Whispers (Book 3 of Wielder s...

By LizFeron

177 40 16

Alison Vanderville has fought long and hard as the Realm's chosen Ultimate Wielder, and her work has finally... More

✨🦋✨🦋✨
Chapter 1 - Magic
Chapter 2 - A Familiar Face
Chapter 3 - Broken
Chapter 4 - Revenge
Chapter 5 - Survival
Chapter 6 - Into the Palace
Chapter 7 - Truth and Lies
Chapter 8 - The Dilema
Chapter 9 - The Researcher
Chapter 10 - Next Steps
Chapter 11 - Beginning the Search
Chapter 12 - The Arena
Chapter 13 - The Cost of Victory
Chapter 14 - A Plan
Chapter 15 - The Bond
Chapter 16 - What Helene Would Do
Chapter 17 - The Search
Chapter 18 - Dark Arts
Chapter 19 - Magic's Call
Chapter 20 - Magic's Touch
Chapter 21 - Sacrifice
Chapter 23 - To Catch a Phantom
Chapter 24 - Round Two
Chapter 25 - Midnight's Flight
Chapter 26 - Wielder
Chapter 27 - Betrayal
Chapter 28 - Punishment
Chapter 29 - Almost There
Chapter 30 - The Truth
Chapter 31 - Brother
Chapter 32 - What Love Is
Chapter 33 - Too Late
Chapter 34 - Spirit
Chapter 35 - Unleashed Hell
Chapter 36 - Escape
Chapter 37 - The Price of Life
✨🦋✨🦋✨

Chapter 22 - Thief's Kiss

3 1 0
By LizFeron

Darrel hated himself.

No. He despised himself.

He was a despicable human being. The worst kind of scum. He deserved to be cast off the roof of the palace's tallest spire without magic to help catch his fall.

Because after several days of flirting with Victoria in the palace halls, he had convinced her to take him back to her chambers, suggesting that he wanted to do quite a bit more than just flirt.

And she had grinned like she'd just won half the realm in a bet.

The apartment looked exactly as he remembered. He glanced around the space, feigning curiosity. "Your room is nicer than mine."

She shut the door behind her, flicking the lock with a click that set every one of his nerves on end. "Do you even have your own room?" she chuckled. Her tone held a constant sort of purr, like she wanted it to sound as sultry as possible. It grated on his already aggravated nerves.

"No," he snorted, hiding his shudder in a shrug. "Just a bunk like the others."

"Well." She walked across the room toward him, her eyelids half lowered in a look of shameless desire. "Depending on how things go tonight, I might be able to change that."

Darrel forced himself to stay completely still as she ran her hands up his chest, releasing the buttons of his uniform's jacket one by one. Her eyes remained locked unblinkingly on his. Her dark red lips parted just the slightest bit.

It took everything in him not to fling himself back.

His jacket hit the floor. A chill swept over him in its absence, one that shouldn't have been there. The room wasn't cold. It was just the company he kept.

She looked him up and down, biting her lower lip between her teeth.

In another life, he would have thrown himself at a woman like Victoria. She was gorgeous. And available. And desperate. That was the winning combination in his book, once upon a time.

That life felt so far away now.

Nothing but disgust curled in his gut as Victoria's eyes raked over him. Her fingers followed, stopping at his belt and lifting the leather free from the buckle. It slid from his waist and hit the floor with a crack.

"You know," she said, sweeping her hands up around his neck, "it took you longer than I expected for you to come find me."

Darrel lifted a trembling hand to her waist. It was the first time, he realized, that he'd touched her. He hated the contact immediately. Everything about her felt wrong. She was too tall. Too curvy. Too handsy. He hated her perfume and the sound of her voice. Her smile had too much desire in it.

It was like she was Alie's opposite.

And his body reacted in completely the opposite way than it did with Alie, too. Icy dread rippled across his skin. The heat building on his palms wasn't that of attraction, but of disdain. He felt like shriveling up into the corner.

He forced a nauseous lump past his throat and pretended to smile. "Oh, yeah?"

"Rumor has it that you're a bit of a flirt," she grinned, sweeping her fingers over his waist and slowly pulling his shirt out from the waistband of his pants. "And that you're not picky about who shows you any kind of attention."

"A lot's changed since I was here last," he shrugged dismissively. So much more than you know.

"Yes, it has." She let her hands fall away from him, taking a step back to look him over. He nearly collapsed in relief that she wasn't touching him anymore. He had to concentrate on locking his knees to keep himself standing.

Victoria reached up to her hair, pulling free the pin that kept it wrapped in a secure, elegant bun. A flick of her wrist and a shake of her head had her caramel colored hair tumbling down her back in shiny, bouncing waves. "But you did come to me," she said.

Darrel swallowed again. He hoped Victoria thought that meant he was attracted to her. "I did."

"Why?"

This was the moment he needed. This was what he'd been working for. He put on his best smile, one that had made countless girls weak in the knees. "Because," he said carefully, "you are just too hard to resist."

Victoria's smile turned wicked. She stepped back into his space, lifting her chin so that her lips nearly brushed against his cheek. "I am, aren't I?"

Darrel growled. He hated how she acted like she could just share his air, like she could entice him with a few flirtations and smiles. He wanted to shove her to the floor.

He almost did. His hands came up and grabbed her by the shoulders, but as they moved to shove, he caught himself and drew her into his embrace, instead.

It made her smile, but it made him sick.

"Too bad Alie decided she didn't want you anymore," Victoria taunted, cupping his chin with her too-thin fingers and darkly painted nails. "You have such a handsome face. She really is missing out."

And then, to his absolute horror, she kissed him.

It took every ounce of willpower within him not to recoil. He nearly gagged as her lips pressed onto his. Several moments passed before he could get his body to respond, to answer in kind, so that he could keep up the ruse. He kissed her with agonizing slowness, dragging things out as long as possible.

But the moment she sighed and tried to part his lips with her tongue, he couldn't take it anymore.

With a shudder, he ripped away from her kiss. He pushed her away, locking his arms to keep her out of reach. His lunch threatened to revisit him. He sucked in a few deep breaths, hoping to keep it down.

Victoria laughed. The sound rumbled from deep within her, a villain's victorious cackle. "I knew it. I knew you weren't interested in me."

Darrel couldn't hide the trembling of his hands. He dropped them from Victoria's shoulders, wiping one hand against his mouth. There wasn't enough soap in the realm that would rid him of the feel of her lips on his, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to try.

Dark power began to leech from her, pooling in threatening shadows around her feet. "Why did you pursue me, if you didn't want me?"

Eyeing the display of her power nervously, Darrel clenched his hands at his fists. If this came to a brawl, he wasn't sure he could take her. And he hadn't told Willy where he was going, so the Wielder would have no idea of the danger he was in. He would have to be extremely careful if he wanted to stay alive. He stammered, "I... I..."

"You never broke up with Alie," she accused, crossing her arms confidently across her chest. "Why are you really here? Did she send you here to spy on the empress? Is she planning to overthrow her?"

Darrel shook his head. Pain, heartache, and desperation clawed at his chest, making his voice raw. "No."

"She wants the throne for herself, is that it?" Victoria's power thickened, causing the tips of her boots to disappear into shadow. "She wants to eliminate the entire Sykora line so that there's no one left to take the throne?"

"No!" His hands full on shook at his sides. Images of the commander with his power wrapped around Alie sprang unbidden into his mind.

"Then why are you here?" Victoria pressed. "What is she planning?"

"Nothing! She's planning nothing, because Alison is dead!"

The ferocity of his outburst startled them both. Victoria's shadows stopped swirling. Her eyes widened in disbelief. She parted her lips, about to say something, but the words didn't come.

Darrel's chest felt like it was going to rip in two. He wasn't sure that Alie was dead. But it had been so long since Sole had captured her. It was certainly possible. It was more likely than her being alive, at this point. He had just never let himself admit it, before.

Plunging a dagger into his chest would have caused him less pain. He struggled to breathe. His eyes filled with tears. His knees wobbled, and he nearly sank to the floor. He reached out for something to hold onto that would help keep him standing. After stumbling back a few steps, he found the back of a chair and leaned his weight heavily upon it.

Victoria stared at him. Her breathless voice lost all traces of flirtation. "How?"

It took him far too long to answer. "Sole."

"You're lying."

He shook his head. "He and his Phantoms caught us by surprise when we had our guard down. It was over before it began."

Her eyes narrowed. "How'd you get away, if she didn't?"

He didn't have it in him to think of a reason why he shouldn't tell her the truth. "She used a last burst of magic to transport me across the world. I didn't see him kill her, but I have no reason to believe he would have left her alive. Not this long, anyway. It's been... It's been weeks."

For a long time, Victoria stood in silence. She studied him hard, then glanced to the floor. She cursed. "I always thought she'd best him, in the end."

So had he. He tried to say so, but the admission of Alie's demise had stolen his strength. He struggled to pull the heavy chair away from the table, and then sank into it like a stone into a pond.

Slowly, Victoria's shadows disappeared. Then she stepped up to the chair beside his, pulling it back from the table and perching on its edge. She chewed on the inside of her cheek, her gaze distant, focused only on her thoughts. "I don't understand. Why did you say you'd only broken up with her?"

Darrel lifted tired eyes to her. "Because her death leaves the realm vulnerable."

"Not that vulnerable. William can take her place."

"Willy's not a replacement. He's not even supposed to be here. He betrayed the realm during his time as Wielder. He's only here because of his curse."

She frowned. "If you had told me or the empress right away, we could have sent troops out looking for her."

Darrel stiffened. Wasn't that exactly what he'd suggested to Willy when he'd first arrived? His eyes narrowed. "Would you really have sent troops? Because I've been told Tyla's doing nothing to track down Commander Sole, even though he's refused to answer her summons and is a known threat."

A small, amused smile twitched at the corner of Victoria's mouth. "Alright, answer me this then," she said, changing the subject, which told Darrel she never would have sent a single person looking for the commander at all. "Why try to make me think you were interested in me?"

Well, that was easy enough to explain. "Tyla's planning something suspicious, and I want to know what it is."

Victoria's eyes glistened. "Ah, so it was you in the tunnels."

He nearly cursed. But it was too late to try to deny it, so he shrugged in admission of his guilt.

"How much do you know?"

"That she's got a dark arts spell she's either planning to use or has already used and it's probably going to be nasty."

"You're not wrong about that."

Great. Just great. "Are you going to give me the details?"

"That depends. Why do you want to know?"

"Because I need information to lure out the Phantom that's been wandering the palace."

Her lips thinned. "Why?"

"So that I can trade it for Sole's location."

Understanding brightened her ruby eyes. "Why bother, if you think it's too late to save Alie?"

"Why else? I want to kill the commander in revenge." And he did. He really, really did.

Victoria, for some reason, seemed to believe him. She drummed her fingers in thought on the table, her lips twitching as she sucked again on her cheek. Finally, she flattened out her hand, causing her freshly-painted nails to shine. "Alright."

Darrel blinked at her. "Alright?"

"I'll tell you what Tyla's planning."

Dread pulled at him. Nothing was ever that easy. "What do you want?"

"From you?" Her eyes shimmered. "A kiss. A real one this time. Make me believe you want me."

"Why?" As much as the thought revolted him, it was a price he would pay a million times over for the chance to find Alie. Especially when he was so close to getting exactly what he needed.

She shrugged. "Because, despite what you may think, I'm actually attracted to you."

His eyes narrowed. "That's it?"

"Well..."

Oh, no. He stiffened, waiting for the hammer to fall. Surely she had some other impossible conditions. One kiss was a small price to pay for the empress's secrets.

Her grin was the most wicked he'd ever seen. "I also like the idea of taking something that doesn't belong to me," she answered, causing the knot in his stomach to tighten. "Especially when it's taken away from Alie."

His eyes widened. "You hate her that much?"

"Oh, it's not that." Slipping back into the sultry voice she'd donned earlier, she rose from her chair and slid onto his lap. Her knees pushed into the cushion on either side of him. Her arm wrapped around his neck, drawing him to her, and her hand tilted his chin up to her. "It's just that she's so perfect. She's charming, and humble, and selfless... And she's the Ultimate Wielder. She could have every man in the realm if she wanted." Leaning forward, she pressed her forehead to his. "But she only wants you. Which means that she guards you jealously. So if she ever finds out about this? She'll be a little less perfect. It's not that I hate her. I just want to ruin her a little."

"That's... pretty twisted."

She grinned. "I know."

Darrel didn't fight her when she pressed her lips to his. In fact, he did the opposite. He slid his hands into her hair and opened his mouth to her advances and kissed her with a fierceness that would have left any woman breathless. Though everything in him screamed at the wrongness of it, he tried to hold on to the hope that the next woman he kissed would be Alie. That the next time he surrendered himself to something so intimate, it would be to the woman he loved.

He kissed Victoria like his life depended on it.

When Victoria finally pulled away, a dazzled sparkle filled her eyes. Good. Darrel hadn't spent all those years making out with hot girls for nothing, then. At least they had taught him how to leave a girl satisfied.

Grinning from ear to ear, Victoria tucked her hair behind her ear. "I'm glad to see you live up to your reputation," she said a little breathlessly.

Darrel didn't hold back his snarl. "The pleasure is mine."

She chuckled darkly. "Alright," she breathed. "You've earned your prize." Then she nuzzled her cheek against his and began to whisper secrets in his ear.

With every sentence Victoria whispered, his eyes grew a little wider. His stomach dropped a little bit lower. His breath caught in his throat. She left him in shock and horror, his mind awhirl.

As she slid from his lap, she gave him one last quick, chaste kiss. "You owe me, Darrel," she sang. "You owe me for life."

He swallowed hard. As he rose from the chair, he felt numb. Victoria led him to the door, handing him his jacket and belt - which he'd completely forgotten about - as he stepped into the hall. He didn't bother saying goodbye as he drifted away. Nor did he bother acknowledging the guards who stood on either side of her door, watching him in amusement.

"That was quick," one of them muttered.

"Means he won't be back," chuckled the other.

Darrel didn't even look in their direction. He finally got his thoughts together, remembered where he was, and began to run.

He could barely breathe. Before he did anything else, he had to tell Willy what he'd learned. There wouldn't be much they could do to stop Tyla, not this far along into her plan. Willy would need to get that maid of his out of the capitol. Immediately. But then...

Then, they were finally going after the Phantom. 

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