Song; Pulling A Thread by The Chamber Orchestra of London, Andrew Skeet
ZINA
"So this must have been how you lived," he snickered darkly, circling her, "I waited for you to say sothing, to do sothing against the WolfKnights, instead all you did was to run away."
Zina stilled as mories of the first day the WolfKnight’s visited filled her. While she had fled from the greetings because of the sight of Igar, it was true that she had run away nonetheless.
"So what if I allow you to get your revenge on Igar?" He drawled, "what about the WolfKnight’s, do you intend to take your vengeance on them too? Let’s assu you do, then how will you do it?
Zina stood like a rabbit being circled by the big bad Wolf, and Daemon was exactly that, the big very bad wolf. And she was the prey, watching her demons ripped away from her without her consent.
"You do not want to be seen as weak and inadequate before , so what?"
Zina stared wide eyed in shock at him at the knowledge that he had known all her thoughts and reservations against him. Perhaps she had underestimated how keen Daemon could be, but his emotional intelligence was almost unnerving to say but the least.
She had thought him inaccessible and unavailable; had she been wrong?
Sohow, the scene playing out right then and there resembled the exact scene that had played out between Daemon and Yaren three nights ago, except this ti, instead of Yaren, she was the one who was on the receiving end of Daemon’s blows.
She knew it that Daemon intended to strip her bare until she was all but a defeathered chicken, standing out cold in the wind, and yet, under the trance of his words, she could not find an escape.
She let him rain his blows on her.
"What can you do about it?" He repeated, taunting her further, "Especially when everything you’ve possessed so far has been handed to you? Whether it be your status as an abandoned child, or whether it be your status as a mber of the WolfKnight Pack, or whether it be your current status as the Theta... you ever needed to fight for any of them, you just stood and allowed it all to be handed to you."
The words were horribly true and false at the sa ti; they were unbelievably cruel and whatever effect Daemon was looking for played out. Zina’s eyes stung as if she was on the cusp of crying, but she blinked them back.
It was true; she never had to fight for anything. She managed to convince herself that everything was wrong with the world and not with her. She managed to convince herself that she was the wronged one; and that it was the world that made her live so precariously.
Daemon didn’t seem undeterred by her lack of answer. He stopped circling her, facing her squarely instead. The corners of his lips ripped up into a smirk. "This ti around, you must fight for whatever you want."
Zina sniffed, mostly because that was the only way to properly blink back her tears, but otherwise, she said nothing.
"In this tournant, the contestants will be fighting for five houses and not four houses."
’...?’
’...?!"
"What?!"
"I shall gamble with your position as Theta."
"You’ve no right! I an... I might have had my position handed to , but I’ve worked hard to maintain it!"
"You’re hesitant to be my Luna, fine. But if you must retain your position as Theta, don’t you think that the least you could do is prove to that you’re deserving of it?"
"I am deserving of it!"
"Then fight for it, Zina WolfKnight. Fight for your na. This is what you’ve always wanted, an opportunity to prove yourself on equal grounds? I know you’re utterly prideful, so now, I’m offering you a chance to stand by my side on your own strength...."
Zina’s heart stuttered, and honestly, sothing akin to excitent blood in her veins. It was a small spark, but it was spreading rapidly over her entire body. It ignited her and threatened to make her explode into flas.
Her own strength....
A chance to fight to stand at his side....
A chance to erase the notion that her position as Theta was handed to her by Moorim’s scheming against the forr king....
"Will you fight for it?" His lips brushed against her ears, startling her. She had been so engrossed in her thoughts she hadn’t noticed when he ca so close to her.
"I... I..."
Daemon was daring her for sure... just the sa way he did with Yaren. But this was what she had always wanted, not only to stand by his side, but also to earn the right to do so.
Even though....
She was tongue tied because diving into the unknown, while usually thrilling, made her normally careful self want to take a hesitant step back. But Daemon’s dark glinting eyes told her that mate or not, he was serious about what he was saying.
He would gamble her position as Theta.
Zina swallowed, struggling to keep reins of her scattered thoughts. What had brought her here into Daemon’s room in the first place? Her initial mission had been abandoned, and now, she was once again going to be a piece on Daemon’s board.
Except this ti, she had a chance to be a willing piece and not a manipulated one. Daemon was extending a hand from darkness, beckoning on her to take it.
"The Temple..." she attempted to object lightly.
"Their objections will be taken care of." Daemon answered almost imdiately. Just for how long had he been thinking about this? Since he found out about her sordid past?
Zina looked up at him defiantly as she realized that the challenge did not scare her in the least. "Since it’s a gamble, what’s the prize? What’s my prize?"
Daemon raised an eyebrow at her, stepping even closer until their lips were re inches apart. "Should you not be asking what will happen should you lose your title?" He breathed against her lips.
"I won’t be losing so there’s nary a need to ask such a useless question." Zina said defiantly, almost tasting his lips even though they were not touching.
Daemon scoffed lightly, his eyes shining with sothing that she didn’t recognize. "Should you lose your title, your only place by my side will be as Luna Queen. Have children and live out your days not knowing of my political affairs."
Zina gasped lightly as she waited for his next words.
He leaned in, whispering in her ears in a manner that caused her to shiver. "Should you win back your title, then your prize will be in any form you wish for it."
Just at that mont, the first snow of the year started falling.
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