Chapter 32 - An old friend

Damien's pov 

    As I made my way out of the mansion, the chilly night air seemed to amplify the sound of every footstep I took. The darkness which I was very much used to, enveloped me like a thick cloak. My senses heightened and I could feel someone following behind me. Who could it be in the middle of the night?

Listening in, I could hear the sound of an uneven and rapid heartbeat that betrayed the person's sense of stealth. 

I could guess who it was immediately. I thought she had passed out.

I frowned as I took a deliberate turn towards the stables, pretending as though I were simply intending to check on my horse. How careless of me to have underestimated her recklessness. How did she even manage to find out my plans for tonight… Her cunning and mischievous nature was impossible to ignore, as much as she might not even know it yet. This sly little fox's insatiable curiosity might lead her down shadowy paths.

Pretending to fiddle with the stable door, opening it as though I entered, I seamlessly blended into the darkness, silently tailing her with extra caution. 

She was wise to stay far away but she wasn't far enough. 

I closed in, mere inches away from her, silently observing her watch the stables from behind the veil of the bushes.

As though sensing me behind her, she turned around, and a lazy, nervous smile played on her lips. 

The tension between us crackled in the air, a silent standoff where words were rendered unnecessary before she broke the silence.

"Oh hi there," she said, tucking her hair behind her ears nervously. 

"I didn't see you" " she said again, but I didn't reply as a frown curved up even deeper on my face to show my disapproval. What was she thinking, following me out into the night? 

"Where are you going so late at night?" She questioned still playing with her hair. 

"I should ask you the same question," I said, my frown deepening without a smile.

"I…I was just out for a walk when I heard the stable door open, so I decided to check it out. I mean, it could have been an outsider," she tried to explain and cover-up, but I already knew what she was up to as her thoughts betrayed her.

"...and what if it was an outsider and you got killed?" I said, putting a stress on the killed so she knew I was being serious. 

She fell silent looking at her feet. 

"You were going to follow me, weren't you? You should be smarter than this, princess" I said, moving closer, making her look at me.

There's no way I'm taking her along. 

"Go inside, now" 

   On arriving at the given location, I approached the dark forest, which had the statue right in front of it as though it was guarding the forest.

Standing there, just beside the statue, I waited impatiently. 

 I sensed a familiar presence.

"Hello, friend", I heard from behind and turned to see my ex-close friend. The smirk on his face only made me displeased with him even further. 

I didn't say anything… 

Kyle was my best friend back when he lived in my father's castle. Kyle's father was a member of the council, and as kids, whenever the elders had meetings, we'd hang out, causing mischief around the castle. 

"I knew you'd come" 

"hmm.." 

I knew Kyle or whoever he sent to poison Kelly wouldn't have been able to enter the mansion without inside help because I shielded the mansion personally with my powers a few days after Kelly arrived. 

He just stared at me, a smirk on his face. 

"Where's the antidote?" I said keeping a straight face, not wanting to wait any second longer

"Let's talk, shall we?" He said.

"I'm not interested. Where..is..the.. antidote?" I said impatiently, not wanting to engage in small talk.

"Come on now my friend, we're still buddies, are we not? Or did you let that issue over a woman break us apart?" He said, trying to stir me up, and it was working.

"I have no issues with you, Kyle; I was under Cordelia's siren charm. I didn't know what I was doing, besides you didn't even tell me she was yours" the tone of my voice rising.

"I told you she was blond," he said, raising his voice angrily.

"So I had to stay away from every blond girl because…you know what, I'm not having this conversation; give me the antidote,", I said, stretching my hands out to him.

"Come and get it" he said with a smirk, and with that, he transformed, taking flight into the night sky, the moonlight gleaming off his white scales. Kyle knew about my declaration of never transforming so he used it against me.

My blood boiled as I watched him soar higher, going up past the height of the thick trees away from the dark forest. No..no..no, I muttered, struggling to control the overwhelming surge of adrenaline coursing through my veins; I clenched my fists, trying to calm the violent impulses that made me crave destruction.

The image of Kyle's lifeless body, a vivid memory, played in my head as I wanted to dig him open, inside and out. It's my curse, anger, and rage to kill. 

With a muttered curse under my breath, I struggled to push aside the dark urges that threatened to overtake me. I couldn't afford to lose myself to this all-consuming fury once again. 

Moving with swift agility and high jumps, I leapt from tree to tree, my movements fluid and silent as I closed in on him.

As Kyle took a turn to the left, not noticing me yet, I seized the opportunity to make my move. With a burst of adrenaline-fueled speed, I leapt from the tree and grabbed onto his spiky tail. Kyle's reaction was immediate, a frenzied attempt to shake me off.

Struggling to maintain my grip, I fought against his violent thrashing. With a sheer force of will, I managed to scramble up onto his back, clinging desperately to the hard scales beneath my hands.

Despite Kyle's best efforts to shake me off, I held on with grim determination.

Knowing a lot about Dragons as part of a prince's responsibility, I knew how to get him off the air.