Evident

24.

I refused to give up, I groaned as I stared through my inflated eyes, the sleep diminishing as I took in my surrounding.

My eyes and face were heavily inflated and had dried blood, the vibrations of pain that I would feel from every beating and the heated scar that they inflicted on my stomach, numbed every emotion that I normally feel.

I had never lost a fight before, never lost a mission, never failed to make Achille proud but now as my busted dried blood-spattered cheek laid flat on the stony ground with black polished combat boots standing right in my perspective.

I felt defeated all because of Aureliano...

Anger ripped inside of me.

"One more hit from my men and you'd be dead, sweetheart..."

I narrowed my eyes on the boots before me, the deep voice of the commander spoke above my frame...

"This was your plan all along, to let me escape that night so that you could caught me and torture me again for what? your sick plans."

I spat on his shoes and made sure that I held his heterochromia, dark forest green and dark gray irises regardless of my weakness...

His gaze brushed with curiosity instead of anger and I watched as he bent low, pulled his black pants up a bit, his bearded jawline sharp as ever as he tilts his head to the side with his black hair flowing down his large back.

"Regardless of what you think..." His deep tone of voice fought with the quietness of the room.

He held my eyes, his gaze strong and firm and I stared back, showing him how much I feared not.

"I let you go simply because you are a woman and you enthralled me, I've never met a woman who fought my men with so much vigour and I knew you could have killed them but you didn't, something that still confuse me."

"You've done it before and I know you can do it again. Let me go..." I sat up and pulled towards him, his scent was citrus and musk and it condenses into the atmosphere.

He chuckled deeply and stood. His frame towering above me, I couldn't deny it, he was one tall mother fucker...

"It doesn't work like that sweetheart. Mato is expecting you so for the sake of your safety, please comply."

"I am not going to your chief I'd rather hang myself ..." I argued.

The commander lips tilt up into a smirk, his large muscular frame forming a shadow over my body as he began walking backwards, his hands deep into his pockets as he stared deep into my eyes.

"You're in no position to make a decision sweet heart, it was already chosen for you the moment you fell into our trap."

"I am not the enemy here..." I scoffed and watched him turned on his heels, his large back muscle layers tightening as he disappeared, his deep tone of voice lingering behind his deep footsteps.

"If you are not, then listen."

I frowned at his words...

After he left, I looked around the room, hopefully begging inwardly that Aureliano would come.

And as I hoped, I straightens up as footsteps came into the cells, I glanced over my shoulder and notice two huge men who walked over to me and lift me up.

I was in no positioned to fight, I decided to listen to that fucker and allowed them to walked with me out of the cells. One was in front while the other was behind me.

My hands were bounded as I held it in front of me. We walked through the tunnel of the cave, my mind conveying ways in which I could eradicate these fuckers with just the ropes around their neck and escape but I disregard it.

I didn't know if they had traps lodged into the underground cells so this would cause me more problems for my fucked up, blooded pain state.

Squinting my eyes from the sudden hit of the sun rays above me, I climbed up the wooden steps and glanced around the area as the tribal people surrounded the domain on both sides, they stared at me in disgust as they shouted angrily.

"Kill her!"

"Such ugly bastard!"

Their words flew into the air back and forth and I ignored it as the men directed me to the square, Mato was seated there with the raven on his shoulder, he was busy holding up his palm as he fed the eating bird.

Standing beside him was the commander who rub his thumb on his bottom lip, his thighs widen apart as he trained his eyes on me.

My breath shuddered as I shifted my gaze to the side, my heart pulsating as I connected my eyes with a set of dark blue irises.

Tears sting my eyes but I didn't let them flow as I noticed the dark brown haired woman who stood underneath his arms, her palm brushing on his chest as she held him close.

His eyes lacked emotion when he noticed me, they scanned my frame, pausing on the bruised on my cheek.

So this was what had his attention...

It was clear our friendship meant nothing, I was the only one who was way over in my head about the possible attraction between us.

And here I thought, he felt the same for me.

Desperate bitch...

Slowly, my fingers formed into a fist. The harsh sound from the crowd disappearing the longer I glared at him.

He didn't even hide it.

He cared not one shit about me.

Then he had the audacity to kiss me...I lick my lips, my mind drifting back to three nights ago when he robbed me of my breath and ruthlessly didn't give it back.

Now I know what Achille meant when he said that he was brutally cold-hearted.

He was worse than death it-self.

I blinked to cleared the tears away, listening to the voice of Achille when he told me not to show weakness.

This fucker didn't deserve not one drip of my tears. I lift my chin high and broke our eye contact, staring up at Mato who glanced over at me in interest.

"Surprising outcome, I was not expecting a woman..." He frowned as he watched me.

"Who are you and what plans do you have with my people."