Checkmate (Book I)

Chapter 5

"Sweet nurse

Don't look at me that way

I've seen those eyes before I can tell you want to play

Counselor

Give me some advice

Tell me how hard will I fall if I live a double life"

- Cold Cold Cold by Cage the Elephant

~Chapter 5~

Drakin entered the tavern, observing the strange men and women that inhabited the place. They held glasses of wine and brandy in their hands, clanking them together and cheering as they laughed out loudly, snickering at the new arrival.

"Hello there, handsome. Aren't ya a little too young to be in this part of town?", questioned one of the men sitting at the front tables, his mouth opened wide into a shark grin, showing his dirty teeth underneath.

Drakin ignored him, moving towards the end of the tavern, which was covered by curtains. The man from before called out for him again, but Drakin paid him no mind. The other men and women in the room. however, began to mock and tease the man, bumping the shoulders against his and snortling.

Embarrassed and angry from his pride attacked, the drunk man stumbled over to Drakin and grabbed his shoulder, aiming to turn him around. But before his fat fingers could even touch him, Drakin had grabbed his arm and ripped it off, throwing it to the floor. The drunk man roared, his blood decorating the ground, and eliciting noises of disgust and fear from the other customers.
Drakin calmly watched, staring as the man fell, clutching his shoulder. His eyes were filled with tears, some of them dripping. Drakin snorted, kneeling down to the ground, pulling out a cigarette. He put the toxic stick in his mouth and motioned towards the bartender, who lit his cigarette with shaking hands. Taking a puff, he inhaled the venomous smoke and opened his mouth, exhaling the smoke into the man's face. Smiling, he took hold of his other arm and held onto the fingers, shaking them like a child. He stood up, his smile disappearing as he pushed through the curtains, entering the room.

Looking inside, he noticed the hooded figure in the back, laying on a bed with smoke surrounding her. She swung her legs back and forth, holding her cigar in her dainty little hands as she took another puff.

As she smoked, Drakin decided to announce himself. He cleared his throat, his hands shaking. Almost immediately, the hooded figure arose, her cigar leaving ashes on the expensive carpet. From the outside, the tavern resembled a dirty brothel, with the number of prostitutes that took residence there and the men and women who visited for drinks and pleasure. But inside specific rooms resided men of power; merchants, courtiers, knights, and so on. As much as the tavern was dirty, it had its own benefits inside. There were special suites for men and women who paid well, and in here all kinds of deals and secret meetings took place.

Now, as Drakin thought about it, the secrecy of the tavern was quite exceptional. Bartenders learned to mind their own business.

The hooded figure stood, and moved towards Drakin, the ashes dropping from the cigar piling behind her like a pathway. She pulled her hood back, revealing the face that Drakin had yearned to see. She continued to pace towards him until they were chest to chest. She opened her mouth, and whispered, "Hello, my darling."

Drakin was speechless. She was so beautiful.

He looked into her eyes, searching for any remanence of her sparkle and her stubbornness, but there was nothing. All Drakin could see in her eyes was the haziness from her high and tiredness, the red from being stupefied encircling her irises. He held her in his arms, drawing her near.

~ ~ ~

The hooded figure could not comprehend what was happening as of now, yet all she knew that her beloved here, and she knew he would set the world on fire for her if she ever asked. She smiled, nestling her face into his shoulders, shaking from the cold as the high of her cigar came down, among other things.
Drakin sighed, his shoulders moving as he raised a hand to caress her hair. "What have you been doing, running around and killing without a care in the world?"

He could feel the hooded figure stiffen but he decided to continue. "And with your smoking and drinking habits, our plan may never work out."
Angered and hurt, the figure pulled away from him, her reddening eyes darkening with color. "I did not call you for you to reprimand me nor try to calm me down," she said, narrowing her eyes and taking another puff from the cigar."The man that I killed, the Royal Bastard, had me on the spot with knives pressed into my body, prepared to kill me then and there."

"Love", Drakin started, staring at his lover with wide eyes. He walked towards her and held her hands in his own. "I wish I was there to see that."
"Wait, what?"

"Love", he smiled gently, his eyes filled with haunted mischief. "You and I both know that you would have been able to handle this well on your own. You've never needed help in anything and because of that, I've always stood behind you, waiting for the moment I knew you would need me. And judging by how this story sounds, I believe you did quite well."

Having heard that, the hooded figure's mouth curved up into a smile, her brows furrowing. She pulled onto Drakin's arms, and wrapped hers around his neck, pushing his head closer to hers. His eyes darkened, fire igniting in them as his lips parted, exhaling before closing his mouth over hers. The figure sighed into the kiss, her lips curling into a smile as Drakin pulled her closer, close enough that their complete bodies were wrapped around one another in a caress, him holding her like he could melt her into himself, make them one whole. She gripped his neck, moving one of her arms from his neck to his chest, placing it gently there. His hands ran gently through her back, bunching up her clothing in his hand as he moved strands of her hair to the one side, placing a soft kiss on the side of her neck. She sighed, and he lifted his chin, staring deep into her eyes. She brushed her thumb against his cheek and placed a kiss there, gentle yet leaving flutters in his stomach.

She took a few steps back, out of his embrace, and pulled the cape around her tighter, her cheeks turning red from their passionate embrace. She whispered something underneath her breath, something Drakin was unable to hear. Pulling the hood over her head, she gave him a half-smile before turning away, exiting the room, and leaving a hole in his heart.

He sat down, confused by the events that had recently occurred. Why had she left so suddenly? The bartender entered the room, her lips pursed as she picked up the glass of unfinished wine and the cigar that the figure had left. Drakin took hold of the girl, pulling her by the wrists. Startled, the bartender dropped everything in her hands, the crash deafening the room. The girl screamed, her high-pitched irritating Drakin, so he shut her up the best way he could, with his mouth. He bit on her lip, hard enough to draw blood. The girl tried to make a noise, but it was muffled in Drakin's mouth. He pushed her back, a chunk of her lip still in his mouth. He chewed on it, and then spit it out.

Cracking his neck, he smiled manically. He was about to have some fun. 

(A/N)

Hey guys, sorry for the late update! I've been working on a new book so I lost focus on this one!

XOXO,

Tannie J Vee