Page 31 of Deceived By a Warrior

“No thanks necessary. I was just doing my job, as always,” Darius replied.

“And you will be rewarded for it.Later.”Artem’s threatening tone was oozing with discomfort. When silence followed, Artem spoke up again, “Go on now.”

“I’d like to see how this plays out, if you don’t mind. We are all so curious about the soothsayer.”

Their conversation was filled with undertones that Eva didn’t exactly understand. She recognized enough to know Artem didn’t want Darius here, but it didn’t seem like Darius was going anywhere.

“Very well,” Artem allowed it, his attention falling back to Eva. But now, instead of looking bored, Artem seemed agitated. “Now, where were we? Yes, that’s it. Why are you against sharing your abilities with me?”

Eva shrugged. “Don’t want to.”

He smirked, his fingers clicking against his throne once again.Click, click, click…“If you choose to play games with me, you will not enjoy the consequences.”

“What are you going to do, kill me?” Eva wanted to laugh. He couldn’t kill her. Heneededher.

A low, dark laughter bubbled deep within him. “No, but I can make you wish I would.” His menacing voice rattled Eva. She realized how very right he was. There were things much worse than death.

Eva gulped. Finally, she felt fear.

Chapter Eighteen

Eva Maas

Though fear welled inside Eva, she refused to show it. She wouldn’t give Artem the satisfaction of seeing her fear. She hid her loneliness from the world just fine, she could do the same with her fear. “And what could you possibly do to me that hasn’t been done to me already?” She knew exactly what he could do, but that didn’t change the fact that her life already was a living hell.

He relaxed a bit, leaning back. “I’ve never met anyone quite like you.”

“Nobody has,” Eva bluntly responded. No one met anyone like her because people didn’t oftenmeether. She was admittedly a recluse.

“I like you.” He was still grinning. “So much so that I might feel a bit of regret over what I’m going to have to do to you…”

“Fuck, Eva!” That voice was new, but totally recognizable. That was Darius. “Just give him his damn fortune!” The worry in his voice confused Eva. It was as if he was worried for her.

No way.He just handed her over to this monster. He couldn’t possiblycare.

Could he?

Artem’s gaze flickered to Darius and back to her. “It appears you have a cheerleader.”

Eva folded her arms over her chest, her anger returning. “Cheerleaders support their team. Theydon’tthrow their team into the fire. He is no cheerleader for me.”

Artem tightened his eyes on Eva before relaxing and saying, “I see.”

He said nothing else, as if waiting for something to happen.

And then that something did.

A strong hand gripped Eva’s back, forcing her to turn around. When she did, she found herself looking straight into the eyes of Darius. He looked crazed. “You have no idea who you’re playing with,” he hissed.

Eva crossed her arms over her chest. “If he’s so dangerous, why’d you hand me over to him? Oh, that’s right - because you don’t give a fuck about me. How about you continue doing exactly that. Stop giving a fuck.”

“That’s not true.” His face was stern, his eyes unblinking.

Eva could’ve laughed. “What’s not? You handing me over to him, or you not giving a fuck about me?”

“Eva, Idocare about you,” he tried to convince her. Good luck with that one. She wouldn’t buy it for as long as she lived.

“Yeah, because people hand those they care about over to madmen.”

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