I attempted to add sultriness to my voice, the same way I had seen Miriam pull in men with the same soft sweetness of a wicked tongue.
I drained my glass and gave him a quirk of a smile, then held it to the heavens. He motioned to the air, and red wine filled not only my glass but his.
“Tell me, how shall Ialleviateyour boredom?” Silas sarcastically replied.
I sipped from my glass, staring into those liquid golden eyes. “Tell me a story.”
“What kind of story, Little Dove?”
My feet carried me down to the other end of the table, the soft heel clicking in time to the thumping of my heart and the sloshing of my glass.
I perched at the corner of the table, skirting the edge. I fanned my hand from the folds of my skirt to his thigh where his hand rested. The silver band of vines twisted into themselves on top of his finger—the pair to mine.
Silas’s gaze roamed, palms strained against his thigh and around his glass.
I moved a silver strand out of his face, fingers grazing the scar peeking out from under his mask, the ridge line transcending a valley of pain.
Silas snatched my wrist, growling, “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
I faltered, surprised by his tight tone.
Silas relaxed his grip, falling back into his chair posture stiff, rubbing at the inner lines of my palm. The sharpness of his face softened, traveling million miles away to the past of great horrors marring his existence and face. It was odd seeing him as just a simple man who had lived a torturous existence.
“How did you get those scars?” I softly asked.
Goose bumps raised along my skin, the blade biting into it. The longer I prolonged this, the more guilt I felt. I tried to harden my resolve by thinking of the villagers and the child who was sick from the darkness plaguing them in the form of man.
Pain and regret flashed in his gaze. “If it is a story you want, then it’s one you shall get. There was a time in which I was not like this. It was a happier timeback then. I remembered playing among the roses. My mother would also chastise me for wanting to get lost rather than to attend to my duty. It was on one of these occasions in which I came across an interesting woman among the roses.
“I had seen her there before, watching and pacing the maze of the garden. Now and then, we’d share glimpses, and I’d always made sure to hide my face, as I did not want her to see me any differently than a boy in the garden. Back then, I was ignorant of the politics of the court or even what was going on in my own backyard. At that moment, all I cared about was she was lovelier than the blooms. She had been crying when I surprised her. I did not tell her who I was but rather provided her with some comfort. Little did I know that she was the woman I was to marry to ensure an alliance.”
Silas paused, closed his eyes, and tilted his head to the sky. “We did not know who we were to each other, and yet there we were, oblivious to the problems of our countries. We fell in love shortly, but it was not long after when both countries were thrown into chaos with murders—it became difficult for us to go on as we were. War was called for, and with the loss of my Father, I was the only person standing between hell and paradise.”
Shadows crossed his face, the past haunting him and wearing down the beast. It was hard not to have sympathy for the man that was. My heart tugged at the prospect of what he had been through, the loss of many people in a short amount of time.
“What happened next?” I held his cold hand, letting it come to rest on my skirt.
The blade against my thigh seared into my flesh. Knots rolled through my stomach, as I was sure he can feel the anxiety eating me away.
No matter what, I could not let him persuade me away from my goal. I had to—I needed to do this if not for me but for the true victims involved in the monster’s reign of terror. No matter what, he was still a monster and an evil being that took life.
“The countries went to war,” Silas said. “An assassin had been paid to kill me. I walked away with this scar and my life—they did not. That had been one of many attempts.”
“And the woman?”
Silas hesitated. “It’s not something I wished to discuss further.”
“Cat got your tongue.” I chuckled, touching a finger to his nose to act coy.
I needed to find a way to get me close enough to him to slip the knife out and stab him. At this juncture, my options were colluding with the enemy.
Picking at my nail bed again, I succumbed to thought. Words tumbled out as if they had been trapped in a dream.
“Hatred and love are an interesting combination and one that goes hand in hand. Perhaps in your other life, you were fighting for a lover’s honor or for vengeance. So powerful, it scorned the land, and lives were upended.” I reached for him, tracing his chin, forever frozen in time. “A great war fought by greathouses, and yet there you were, loving your enemy in all of this. A tragic love with tragic consequences.”
Silas gripped my wrist. Images played through him as his face melted away. It was the boy, and his face was hidden behind a glittering white masquerade mask lit by love and joy. The image spun, as a familiar ballroom swirled around us in glorious color. His laughter whispered, while soft phantom lips traced the lines of my neck. Hands cradled the boy’s face, leaning in as anticipation soared and met with the flurry of desire.
I am yours until we are nothing but dust.
