Page 36 of Dark Captivation

LIVY

The smack of metal hitting wood sounded off. I squeezed my pillow against my tortured ears willing the racket to end. Yet, the noise defiantly raged on outside my bedroom door, only growing more disruptive as the minutes passed.

The door slipped open, and with arms flat at her sides, Ferina gave me a look that said, ‘what the actual fuck?’ “For the goddess’s sake, didn’t you hear me pounding on your door?” She held up the cast iron frying pan in her right hand.

“I was trying not to. Do you know what time it is?” I yawned, pointing at the violet sky outside.

She stepped inside, flipping on the lights, her expression as fierce as an agitated lioness. “It’s almost dawn and danger doesn’t care about the time of the day. This was a very important emergency invasion drill and guess what? You failed. Now hop out of bed and get dressed, we’ve got training today.”

“Not this again, I thought we covered everything over donuts.” I hugged the sheets to me so tightly; it would take a crowbar to rip them from my fingers.

“That was just a quick run through. Mally would never forgive me if we had another mage break in and you got hurt because I didn’t prepare you well enough.” She placed the pan under her arm and marched over to my bedside.

“Don’t look at me like that, Sunny.” She peaked over to the doorway and began whispering. “Today won’t be all work. Mally’s got a special surprise for you tonight. And trust me, you’re going to enjoy it.” She elbowed the open air beside her winking.

“What’s the surprise?” I flashed the blanket off, sprinted to the door, and shut it for privacy.

“If I told you, it wouldn’t be a surprise now, would it? Now get dressed, we leave for the training center in fifteen.” She tapped her gold watch.

My shoulders sank as Ferina scooped up my bed sheets with both hands, crushing them into a tight ball and tossing them in the corner so I couldn’t go back to bed.

I sighed as she let herself out. Why did everything have to be a big national secret?

Rubbing the last bit of sleep from my eyes, I shuffled over to the bathroom sink. Wetting the toothbrush, I applied the paste and drew the brush to my lips. I paused, noticing something.

Jesus.

The black, enchanted tattoo was no longer hollow. It was a quarter filled in, or was it a third? Apprehension rattled through me as I tiptoed myself nearer the mirror, scrutinizing it.

Oh no. How did it fill in so quickly? A third or a quarter? I still couldn’t tell, but either way this wasn’t good.

The deal was that if I didn’t fall in love with Malek within two months’ time, he would abandon his war plans and let me go free.

I didn’t expect Malek to honor our agreement. Because there was no way he would throw away all the territorial gains he’d made and foster peace with his enemies all over a silly bet. But still, I did keep the agreement in the back of my mind as one last possible ‘Hail Mary’ should all else fail.

Though I had no way of enforcing our bargain, the fact that there was one, gave me a little fighting power.

Perhaps if I won and he refused to honor it, there may have been an option to sue him in a demon court. Magical deals had to have value here, in a place governed by demons who seemed obsessed with deals.

I never considered that even my ‘Hail Mary’ last resort might be off the table. Never in a million years did I think Malek could make me feel something remotely resembling love. But I had to be falling in love with him, if not, the tattoo would still be empty.

That seductive demon was too slick. I needed to strengthen my defenses against him. No more letting him get too close, whether physically or emotionally. If I let myself fall deeper under his spell, I’d be playing right into his oversized hands, leaving the whole world vulnerable to his wicked designs.

Dressed in the camouflage suit and black boots I found in my closet; I thudded downstairs. Ferina waited for me at the bottom.

Pride brimming in the deep blue of Ferina’s eyes, she parked her left elbow on the staircase railing, swinging her hips to the right. “Green suits you, Sunny. Just try to not get too much blood on it. Those stains are really tough to get out, you know.”

“Blood? Are we doing that kind of training today, and is going for donuts instead, off the table?” I met her at the bottom of the stairs.

“No donuts, too much sugar will make you slow on your feet.” She lightly flicked my forehead. “And,I’m not going to answer your first question, it’ll just scare you away.” She squeaked in a girly high pitched sort of way that made warnings sound more adorable than threatening.

“I don’t like the sound of that.”

“Be brave!” She yelled, snatching my wrist and dragging me through the hallway near the TV room.

We ventured past a floor length mirror. I stole another peak at the heart tattoo in the mirror. It was a quarter filled. I was pretty sure this time.

Clearing the TV room and foyer, we exited the castle. Ferina’s car reflected the bright morning sun and it decorated the front of the castle.

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