Heart of Darkness

“Where is he?” Blayze asked impatiently as they waited for Skender to attend the morning meeting. “He tells us to not come late, yet he is the one late.”

Rayven noticed that Blayze was getting more and more annoyed with Skender. But they weren’t the only enemies right now. Somehow the quiet Vitale was not so quiet anymore. He was also irritated by someone in particular and that was none other than Lazarus.

“Don’t let him hear you,” Lazarus warned Blayze. “You don’t want to be drowned.”

Blayze scoffed. Rayven wondered sometimes if Blayze’s sin hadn’t been wrath if he would be different. He had realized himself that just because he was redeemed didn’t make him charming all of a sudden. Some things were part of their personalities. Maybe Blayze wouldn’t be so angry but he would still have some impulsiveness left.

“At least I am not scared to smile at him after he drowns me,” Blayze told him.

Lazarus laughed. “I am not foolish enough to do anything else. Drowning once is enough.”

“It doesn’t seem like it,” Vitale said. “It is not like you would stop being a fool.”

“I was helping him.”

“Like you help everyone else?”

“What does that mean?” Lazarus asked confused.

Vitale ignored him and went back to review the papers on the table. It was unlike him to fight without a reason so something about Lazarus must have annoyed him for a long time. Rayven couldn’t blame him. Lazarus was funny at moments but mostly a nuisance. He had an addiction to entertainment, even dragging his poor friend and adding to his drinking addiction which only made things worse. But he called that helping him. Rayven had thought so in the beginning as well, but indulging his hunger was not what Acheron needed. Those parties were not helping him at all.

Since both had addiction problems they were a bad influence on each other. They needed other friends who were different from them. Maybe it was good that Lazarus shifted his attention to Skender now. He seemed to easier get along with him. Something Rayven had failed to do in all those years. His personality just didn’t go well with Skender’s. Having a drink with him alone could turn into an awkward silence unless William was also there.

Rayven had just accepted that their relationship was different. They were not the chatty friends but they were there for each other when needed. More like awkward family members.

Angelica told him often to go out and socialize but here he was, still not fond of people. He just didn’t know how to talk to people without being brutally honest and coming across as rude, while the other two male members in his family, William, and Skender, could be as polite and charming as ever.

Rayven had just given up but he did notice that it was getting a little easier with the years.

“No! I want to know.” Lazarus demanded. “Don’t ignore me when you are the one who started.”

Vitale looked up, his golden eyes unabashedly displaying disdain. He was about to say something when everyone shifted to a different position and changed their demeanor upon Skender’s arrival.

Today was the dark day and they could feel it as soon as he walked in. They all had learned the three different moods of Skender. The first one was the most common, especially before the destroyer came back. It was the one where he just looked dead. He did what had to be done. No more, no less. Rayven had been worried as he saw him slowly become like Mazzon. A walking corpse. The absence of his destroyer slowly killing him inside.

His second mood was his casual, tired, and non-sober mood. That was either when he was tired from fighting his demon the whole night or when he had been drinking too much. He would usually fumble with other things during the meeting, stay unfocused, make a few jokes, and have some funny comebacks to what Blayze had to say. Even though that mood was better than being a corpse, it usually meant he was struggling the most.

His third mood, which was his mood this morning was the one nobody liked. But Rayven didn’t mind. Vitale was also an exception. He might even like it.

This mood was when he came to rule. When he questioned everything and demanded other things. It was also when he made everyone swallow their own words or think before they spoke.

Upon reaching his seat, Skender tossed the papers on the table and sat down. In a slight frown, he glanced at each of them, then fixed his eyes on a sleeping Mazzon. He watched him for a moment as if contemplating what to do with him. Then he lifted a finger and poked the air. That caused Mazzon to fall back with his chair. Halfway to the ground, Skender stopped the fall just enough for Mazzon to wake up and realize he was falling and then he let the fall proceed.

A newly awake Mazzon fumbled with his arms in the air before he fell, but he rose hastily, looking around with a snarl to find a threat.

“Good morning.” Skender greeted nonchalantly.

Mazzon kept his lips drawn back and his fangs prolonged. His eyes burned with fury as they seized Skender.

Skender looked at him sideways, as if he didn’t even want to waste his energy looking up. Then he raised a brow, challenging him to raise a finger.

Mazzon scoffed and then went to pick up his chair. He sat down fully awake and staring at Skender who now ignored him.

“You are late, Your Majesty.” Blayze pointed. Then man had to say something.

Skender did that unnerving thing since his destroyer first emerged. Tapping his fingers on the table as he watched someone.

“Did you not sleep well?” Vitale asked.

Skender became confused by the question. “Are you adding my sleeping schedule to your list of things to do now?”

“Yes!” Vitale hissed. Clearly, he was annoyed with more people today than Lazarus. “Because when you don’t sleep you…or your…” he tried to find the right word.

“Evil twin.” Lazarus helped him.

“Whatever… dysfunction you have is affecting my schedule. I don’t want to have to deal with magical disappearances.”

“Dysfunction?” Skender laughed.

Lazarus shook his head. “You just called the destroyer a dysfunction. Perhaps you will have a taste of salty water as well. Not that I want you to be any more bitter.”

“You will know when I am bitter,” Vitale promised.

And then they went back and forth and Skender who sat between them looked from his left to right, first surprised by a talking Vitale like everyone else and then sometimes amused and sometimes frowning. It seemed like his dark mood was changed now.

Suddenly, he hit his fist on the table. “Alright. Enough!”

Or maybe not.

The questioning of their duties began followed by critical feedback. This was the time when even William didn’t get away but then he made sure there was nothing to complain about. He met Skender’s gaze after giving his report and they looked intensely at each other for a moment before Skender gave him a nod.

William put his papers in a pile with a satisfied look.

After the meeting ended, Skender came to him. “Let me know when you are leaving. I am thinking of visiting Angelica.”

“That would be good before she starts complaining.” Rayven said and then they parted way.

After his shift, Skender brought flowers with him to Angelica.

“Are you trying to bribe her? She will still scold you.”

“Should I bring chocolate then?”

“No!” Rayven said. That was something only he could bring to his mate.

Skender smiled knowingly. “Let’s hope the flowers work then.”

They arrived early while Angelica was still in school teaching. They decided to pour themselves some wine and relax meanwhile, but not even whine could prepare Skender for what would happen next. Suddenly he stiffened, knowing about Roxana’s presence before the Rayven did. That only told him how strong her scent was to him. Rayven was only able to tell a moment later when he heard her voice.

Ah, the torture of the scent. He still remembered it clearly.

“What…” Skender shifted to look outside the window. “Does she come here?”

Rayven wanted to laugh at the panic in his voice.

“She has only done it once before,” Rayven told him.

Skender kept his gaze fixated on the window where he watched Roxana and Angelica head toward the entry. He turned around his face looking pale. Oh, how Rayven enjoyed this. The almighty Skender was pale because of a woman.

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