Chapter 63

Darkous took another long breath, the air seemed much easier to breath here, much smoother as he inhaled. There really is nothing quite like a breath of fresh air. It was cold, and the wind blew around him like an icy blanket, but he didn’t mind that, the bite against his skin reminded him that he was alive.

It reminded him that he had a purpose.

Right now, his purpose was the find the stupid girl who escaped, but he wasn’t sure what he’d do once he caught up to her.

He wasn’t sure that torture would work, not anymore.

It would just make her more desperate to get away again.

He needed a new plan.

He needed to show her exactly what her father was doing to their realms. He’d show her the suffering he was causing to innocent lives and hope she had a heart different to the ones her brothers have.

Her brothers don’t care, they don’t want to change the way things are, they are happy with their ignorance.

But Elika is different, she has always been different, Darkous just didn’t want to accept it. It was hard to accept that she was good, especially when she came from a monster like Atlas.

If she came from Atlas at all.

He wasn’t so sure, and neither was Hades

He just needed to prove it.

Michael grabs Darkous’ arm, his eyes wide with urgency. “She’s here.” He whispers just loud enough for the dark lord to hear.

Darkous white eyes round at the edges, “impossible.” He growls, “she doesn’t even know this world exists.”

Michael tightens his hand around his arm, “I bumped into her, she’s with a human girl.” His voice tightens. “She’s in this city.”

“Why didn’t you stop her?” Darkous asks, pulling his arm back. “you had her that close and you just let her go?”

He’d never been so angry, how could he just let her go?

He knows how important she is and he just allowed her to walk away!

Michael smirks, eyes dark. “I planted a tracker on her back.”

Darkous bites back a smile, “did she recognise you?” He searches the street. “Do you know where she was heading?”

He hadn’t been this close since her disappearance, he hadn’t tasted victory on his tongue in so long he had forgotten how sweet it was. How much he liked the way it dances around his head and wraps around his consciousness like a soft embrace.

“The human girl was talking about a school dance.” Michael says, “Our little princess is attending a human school.”

Joey approaches from the left, “She jumped into a taxi, looked pretty freaked out.”

Darkous indicates for his comrades to follow him, “she knows we are here.” He says, “we need to get out of the street and come up with a plan.” He turns to Darren and Joey. “Secure a house in a private area. No witnesses. We need somewhere to take her back to.” He pats Michael’s shoulder and smiles, “it looks like we are going hunting.”

Joey nods, already pulling out his phone, “I know the perfect place.”

“I’ll have to completely stock it out.” Darren says, pulling out his own mobile, “we’ll make sure there’s enough to stay weeks if that is what we need.”

The adrenaline rush was instant, his demons stirred, his hands twitched.

The hunt is the best part.

She can run, but she can’t hide.

He looks at them all, one by one, “Whoever helped her has to be close, monitoring her somehow. Be very careful.”

They all nod, splitting up. It was time to bring the girl home, she belonged with him, even if she didn’t like it.

Elika belonged to Darkous, and he wasn’t about to let her go, not when he had so much planned for her.

She was the key, and he knew exactly which locks to use her in.

He was going to win the war, and he was going to use her to do it.

“She won’t get away this time.” He tells Michael, “She’s had her fun, it’s time for her to come home.”

Michael watches Darkous closely, “don’t lose it before we have the place set up, we can’t take her back to the hotel, people will look for her.” He looks around, certain he can feel eyes on his skin. “She’s made a life for herself here, we have to be careful.”

Darkous nods, his eyes focused far away, “I know, I need to keep my cool.”

It’s warning, Michael was warning him.

He didn’t want him to fuck up their one chance at getting her back, and Darkous didn’t either. He needed to keep himself in check.

He couldn’t lose control, not now, not when they were so close.

The world was giving him a chance to do it all differently, and he would, be would be.. gentler, he will show her that he isn’t Atlas.

It isn’t the girls fault that she was born to that tyrant, and it’s about time Darkous realised that.

It’s about time he started to see her for who she was, and not who her father is.

It is time to finally change, to release his anger towards those who truly deserve it.

Not the innocent.

He was so, so close.

It was just a matter of time.

“I will not let her slip through my fingers.” He says to himself, “not again.”