Chapter Seventeen (Alexius)
I wasn't going to explain myself to Killian.
It was no use. He wouldn't understand. He didn't spend every single day of his life wondering if someone was going to come into his own house and kill him. He didn't spend every waking moment with his guard up, ready to protect him from everyone. He wasn't treated like a monster, a halfbreed mongrel that was better left for dead.
I had even told him about what Nico had done. The way the brat had stole into my window in the middle of the night and woke me by stabbing me harshly in the gut, twisting the blade and staring down at me with wide, stormy eyes before he fled. Nico had left me there to die and if I hadn't of screamed, my guardian wouldn't have come to heal me.
I told Killian about that, and he still had the nerve to defend this brat to me.
I didn't want to be near Killian right now. My blood was still boiling hotly, flowing like lava in my veins, searing my very flesh. My eyes burned hatefully and I knew I was sneering, but I couldn't care less. It was best everyone knew to keep clear of me.
I came back into the warehouse, pausing as the musty scents inside wafted around me thickly, mingled with Nico's blood and sweat. The room held a bit of an echo as Nico continued to shout and argue with Arachnae, who was very obviously becoming frustrated with Nico's attitude. Nico had always been a spoiled pest, flaunting his family's wealth and popularity carelessly. He had become quite the icon in our village.
And he was about to become the first to experience my wrath.
I walked across the concrete floor, boots thumping heavily and chainmail jingling as I made my way back over to the cage where Nico had instantly backed away. I could tell just by looking at him that my threat from before had made him uneasy. He watched me closely, on total alert and ready to fight me should I try to reach in and grab him. It was like watching a feral dog inside a cage, fighting for its life.
"Marikas has ordered that you remain here," I told him coolly, watching his lip curl back from his fangs threateningly, but I swiftly ignored it and continued, "During your time here, I will ask you questions. If you answer them, your punishment will be less painful. Refuse to answer them, and I will torture you."
"Either way I'm fucked," Nico sneered, "So what's it matter?"
"Well," Arachnae drawled, folding his large arms over his chest, "Would you rather have your fingernails peeled off one by one or have your teeth knocked out one by one?" I glanced at him, then at Nico, who instantly pursed his lips and slid down along the bars to sit on his hands, glaring up at me. I smirked, then stepped back to give him some space. Arachnae did the same, turning to face me, nudging with his head toward the other side of the room. I frowned and followed so we could have more privacy from Nico, but I was pretty sure he could still hear us.
"I'm going to bring our meals here for us to eat to avoid leaving him alone. Stay here," Arachnae added, then paused to give me a hard stare, "And remember what I said. Don't do anything you'll regret." With that, he was leaving the warehouse.
Leaving me alone with Nico.
Part of me wondered if he agreed with Killian, on avoiding unnecessary violence. And that irritated me. There was no unnecessary violence where my species was concerned.
I turned back to Nico, who was slamming his shoulder into the bars, but it did nothing. The bars didn't even bend. In fact, it looked like it was causing more harm to Nico than he to the bars. I smirked, approaching quietly at first until he caught sight of my presence out the corner of his eye. He shot back into the furthest corner, glaring at me. He stopped baring his fangs, however, which meant he'd taken Arachnae's threat about his teeth quite seriously.
"The incubi and succubi don't usually join wars," I started, my voice calm as I peered past the bars at Nico closely, "We're very selfish creatures. What made you join Ethaniao in his battle? What did he offer you in return for your useless services?" Nico ground his teeth behind pursed lips, refusing to answer. I cleared my throat, resting my hand on the handle of my sword, watching Nico's eyes drop to stare at my sword.
"Let's try this again," My voice became cold, deadly; it almost surprised me, "What made you join Ethaniao, what did he offer you?" Nico reminded me of a cornered mouse now as he looked around quickly, as if he'd find some sliver of hope dangling nearby, but there was nothing. Nico and I were alone and even the walls of the warehouse would keep Nico contained. He looked back at me wearily.
"What about you," He returned snarkily, "What did they offer you? It's only fair that you answer my questions if you ask me your own." I barked out a bitter laugh at that, making Nico flinch.
"Only fair, is it? Do you even know what fairness is? No," I drawled, this time withdrawing my sword slowly, letting the metal glide across the holster with a playful shing that made Nico's eyes practically glow with uneasiness, "In fact, fair would be you answering my questions kindly. After all, you're the one who tried to gut me in my own bed. You're the one who threw stones at me when I was in my own yard. You also pushed me into the rose bush on the edge of our property so I had to walk back home with thorns in my feet. I think I also remember you waiting to hit me with sticks, but I never came outside, so you threw them at my window instead and busted the window. My guardian wasn't too happy about that." Nico glared at me.
"You're a monster, I was scared, and I was a child." He seethed past clenched teeth. He was only saying that to save his own life, something that almost made me laugh again, but I caught myself and remained as placid as possible.
"Oh, of course. But I recall you being seventeen when you threw those stones at me." I reminded him, touching the blade of my sword against the bars as I slid it toward Nico's stomach. His eyes flashed and he pressed himself hard against the bars in the furthest corner, but the sword was longer than the cage itself.
"T-That's still a child." Nico protested angrily, watching the sword and trying to suck his stomach in. I smirked, slowly withdrawing the sword. Nico didn't relax as I hoped he would, but I rammed the sword back into the cage anyway and he yelped in shock, jumping up against the bars. The tip of the blade ripped a hole in his shirt, gently tickling the skin of his stomach. A small round circle of dark red blood pooled past his shirt, about the size of a coin. Nico was breathing hard, jerking his head up to glare at me.
"Stop!"
"Why should I? I told you to stop. I recall you taunting me instead. Oh, what was it you said? You'll have to remind me. I tend to forget things." I mused, then reeled the sword back and shoved it into the cage. This time, Nico leapt out of the way, slamming into the bars on the side, seething with rage and terror. I smirked, watching his paranoid eyes flash around desperately for something to help him, but it was no use.
"I'm waiting, Nico." I stated, taking the sword out before shoving it back in, the blade slicing through the back of Nico's shirt and grazing his skin. Nico hissed in pain, pressing up against the bars, arching his back away from the sword.
"I don't remember," Nico snarled, gasping for breath as he tried to avoid the sword, "I really don't! What does it matter anyway!"
"Oh, I think it does. That way, the more you beg me to stop, the more I can repeat everything you told me when I begged you to stop. You came into my room and sank a dagger into my gut."
"Because you're not normal!"
"Oh yeah? Well, I don't think you're very normal either. After all, who crawls into someone's window and stabs a ten-year-old child while they sleep?"
"I already told you why! You should know! You're a monster! How can you not even know?!" Nico shouted, ducking out of the way as I went to ram the side at his leg, but he backed up into the bars, breathing hard. I narrowed my eyes and dropped the sword away, listening to it skitter across the concrete and loose stones before I reached through the bars, grabbing a handful of Nico's hair. He gasped as I drew him back hard, slamming his skull against the bars, wrenching my fingers in his blonde hair. He squirmed, trying to pull away, but I only clenched my grip in his hair tighter, feeling a few strands pull loose around my fingers. I brought my lips near his ear, pausing to take in the scent of his blood and sweat, mingled with the sweet scents of the earth; soil and grass, something pungent that reminded me of the scent back in Kith. It made my heart sink.
"I can't stop," I sneered in his ear, repeating the words he'd so cruelly spat at me, "If I do, you'll continue to poison us with your evil. Shut up and accept your punishment. Die. Rot in the darkest depths of Hell." Nico said nothing, just gritted his teeth against the pain of my fist pulling on his hair, skull grinding against the iron bars. I glared at him and jerked particularly hard, making him gasp in pain.
"I'm pretty sure it went something like that," I seethed, tightening my grip on his hair, watching his expression twist in pain, "So, allow me to repeat all that later when I shove rusty nails under your fingernails and dump you in a hole in the ground full of broken glass."
"You are a monster," Nico gasped in pain, writhing to try and rip his hands free from his bindings, "And you can torture me all you want, but it won't matter! Ethaniao couldn't give a shit about me, or anyone in his army! He's just trying to beat Marikas and Teyuis back into submission and get his sons, Ulric and Alaric, back! It has nothing to do with a civil war! It's just a sibling fight!"
"Well, to be quite honest," I drawled, narrowing my eyes as I watched Nico writhe in pain, "I couldn't care less what this war is about. It's quite obvious why I'm even apart of such a childish fiasco."
"Not really," Nico seethed, gasping for breath as he cringed in pain, "You're just a sick twisted--"
"I would really not insult me right now," I warned darkly, pulling Nico's hair harder, making him gasp, "Because I'm not in the most forgiving of moods. Now, if you answer my questions, I might just allow you to eat a meal before I begin your torture. So speak now. What are you doing with Ethaniao?" Nico gritted his teeth in refusal. I narrowed my eyes, then reached into my chain mail with my free hand, withdrawing one of the daggers out.
The harsh silver blade glinted in the sunlight, making a gentle clicking sound as I held it in my palm, the gold ornate handle fitting perfectly into my palm. I flipped it so I was clenching it in my fist before I held the blade up, running it down the back of Nico's shirt so it fell open.
"What're you doing?" Nico demanded, trying to look behind him, but I jerked his hair again so his head slammed into the bars and he cursed in pain. I ignored his protests and demands, watching the shirt rip away in a perfect straight line, revealing the pale perfect skin beneath. I studied it for a moment, feeling my heart pounding so hard that it felt like it might explode out of my chest.
I finally had my chance. I was going to begin my revenge. The whole reason I had joined into this ridiculous war. I couldn't care less who won and who lost. My main focus was destroying the incubi and succubi. While, it would be nice to win the war, because I could finally gain my place in the world, but if we lost, so be it. I would remain here in Ivacha.
I drew a ragged breath before placing the tip of the blade to Nico's back. He hissed in pain, trying to arch away, but I kept a tight grip on his hair. I dragged the blade down and around, spelling out the word that they seemed to enjoy calling me so very often.
"Monster," I read aloud as I finished, pulling the blade away and finally letting go of Nico's hair, causing him to slump to the bottom fo the cage, "Now we can both be monsters, Nico. And red's really your color." Nico was breathing hard, on his hands and knees, body quivering. Blood ran down his back, staining his shirt and skin as it bled from the jagged word carved into his back.
"It'll heal." Nico managed, grimacing in pain. I smirked.
"Aye, that it will-- But I'll be carving over it every single day for the rest of your miserable existence, so I don't think that's a problem." I told him. Nico growled low in his throat, but didn't retaliate now. He seemed to be fighting the pain in his back. I tucked the dagger away again and walked over, stooping to pick up my sword before shoving it back into its holster. I approached the cage, looking down at Nico, who sat back on his knees, eyes downcast and teeth gritted.
"Don't worry," I told him, "I'm only going to break for a meal. Once I'm finished, I'll give you plenty of attention. I'm already coming up with entertaining plans for us for the rest of the day. I'm sure you'll enjoy it." Nico spat at my feet, glaring up at me past his blonde hair, stormy eyes glowing with hate.
"Fuck you," He managed angrily, "You know, I remember you used to cry whenever we threw rocks at you or pushed you into the lake. You kept telling us you weren't a monster, that you wouldn't hurt anyone and for a time being, I considered leaving you alone because it seemed like that was punishment enough, but now I know the rumors are true. You are a monster. I hope Marikas rips you to pieces after you lose this war."
Irritation boiled hot in my blood and, while a small voice in my head told me not to, I couldn't resist, couldn't fight the hot rage coursing through me. I reached the bars so fast that Nico didn't have time to move or scramble away. My fingers closed around his throat, muscles going taut as I clenched his slender throat in my fist. He choked, gasping for air that he wasn't about to obtain. I slowly lifted him off the bottom of the cage, gripping his throat. I pulled him against the bars, watching his expression twist in pain.
"Yes," I sneered in his face, "Yes, I suppose I was wrong. I am a monster. And you've walked right into my lair, so don't think I'm about to let you go, or even let you die. I'm going to torture you until you beg me to stop, until you realize that your life is in the palm of my hand." I roughly let go of him, causing him to crumple to the bottom of the cage again where he choked and gasped for air.
They were right, I thought bitterly. I was a monster.
The term used to agonize me, harden me, make me feel cold, but suddenly, it struck me that the term was all too fitting. And Nico was about to know the full extent of the word.