"Pity those who don't feel anything at all."
A Court of Thorns and Roses,
Sarah J. Maas
————
"Is he like- dead?"
Dalaric looks at me with a disappointed look which makes me frown.
"He's not?"
He nods and tucks the gun in his waistband.
Oh, no belt today.
He rolls Landon over and kicks him harshly to check if he's awake.
I go a bit closer to the body on the floor, halfway in the room and the hallway. Before I take one more step, Dalarics warm had grabs a hold of my waist and keeps me behind him as he picks Landon up who has a minuscule white syringe in his neck.
"Oooo- what's that? Mini syringes! Can I try?"
Dalaric looks at me blankly as he places Landon on the bed. I go to touch the cute syringe but he stops me again. Now seemingly frustrated. That looks to be the effect I have on people.
He notices my fallen expression and releases my wrist, leaving warm trails on the spot.
"Tranquilizer."
Oh.
I sheepishly smile as he stares at me before he walks to the door and I follow suit. I really don't know where i'm going or what he's doing here. It's still early and i'm shocked at how long that felt.
Dalaric walks towards the top of the staircase and immediately the raving party halts, the music stops blaring and the ecstatic faces in the crowd morphs into a look of petrification. It's like everyone's trapped in a trance as they look up to the man in dark colors and an even darker expression on his face- one that I never see.
He says one word. One word. And like submissive little puppies- no different than me- they all follow. They listen and obey. He seems like a ruler who commands an army. I swallow as the word echoes and bounces around the white and rich walls of the mansion.
"Leave."
His voice does not resemble a commanders, no. It resemble a Kings. A king who's every command is heard, no matter how loud. Why is everyone so scared of him? I smile almost proudly, I'm not scared of him.
He stays standing there and suddenly i'm too aware of all the gazes on me as they leave through the door of the mansion. Someone mutters a small "He's with the fucking weirdo who cuts herself?"
I look down and accidentally see Dalaric's middle finger twitch uncontrollably. I don't know if he doesn't notice or simply is used to it but I don't like the look of annoyance on his perfect face. I walk a bit further so i'm behind him but can see the crowd leaving below. I cover three of his fingers with my left hand and the twitching stops immediately. His hand tenses but relaxes instantly. It feels pleasurably soft in my hands. I slowly massage his knuckles with the top of my fingers and watch as the rest of the crowd just exits.
He looks at me with that same calculating gaze. His beautiful jaw is clenched and I find it really.. hot. I probably look like a stray kitten right now who's drowning in a very large leather jacket. He then continues down the stairs and I almost squeal as he drags me down with him. I use both my hands to grasp his previously twitching hand and look at the transparent stairs as I walk down. Seriously? Glass Stairs?
"My brother's idea." Dalaric grumbles and I just ravish the pleasure from hearing his voice speak more than one word.
"Landon?" He's Landon's brother? He seems to get angry over the mention of his dear brother as his sharp nose flares and I can feel the finger in my palm twitch again.
What if he's not any different than Landon?
We reach the bottom of the stairs and I halt as I involuntarily recall how Landon violated me. Dalaric walks further and then abruptly turns, his brows slightly furrowed. I now realize that I let go of his hand.
He can't be like Landon. Mr. Pretty saved me not once, but twice. And he bought me food and drove me home. My own mother doesn't buy me food or wrap the wounds that she creates.
I look up at Dalaric who stands right in front of me while looking down at me with a blank expression right before he hooks one of his fingers through my entire small hand and turns back around towards the door.
That simple reassurance and slight drag force puts a small smile on my face as we make our way to his black sleek car.
"Shouldn't we lock the door? What about Landon? He's de- um, unconscious so someone-"
Dalaric presses one of the buttons on this remote control and points it over his shoulder as he holds the door open for me.
The house door locks automatically and the window bonds roll down. The lights on the outside go eerily dim and my mouth parts in awe.
"Can I try?"
He looks at blankly but with a twinge of rare amusement. He hands me the remote control thing and I click a random one which then causes a very loud hip-hop beat to start playing. I squeal and try to turn it off after I hear a loud scream erupt from one of the top rooms. Dalaric's lip curves upwards before he catches my gaze and returns to his blank expression.
I furrow my brows at the remote control but he takes it away from me after saying "Sound Control."
"Can I get one of these? My house isn't that big but sometimes I have to get up to turn on the ac and it's really far?"
His blank face does not waver as he says "No." and shuts the passenger door for me.
Unfair though.
He gets into the driver seat and starts the engine as I buckle up.
My stomach rumbles as the car starts moving. For some reason, cars make me nauseous and I get hungry when i'm nauseous so.
Dalaric gives me a side glance as he places one hand out the rolled down tinted window and one on the steering wheel.
Swoon.
"I only have a lil' money so anything small is fine." I say, feeling bad for knowing that he's going to take us to Wendy's.
He doesn't say anything and i take that as my queue to do my daily dose of staring.
I only now notice that he has four tiny moles that are about two shades darker than his light brown skin tone. One is places right next to his left beautiful green-grey eye. The second is placed below his jawline , which is accompanied by a third one that is slightly larger. They look like freckles. The fourth one is right above the corner of his very nice lips.
"Stop that." I blink three times and turn my head way too abruptly to the window.
Stop being so perfect then.
He probably thinks i'm a fudgin' weirdo too. I can't even swear in my own thoughts!
I fiddle with my uninteresting chubby fingers and accidentally rip a piece of skin off. I try to soothe it but it feels like it's burning. I fiddle more and only make it worse.
A large hand clasps my fiddling fingers. I look at him to see his gaze on the road only. His hand then releases my fingers and holds it towards me, fingers splayed out.
I take his much nicer fingers and fiddle with them instead. I mischievously squeeze a bit of hand cream too and massage it throughout the ride. The car smells like strawberries now.
We arrive at a Wendy's drive through and he orders a lot. Three Frosties, Three cheeseburgers and three large fries. No way i'm eating that. Okay, maybe yes way.
He puts the food in my lap and I'm quick to nibble on the fries. They always taste better in the car. I take a few in my hand and hold it towards him.
He locks eyes with me and bends his head down to eat it from my hand, his very nice lips touching the tips of my fingers.
I give him a thumbs up to avoid showing him how red my face probably is.
I don't feed him again since it's mental torture.
Torture that I like.
It's almost sunset and it looks mesmerizing. Shades of orange and yellow blend like paint but better. Nature is truly the most beautiful thing. After Dalaric.
He stops in front of a big warehouse that is in a row of other warehouses of different colors which makes me realize that I didn't ask him where he was taking me. It also makes me realize that I've finished all three large fries and two frosties on the way here. He gets out of the car and makes his way over to my side. I unlock the door and open my door only for it to be pushed back by a glaring Dalaric.
He pushes it close only to open it again for me. He surpasses all the other gentlemen out there.
We make our way to the door of the black warehouse as I hold one of Dalaric's fingers in one hand and the Wendy's bag in the other.
He knocks weirdly on the steel door and it automatically opens. The first thing I hear is the loud chatter that I immediately shield my ears from, using both my hands. Dalaric shakes his head grabs one of the shields as he leads us through a very dark hallway. There's a light at the end and we reach it sooner than expected.
"Wow." I audibly gasp as I see the setting.
There's about a hundred people lounging in couches, chairs and chess tables. The minute they see Dalaric, they stop what they're doing and shouts of 'hey Ricky!', 'Ricky! My man!', 'Who's the little girl?! Ricky!' splatter around the room messily.
I cower behind Dalaric who only nods in response to the hundreds of people. There's a door right next to where we stopped and I silently thank God that we don't have to cross the lounge type area.
He pulls me with only one of his fingers and lets me enter the steel door before he does.
It resembles the office where we met. It's black and red theme is emphasized by the larger size of the room. There's a punching bag that is a replica of the ones that hang parallel to each other in the lounge outside. He nudges me to walk forward and i only then realize that I wasn't moving. I subconsciously walk towards the rolly chair that's behind the desk and grin mischievously before plopping myself down and spinning in circles. Only i'm stopped by the glare of a very perfect man.
I shyly send him a sheepish smile and continue rolling before getting dizzy.
"Stop." It feels like the earth is moving, even though it actually is, and Dalaric looks weird.
Two large hands place themselves on the arm rests of the chair and I instantly stop. I gulp as I notice his intense stare.
"Can I have the rolly chair? Please?" I really want to take it home but I don't doubt that he loves his rolly chair.
He shakes his head and sighs then he nods.
"Ask." I knew this was coming. I mentally prepare the seven thousand questions I have for him.
"How old are you ?"
"Twenty One."
"I'm eighteen."
"I know."
Oh okie.
"What's your occupation, Mr. Mikael?" I fold my hands in front and try to act sophisticated but he seems unfazed as I muffle my giggles awfully.
"Assassin."
"Y-you kill people?" I don't like the idea of that and that would mean I would have to stop being friends with him and-
"I work with a supervisor." He stands up straight and leaves the chairs armrest to fold his arms across his bulky chest and lean against the desk.
"But you still kill people." The FBI isn't always right so he could be killing innocent people , right?
"Confirmed terrorists, yes."
"Oh. Okie dokie." That makes me feel better. He's actually keeping me safe. I sigh in relief and it doesn't go unnoticed by him.
"What is this place?"
"A joint for all the trained assassins." His intense gaze is still on me and I absentmindedly fiddle with a few hair strands that have left my top bun.
"You like- um lead them?"
"Yes."
Swoon. Something about a leader is very appealing.
"How many um- people have you killed?"
"Seven."
That's not bad. This boy in a book I read killed about a hundred and he was a gang leader I think.
"Why are you with me?"
I dreaded this question because my insecurities are too fragile. I'd rather be ignorant that be faced with the harsh truth that he's with me because he pities me or for my body- like Landon. I love myself but that doesn't mean other people will. I doubt someone as perfect as the man in front of me is any different. Either all that, or he's planning to kill me because he thinks im a spy. I don't know how he'll feel about being friends with me either. I'm annoying and I ask about how you are every hour. No wonder people mute me all the time. The only person who's remotely interested in me is Joshua and i know it's not out of good intention. Maybe Dalaric will shoot me right-
"I like you."
Gulp. Not what I was expecting. Maybe shooting me is a much better idea than telling me you like me. I'm not a likable person, ask Shay or Mikey or Landon or Joshua. Or my mom.
"I like you too. I don't think you want to be friends with me though. A lot of people don't. It's fine I g-"
"I do."
Aw. I really want to cry but he'll regret his decision of finalizing our friendship.
"Don't cry." He rumbles with his insanely attractive voice.
"Okie Dokie." I push the tears back in and get up from the chair. He watches me and that sends a weird heat up and down my body.
I walk over to the punching bag and poke it.
"Wowie."
Dalaric walks up right next to me, the sound of his boots echoing in the room. He crosses his arms and while I look at the punching bag.
"Can I try?"
He nods and I put my best fighter face on, probably looking constipated.
I hold my elbow back and punch the bag as hard as I can before I hear a crack.
What did I even expect?
I hold my fist to my chest and murmur a small 'Owie.' Dalaric sighs and makes his way over to me.
He takes my hurting hand and slowly opens it up. He rubs my palm a few times and relieves the pressure instantly.
"Oh how the turn tables." Dalaric looks at me, probably thinking im a fricking weirdo and keeps my hand in his as he leads me back to the punching bag.
He holds my arm forward and slowly rolls my sleeves. I smile as he does it, his soft warm hands grazing my skin.
Oh no. My wound.
I quickly try to leave its grasp but it's too late. He sees it and his eyes darken. He looks just like how he looked at the house and my smile weakens.
He lets go of my arm and takes a step backward. After a deep breath, he speaks calmly with a deadly undertone in his voice.
"Who." I know the question he wants to ask and answer it for him.
"I didn't do it myself. I promise." If anything, this only makes him angrier as he repeats his earlier words and slowly inches towards me.
"Who." He keeps walking towards me until I hit the wall next to the door.
I've read this somewhere.
"I don't think I can tell you." He places both his very bulky hands next to my face and looks down at me, his eyes back to the color I admire. I can't tell him that my own mother does this to me. He'll think i'm weak. I am.
His nose flares as he sighs and nods.
Right at that moment, the door next to my head bursts open and a boy with a large afro rushes in.
He's only a bit taller than me which means about 5'9. He has skin that is about five shades darker than Dalaric's and these green emerald eyes.
"Ricky! You're back- oh. Hey there, pretty gal."
The boy flashes his white teeth at me, one of them is slightly crooked. He's very attractive but not as attractive as my friend.
I wave my small hand at him but it's kind of difficult since Dalaric is practically shielding me.
"Hi. I'm Maya."
"Hey there, Maya."
I can't see Dalaric's face but I know he's glaring at him for interrupting us. We weren't really doing anything naughty naughty, though.
"Sorry, boss. Sorry, Maya."
"It's okay, I can just le-" One glare from the man in front of me shuts me up.
I send him a thumbs up and a sheepish smile. "Boss, we're going out to Benny's later on. Coming?"
"I'll pass, Rafael.I have something important to do."
Oh.
Rafael leaves and I wave at him with a small smile. He smiles back before it wavers when he looks at Dalaric.
Yikes.
Dalaric turns back to me before walking to his desk to pick up a few papers. I walk towards the door to let him do his important thing. I hope I can find a cab to take me home.
My hand touches the doorknob before I'm being pulled by the back of my leather jacket. I crash into a hard chest and squeal.
"What are you doing?"
"Don't you have something important to do? I'm sorry, that sounded rude, I meant-"
"Mayella." He runs a hand down his face in frustration and I bite my lip anxiously. He's already fed up with me.
"Sorry."
None of us talk as we walk through the lounge, hallway and finally toward his car. I fiddle with my fingers again and pick at the scab that formed from earlier.
He opens the car door for me and I avoid his gorgeous eyes at all costs. He definitely doesn't want to be friends with me.
After getting in the car , he stays silent until he runs a hand over his head."Why are you like this?" He almost whispers but I unfortunately hear him.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to." I would be sobbing at this point but that's just embarrassing. Besides, I've cried too many times today. The fuels run out.
A tear slips down my cheek.
I guess there's still a bit of fuel.
He doesn't have to rub in the fact that i'm not the perfect friend. I don't do it on purpose. No one wants to be unlikeable.
My house is closer than I think and we reach in less than half an hour. I get out of the car before he can reach me and I purposely ignore the glare he sends me.
"Mayella."
I keep looking down in hopes of him just softening the blow.
"Sorry." I look up in surprise. No ones ever apologized for hurting me before. They just expect me to forgive them and move on. He has a sincere look on his pretty face and I immediately forgive him.
I smile weakly and his tense shoulders ease themselves. "That was a bit, um, rude, y'know?"
"I know." His intense gaze doesn't waver from my face and I stay wondering how he can bear looking at me for so long. I can only tolerate about nine minutes in front of the mirror.
"It happens. It's fine."
"It's not." He shocks me again and my smile gets wider and happiness flushes through me. Seeing him understand why i'm upset is mentally refreshing. The people who hurt me don't understand. Even mama doesn't. I can tell from the new wounds every week.
I move forward and hug his slim waist tightly while smushing my face into his very warm chest.
His hands lay by his side and I use my hands to bring them around my waist. Our height difference makes it only a bit harder for him to put his chin on my head.
Dalaric remains tense but holds me tighter when I try to pull away.
He tries to pull me back but I shake my head and he glares at me.
I boop his nose and grin at his cute glare. Aw.
"Okie. Come here." I gesture for him to bend his head forward so I can hug him.
Dalaric's hands still remain at his sides. So I stay hanging like a broken branch off a tree. Teehee.
"Dude, don't leave me hanging here." He doesn't get the memo for a second or two but then slowly, very slowly wraps those warm and soft hands I like more I should.
He wraps them around my waist and we stay like that for a bit. I try to ignore how badly I want to faint when the same nose I booped touches the skin on my neck.
Oh lord.My arms get tired and I tap out.
"Let me go."
"No."
"Dalaric, please."
"No."
I wiggle my feet to try and get away and soon he reluctantly sets me down.
"Good?" I put up a thumbs up and ask him.
"Good." He doesn't smile but I can see it in his eyes. I walk towards my building door before he calls my name.
"Yes?" I turn to see him in the car, his window only slightly rolled down but I can still hear him, as always.
"You are that something important."
His deep voice rings out in my ears as I walk up the stairs and even the landlord's taunts don't faze me. I don't find myself covering my ears because all I hear are the words that contradict every feeling I have about myself when Landon, Joshua, Shay, Mikey or my own mother makes me feel less than what he thinks I am.
Important.
___________
Word Count : 3780 Words.
Is the current cover better or the one before?
[unedited]