69: 69 Run or fight? (AVOT)

69 Run or fight? (AVOT)

"Rhain," Daisy said, grabbing his face between her hands. Now she understood that intense look in his eyes, and her heart swelled.  0

He took more and more pieces of her heart as he showed her more pieces of himself. She got see his vulnerable side last night, she had seen his caring side all along, he has been gentlemanly and sweet from the beginning, and well, there were his more annoying and darker sides, which oddly endeared him to her as well. 

"Allowing myself to be your husband wasn't frightening, or odd. It felt very natural. But allowing you to be my wife was more challenging."

"Why?" She asked, puzzled. Shouldn't it be the other way around. Fulfilling his role demanded that he take action while allowing her to be his wife; he only needed to allow it.

His smile held a tinge of melancholy. "Because you do it with such sincerity," he confessed.

Daisy looked into his eyes, her hands still cradling his face, and felt a rush of emotion. "Your sincerity calls forth my own. You give so willingly of yourself, even when you think you're holding back. You've shown every facet of yourself, been vulnerable with me. And in return, how could I offer you anything less than the most genuine part of myself?"

A deep breath inflated his chest, his eyes fluttering momentarily as if suppressing a surge of emotion. Then he grinned. "I'm not watering you right now, so why do you keep blooming so vibrantly before me?" He effortlessly lifted her from the table, holding her in his arms.

She laughed. "Who says you're not?"

"Then I must stop," he quipped, "for I can hardly handle this much luminosity."

"Rhain, where are you going? You're still undressed," she chuckled as he carried her back to the bedroom.

"I'm well aware," he replied, lowering her onto the bed before climbing atop her. 

His lips claimed hers, and a moan escaped her mouth as the delicious weight of his body pressed against hers. Her craving for him had built throughout the day, and now it seemed her yearning would finally be satiated.

Her fingers splayed across his back, pulling him closer, as if trying to meld their bodies into one. Her legs coiled around his waist, her core pulsating in anticipation. She was dressed only in her chemise, and he was naked; she had no intention of letting him go now.

When he started to pull away, Daisy's grip on him tightened involuntarily. "Rhain," she groaned in frustration. But he turned his face towards the balcony, as if attuned to some distant sound.

Instantly, the warmth that had suffused her body evaporated, replaced by a bone-chilling coldness. Rhain disengaged and stood, his voice tinged with apprehension. "Lysander is here," he said. 

A wave of relief coursed through her, yet his face was etched with concern.

What transpired next left her stunned. Now that she was privy to his supernatural abilities, his clothes flew into his hands. He dressed with such swiftness that her eyes could barely track the motion. One moment he was bare and the next, he was fully clothed.

Then he hesitated, his complexion turning ashen.

"Rhain?" Her blood ran cold. Why did he appear so stricken?

"Come with me," he urged, his grip on her hand almost painfully tight as he led her away and ttoward the main hall.

Self-consciously, she swept her hair forward, acutely aware of her skimpy chemise. Yet the pressing weight of concern forestalled any protest. Lysander was his adoptive father; why should his presence unsettle Rhain so much?

Upon reaching the main hall, they found Lysander leisurely examining a painting on the wall. When he turned to face them, a smile flickered across his lips. Although devoid of overt malevolence, the sight still sent a shiver down her spine.

"Why so pale, Rhain?" Lysander inquired, his voice dripping with an emotion she couldn't quite place.

Rhain shot him a penetrating glare, tension palpable in the air.

"Do you believe I would harm her?" Lysander frowned, cocking his head slightly to the side. "It stings, even though… you're correct."

Rhain's hand clenched tighter around hers, causing her to wince. He was talking about her. What did Lysander mean by 'harm'?

Lysander began pacing, his voice hardening. "You know my rules well, Rhain," he said, abruptly halting to fix Rhain with a stern stare. "After all I've taught you, I'm disappointed."

"Don't do this," Rhain implored, his voice barely a whisper. "If finding Slaine is so important, I'll do it."

"'If?'" Lysander's eyebrows arched incredulously. "You're saying you're more capable than me?"

"He's searching for her even now. I have something that can lure him out."

Daisy felt her thoughts spiral into confusion. What were they talking about? Using her as some sort of bait?

"Even if you did find him, you couldn't kill him; you wouldn't even recognize him," Lysander retorted. "He's growing stronger each day. I need to end him—now."

Shielding her with his frame, Rhain defiantly spoke, "You're not taking her."

"Don't be a fool, Rhain! I have no desire to harm you."

"You will if you lay a finger on her," Rhain shot back.

"You'll get over it," Lysander said dismissively.

"No!" Rhain's voice cracked, desperation clawing at his words. "I want her. Can you just let me have this one thing?" 

"I can't," Lysander declared, his voice tinged with regret. "Hand her over. It'll be less painful for everyone. I'm taking her regardless."

"You'll have to kill me first, then," Rhain snarled.

Before Daisy could even process the enormity of the moment, a weapon materialized in Rhain's hand. But Lysander was already in motion—swift, almost a blur. It would've been a fatal strike if not for the wolves lunging in, breaking Lysander's advance.

"Daisy! RUN!" Rhain shouted, shoving her backward. She stumbled but found herself paralyzed, unable to abandon him.

With a flick of his hands, Lysander swatted the wolves away as if they were mere annoyances, sending them crashing into walls and furniture. Agonized growls filled the room. 

Rhain hurled sharp as daggers that Lysander evaded with an ease that defied logic. Then he moved at a speed too rapid for her to follow. She only saw the aftermath: Rhain hurtling into a wall.

A scream tore from her lips. Lysander wasted no time, gripping Rhain and smashing his head into the wall once more. No human could survive such a force, but Rhain fought back, landing a kick that sent Lysander staggering momentarily, though missing the follow-up. Lysander seemed to be everywhere and nowhere—like air, evading every blow.

In a burst of desperate clarity, Daisy remembered the hidden weapons Rhain had shown her. She sprinted to the wall, grabbing a pistol. When she returned, the scene was a whirlwind of chaos. The wolves were back in the fray, but they and Rhain were battered and bloody, while Lysander remained untouched. As Lysander lifted Rhain off the floor for another assault, she fired—missing.

"Stop!" Daisy shrieked, her voice laced with horror. Rhain looked on the brink of collapse, his face marred with blood. Her hands shook violently.

Lysander turned, completely unfazed by the weapon in her hands. He tightened his grip around Rhain's neck, talon-like fingers digging in, blood oozing down. Rhain's struggles were weakening, his body was limp.

Adrenaline coursed through her, amplifying her dread. To fire again risked hitting Rhain, but doing nothing seemed just as fatal.

"It's simple, dear Daisy," Lysander said, his eyes locking onto hers. "Come with me, and he lives."

pqdm.com