The King of Darkness | ✔️

Chapter Three

My eyes meet the maid's but she quickly averts her gaze. Darian appears out of thin air and I step back at the sight. His red eyes glow in the dimly lit room and my heart is beating so quickly I fear it may explode. My palms begin to sweat and I hate myself for letting him affect me this much.

"I heard voices being raised... I came to see what the commotion was," his voice sends a shiver down my spine and I release a shaky breath.

"Nothing worth mentioning," I shrug and those red eyes bore into mine.

"Not even the part where you wished to be killed... or was it the part where you said that I would be delighted to kill you? That seems worth mentioning to me," he smirks and I turn away from him but soon regret it.

A darkness swirls around me and I try to sift my way through it but it seems as though there is no end. "You're sick... whatever you're doing, stop it," I spit and hear a low chuckle.

"No one turns their back on me and lives to tell the story," his voice echoes around me. I can't seem to rid myself of the darkness, can't seem to find even a speck of light.

"Don't you have better things to do other than torture me?" I huff and try to calm my breathing. It's as though I am looking through closed eyes and I haven't a clue where I am. Whether I am still in my room or if his darkness has taken me someplace else.

"I was planning on having a nice dinner with you but you don't seem too keen on it," his voice moves around me and it's like he is everywhere but nowhere.

"Why on earth would I want to have dinner with you?" I scoff and his laugh flows through the darkness.

"Why on earth would you think that you have a choice?" his voice slowly becomes clearer and I see a flicker of light before me. My breathing finally calms and I step into the light.

Something feels different but I don't know what. My eyes meet with my figure in the mirror and the breath is knocked out of me. Tears burn in my eyes from the fury I feel.

My brown hair cascades down my back, the black gown from earlier now clinging to my body. I can't deny that I look effortlessly beautiful but for him to take away the last thing I had of my court is crossing the line.

I glare at him in the mirror but find his eyes raking up and down my body instead.

"I will escort you to the dining hall," he says, casually, as if he didn't just use his filthy powers to undress me. I shoot him daggers through my gaze and he laughs. "Don't look at me like that, darling, otherwise we will have more pressing matters on our hands," his voice is void of any emotion.

"I don't need an escort. I can walk perfectly fine by myself, thank you," I cross my arms and his darkness begins swirling again until I am pushed towards him by them. Darian then holds out his arm for me but I act as though I didn't see it until I am forced, yet again, to lace my arm around his.

"I suppose that's how you always get your way... through brutal force," I scoff and he shakes his head as the maid opens the door for us.

"I don't take not getting my own way very well," Darian says as he leads me through the door and down the hallway. At least he is self-aware, that's one good thing about him.

"You don't say," I sigh and we continue our walk to the dining hall. As much as I try, I can't get my mind off of Easton and what they have done with him. "What did you do with Easton?" I question and I feel Darian tense beside me.

"You're quite fond of him aren't you," he says and I clear my throat.

"I don't know what you mean... he is a guard that is largely favoured by my family," I shrug and Darian scoffs beside me.