Damien's Game
Chapter 65:
"Stop."
The word rang through the archive like a command from the gods themselves. But it hadn't come from Shadow-Darius or fake Darius or even Aria.
It came from a third figure stepping out of the shadows behind the bookshelves.
"Well, well," the newcomer said with a familiar voice that made Aria's blood freeze. "What an interesting family reunion."
Damien emerged from the darkness, but he looked different from the last time she'd seen him. Older. More powerful. His black eyes held depths of cruelty that made even Shadow-Darius take a step back.
"Brother," Shadow-Darius said with forced calm. "I wasn't expecting you."
"I'm sure you weren't," Damien replied coldly. "Since you were supposed to be following my orders, not playing games with antidotes."
"Your orders?"
"Did you think you were in charge here?" Damien asked with amusement. "You're nothing but another construct. Another puppet I created to serve my purposes."
Shadow-Darius's face went pale. "That's impossible. I'm the original. I'm real."
"You're as fake as him," Damien said, gesturing dismissively at fake Darius. "I made dozens of copies, all with different personalities, all believing they were the real me. It made controlling the situation so much easier."
Aria felt the world spinning around her. "Then who are you?"
"I'm the real Darius," Damien said with a cruel smile. "Though I prefer Damien now. Darius was the name of a weak child who still believed in family. Damien is the name of a king."
He walked calmly to the shelf of antidotes and picked up three vials.
"Now then," he said conversationally. "Let's discuss terms."
"Terms?" Aria could barely speak through the pain of the poison and the shock of revelation.
"For these," Damien said, holding up the vials. "I assume you want them?"
"Please," Lucien gasped from behind her. "We're dying."
"Yes, I can see that," Damien said without concern. "The poison works beautifully, doesn't it? I created it myself."
"You're our brother!" fake Darius said desperately. "How can you watch your own sister die?"
"Half-sister," Damien corrected. "And she stopped being family the moment she chose to fight against me instead of beside me."
He turned his attention back to Aria. "But I'm not completely heartless. I'll make you a deal."
"What kind of deal?"
"Join me," Damien said simply. "Become my partner instead of my enemy. Help me rule the world the way it was meant to be ruled - with power instead of mercy."
"And if I refuse?"
"Then your friends die, and you live just long enough to watch the world burn before I kill you too."
Aria looked at Lucien, who was barely standing now. His amber eyes were dim with pain, and she could feel Kael's presence growing weaker by the minute.
"What does joining you mean exactly?" she asked.
"Simple," Damien said. "You publicly announce your support for my rule. You help me destroy the remaining packs that resist our authority. And you use your power to enforce my commands."
"You want me to become your weapon."
"I want you to become my partner," Damien corrected. "Equal in power, sharing in the glory of victory."
"Equal?" Aria almost laughed despite the pain. "You're holding the antidote hostage. That's not equality."
"It's negotiation," Damien said. "Once you agree, we'll be equals. I give you my word."
"Your word means nothing."
"Perhaps not to you. But it should mean something to them." He nodded toward Lucien and fake Darius, both of whom were growing weaker by the moment.
Aria closed her eyes, thinking frantically. If she agreed, she might be able to get close enough to Damien to find a way to stop him. If she refused, the people she loved would die.
"I need time to think," she said.
"You have thirty seconds," Damien replied. "After that, the poison will be too advanced for the antidote to work."
Twenty-nine. Twenty-eight. Twenty-seven.
Aria's mind raced. She could pretend to agree, then betray him later. She could get close to him, learn his weaknesses, find a way to destroy him from within.
Twenty. Nineteen. Eighteen.
"Aria," Kael's voice came faintly from Lucien's body. "Don't sacrifice yourself for us."
"And don't trust him," fake Darius added weakly. "Whatever you're thinking, he's already thought of it."
Ten. Nine. Eight.
"I'll do it," Aria said suddenly. "I'll join you."
Damien smiled and tossed her the three vials. She caught them and immediately gave one each to Lucien and fake Darius, then drank the third herself.
The effect was immediate. The burning poison in her chest cooled and faded. Strength flowed back into her limbs. Beside her, Lucien straightened up, his breathing returning to normal.
"Excellent choice," Damien said. "I knew you were smarter than you appeared."
"Now what?" Aria asked, though she was already planning how to betray him. She'd wait until he trusted her, then strike when he least expected it.
"Now we begin your training," Damien said. "But first, there's something I need to show you."
He gestured, and the air in front of them shimmered. An image appeared - a vision of Aria's thoughts, her plans, her intention to betray him.
"Did you really think I couldn't read your mind?" Damien asked with amusement. "I've been watching your thoughts since the moment you agreed to join me."
Aria's heart sank. "You knew."
"Of course I knew. The plan to pretend loyalty while looking for weaknesses. The hope of destroying me from within. The belief that you could outsmart me." He shook his head sadly. "Really, sister. I expected better from you."
"Then why did you give us the antidote?"
"Because your betrayal was part of my plan all along," Damien said with satisfaction. "You see, I don't need your willing cooperation. I just need your power."
He snapped his fingers, and suddenly Aria couldn't move. Her body was frozen in place by some invisible force.
"Shadow binding," Damien explained casually. "It locks your muscles but leaves your mind free. You'll be completely aware of everything you do while under my control."
"You're going to puppet me?"
"I'm going to use you," Damien corrected. "Your power channeled through my will. Your face giving legitimacy to my commands. Your reputation making people trust the orders I give through you."
"People will see through it. They'll know I'm being controlled."
"Will they?" Damien asked. "You'll speak with your own voice. Move with your own body. Even your closest friends won't be able to tell the difference."
"Lucien will know," Aria said desperately. "The mate bond..."
"Will show him exactly what I want it to show," Damien interrupted. "I can fake emotions, memories, even love. He'll believe you chose this willingly."
"No," Aria whispered in horror.
"Oh yes," Damien said with delight. "And the best part? Somewhere deep inside, you'll be screaming. Begging them to see through the illusion. But they never will."
He walked closer, his black eyes gleaming with triumph.
"Welcome to my service, dear sister. I do hope you enjoy your stay. Because it's going to last forever."
The shadow binding tightened around her, and Aria felt her own face smiling against her will. Her own voice speaking words she didn't choose.
"I'm so glad we can finally work together, brother," she heard herself say in a tone of perfect happiness. "This is exactly what I've always wanted."
And deep inside her frozen body, Aria began to scream.