CHAPTER 213: BLOOD STAINED HANDS

Viktor stood in front of Charlotte’s chamber with a tray filled with different fruits as he knocked on the door. At first, there was no response, but on the second knock, the door creaked open with Charlotte peeking her head out. A look of surprise covered her face when she saw him.

"Oh... Viktor, what are you doing here? Is everything alright?" she questioned, still sticking her head out between the little gap of the door and its frame.

"Let’s have fruits together. I need company," he replied.

"Oh," she brushed strands of hair from her face.

Viktor arched his brow at her. "Are you busy with something? I can leave if..."

"No, no, not at all. I was just... writing." She opened the door wider, pulling her robe tightly around herself with her arms crossed over her chest. "You can come in."

She walked into the room, and Viktor followed after her, closing the door with his foot as he caught her clearing up the scattered books that were laid out on the table. From where he stood, he couldn’t tell what was in the books, but the way she quickly got rid of them piqued his interest. Now he was really curious to know what was in those books.

"So, are the people on their way to the palace?" she asked, turning to him as she leaned against the desk.

"In a few hours, they will be. We’ve sent out guards to protect them in case they run into problems. Though, we pray heavily that the problem isn’t Hades or they’ll all be dead," Viktor stated, placing the tray on the small table in front of the couch.

"I do hope everything goes down smoothly. I don’t want us mourning more people than we already have. The stench of death, fear, and dread in the air is suffocating. I don’t know how long I can bear it." Charlotte let out a sigh, making her way to the table where the fruits lay and picking up two slices of apple.

"I understand how you feel. And I also hope everything goes smoothly and Valyron returns to normal," Viktor said, picking up an orange.

"I hope so too." She threw the slices in her mouth and picked up another. "And how about Lilith?"

"What about her?"

"You haven’t told her that you are her brother. When do you plan on doing so?"

Viktor sighed. "Very soon, but with everything going on now, I doubt it’s the right time to start that conversation. Everyone is completely stressed out as it is."

"I mean, that’s true, but I would still suggest that you tell her as soon as possible. She deserves to know," Charlotte explained. "It will surely be a good thing for both of you. That’s what I’ll say."

Viktor smiled. "Thank you for your kind words, Lucy. I will think about it."

"Very well," she replied, settling on the couch before digging into the bowl of fruits, her attention fully on it.

He watched her with a smile plastered on his lips, a silent sigh escaping as he casually strolled around the room, his eyes scanning the shelves and dressers, looking for nothing in particular.

A brush lying at the side of the table caught his attention. Viktor narrowed his eyes, crouched down, and picked it up, running his fingers over the smooth handle. As he stood up to place it back on the table, he noticed something else peeking from behind it, it was a book.

Curiously, he leaned forward and pulled the book out, shaking off the dust particles and cobwebs that clung to it. The pages appeared blank at first. Dropping the brush on the table, Viktor flipped through the book until he found writings on it, beautiful ones. He could easily recognize the handwriting even at the brink of death.

Charlotte, who noticed Viktor was no longer in her line of sight, wiped her hands and rose from the couch to look for him. "Viktor, where are you?" she called, then came to a sudden halt, her eyes widening. "Good Lord! What are you doing with that? Put it down this instant!"

Viktor turned his head toward her, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "This is quite interesting. So... you have another lover."

Charlotte could feel her palms start to sweat and her heart pound hard in her chest. She rushed forward, reaching to grab the book from him, but he moved backward, lifting his hand higher in the air.

"You fool! That is my diary. You are invading my privacy by reading that!"

"Hmmm..." Viktor skimmed the page, his voice calm yet teasing. "’I shouldn’t feel this way. I don’t know why I’m feeling this way. Why does my heart skip anytime he’s close? The sound of his voice makes me nervous...’"

"Give it back now! Good gods, I’m going to strangle you, Viktor," Charlotte growled through gritted teeth as she fisted the collar of his shirt.

"That is quite violent, Lucy." Viktor shook his head like he was scolding a child. "Anyways..." He turned back to the book. "’I’ve never been in love before, but I think... I’m falling for him. And that is bad, really bad. What if he doesn’t feel the same? What if...’"

Charlotte desperately tried to reach for the book, but she couldn’t as Viktor kept moving around with his arm raised high in the air.

"Have you gone mad!? Please, stop reading that book," she pleaded, but he ignored her completely, smirking as he continued to read.

Having no other choice, Charlotte bit into his arm, sinking her teeth through the fabric of his sleeve and into his skin.

The action caught Viktor off guard. It took him a few seconds before the pain registered, and when it did, he placed his hand on top of her head, trying to push her off.

"What are you doing? Get your teeth off me!"

Charlotte shook her head stubbornly, refusing to let go as she clamped down even tighter.

As Viktor struggled to pry her off, she noticed the book in his other hand was no longer raised. Seizing the opportunity, she quickly snatched the book from his grip and darted away, pressing her back against the bedpost with the diary clutched tightly to her chest.

Viktor groaned as he rolled up his sleeve to inspect the damage. To his surprise, it wasn’t bad, the mark of her teeth was visible, but the skin hadn’t broken.

"You sure you weren’t a dog in your past life?" he asked dryly, rolling his sleeve back down.

"And you sure you weren’t a thief in your past life." She scoffed. "If you come close to my book again, I’ll bite your arm off." Charlotte narrowed her eyes at him.

"So, you have a new lover. Tell me about him?" Viktor moved to her side, arms crossed over his chest.

Charlotte stuffed the diary into one of the drawers of her dresser and locked it with a key, which she then placed in her jewelry box. "There’s nothing to tell. And there’s no new lover."

"That’s not what I read. Come on, just tell me. Can’t you tell your brother about your new lover?"

Charlotte shot him a glare. The sound of him calling himself her brother almost made her gag. "That is absolutely disgusting. You’re not my brother, don’t call yourself that."

"Oh really? So what am I then?"

She drew in a deep breath, turned around only to bump into him. His hands immediately settled on her hips, and they stood dangerously close. Charlotte swallowed the lump in her throat, her heart racing again, her eyes wandering everywhere but his face.

"Tell me, Lucy." His finger slid under her jaw, tilting it up so she’d look at him. "I want to know about this lover of yours." His breath mingled with hers, his thumb brushing lightly against her bottom lip.

"I..." She swallowed hard, her body leaning against his, her eyes drifting to his lips. Perhaps she could just kiss him this one time and dare she say, with the way Viktor was looking at her, it was obvious he was thinking the same thing.

Charlotte was temptation itself. And the gods help him, because he was just as tempted. He wanted to kiss her so deeply she’d beg him for more. As he leaned closer, the tension between them thickened. Hell, he had never been this nervous or this desperate to kiss someone. But then again, this wasn’t just anyone. This was Lucy.

Just as their lips were about to touch, Charlotte suddenly pulled away. Her face burned hot, red as fire. "I think you should leave." She walked over to the table, picked up the tray, and handed it to him. "Thank you for the fruits. I would like to be alone," she said, avoiding his eyes.

Viktor smiled. He could tell she was trying to hold herself together. "Very well. Have a good night’s rest." He collected the tray and walked out of the room.

As the door clicked shut, Charlotte’s legs gave out. She collapsed to the floor, fingers tangled in her hair. "Dear gods, that was close," she muttered under her breath. She truly felt like she was about to pass out.

She would have to be prepared next time.

~~~

Still wearing a faint smile, Viktor handed the tray to one of the servants before strolling within the castle walls. The sky was clear and the night calm, but a chilling cold lingered in the air the kind that usually indicated rain, though the cloudless heavens suggested otherwise.

He stuffed his hands into the pockets of his coat and continued down the hallways. Everywhere was eerily quiet, though that was hardly unusual since the demon had gone berserk.

Viktor let out a long breath, raking a hand through his hair. At the end of the hallway stood two towering oak doors that stretched from ceiling to floor. He gripped the handles and pushed them open. The doors groaned loudly as his eyes swept across the throne room, the magnificent throne gleaming at the center, surrounded by several other chairs.

One day, Hades would be King of Valyron and sit upon that very throne. The thought made Viktor smile faintly. With a sigh, he pushed the doors shut and turned to leave when he heard a sound.

He froze, straining his ears but there was only silence. Perhaps it was just his imagination. Shrugging it off, Viktor started to walk away. But after only four steps, the sound came again, this time it was clear.

He spun around, hurried back to the doors, and eased them open. His stomach plunged at the sight before him.

"Ahh, good to see you too... Viktor." Zal lounged on the throne, a menacing smile stretched across his lips. His hands, covered with blood, rested casually on the armrests. "Don’t look so surprised, you knew you couldn’t keep me out for long."

Viktor stood frozen, words lodged in his throat as he stared at the demon.

"How... did you get in?" he finally managed to force out.

"Well," Zal drawled, making himself more comfortable, "the very nice guard did. He gave up really, really easily." His voice dripped with mockery. "Anyway, there will be a bloodbath soon. In fact, it has already begun." He lifted his blood stained hands for Viktor to see.

Dread clenched Viktor’s gut. He staggered back a step, then turned and bolted, sprinting toward the gates where the guards were stationed. His breath came ragged and harsh by the time he reached them only to find two guards sprawled lifeless on the ground.

His gaze darted to the magical circle. Part of it had been wiped away. Dropping to his knees, Viktor rolled one of the men onto his back. The guard’s skin was ice-cold, his eyes milky white. Viktor pressed two fingers to his neck, searching for a pulse. There was nothing.

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" The curse hissed from his lips as he shot to his feet and tore back inside the castle, racing up the stairs toward Lucian’s chamber.