Chapter 7

DAHLIA :

I definitely didn’t want to think about how hard I had to bite my own lip to keep quiet. Or how obvious it was that I wanted to kill him, but I never killed anyone with my own hands. As I heard the door unlock and the man turned his head checking the sound, I swiftly grabbed his head from his chin throwing him on the ground. When he tried to grab his weapon that I kicked away, the knife I got from a guard was on his throat, faster than his words.

“Surprised?” I asked sweetly. “A move and your head might be away.”

I placed my foot on his chest, pressing down a little to remind him that he was at my mercy. “I am done with being polite. Now, move there,” I pointed at the office with my chin, his face pale.

“C’mon. I can’t move with your leg over me. Am I really to believe you’d harm me?”

“You once told me I could only lower my head… I am doing it right now, to look at your disgusting face. Remember karma always plays fair.” My voice was absolutely charming.

He attempted to get up but I pressed down harder. In the end, I let him move to the office. I picked the rope he tied me with earlier and did the same he did for me. “What are you going to do? I am afraid I don’t being tied.”

“I didn’t like it either, earlier. But you didn’t listen even when I begged you,” I let my body slump on the chair. “Tell me, where is the thing you used to lock these collars with?”

“Don’t expect me to answer!”

“Are you planning to earn time? Too bad! I am more experienced in these tactics, I am immune against them. So don’t even dream about it!” I examined the room; it took me some time to spot it on the shelf. It was hidden behind a big egg that caught my interest. I picked the remote and accidentally cut my finger letting drops of blood fall on the egg, I didn’t care since I aimed to get this thing over my neck. “Now, you gotta choose between cutting your tongue or your dick. I hate both of them so I won’t be choosy.”

“You gotta be kidding me, I can’t choose; one is my life and the other is my business. Choose another punishment for me.”

“You have quite a loose tongue, I will choose myself,” I crouched next to him and grabbed his dick squeezing it hard. He screamed asking for mercy and I liked it, he deserved everything that happened to him. One moment it was there, the other it was cut and blood welcomed itself outside. “Be kinder the next time.”

What I did next was something I wasn’t proud of. But I had to do it… I had to do it. He deserved it. His face, while I shoved his dick in his mouth, was satisfying. Yet, it pained me. I was becoming more of a villain than a hero.

I thought of the dark-haired man as I hurried outside. I wasn’t mad at him for shooting an arrow at me or poisoning me. It might have come for the better, I survived and it was the best outcome possible. If freeing the others would have hindered my plans, I wouldn’t do so. However, it was a great disturbance. I picked a lit torch from the office and started burning anything I found disposable. When I walked by a girl I found crouching in a corner, I stopped. Did the Lingering get to her mind?

“You are free now. What are you doing here? You need to be with the others.” She clanged to my knees and said. “I don’t know where to go. Please, take me with you.”

“I don’t want to. Be responsible for yourself,” I raised an eyebrow.

“You should be the one to do it since you freed us. I was always a slave, I don’t know anything else.”

“Why should I? I gave you a golden opportunity; one many wished for and couldn’t get,” I stared at her, disgusted. Was it normal for slaves to be this submissive? I didn’t even care for my injuries. Why should I do it for another one? I swallowed my pain, left her behind and moved on.

AURELIA:

I didn’t expect things to go down this path. I didn’t want to meet him again: the one who raised me to be this way. He had a revolver and no one liked it. When I disabled the mechanism, I saw my collar fall, I intended to sneak outside but the man I expected the least was waiting for me outside. I didn’t expect them to predict every last one of our movements! It was sickening and bad. Why did he work for them? Didn’t he hate humans as well as slavery? Wasn’t he an assassin to kill the ones who made his whole family slaves and massacred them? It was frustrating.

Bellek wasn’t alone; he had five guards with him. If he didn’t bring them with him, I would be disappointed. Wasn’t it weird to feel good about the attention he gave to me? I always aspired to impress him. When he abandoned me, I thought I wasn’t good for his plans, but he didn’t have any; he was the dog of a slave dealer now.

Seeing him made me remember I was a guy all in all. The only one who saw through my disguise was Dahlia. I didn’t know how she did it but it wasn’t bad to be found out. She told me her eyes didn’t see the world in layers, that she saw things as they were. She described Lingering and why some people died when they still had time ahead of them. Lingering existed after sucking life. It wasn’t important. I wasn’t possessed by one.

After a flowery dance dodging all the bullets and sliding through furniture, I ended in the kitchen hiding behind a counter. I heard someone keeping a gun somewhere here and it was going to be a handful. If it wasn’t for this wretched land, I would have dominated them simply by glamour. My eyes undressed the whole place and it was right under the sink. Having no weapon in a gunfight was equivalent to death. I pulled my tail closer to me when I heard him coming closer. I was worried; his existence here would make it impossible to escape. He was trained in a war field.

“Isn’t it the cowardice act of all time? Didn’t I show you what happened to a cornered rat? Come out, you filthy succubus. No matter which way you try to run, you’ll get blasted, by me or by my minions.”

“I never expected you to be a lowly dog. Such a shame I dreamt of reaching your height!”

“Umm… I was bored and found something to do. It’s that simple! My life was empty so I raised you. However, you couldn’t fill my requirements so I tossed you. It wasn’t my hobby to entertain cute girls like you. I am disappointed to see you as a sissy.”

“Hobbies? So is blowing our heads and gazing at our brains a hobby of yours?”

I checked the reflection in a bottle of wine. He stood up with two revolvers in his hands. His clothes had leather. Furthermore, I had one shot in the gun. If this continued, I would lose everything. My employer said to save Savascus and bring her to him unscathed. My gold bars! I bleed for you! Better remember that!

“Yeah! My life fulfilment remains in creating troubles. I don’t like following the rules or caring for pathetic slaves. I gave them salvation. Death was better than suffering at the hands of nobles. You used a still breathing slave dying to shield yourself… You are no different from me… You kill when it benefited you.”

“Yeah, I do,” I pivoted the gun on the counter blasting him back.

I darted from my place and jumped on a guard twisting his neck then used his body to push the others. In the end, I smashed a window then jumped down. My feet hurt but it wasn’t time for that. I had to meet with the other two. I found Savascus waiting but no Dahlia.

“Are you alright? It wasn’t hard getting rid of the guards. Dahlia did a great job planning,” she beamed seeing me.

I was confident she wouldn’t come after all the slaves ran and guards started chasing us. I waited. We waited and it was enough. Belled wasn’t someone to miss a hit.

“I don’t think so. I met someone I never expected to meet here. I don’t know what he is planning but it’s better to get out of here. If I wasn’t witty, I would have been a corpse by now.”

“Wouldn’t we wait for more for her?”

I put my hands on her shoulders. “Listen to me Savascus! I truly care about you and I was relieved to see you here. Don’t expect me to do the same for her!” I lifted her bridal style and ran as far as I could from that place.

I wasn’t going to fight Bellek again. I knew him better than I knew myself; he was a dangerous man. His existence here meant he was with someone or keeping an eye on someone and I doubt he was here for Savascus… or me. Who then? I replayed all my memories of the slaves and Dahlia was the only one with oddities. Was I looking too much on this?