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The voice startled her and Regan turned behind, only to be greeted by the one and only, him. Sirius's smirk was evident on his face, and his blue eyes were shining like ice in the sunlight.

"Did you find them as beautiful as I did?"

"No," Regan snapped, throwing the rose away.

He chuckled, clearly not believing her, "But you do, kitten. They're beautiful. You know that."

"I've seen better," Regan retorted, turning away from him. Sirius followed her and grabbed her by the waist, pulling her back towards him. She yelped in surprise, her heart pounding in her chest. "Don't do that!" she hissed.

"I'm not doing anything," he whispered, his voice low and husky, "I just wanted to... talk to you." His hand didn't left her waist, instead it gripped her tighter, as if afraid she would slip away. Regan tried to get rid of him but she ended being forced against his chest. 

She didn't want to be close to him, not only because they were sworn enemies, but because she felt like she was losing her pride. She had never been that close to a guy, she hadn't even held a guy's hand before....well, she had held his hand and been close to him so many times, but not willingly. And now he was practically hugging her even though she didn't want him to.

She felt his lips on her hair and shivered involuntarily. "You know," he began, his voice low and alluring, "I can look at you all the time without getting bored."

Regan didn't reply, but she knew that he could feel her tense up even more.

"And that because," he continued, his grip softening, "you're my girl. My firefly." His other hand went up her hair, tangling in the waves, and he tugged gently. Regan's temper hung thin, but she still couldn't shove herself away from him.

"Let me go," she growled.

"No," Sirius retorted.

"You're delusional," Regan spat, "I'm not your girl or your firefly. Stop calling me names," she said through gritted teeth. She knew it was all a twisted game he was playing, he was manipulating her, trying to break her.

She wouldn't let him win, she wouldn't let herself lose. But as he held her tight, she couldn't help but feel like a fool. Her shoulders were bare and cold, but they quickly warmed up. His hand was still tangled in her hair, and she wanted to tear his throat out if he didn't let go.

"And why you're not my girl? What do I have that you don't like?" He breathed in deeply at her hair, to inhale their scent, as if she was the most precious thing to him.

His question was stupid and ridiculous to her. Was she supposed to like anything in him? Was he such a fool to think that someone like her would willingly choose to be his girl? She wanted to tell him that she hated him, that she would rather die than be with him, but he'd turn that to his advantage too. He'd laugh and tell her it was what he wanted to hear.

Regan wondered how did she walk that far that she couldn't see her mother at all. She wandered around, and now she had left her mother alone.

"Hmm, my love? What do I have that you don't like?" he asked, his tone gentle but filled with a sense of pain as well.

"You dare call me that?!" Regan's voice was filled with anger and revulsion. She tried to pull away again, but his grip was firm.

Sirius leaned in closer, his breath warm against her ear. "You know why I call you that, Regan. You tear my heart with these claws of yours."

"Liar," Regan hissed, "You don't even have a heart."

"I have a heart," Sirius said. He turned her to face him and took her hand in his, bringing it to his chest. "And It beats for you."

Regan could feel his heartbeat and it was strong and fast. It was like he was telling the truth but she didn't want to believe him. She didn't understand, did he think she was some weak, love-struck girl who would just fall for him? Yes, he had many things to fall for, but it didn't mean she was going to like him.

Sirius's hand in her hair loosened and he started to massage her scalp gently, which made her feel slightly better despite herself. "You can't bring the words to describe what you feel for me, can you?" He teased, running his hand on her hair gently.

"I don't feel anything for you," Regan snapped.

"I see," he mocked.

Regan's teeth gritted and her anger reached its peak. He was very close and she was very close as well. Her hands were on his chest, like she was liking it. But she wasn't liking it at all. She just didn't know how to stay, when there was no space between them. The small creatures were still there, some tickling her feet, some gawking at them.

"Why don't you sing something?" Sirius suddenly asked, his smile as charming as ever. Regan recoiled, but he pulled her even closer, "I haven't heard you sing in a long time." His voice was more like a plead. She couldn't believe it. What kind of manipulative game was he playing? 

She had never sung in front of someone. Well, she had sung in front of her aunt when she was little, but that was different. It was embarrassing, she'd rather die than sing in front of him. But then she remembered when he had actually heard her singing.

"Sing? You think I'm going to sing?" she sneered. "I'd rather die first."

"Your voice is beautiful," he said softly, his voice barely audible. "I love it. Please," he begged. "Just once."

Her jaw clenched and her heart raced. She'd never sing in front of him. He had heard her before, but it was different. She hadn't been aware of it.

"Get the hell away from me, you bastard," she growled, struggling against his grip. But he didn't let her go. "I'm not stupid to believe anything you say. You're my sworn enemy. You hate me and everything I stand for. You're the reason why my mother was imprisoned for years. You took our freedom. I'm not a fool." She paused, taking a shaky breath. "I'm not going to do as you say, I'll never be your girl and I'll never sing for you. You can threaten me as much as you want, I don't care."

But as she said the last part, she wondered what she'd do if he threatened her with her mother? What if he threatened to hurt her, really hurt her? She'd rather hurt herself than her mother.

Sirius finally let go of her, taking a step back in his unreadable expression. His midnight bangs fell on his forehead, clouding his eyes. It seemed like he got a brain stroke and was thinking hard about something.

What? What was he expecting? That she was going to change her mind? That she was going to be all nice? No way. She had a fiery temper, a burning pride. She didn't trust herself, let alone him.

"You're right," he finally said. "We're enemies. And I had vowed to do everything in my power to destroy you. But.... there's another way...." His voice trailed off, and he looked away, deep in thought.

For a moment, Regan was thrown off guard. One second he was calling her his girl and the next he was admitting she was his enemy. She took a deep breath, trying to steady her racing heart.

"There's only one way this ends," she said, her voice steady despite her pounding heart. "You die. And I'm going to make sure of it." She glared at him, daring him to challenge her.

He smirked. "Keep saying that, Ylor. But you know that deep down you don't want to kill me. You want me to love you, don't you? Care for you in some warped way." His words were soft, almost taunting, and her anger only grew more. How dare he say such a thing? He didn't even know what love was.

"Love?" she sneered, her voice sharp with disgust, "And why would I want a beast like you to love me? You don't even know what love is. Lust and desire is all you know, isn't it?" she threw at him, her eyes narrowing, "I don't want any of those. I want you to suffer. I want you to pay for what you've done. I want you to burn in hell for eternity." Her words were cold and harsh and for a moment she regretted saying them. Because it seemed that they found him very badly.

His expression turned dark as he listened. "You think I lust after you?" He took a step closer, his movements dangerous and menacing.

The question caught her off guard. Yes, she thought that, not because she thought herself as some sort of beautiful girl, but because lust didn't know beauty or ugliness.

"What else do you do then?" she bit back, "You keep touching me, acting like I'm interested. You want me to be your concubine, don't you? Well, guess what? It's never going to happen!" she shouted, moving as far as she could. "I don't want to do anything with you. I'm not anyone's notch on their bedpost! I won't let you use me and twist me into something I'm not. I'm not going to give up myself, my beliefs, my honor, just to satisfy your sick desires!"

For a moment, Regan regretted spitting it out, but it had plagued her mind for so long. 

Sirius took another step closer and grabbed Regan's waist, pulling her to him. His other hand held her chin so that she could look at him forcefully. His gaze was cruel, but there was something else there, something she couldn't quite place.

"That's not true," he said coldly, "but fine, if that's what you want to believe. Just know something, Regan. There's a difference between love and lust. And if I've touched you, it's not because of lust. But you don't understand."

Regan's smile was rare, and it made something within him twist, from how mocking and cynical it was. "You're the last person to tell me the difference. You're a man. You don't know what it's like to love unconditionally."

Sirius's eyes narrowed, his grip tightening. "Fine, if you want to think of it that way, then I won't bother explaining. But I do know many things, Regan. I know them better than you can ever imagine." His voice was low and filled with a quiet rage that made her shiver.

"I don't care what you know," Regan spat, struggling against his grip, "I don't want to do anything with you. I don't want to slee...." she trailed off, realizing what she was about to say. She shouldn't have talked like that.

Sirius's smirk was smug, "Too late, you've already said it." He leaned in closer, his breath warm on her cheek. "But you know what, Regan? You've already...." He trailed off, realizing he shouldn't say that. If she learned she slept in his bed when he took care of her, she'd go berserk. He released her and turned back.

"I've already what?" Regan snapped, her eyes narrowing. Sirius took a step away from her but she grabbed his arm, spinning him back to face her. "What were you going to say?"

He looked down at her hand on his arm, then back up at her. "Never mind," he said, his voice low and unreadable. "It's not important."

Regan's temper wore thin, "What?" she demanded, "What have I already done?"

"Nothing. You've done nothing," Sirius said, his tone quiet. "But since you're so eager to fight me, then we're going to have the final showdown. We're going to have a fair fight. Just you and me. No army or weapons. Just you and me, and see who comes out on top," his voice was solemn, but there was a fierce determination in his gaze.

"As if you're going to play fair," Regan said with a scoff and walked away from him, "Fine. Let's fight."

"You're so determined," Sirius remarked, "but keep this determination. Because if you fall for me on that duel, I'll keep mocking you for eternity. I'll remind you every damn time how you fell for a beast like me. How you couldn't help but feel something for me other than hatred," he said, his voice harsh but also soft, like he was admitting something to himself.

Regan's heart felt like it would burst. How could he just say she fell in love with him? How could he say it so easily, without any filters, any restrain.

"You're delusional," she hissed and then her voice took a mocking quality again, "What happened? You miss Vesper's sweet voice at night? You don't have enough females throwing themselves at you anymore?"

Sirius's expression hardened, and he took a step closer to her, his eyes flashing frustration, "I have better things to do at night than sleep with females. I have an empire to run, Regan. I have enemies to vanquish. And most importantly, I have you to invade my thoughts."

"You don't have me," Regan shot back, her own frustration rising, "And what about Vesper? Where's she?"

"Vesper and her sisters are a forgotten chapter," Sirius said, his voice clipped. "There's no need to bring them into this."

"Forgotten chapter, huh? She made my life hell!"

"And she payed for it," Sirius replied coldly. "But no more of that. We'll fight and we'll fight good. And in the end we shall see who the winner will be.

"We'll see," Regan snapped, "And this time there'll be no mercy." Her words were harsh, her tone sharp but she didn't know if she meant it. She didn't want to believe him, that she had feelings for him. She wanted to hurt him, to make him pay for what he had done, but at the same time, she couldn't help but feel something else that had always been there.

Sirius smiled, a smile that sent shivers down her spine. "Right. No mercy, no allies. We'll do it fairly, fire against fire."

"Fine," she retorted, "Where and when?"

His eyes glinted with mischief, "Take it slow. Spend time with your mother first."

"If you're going to harm my mother, I swear I'll destroy you," Regan threatened, her voice as sharp as a dagger.

Sirius's smile disappeared, replaced by a look of coldness. "Who said anything about harming your mother?" He stepped closer, his eyes piercing into hers. "But if you want to know when, we'll fight after the eclipse days."

"Eclipse days?" Regan repeated, her eyes wide. "What does that mean?"

"The eclipse last for four or five days," Sirius explained, his eyes never leaving hers, "During that time the sky is red. And it's not advisable to fight during it."

"So you're being superstitious now?" Regan scoffed, trying to hide the tremor in her voice.

"It's not superstition," Sirius said, his tone serious. "It's a true. It's going to interfere with our magical abilities. It's going to be chaotic."

"And what kind of eclipse is it?" Regan questioned, trying to keep her voice steady despite the unease growing within her.

"It's an eclipse that occurs often," Sirius said, his eyes drifting to the sky, "It's when the red moon passes over the sun. It's a warning that people should not harm. Because it brings a time of confusion and weakness to us all."

"And you respect such warnings?" Regan sneered.

"With you, I do," Sirius replied, "God warns us about chaos during the eclipse."

Regan eyes widened, "You believe in God?"

"Of course I believe in God," Sirius replied, his eyes straight serious. "He's given me everything. My power, my life, my enemies. And He's given me you."

Regan felt a strange flutter at his words. He was a demon, maybe not like people on Earth thought them, but anyway, he was a sinner in her mind, a creature with a blackened soul, with terrifying qualities, and yet he said he believes in God, Who is Divine. But she was smarter than to believe his every word.

"But you've killed mercilessly and you're a demon," Regan shot back, "How can you believe in God?"

Sirius's expression grew solemn, "You don't know anything about my kind, Regan. But there's survival. And maybe God isn't fond of me, but that doesn't mean I don't believe in Him," he paused for a moment, letting the words sink. But then a smile tugged at his lips, "And as for our duel, it'll be the morning after the eclipse ends."

Regan nodded and she had to admit she was slightly intimidated by the idea of having a final fight with him. But it would determine a lot of things. It would show who was stronger. "After the eclipse it is," she said.

Sirius's smile didn't break as he leaned closer, "Excellent," he said, his eyes falling on her lips for a moment and Regan thought he was going to kiss her. But

instead he said, "See you, my beautiful princess," and ruffled her hair playfully. Regan scowled and he chuckled and then disappeared, leaving her alone in the garden.