CHAPTER 7: THE STORM WITHIN

Evelynn stood before the fire, her mind swirling with the weight of Darius's words. The curse. The prophecy. The choices that loomed ahead like dark clouds on the horizon. It felt as if the world itself were holding its breath, waiting for her to make a move. But what could she do? How could she fight something as ancient and all-consuming as the curse that bound them both?

Her thoughts were shattered by Darius's voice, still rich with that same commanding tone that seemed to reverberate in her bones.

"You've heard me, Evelynn," he said softly, though his words held an undeniable edge. "There is no running from this. No hiding. The curse is not something you can simply will away."

His gaze remained locked on hers, unwavering, as if searching for something deep within her. But what could he be looking for? She was just a woman, trapped in a web spun by forces far beyond her understanding.

But there was one thing she knew for certain: she wasn't just going to accept the curse. She wasn't going to let Darius drag her into his world of shadows and flames without a fight.

"I never asked for this," she said, her voice trembling, but her resolve stronger than it had ever been before. "I never asked to be your bride. I never asked for this curse."

Darius took a step closer, his boots heavy against the stone floor, a sound that made her pulse quicken with a mix of fear and something else—something she couldn't quite name.

"No one asks for this, Evelynn," he murmured. "The curse chooses. It always has. And it's chosen you."

Her breath caught in her throat. The chill in the air seemed to intensify, swirling around her, pressing in on her from all sides. The fire flickered, casting erratic shadows along the walls, as if the room itself were reacting to the tension between them.

"How do I even know I can trust you?" she demanded, her fists clenched at her sides. "How do I know you're not lying to me about everything? About the curse, about the prophecy, about the danger I'm in?"

Darius's lips twisted into a smile, but it wasn't kind. It was a smile laced with something darker, something predatory. "You don't know, Evelynn. But you will. The curse is something that reveals itself over time. It's patient... relentless."

He paused, his gaze flickering with something dangerous, something raw. "And so am I."

Her stomach twisted, a cold sense of dread washing over her. She wanted to push back, to demand answers, but the truth was—she didn't even know what questions to ask. How could she break the curse if she didn't even understand how it worked?

Before she could voice her thoughts, Darius stepped even closer. His presence seemed to fill the room, swallowing up the space between them. His eyes, burning crimson in the dim light, locked onto hers with a piercing intensity.

"You are the key to my curse," he said, his voice deep and solemn. "And I am the key to yours. Together, we are bound by forces older than either of us."

Evelynn shuddered as she absorbed his words. The weight of what he was saying threatened to collapse her world, but she couldn't show weakness. Not now. Not when everything was on the line.

"How do you live like this?" she asked, her voice barely more than a whisper. "How do you survive under this curse? Knowing that every moment, the world could burn?"

Darius's gaze darkened, his expression unreadable. "I have no choice but to survive, Evelynn. Survival is instinct. But it has cost me everything—my humanity, my peace, my soul. The curse devours those who bear it, but it also grants power. Immense, destructive power."

Evelynn swallowed hard, the thought of that kind of power sending a chill down her spine. He spoke as if the curse was something that could be controlled, something that could be harnessed for his own will. But she didn't know if that was a blessing or a curse in itself.

"You keep talking about the curse as if it's a tool," she said, trying to keep her voice steady, though her heart raced in her chest. "But you've never said what it actually does. How does it affect me? How does it affect us?"

For the first time, Darius's expression shifted. His eyes darkened, but there was something almost... regretful in his gaze. "It is not a tool. It is a curse, Evelynn, a punishment for my bloodline, a price for the power I hold."

He stepped back, his hands gripping the edge of the stone mantle of the fireplace, as though he needed to steady himself. Evelynn felt her pulse quicken at the change in him. She could sense the storm within him, the chaos that swirled beneath the surface, just waiting to break free.

"It is bound to love," he continued, his voice a low growl. "If I love you... the world will burn. If I do not love you... the curse will consume me. I've been living with it for centuries, Evelynn. Watching the world fall apart, over and over again. It is my burden."

Evelynn felt her throat tighten as she tried to understand the gravity of what he was saying. The weight of the curse, the consequences of love, the destruction that loomed over them both—everything about this felt impossible. The prophecy that tied them together, that bound them in ways they couldn't fully understand. It all felt like a terrible, unbreakable chain.

"I don't know if I can help you," she said, the uncertainty in her voice palpable. "I don't know if I'm strong enough to break this curse."

Darius turned to face her then, his expression hardening. "You don't have to break the curse, Evelynn. All you need to do is choose. You can choose to love me—or to hate me. Either way, the curse will awaken, and you will be the one who decides the outcome."

His words were like a dagger to her heart. The choice was hers, but the consequences were unimaginable. How could she choose between two evils? How could she love a man who carried such a burden, such a danger, and still be true to herself?

She didn't know. She couldn't know. All she could do was stand there, frozen in the face of his storm, and try to make sense of the chaos that had suddenly become her life.

"I will never let the world burn," she said, her voice steadying despite the uncertainty. "But I won't be your pawn either."

Darius's eyes narrowed, his gaze never leaving hers. The tension between them crackled in the air, thick and suffocating.

"We'll see, little bride. We'll see if you can truly hold to that," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

With that, he turned and walked toward the far side of the room, leaving Evelynn standing alone before the fire. The room seemed to grow colder, the shadows deepening as she processed everything he had said.

But one thing was certain: the storm was only just beginning.

And Evelynn had no idea whether she would survive the tempest.