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I shook my head. This had to be a nightmare. I just wanted to wake up. I tried to open the door, but of course it was locked. It was much too sturdy to be broken down, at least by me. There were no windows. I searched for a light switch, but couldn’t find one. There was only the lamp. I knew it was morning, but I didn’t even know what time it was.

My purse had either been left behind at the Cilan Kingdom last night, or they had confiscated it. I grimaced. Telepathy would have been pretty useful right now, but maybe it wouldn’t have been able to work. Bianca couldn’t use it yesterday because of one of the men.

I was given lunch along with a fresh set of clothes. It felt like I was stuck in a prison.

I stepped into the shower and bathed absent-mindedly. My thoughts were filled with Ashton and what Malekh had told me. I couldn’t bear the thought of him doing something like that.

There was no way everything that happened up until now was the work of the king. What we had was real. What I felt for him was real. I didn’t want to doubt him, but I couldn’t shake the unease and sadness that I felt.

I couldn’t sleep and there was nothing in the room to occupy me. I thought about Micah and Esmeralda, Bianca, Diana, all the guys… Kevin. I wouldn’t allow them to be destroyed like this.

I felt the need to protect them. I was just one human, but there had to be something even I could do.

I was still thinking about this when the door opened a few hours later. Demetri and Malekh stepped in.

“I trust you’ve thought about our conversation,” Malekh said, joining me on the sofa.

Demetri leaned against the door with an air of danger.

“How about a compromise?” I suggested slowly.

He cocked his head. His eternal eyes stared intensely. “Oh? What are you suggesting?”

“What if I arranged a meeting where you could sort out your differences with the kingdom of Crysauralia? It’s possible that they’ll make an effort to understand where you’re coming from. Try to find the most peaceful way to settle this.”

Malekh’s eyes seemed to get colder the more his dark stare penetrated me. But still, I stared back at him. I doubt he would agree to that, but it was worth a shot.

He broke his gaze and sighed. “All that time to think and this is what you come up with?”

“I’m thinking of people’s lives here,” I shot back.

“Well with that little plan, I wouldn’t only endanger myself, but Demetri would definitely be killed.”

“I don’t mind that,” Demetri contemplated. “But I’d rather not die before I do what I have to.”

“Still… you said you’re friends with Ashton,” I addressed Malekh. “Explain yourself to him. You’re both Origens after all.”

He brought his hand up to cup my cheek. “Darling, I am something that is neither Origen nor human,” he informed me with a hard look.

I pushed his hand away. What did he mean by that?

He sighed again. “I will guarantee your safety on a simple condition.”

“I’m not just concerned about my own safety, you know.”

“That is excellent,” he breathed. “I’m happy Ashton found a soulmate like you. You would have been a great queen, if only things were different.”

“Your words don’t match your actions,” I retorted. “You say that, but you don’t want me to be with Ashton.”

“I like Ashton,” he muttered. “We were friends before my eyes were opened and I learned the truth.”

He gave me a sad smile. “But my hate is greater than my feelings towards him. You can understand that, can’t you?”

“I don’t think in the twisted way that you do,” I scoffed.

“Of course you don’t,” he chuckled to himself. “Innocent human. It is because I like Ashton that I will not kill you.”

He trailed his fingers down my neck. “He didn’t even mark you.”

“That was my choice.”

“Good choice. I’ll make it so that he doesn’t get another chance to.”

“How dare you call yourself Ashton’s friend,” I hissed, slapping his hand away.

“It is because I am his friend, that I will be the one to kill him.” He gave me a sad smile.

This man was seriously messed up.

“Anyways, my condition is simple. Reject him.”

The air felt like it was being knocked out of me. “Wh-what?”

“Reject Ashton,” Malekh repeated. “Of course, you won’t be able to do it right now, but when you see him you will do it.”

“I will not.” I glared at him.

He closed his eyes for a few seconds, and when he opened them again he looked over to Demetri. “My self control is impeccable.”

Demetri nodded in approval. He fastened his eyes to me. “I told you to think about this carefully. I don’t have a problem with killing you, but my brother,” he pointed at Malekh, “Doesn’t have a problem killing everyone.”

Malekh smiled coolly at me, but his hungry, empty black orbs held some other emotion, if it could be called an emotion. His eyes held nothing, but at the same time they held everything, and that was eerily unsettling.

His smiles were merely a ruse. They were just used as a distraction to avoid the chaos lurking in his eyes. Empty yet full. Cold yet burning. Endlessly suffocating. Orphic.

I tore my gaze away from his as I felt my heart race. Just looking at him put me on edge. He was stronger and more capable of destruction than he was letting on.

The only person who made me feel like this was the king, but even he was not like this. His intensity was different.

He swiftly slid his hand up to my throat. “Don’t be scared.”

I tried to push his hand away, but his grip was strong. It wasn’t suffocating though.

“I’m not afraid of you,” I hissed.

“Your heartbeat says otherwise,” he mused. “It’s playing a melody of fear. I like it.”

“Stop playing with her, Malekh,” Demetri spoke up. “Just make her agree.”

“Doing that without breaking her is harder than it looks. She’s stubborn.”

He glanced down at my hand. “Was it this one?” he asked, squeezing it tightly.

I bit back a scream as pain shot up my arm. That was the wrist I had sprained a few weeks ago. It was almost healed, but it was still enough to hurt.

“Bingo,” he smiled. “I could kill you, you know,” he said casually, squeezing my wrist again. “Ashton wouldn’t mind. He might actually thank me.”

“Ashton likes me just as much as I like him,” I spat at him as the pain reverbated in my arm.

“How sad it is to love someone so blindly,” Malekh frowned. “He told me that he was only interested in you now because he didn’t want his sister to get hurt.”

I pursed my lips. That was true… but that was a while ago before we actually became serious.

“He does not love you,” Malekh repeated. “You’re a stain on his shirt that he wants to erase. So he gave that shirt to me to clean. But I feel sorry for you, human. Used by the person you trusted the most.”

I refused to let his words get to me.

“I don’t care what you have to say,” I spat. “Even if what you’re saying is true, Ashton is the one I want to hear it from.”

Malekh stared at me with an unidentifiable expression and then applied so much pressure on my hand. I couldn’t hold in the scream that rang out across the room. I heard a snap and gripped my wrist that was pulsating with pain.

I took in a few deep breaths of air as my vision blurred. My wrist was most likely broken at this point. If not, it was sprained worse than before.

Malekh got up and circled around the sofa as I tried to come to terms with this new pain. He sighed.

“I don’t think you understand the pain we’ve been through. Maybe if you get even a taste of what we felt you might understand. If I kill Ashton, then you might understand.”

“I do understand!” I yelled at him. “Do you think you’re the first person on Earth to lose someone precious to you? No, you’re not! But what do you think would happen if everyone went on killing sprees when that happens? Does that make sense to you?!”

By this time I was standing and glaring at him. My hand was in so much pain, but this pain would be nothing compared to what the kingdom would feel if I didn’t somehow manage to change his mind.

“I’m not just doing this for myself-” Malekh started, but I rolled my eyes in irritation.

“You’re doing this for you and your brother. I get it. But you guys are just being selfish. Ashton and the others have nothing to do with this. If you claim to be innocent, then they are innocent too. They’ve been hurt too!”

I turned to Demetri. “Does this mean nothing to you?” I implored him. “Please, just stop this. I’m sorry that you had to go through all of that. Really, I am. But this won’t change anything. In the end, you won’t feel better by destroying the lives of millions of innocent people.”

“So it’s wrong to retaliate when we’ve been oppressed?” Demetri hissed. “Is it wrong to want to get revenge? My father was murdered… Does that mean nothing to you?”

I frowned at the ground. I understood, but still...

“An eye for an eye. We’re just paying them back for twenty-three years ago.”

“But it’s still wrong,” I protested.

“You really are self righteous,” Malekh spat. “Who are you to determine what’s right and what’s wrong?”

“I’m not choosing sides right now. I’m the neutral party here,” I sighed. “I haven’t known about the kingdom for as long as you have. I didn’t even know about half of the things you just told me. I never imagined that things were so dark. But recently I have lost someone that I considered to be a friend, and it was because of the leadership of the king.

“I'm angry, but revenge isn’t the best option. With revenge, we'll only be stuck in an endless cycle of hate. In a few years, the position will change to Ashton… can’t you give him some time to show you that he can change this for the better? He’s just as fed up as you guys are.”

“I’m afraid I’m not that optimistic,” Malekh told me as he came closer. “Do you think that just because the king will change, then everything will be okay? His father will still be controlling everything from the shadows just as he’s doing now.”

“Please,” I begged him.

“You’re earnestly asking me to change my mind, but you refuse to accept my one condition,” he mused. “That doesn’t sound like much of a deal. Kingdom destruction aside, do you not think Ashton should keep his promise?”

I stared at the ground. “Ashton should take responsibility for his words. If he did make a deal like that with you, I’m both angry and disappointed. But I’ve seen the good sides of Ashton too. I chose to believe in him, so I don’t want to doubt him now.”

“You are still so innocent,” he sighed. “Your humanity is both beautiful and sad. My methods may not be what you agree with, but I’m doing this for your own good too. Everything in your life will be dictated by Ashton’s father. When you marry, how many children you will have and when you’ll have them. Is that the life you want?”

“It isn’t the life I want or the life I plan on having,” I explained. “I also have my own conditions for the relationship. I’m not interested in a dictatorship.”

Demetri chuckled darkly. “You think you’ll have a choice?”

I ignored him and focused on Malekh. “If you have any other conditions, let me hear them. I’ll listen to you.”

Malekh smiled. “I admire your resolve, Elizabeth.” He brushed a hand down my hair. I resisted the urge to swat it away.

“If I was to take you as my mate… would you agree?”

That question caught me off guard. Was he seriously considering that? There was no way I could be mated to someone like him. That was a definite no.

I shook my head. “I think you would be happier with your own soulmate.”

He chuckled. “I knew you wouldn’t agree. It’s such a waste.”

He allowed his hand to fall and then turned to face Demetri, who was watching us wordlessly. He paced the room in thought. He turned around to face me with a sad smile.

“I respect your determination to help the kingdom, Elizabeth. But this is far too important for me and my brother to stop now. We will lead the people as justly as we can, but we must get rid of the source of the problems. The people will not suffer. I will give them the lives they’ve dreamed of, free from fear and oppression. I will make things equal with better opportunities. Isn't that what they want?”

Equal opportunities. True freedom. Those words bounced around my mind almost temptingly. He was right. I knew that. The kingdom was corrupt, especially the king. Malekh and Demetri deserved justice. Wasn't this what I'd always wanted for the kingdom? Here he was, offering it to me on a silver platter. But I couldn't accept it. Not like this- not this way.

His dark eyes pierced mine and I felt my heart sink. I had tried to convince him, but it wasn’t enough. I couldn’t allow this to happen.

Think, Elizabeth, I repeated in my mind. There must be something else I could do.

“What if I agree to become your mate?”

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