Trepidation means they think they could be next, and that begs the question… what have they done to make them fear such retaliation? As the last of the men leaves the room, Dimitris walks over and places a gentle hand on my shoulder, once again giving it a firm squeeze as he looks at me with appreciative eyes. “I know I keep giving you my thanks, but I am truly grateful for everything you’ve done,” he says with deep sincerity. “Don’t mention it. What’s family for if not to torture and kill your enemies?” I ask playfully, earning
Codename: Aconite Chapter Four: Avenging Angel Pt 2
As soon as the men have moved out of sight, I slide down against the door, sitting on the floor and crossing my legs. “Hello, Athena. I know it’s been a long time since we talked. Your father thought maybe you’d feel comfortable talking to me, and as much as I’d love it if you did, there’s no pressure to do so. You don’t even have to open the door,” I assure her, leaning my head back against the reinforced barrier keeping us apart. I continue to keep an ear out to listen for movement coming from the other side to gage if she’s receptive or not, but so far I hear no movement coming from inside. But that could be from all the extra security her father has put into her room. It seems that in attempting to keep her safe he’s unintentionally turned her bedroom into a cell, and it’s not certain if it’s designed to keep people out or to keep her in. “Your father wants so badly to protect you, but we both know it’s a bit late for that. He thinks he can shield you from further pain, but you
Codename: Aconite Chapter Five: Sweat On Leather pt 1
After an hour of watching Athena sleep, I felt it was safe to carefully remove myself from under her frail frame. I slowly replace my body with a pillow and bundle her up making sure she’s secure and then quietly exit her room, closing the door behind me. I give a nod of acknowledgement to Athena’s diligent bodyguards down the hall, who both nod with a look of relief and appreciation on their faces. To their credit, they are good men and would lay down their lives for Athena. They’re probably as happy as I am that she let me in and managed not to scream. Hopefully she’ll start to improve and when she’s strong enough I can start training her just as my mother trained me, only with some upgrades. I was hoping to see my father again before I left, but I can’t seem to track him down and I don’t feel like staying around here longer than I have to, especially when I have botanicals that need my attention. So, instead, I make my way back to my car stopping at a full-length mirror to give my
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- Codename: Aconite Chapter Fifty-One: A Toast to Deception Pt 4
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