Dark Nine [18+]

Chapter Twelve

Venus and I sit in a waiting room on the spacecraft, which has taken us back to Earth.

Around us the walls show a simulated forest, while we sit on a simulated 'park bench' to help us feel more relaxed and at ease, while Officer Miton came back with the next set of steps we would have to take.

I sit opposite the table with Venus.

He had been scrubbed down, to take off any bacteria.

They managed to remove the green, so I could see the grey skin and gold tiger stripes – and even his dark eyes, now glow a dark, brown gold. It's a gorgeous colour.

Instead of worrying about my fate, I stare at the clean Venus, who looks like a brand new Kor.

He had been sitting straighter to protect me, to appear strong and unapproachable.

His hair is black with gold dust, and his face is unbelievably handsome when relaxed.

I could almost stare at his facial features for days, he was like Mars in that respect – completely devasting with beauty and masculinity, enhanced by six Kor canines, larger muscles and an impressive height.

While he is comfortable to be naked, I am dressed in a white dress they passed to me since I was not comfortable to feel naked.

I chew on my lip while Venus just watches me like he is seeing me for the first time.

His expression and demeanour changed after our kiss.

I wanted to address it, but not directly. We had some time to kill anyway, until Miton came back with more information.

"Mercury said you were the head Kor," I begin, "What made you the best at everything? What makes a head Kor?"

"It's not being the best at everything, it's being the one who weaves that web to catch a heart, I had top game," Venus explains lightly, his mean voice toned down but still just underneath since he had adopted it for so long, "Until my own heart was caught by Cin. I had never loved before her."

"So you can talk about Cinta?" Venus does glare at me for phrasing it in a way that sounds slightly condescending, a blush creeps up my neck and I quickly ask, "...why did Cin grab your heart...?"

"She was cruel and cold hearted, formidable like a Kor, that strength caught me by surprise and never let me go," Venus explains, carefully.

"But?"

"She melted around me... however, that was my mistake for thinking that's what it was on her behalf," Venus looks away, as he smiles to himself, explaining it bluntly, "It was a web of her own. She knew I was head Kor. She could rule with an iron fist if I loved her, all she needed to do, was catch my attention – and I question everything, so she made me question everything, and I ended up obsessed with her odd behaviours," Venus speaks openly, and as he gets it off his chest, his shoulders lose their tense stature, "I didn't know it was a game until I kissed you, Diana."

Oof, that catches me off guard.

"...how did one kiss, make you think that...?" I murmur.

"She would," Venus brings up his hand gracefully, to show me what she would do, "Push. Me away. Every time she kissed me, she'd push at my chest – the truth coming through her cold hands, as she kissed me. You didn't push, you didn't pull, you didn't... do anything... you just... waited. And you knew, from what Mercury told you, what would happen... what my venom could do. But you didn't move."

"So you realised, I waited for death," I gulp, feeling shame just thinking about my submission in that moment, "But you did drag me into your chest, you pulled me in."