“Let's make a deal.” She stared at the golden-haired man before her. It shared the same colour, a burning flame, and his piercing golden eyes burned with an intensity that was similar to fire.This was him, Asaiah, the legendary King of Dragons. Yet she wasn't afraid of him. Even when she was in his space. She was curious about one thing though. How he got to know that she wasn't who she appeared to be. “I see you've come in the form of an old maid. Quite impressive,” Asaiah started. “Now as impressive as your form would be,” she answered, her voice thick and laced with something dangerous. Something he was yet to understand. “We have not come here to fight or argue with you. We were hoping to strike a deal with you. Perhaps we can help each other,” Asaiah told her. A small chuckle fell off her lips and for a moment, he felt insulted. None of his men would ever dare laugh in his face. “I'm sorry, I just find it amusing that you think you can actually help me,” she said with a g
/-Declan-/My head was pounding by the time I woke. It was surprising to wake up, especially with the way Rolfe was panicking earlier. However, I didn't remember how I got to the bed. My body felt weak and tired and my face was surprisingly burning. I touched the nape of my neck and as expected, I was running a temperature. Which was why my whole body felt like I was in a flame. I suppose it was good, considering the sickness eating me inside out, but it didn't feel good. Even in the slightest. The migraine that followed it almost drove me crazy.“I should really get those injections,” I muttered.‘At least you're alive to do it,’ Rolfe huffed. ‘If I didn't take over, you would be dead from high blood pressure.’“If you didn't pull off that stunt, I believe I would be perfectly fine!” I hissed and that shut him up. I was still angry with him and I didn't want him to forget that. We weren't on speaking terms yet, so the last thing he should expect from me should be appreciation. I
/-Raven-/I don't remember much of what happened, but seeing Declan underneath me, cushioning the fall, was shocking. Wasn't he the one that just pushed me off? To be fair, it was Rolfe I saw, but it didn't really take out the image in my head. They were the same person and I wasn't sure if I was angry or not. Was Rolfe so wild that he got anything he wanted without Declan's permission?If that was so, then the bathroom thing could have all been him. I didn't even know if to stay angry or not. I got off him to check if he was okay. That was a very terrible fall and having him grab me like that in midair was totally unexpected.My heart stopped almost immediately at the sight of his blood-soaked shirt.“Declan?” I shook him slightly but his eyes remained closed. My heart was racing as anxiety seeped through me. Did he hit something while falling? Was he badly injured?“Declan! Please open your eyes… can you hear me?” I shook him but there was still no response from him. I didn't e
/-RAVEN-/“This is not a joke, Raven,” Asaiah pointed out. “If I remember clearly, you had your men abduct me, drug me and bring me here against my will and now, you just expect me to accept you are my mate simply because you said so?” I asked him. His expression fell. He knew I was right. Good for him, maybe now, he would let me go. “I think I understand what the problem is now. You don't fully understand who you are. That is why you are finding it difficult to accept this,” he said instead and I stared at him in shock. What did he mean by that? I knew who I was. A wolfless fire-breathing assassin who just happened to release fire anytime she was having an adrenaline rush. No big deal. “I will help you understand who you are. I am certain that by the time you realize you are a vital part of our existence and how powerful you are, IronClaw would be a mere distraction,” he said. I was stunned for a minute. “Okay, let's take this slow…” I started as calmly as I could manage. “My
/-Hannah-/“How is he, doc?” Tim asked. “Responding to treatments. He is still unconscious but he will be fine. We'll neutralise the poison,” He answered. Relief washed through me. I was glad that the fall didn't kill him, that would have been horrifying. As I stared at him, I tried to pick up his breathing. He looked so white that he could pass for a corpse and his lips had gone completely blue. “Thank you, Doc. Please do your best for him,” Tim said. “Definitely.” Tim signalled Francesca and I to leave the room with him. “Thank you, Tim. Without you, we would never be allowed to see him,” Francesca said with an air of gratitude. I nodded in agreement. We came earlier to see him as soon as we heard what happened but the doctor's denied us access until Tim showed up and took us in with him.“You're welcome, my Lady. I would have allowed you to stay longer but the Elders are coming and they… well, it's jsut tough to be around them when they are paranoid.” “So what about Raven?”
/-Raven-/He didn't let me out of his sight. Even for a second. It was as if he knew I was planning to escape.When he wasn't with me, he had guards stationed outside my room and they followed me everywhere I wanted to go. I couldn't just attack them because you know… they were fire-wielders and all… fuck, dragons! Whatever they called themselves. I didn't know what they were fully capable of but it was absolutely foolish to underestimate them. So I sat in my room, thinking of another way. My windows were barred, which means no escaping for me.Just then, there was a knock and the door opened to reveal a group of servants. The maids marched into my room, each carrying a set of clothes, jewelries and shoes. But it wasn't the gifts that caught my attention. It was their dressing style. Long white gowns with beady veils falling across their faces. Even the maids who came to serve me food dressed the same, only that their dress was blue.An idea crossed my mind immediately. “My lady,
/-Raven-/I turned around to meet those fierce amber orbs. I should have locked in, maybe I would have had a bigger chance of perfecting my escape. Or not.“Fine! You caught me!” I said dryly. Asaiah strolled to me, “Care for a walk?” “Outside the palace? Yes,” I answered. He walkd ahead without offering a response to my sarcasm. I eventually followed him.“What do we do to make this place more comfortable for you?” He asked and I stared almost blankly at him. “I don't want a situation where your movements will be restricted because you are always planning to escape.” “If you're not going to let me see Declan, I advise you stop wasting your breath because even if you keep me in chains in my room, I will never stop fighting to get back to him,” I shrugged.His steps faltered and I knew my words hit him hard. I wanted to apologize but he was my abductor, so… no thanks. “Fine then!” He said suddenly, catching me off guard. “I will let you see Declan but on one condition.” The littl
/-Raven-/“I understand you want to see him, Raven, but trust me, now is not a good time. We will see him later, just not now, please,” Tim pleaded. “Come with me to the barracks.” “Why?” I asked him. “Won't your soldiers try to hunt me?” “You once hid in the barracks and no one had any idea you were there. You can do it again. I just need to get you a costume. You stay in my room because no one else has access to it,” he said and I nodded. “Wait here…” he instructed and I nodded. “I'm serious, Raven. Don't move an inch or you're dead meat.” “I won't…” I could barely recognize my own voice as I spoke. I remained in the dark corner, waiting for him to come back. A few minutes later, I heard footsteps approaching and I assumed it was him. I was going to step out of the dark when Hannah and Lisa stopped right in front of my hiding spot. I shifted further into the dark to prevent them from seeing me. Wasn't this the Lisa that they said escaped? What was she doing with Hannah?To be
/-Taylor-/“What the hell happened here?” I demanded. I stopped by at the hospital to take a look at my sisters and all I met was chaos. They were still on life support, thankfully but there was something new. Both of them had inscriptions on their hands that read, STAY OFF MINE.A slow, burning rage ignited in my chest as I stared at the message carved into their skin. My jaw clenched, my fists curling so tightly that my nails bit into my palms.Kai.This had his name written all over it.I turned to the guard stationed outside the door, my voice dangerously quiet. “Who was here?”The man hesitated, sweat forming at his temples. “Sir, it was…”“Spit it out,” I snapped, stepping closer.“Kai Alloway,” he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper.The room seemed to shrink around me. The walls, the beeping machines, the sterile scent of antiseptic, it all blurred as red-hot fury clouded my vision.Kai had walked into my space. Had gotten past my men. Had touched my sisters.I exhale
/-Skylar-/My first thought when I arrived at the mansion was to ask Kai about the painting but thinking about Mario's words again, I decided against it. Kai was nobody but my annoying boss, nothing more. He wasn't in when I checked so I headed to my room for a long shower. After showering, my head felt clearer now and I began thinking about the events of the day. Lisa said they were two women, one of them being Amelia so who was the other one and why on earth would they be working together?I tried to think of all my possible enemies back then and my enemies now to see if they atleast shared the same qualities. I started with myself and unfortunately, I was in no way similar to Skylar. From everything Ava told me, we didn't share a single thing in common. I thought about Lisa and Sally. The were almost the same. Cunny, mischievous and very obsessed with Declan. Then I thought about Kai and Declan. Declan used to be a womaniser before I met him. He had many mistresses, and Kai w
/-Kai-/I wasn't one to start a fight.However, I didn't mind bringing down hell on anyone who dared to touch my property and in this case, that property was Skylar. There was simply no way I was just going to stand back and watch Taylor lay a hand on Skylar and get away with it. A rational part of me still insisted that I was going too far. I barely knew this woman and yet, I was here, ready to rage a war with Taylor for her sake. “Sir, are you sure about this?” Anders asked. “What happened? Are you getting cold feet already? You were the one who said you hated seeing her like that, right?” I shrugged. “So you're doing this because of what I said?” He raised a brow. I knew he was baiting me but I wasn't going to give in to his antics and actually confess that seeing her battered made my heart tug in ways I'd rather not experience. “What are you waiting for? Let's go in,” I said, opening the car door. “What are we really going in there to do? The last time he came, he said his
/-Skylar-/Ten seconds passed and I was still staring at the girl that used to be in utter shock. I looked at her in confusion and then at Mario, who didn't understand seem to understand what was going on. “How… how did you get this?” I asked her. A small smile played on her lips. “I'm guessing it finally found it's owner, huh? Selling close to a division house does have it's advantages. That would be $7.20 please.” I was even more confused. “I'm not talking about the price. How do you know her? Who are you?” I asked, taking a step closer to her. Her smile immediately vanished as she slowly stepped back. She seemed frightened like I was threatening her or something. “What are you doing, Skylar? You're scaring her,” Mario held me back but I shrugged his hand off. “I asked a question,” I said icily. “Fine! You're right. It's just my imagination. I have a very creative mind and…”“Bullshit!” I cut her short. “The details are way too accurate for it to be some imagination. Who th
/-Skylar-/I didn't know what to expect now.The artist being a woman was a whole game-changer. Now, I couldn't possibly guess who she was and I knew there was no way Declan would be reborn in a woman's body, right?But then again, I couldn't just jump to conclusions. “Can you take me to her?” I asked him. “I told you it was about a year ago. There is no guarantee that Sally will still be there,” he groaned.“Mario please…” I tried begging. “I have already told you who she is but I am not obligated to take you to her. You know her name, find her yourself,” he said. Wow! I guess we're doing this the hard way then. “Fine! Since you won't tell me, I better just head home and tell your boss that I went somewhere interesting today,” I shrugged and his expression immediately changed. “Are you threatening me?” He frowned. “Why should I? It's called accountability. I'm just going to go back home and tell Kai all about where I've been and who the tour guide was unless, of course, you ar
/-Skylar-/She sat there looking all bossy and authoritative, her legs crossed. The arrogance in her stance made me want to turn and walk right out of the door. “Ma'am, she's here,” the guard bowed. I glanced at him, wondering why I even agreed to get into the car with him in the first place. Maybe I should have questioned him properly but I desperately needed information on that artist and now, I was being forced to face a woman who believes I am sleeping with her husband. Ex-husband, to be precised. “Good job, Mario,” she nodded in approval then to me, she signalled to have a seat. I sat down just as she asked. “I assume you know who I am,” she said with an air of arrogance like she was royalty. Now I wish I hadn't met her earlier, I would have gladly told her no, just to see her reaction. “I know that you are owing my husband a huge sum of money which is why you are forced to stay by his side,” Gwendolyn went on while I stared with a blank face. “What if I told you that I wil
/-Skylar-/I groaned, burying my head in the pillow. I knew he had no control but couldn't he at least use a soundproof room, especially since he was bringing screamers. Three long hours of torture and my ears finally got a break. Just when I thought I could get some sleep for myself, a knock came to my door and I groaned inwardly. What now?I marched to the door with annoyance. It was one of the bodyguards. “The boss said you should clean up,” he informed me. “Are we going somewhere?” I asked him. He looked at me as if I was the dumbest person to ever exist. “Not that. He wants you to send the girls away,” he said and I wanted to scream. “He could make them scream down and entire building but he can't send them off himself?” I huffed. The guard's expression remained stoic. “Should I tell him that?” I shot him a glare. “No.” I walked out of them room, slamming the door shut behind me with annoyance. I marched to his room to three girls, passed out on the floor. He was by the
/-Gwendolyn-/My fingernails clinked idly against the cup as I sat there thinking about the woman I saw Kai with. Was she the one he was looking for? The reason he wouldn't give me a chance? But she introduced herself as his assistant and…“Don't be stupid, Gwen! What kind of assistant wears that kind of dress? They were most likely coming from somewhere and I was sure as hell that he bought her that dress. Even if she wasn't the one, he was definitely fucking her. And I hated it. Cheap gold-diggers trying to take away my man from me.I lifted the glass to my lips and took a long sip. He wouldn't take me back just because I was sleeping around and signed that he should be taken off life support. Anyone would have done the same. I was just trying to save money. For all I know, he could have died. What difference does it make? I would have raised the kids alone like I am doing now. The door suddenly opened, interrupting my train of thoughts. “Ma'am, you sent for me,” Mario bowed.
/-Skylar-/“Are you blind?” I blurted before even realizing it. I was pissed and tired and bleeding from every possible part of my skin and all the bastard could do was complain about how much money I made him lose?Kai's expression harden. “I will advise you watch your fucking tone when talking to me!”“You are pissed about my tone? Did you hear yourself speak to me? What kind of psycho are you? Someone walks, bleeding and all you can do is whine about your little illegal business?” I seethed. “I'll be inside!”I made to move but his words stopped me. “Don't you dare take another step forward!” He growled. The guards were alert now, caught up in the little drama. “I'd like to see you stop me!” I hissed and walked right inside. Surprisingly, the jerk didn't come after me. I headed to my room and locked the door. As much as I would love to go anywhere but here, I didn't exactly have anywhere else to go. Nowhere that Taylor wouldn't find me at least. “Taylor Macaulay,” I spat the na