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Into the Shadows	By : Darksaviour03 Category: M through R > Night Angel Trilogy Views: 1396 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I don't own the Night Angel Trilogy. I do own the Dark Savior Series. No profits have been made from this fan fiction.

Chapter List
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Chapter Two
Cyras' fingers curled around the lip at the top of the wall. Her legs dangled haphazardly and swung back and forth as if she was a leaf sprouting from a thick branch. The edges of her boots scraped faintly against the rough edges.
The moon hung high in the twinkling sky. Beams of milky light streamed down from the heavens, abolishing almost all shadows cast by the tall, slender towers. The ivory, stone walls glimmered in the luminescent rays.
Hoisting herself up over the edge of the rampart, she inhaled deeply. Her breasts rose, her assassin's livery stretching tight across them. She peered into the courtyard and stared at the guard walking in a circular patrol.
As the giant man, Jorge, turned left, the moonlight flowed over him. The top of his head shimmered, brightening his yellowish complexion. Black tattoos darkened the skin of his face, marring his flesh. Vaene had told her that most of the markings that this man bore Jorge had inflicted upon himself.
This man is unlike other guards, she thought. Most soldiers were vain, womanizing assholes. Their thoughts would be consumed with their latest conquest. Those types of guards made frequent visits to Niccolo's brothels. They pawed at her with their dirty fingers.
Others of the Olessan Watch were doddering fools. They patrolled halfheartedly, stopping at the perimeter, drooling beneath their helm, and scratching their genitalia. A dim, slow-burning fire lurked deeply in their eyes.
Jorge disappeared into the shadows cast by the keep and the back rampart.
Gazing up at the higher section of the wall, she studied the gaps in the stonework. It didn't take her long to determine the path that she would take. It wasn't the obvious path that had jumped out at her first. Following that quickly with her eyes, she soon realized that it ended about halfway up the wall. Her path was harder to see, to the untrained eye. It took her mere moments.
It took nearly as little time for her to mount the wall after deciding on her path. When Cyras decided on something, she didn't hesitate. The only other time she hesitated, she was forced to see the anguish, the torment, and the rage in the eyes of the man that she had taken everything from, twice.
Noiselessly, she dropped to the ground on the other side of the wall. She pressed her back against the rough stone as she crouched slightly. No one would sneak up on her as she surveyed her surroundings. She didn't get her reputation by being careless.
As if Amés sensed her desperation, snow brushed her cheek. An icy wind, mocking the pain deep within her, bit at her reddening cheeks and snatched at the tendrils of blonde hair peeking out from beneath her dark hood. Snow fell onto her nose, numbing the tip.
The doors to the keep opened, creaking in protest against the winter chill. Aromas of incense drifted out into the chilly night. Her stomach turned and tightened with the anticipation of feast. Bile lifted to her throat, and she swallowed the bits of bread from her supper back roughly.
Cyras held her breath, stilling every muscle in her body as she prepared for action. If she was discovered, she would have to flee, and everything would be for naught. While she could avoid it, she wouldn't kill to get to the King of Olessa. It would only convince him that she was bitter, that she was a threat, that she hadn't shed her brutality. Because she did not want to send him that message, she exerted masterful self control. Ironically, Cyras was likely the only one that wasn't a threat to him.
The silhouette of a man was framed in the flickering candle-light. Long blonde hair billowed in the wind, swirling around his sharp features. He strode from the arched opening of the keep and into the courtyard.
Vittoré, or had it been Amés, had smiled on her that night, bringing her quarry directly to her. It made the entire process easier, perhaps too much so. She remained hidden for a moment, questioning her fortuitousness. Nothing was ever so simple. She still had to convince him to leave with her. It would be no small feat.
Jorge rounded the wall again. He walked behind Vaene and joined the other royal guards behind their master.
Cyras would be asking Vaene to put trust into her after she had damaged it with her deception. She didn't think Vaene was capable of such magnanimity. She doubted anyone was. Still, she had to try. With a silent prayer to Amés, she stepped out of the shadow and approached the one who still held her heart.
"You have some fucking nerve sneaking in here," Vaene growled.
"Please," she begged, "hear me out, my lord." Speaking so weakly made her sick to her stomach, but she had to do what she thought was needed. She raised both of her hands, gesturing that she was unarmed and she meant him no harm.
"You have thirty seconds," he droned, uninterested.
"Niccolo will not give up," she warned him. "Your new betrothed, she is my sister. She's an assassin. She's going to kill you tomorrow, unless you leave with me now. I can protect you, but you have to come with me."
"Why should I believe a word you say, Tigress?" he sneered, putting extra venom in the title. "Who's to say that you won't kill me the first chance you get, when you have me away from my guards?"
"Firstly," Cyras threatened, losing her composure momentarily, "if I wanted you dead, you would be dead right now, guards or no guards. That's a simple fact."
The guards behind him fingered the hilts of their swords.
Jorge shook his head, causing the metallic, skull shaped beads capping the three thick strands of his facial hair to clink together. He understood what she said, and he agreed with it. The Black Tigress always struck when she meant to. She regained herself.
"But I deserve that," she said meekly. "My lord, I'm not asking you to love me. I'm not even asking you to trust me. What I'm asking is that you trust in the fact that Niccolo will stop at nothing to wear the crown. Trust the evil in his heart."
"You're asking me to be a coward," Vaene countered. "I won't turn tail and run. I don't need a woman, the woman who killed my family, to protect me."
Guilt seared within her, blinding her. She tried not to drift back to that moment. As clear as day, she could see the look in his eyes as she took everything from him with one swift stroke of her dagger.
Staring down at her hands, she could see the fountain of blood flow over her fingers, congealing in the spaces between. The agonizing remorse penetrated her skin, searing into her soul.
Blinking, the gore evaporated from her body like the apparition it was. Relief spread over her as if it were a soothing balm to an infected wound.
"Vaene, I love you," she admitted. If it was anyone else, she would find the situation humorous. Now that she could not have him, she professed her love for him. Twice. "I am probably the only one who doesn't want to harm you. Niccolo is after the regency, and he would employ any means to take it."
"I don't believe you," Vaene spat, refuting her once more. "Why did you lie to me about who you are? You had to know that I would find out someday, after you decided not to kill me. You had to know Niccolo would out you. Why did you continue to deceive me?"
Cyras looked down, ashamed in her past actions. Regret burned within her for lying to Vaene, but more so, she felt remorse for taking his family away from him. She had never intended on destroying the man, but she had had no choice.
"What was I to tell you, Vaene?" she pleaded. "That I am the woman who took your wife and son away from you, the woman you had spent a decade hunting? Would you have believed me? Would you have believed that I was sincere in my penitence? Obviously not, from the way you are acting now. Look, I'm not asking you to love me. I know that is more than I deserve. But, you have to trust me this once. If you ever loved me, believe me when I tell you that you are in danger."
"I never loved you," Vaene sneered bitterly. "I despise you and everything you stand for."
That was it. She had done everything she could. Vaene refused to believe her. She would have to go back to her hideout and form a plan. She still had every intention of saving him, even if that meant kidnapping the newly crowned king. His life was too important, and Niccolo could never be allowed to seize power.
Cyras turned away in frustration, but she was spun around violently by Vaene's hand on her arm. Before she could protest, he pressed his lips hard into hers. His body told the truths that his voice could not.
As he punished her with his mouth, shivers were sent down her entire body. Every time he kissed her before, it was a gentle reaction. He would sweep his lips along hers, making love to her with his mouth. Vaene would run his tongue along her lips and gently slip it between them.
Presently, there was no softness to their kiss. Heat drove his actions. They writhed like animals. Both were consumed with something that neither could understand. Something greater than both of them pushed them, wanting them to react in such a manner.
He ground his lips into hers, and her teeth shredded the inside of her mouth. The metallic, cloying tang of blood mixed with the minty taste of his mouth.
Vaene lifted his hands and cupped her cheeks. She could feel the warmth from his hands as the biting cold tried to force its way between them. In that punishing embrace, she knew the truth. He still loved her, and he would go through eternity loving her.
She was the woman who took everything from him. Everyone he loved died at her hands. He deserved a normal wife. At the very least, he deserve someone who did not have so much blood on her hands. Cyras could never change who she was. Death was as much a needed part of her life as the very air she breathed.
As he deepened the kiss, her mouth began to burn from the punishing pressure. She raised her arms and gripped his shoulders. He was not the only one seeking to possess the other. Cyras wanted him to know that she was his woman and he was her man.
"I'm sorry," she murmured into his mouth. The heat was quickly reaching a crescendo. Again, she shivered. She sighed into his body. "If I could take it back, I would. I didn't want to destroy you."
"But you can't, can you?" Vaene said, his words biting into her like a snake. Of course, the question was rhetorical. There was nothing she could say even if it weren't. "I'm sorry Cyras, but I can't leave. Even if what you say is true, I am needed here. Olessa needs me now more than ever. What message would that send to my subjects if I were to abandon them all to save my own hide?"
"That you are smart?" Cyras argued. "It's foolish to stand in the face of such a conspiracy. Don't you see? Niccolo won't stop until he has your head and your crown!"
"Cyras, I cannot abandon my kingdom to that man," Vaene insisted. It was clear that there would be no convincing him. He was far too noble to flee. "You know that, in my absence, he will abscond the throne. It would be no different for my subjects if I was alive or dead."
"Except that you will be alive!" Cyras cried, giving it one last desperate attempt to sway him. "Please, I couldn't go on if you died!"
"I am not so easy to kill," Vaene reassured. "I'll take into consideration what you've told me, and I will remain vigilant, but I must stay here. This is my place."
Cyras wanted to push the issue with Vaene, and she knew she had to. When she was around him, every single one of her beliefs were tossed out the window. She wanted him to realize that together they could protect the empire. After all, she would give up everything for him.
"Vittore be damned," she cursed softly, gazing at the man. "Why do I have to love such a stubborn man?"
"Do you think it is easier for me to love the woman who butchered my family?" he cried out. He tightened his hands on her cheek, causing her flesh to burn with pain. Cyras was used to pain being inflicted on her by men. "You held my little boy in your arms. He was an innocent, Cyras. Why did you slit his throat? Why did you take him away from the man you claim to love?"
She looked away. Instantly, she was taken back to that night. Regret burned in her soul for taking the life of his son. That boy was the reason why she did not do children. A monster killed children, and she was not a monster. Tears seared her eyes, blurring the man before her.
Cyras continued to remain silent, unable to answer Vaene's question. There really was nothing she could say to alleviate the pain in his eyes. She felt tears stream down her cheeks, and she cursed her weakness. He was the only man to see her in this state. Yet, he remained cold to her. He was within his rights. She had taken everything from him, stripped him of his only child, and she had no excuse.
"Just as I thought," Vaene murmured, the fire gone from his voice. "You've got nothing to say for yourself. You did what you did because you were told to. You made your choice, and you must live with it. Now, I will make mine. And I will live with that, too. I may not live long, but I will face my killer. Can you say the same?"
She stood in silence, her gaze downcast, as he and the watchmen turned and walked away from her. Tears fell to the snow-dusted ground at her feet. Everything had backfired. Silently, she whispered the words I love you before turning away, crushed anew.
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Into the Shadows