Blood and Water - The Darkling

Chapter 2: Sleeping Alone

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𝕬𝖑𝖊𝖐𝖘𝖆𝖓𝖉𝖊𝖗 must really enjoy seeing me in black. The clothes he acquired for me are ebony with touches of brown and silver leather. My fitted Zemeni coat sinches at the waist and trails to just below my calves. Small silver cuffs decorate my wrists, perfect for a long knife each. The tight breeches have purple-blue swirling star and shadow designs along the length of my legs. My shirt is loose but I slip on two leather belts just below another set of colorful embroidery. I tuck six throwing daggers into the slots of the belts. A black lightweight hooded cloak rests on my shoulders, covering my amplifier.

I lace up my dark leather boots and slip my Grisha steel star blade into the ankle. Then I stand and face the Darkling, "What do you think?"

He hums and smirks, "Beautiful and dangerous, moya zvezda."

With a laugh, I ask, "Flattery again, Aleksander?"

"Always, Lana."

I'm still chuckling as we leave the room and join the other Grisha outside.

The Darkling briefs us, "Ms. Starkov was on the Verrhader which first docked at Novyi Zem. That's where we will most likely find them."

"They would not have stayed in the harbor town, but they could not have ventured too far inland," I continue. "It should be easy to pick up their trail when we arrive."

As we walk towards the docks, Aleksander sticks close to me. The day apart has taken a toll on him, his dark circles have worsened significantly. But with last night's antics, he seems to be in better spirits.

All of us board a merchant ship and help them prepare for the journey. The Squallers wind and Tidemakers currents allow us to sail faster through the waters, so we make great progress.

My days are spent sparring with Aleksander. I was used to training with him but in the past, it has all been one-sided. He would teach me techniques and I would practice them. But with his new ability to create and control shadow monsters, dubbed nichevo'ya, fighting has been more productive.

He summons his abominations and I destroy them with the cut. Over and over again until we both tire. The crew and Grisha are wary of our power but my lover and I pay them no mind.

At night we find comfort in each other's arms. Soaking up the energy and vitality that we can only feel when touching one another.

The little free time I have without Aleksander is spent with Genya and or Ivan. This is our last night before we reach land and I choose to eat dinner with my two friends.

Genya asks Ivan, "How has it been? Rooming next to Lana and General Kirigan?"

He chuckles and raises an eyebrow at me, "Horrible, I don't think I've had a decent night's rest this whole trip."

I gasp, "Van the man, we can't possibly be that bad."

The Heartrender just rolls his eyes, "And do you really need to spend so much time... together?"

My redheaded friend laughs, "At least he's paying attention to her, albeit too much."

"Genya, we all know that David is in love with you," I reply.

She sighs and mumbles, "Sure but how do you even know when a man is in love with you?"

I open my mouth to answer but close it again. Well, that's a great question. How do I even know if Aleksander loves me? I don't know what it's like to be in love with someone besides family. Plus, the Darkling is ancient. Not much affects him, so is he even capable of feeling that strongly for me?