FORBIDDEN SECRETS AND STOLEN KISSES

"Darian, let me out!" Sophia shouted angrily, standing in front of the door to his room, her arms crossed over her chest.

"No," he answered calmly, leaning against the door to block her exit."No?! Are you out of your mind? You can't just lock me in here like some prisoner!"Darian sighed. "You're not a prisoner, Sophia. You just… need to rest. Look at yourself, you look like you're going to faint any second.""Oh, how wonderful! Not only are you a monster, but you're also a health expert! Suddenly you care about my health, but you're planning to kill me!"Darian rolled his eyes. "How many times do I have to tell you that I won't let you die?""Ah, yes, now you've decided not to kill me. How comforting, especially after you've been sending young girls to their deaths every year for years!"He flinched. Clearly, he didn't like being confronted with the truth.Sophia continued. "Come on, what if someone sees I'm not in my room? What if someone thinks that… that we did something we didn't?!"Darian raised an eyebrow. "That we did something we didn't?""Don't laugh at me! I'm serious!"But he was already smiling, that half-amused, half-challenging smile. "It's interesting how you're immediately thinking about that.""Ugh!" Sophia rolled her eyes. "I can't believe you just said that! You really have no sense of decency."He shrugged. "You said I shouldn't lie."Sophia wanted to respond with something snarky, but suddenly she was overcome with dizziness. Her legs gave way, and the dark edges started closing in her vision."Sophia?" Darian's voice suddenly became concerned.She tried to say something, but before she could speak a word, everything went black.When she woke up, she felt the warmth of something soft beneath her.She opened her eyes and saw the ceiling – but not her own.It took her a moment to remember what had happened, and then she jerked suddenly."What…?"She looked around.Darian's room. His bed.Panic overwhelmed her."DARIAN!!!" she shouted, standing up so quickly that she nearly fainted again.The door opened, and Darian entered with an expression on his face that was somewhere between frustration and amusement."Good morning to you too, dear Sophia.""What am I doing here?!"Darian raised an eyebrow. "Well, you fainted last night, and it would be pretty inhumane to leave you lying on the floor, don't you think?""But… your bed?!""Don't worry," he said, leaning against the door. "I didn't sleep in it."Sophia hesitated. "Where did you sleep then?""On the floor.""On the floor?!""Well, I couldn't let you sleep on the cold floor, could I?"Sophia blushed. "That's… that's your problem! You should've left me in my room!"Darian sighed. "Of course, I should've dragged you unconscious through the halls for everyone to see. Great plan, Sophia."She pulled the blanket around herself, feeling uncomfortable.Darian sat on the chair next to her and looked at her seriously."Sophia… you need to start taking care of yourself. At this rate, you won't even make it to the curse – you'll kill yourself from exhaustion."She waved her hand. "Oh please, I'm not that weak.""You fainted in the middle of an argument.""…small thing."Darian rolled his eyes.Sophia looked at him, and suddenly something came to her mind."Actually, since we're on the topic… you never told me how that curse started."Darian's face immediately darkened."It doesn't matter.""It does matter. If we want to find a way to stop it, I need to know everything."He sighed, ran his hand through his hair, and then said:"Long ago, many generations ago, one of my ancestors… made a terrible deal. He wanted power, and in return, he sold his humanity. Since then, every year, he has to pay the price."Sophia listened carefully."Every year… one being. One victim. And all these years, I've been trying to find a way to stop it. But there is no solution. Every girl they bring here, every innocent soul… is just another victim.""And that's why you chose me?""I didn't choose you, Sophia." He looked at her with pain in his eyes. "But I can't stand the thought of losing you."Her stomach tightened.Silence filled the room as they stared at each other.Then Sophia quietly laughed."Something funny?" Darian looked at her confused."You're like some tragic hero from a story," she said with a smile.Darian shook his head. "You're impossible.""But you like me."He looked at her, and she caught the spark in his eyes.He didn't answer.Sophia leaned toward him, and before he could understand what was happening, she pressed her lips to his.The kiss was quick but warm.She pulled back, her eyes sparkling with mischief."What are you doing, Sophia?" he asked, confused."I'm not sure."But before she could say anything else, Darian pulled her back to him, and this time, he kissed her.His lips were hungry, desperate, as if he feared he'd lose her if he stopped.Sophia felt her heart race.When they finally pulled away, they were both out of breath.Darian looked at her, and then said in a quiet voice:"What if you're the key to all of this?"