-HIM-

"You don't have a choice," I growled, "You're coming with me whether you like it or not,"

"You can't take me anywhere," she gritted back with a fire burning in her eyes. Surprisingly, she was still so hellbent on not leaving after she almost died last night.

"You're telling me that you'll continue living here?" I asked her darkly.

"You're talking as if I have no other place to go to on this earth," She shot back with a pointed tone. Her words took me back for a second. "I'm grateful that you saved me, but you must not meddle in the way things work here," she spoke, closing her eyes and putting her head on my shoulder.

"You'd rather have been dead?" I asked her.

"It would have been an easier way out for me," she whispered. Her voice wavered, sounding weaker. I could tell that she was on the verge of crying. This led me to the most critical question.

"Tell me," I asked her, raising her face by placing my fingers under her cheeks and making her look me in the eyes. Her eyes and nose were read while a few tears rolled down her cheek. "Why did the Royal Advisor want you dead?" I asked her. Her eyes widened at my question, and I felt her whole body grow stiff in my arms. She wasn't expecting me to know this."I want the truth," I demanded.

More tears rolled down her eyes which got redder with every passing second. I wanted to wipe her tears away instantly, but I didn't want to let her use this as a distraction from the important matter. I wanted to know the truth, and I wanted it bad.

"I cannot tell you," I choked. "And it's better if you don't know about it," she shivered as she added that. If anything, this made me thirstier for the Royal Advisor's blood. I wanted to see him dead the next time I saw him.

"I want to help you," I told her. Instead of comforting her, my words made her cry harder.

"The only way you can help me is by leaving this place and staying away from me," She cried, "It would be good for both of us,"

"Any reason," I told her, holding her face in my hand, "is not good enough for me to stay away from you... you've no idea how much you mean to me," I told her, looking her in the eyes. Her eyes softened at my words, but the tears didn't stop.

"You wouldn't say that if you knew who I am," she cried.

"Test me," I urged. She shivered at this and shook her head.

"I'm... I'm long dead to the world. You shouldn't know about me. It will keep you out of trouble," She tried to convince me, but I wasn't having any of it.

"I'm willing to get into trouble if it means keeping you safe and with me!" I almost snapped at her, but it was getting harder and harder for me to keep seeing the tears in her eyes. I gently wiped her tears with my thumb, feeling the sparks instantly. All I got from her was silence and more tears. She kept staring at me, a storm of emotions brewing in her eyes.

It was almost as if she was trying to say many things to me only through her eyes while something held her lips shut. As I peered deeper into her eyes, I saw hurt, fear, anger and longing. If only I could know what was causing her all those things.

"You have to come with me," I urged, but she shook her head again.

"Then where will you go? If the Royal Advisor wants you dead, he can get you killed anywhere," I tried to convince her, but still, she didn't seem phased. At first, I thought she was stubborn, but things appeared different now. There was fear in her eyes, but she didn't seem particularly scared of the Royal Advisor. She was scared of something else...what could it be?

"You don't have to worry about that," She told me steadfastly.

"Then tell me, where will you go?" I asked.

"Why do you want to know that?" She asked me back, sounding defensive all of a sudden.

"So I can see you whenever I want," I said. She looked taken aback by my answer and looked at me wide-eyed before breaking off into a short fit of laughter.

"That would be funny," she muttered, wiping her tears. "But that's not possible,"

"Then I might as well take you with me," I concluded.

"You cannot take me anywhere," She told me, poking her finger in my chest. "And neither am I going anywhere with you,"

"I accept the challenge,"

"What the fvck is wrong with you! I'm not challenging you!" She hissed, clutching my clothes. "I cannot go with you. How hard is that to understand?"

"All I have understood by now is that you don't want to come with me, and so far, you haven't given me a proper reason for that. Given the threat you're facing here, I cannot leave you alone, even if you don't want to come with me. I will take you with me," I spoke grimly.

"There are reasons I cannot tell you," she spoke, peeling my arms off her waist, but I didn't want to let her go yet.... I didn't want to let her go ever. "You have to let me go," she said, getting up from the bed, ready to leave. I wasn't prepared for it yet. I reached out to hold her hand and tug her back, but she stepped away from me instantly.

"I will not let you go," I promised her instead, "I'm giving my word to you, mate, that you'll be coming to Cromeria with me. I'm sure you must know I am a man of my word," I told her darkly. I didn't care about her reasons anymore. I wanted her to come with me at any cost.

She seemed to have realised how serious I was because I meant every word I said, and I wouldn't be going back on them at any cost. That wasn't the thing I ever did.

"Fvck you, Nico!" she yelled at me in frustration and stormed out of there. I tried to follow her, but she disappeared into thin air as if she was never there.

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