The Dark Bargain

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y loyal or in love. He has used you, exactly as he has used everyone else who has ever come into his path. My mind racing as I sought to understand his comments, I battled my restraints. You only want to control me. You lied. "Am I?," He raised his head and had twisted amusement shining in his eyes. Then why does he keep you out each time you seek the truth? Why is he so terrified to let you know his true nature? I came up short with an answer. And that more than anything made me afraid. The sound of feet suddenly reverberated down the hall, getting louder every second. My heart skipped a beat, hoping to flirt over my chest. Perhaps Damien? Still, Victor's voice didn't waver. Rather, he moved back and satisfactorily folded his arms. just on cue. The door swung open, and dark and scary Damien rushed in. His eyes locked on me, and for a few seconds I sensed relief in his look. But when he focused on Victor, fury swiftly took the stage. Damien insisted, his voice poisonous and icy: "Let her go." Uninterested in Damien's threat, Victor laughed. "Now, now, Damien." Is that any approach to welcoming an old friend? "Friend?" Damien had contempt in his voice. You are nothing except a parasite. Victor grinned and looked over at us. Funny, from you. Basically, then, is what you did to her exactly? Though his mouth tightened, Damien kept his eyes fixed on Victor. "This falls between you and me, Hargrave. Put her off of it. "Oh, but she's already involved," Victor said, his voice full of mock innocence. "Your weakness, Damien, is her one. And that makes her rather helpful to me. Damien's eyes wavered, a flash of sensitivity that hurt my heart. But he soon covered it, moving forward with a stiff posture with hardly controlled wrath. If you were to touch her- "You'd what?" Victor stopped, seeming bored. "You will destroy me? Attack me? He laughed, a chilly, acrid sound. "Damien, you have previously experimented with it. And look where it's gotten you-married to a woman you don't even love, trying to keep her safe because she's the only thing standing between you and total destruction. Damien's hands clenched, and for a split second I believed he might really lunge at Victor. But he restrained himself, his eyes darting to me with a mixture of irritation and something else. Something I struggled to entirely understand. "Damien," I said, my voice hardly audible. Tell me the truth, please. He gazed at me, and for a split second his mask came off to expose a depth of feeling that stopped me. But then, just as rapidly, the mask was back on, his eyes sharpening. With his detached voice, "There's no time for that now, Lily," he remarked. We have to get you out of here. I shook my head, wounded and frustrated seething inside me. "No, Damien," I had to know. If you are only going to lie to me, I cannot continue to do this. Victor's smile grew wider, obviously sa