Cahira

Chapter 14 - Danton

  He raises his hand, placing the dark rose between us. I raise my hand to touch it, wondering if that's what he wants me to do, but right before my finger touches its petal the flower becomes ash. Literally. In one moment it is a dark rose in the next nothing more than ash carried away by the wind.

  I scream and stumble back, almost falling inside the well. But Danton catches me, preventing me from doing so and placing me on my feet again. I try to avoid his touch the best I can considering our current proximity.

  "Don't be afraid. I can't hurt you," he says pointing at the bracelet Katherine gave me.

  "What... What do you want?" I shutter, trying to stop trembling

  "I've already told you. I want to tell you a secret."

  "And how did the destroyed flower help doing that?" I can't show that I am afraid. The vampire that attacked me during the night taught me that. He was enjoying my fear far more than anything else. If Danton is as crazy as him, he is probably enjoying it too.

  "Considering your lovely reaction, little bird, I assume you'd never seen this power working before."

  I remain silence, doing my best to keep my body still, without trembling. I am not afraid, I can't be. Because that's what he wants and I can't give him that. If nothing else, I am sure I can't give him, give this mysterious vampire that's clearly Dominic's twin and still so different from him, what he wants.

  He smiles a little, a cold smile that shows no trace of amusement. "So Dominic didn't show you that. What a shame. Maybe you could have understood alone what I am going to tell you..."

  "What do you mean?"

  "Little bird, did you see what happened to the rose? How it was destroyed?"

  How couldn't I? He destroyed it right in front of me! "Yes."

  "That's a power that is inside me, that's part of me. And inside my brother's body as well. It is part of Dominic as well. A part of us beams for destruction, is made for nothing but it. A part of us is pure darkness threatening to raise the surface and destroy everything it touches."

  "What does that mean?"

  "You haven't understood yet?" He chuckles. "We are made to destroy, dear little bird. We are not made to love. Love and destruction can not be together, don't work well together. If you want to destroy everything how can you afford to love anything?"

  "That's not how love works." He is insinuating Dominic doesn't love me, that his feelings are a lie. That I trusted a liar once again.

  He shakes his head. "You don't understand, little bird. Love is a pure emotion, too pure to exist inside a body where so much darkness lives. Did you ever try to place a flame inside a glass, giving it no oxygen? It will burn, fight to keep its light. But eventually the lack of oxygen will be stronger and it'll die, the light will disappear. Love does the same inside us. It tries to lighting the dark, to make a path out of it. But the darkness is stronger, way too stronger, little bird. And will destroy the love just like it destroyed the rose, turn it into ashes that will be vanished by the wind."

  "You are lying." He can't be telling the truth. Dominic is not like that. Dominic is kind and sweet. Dominic is my friend, the person I love and I trust with all my heart. I can't have made a mistake. Danton is lying. But why?