The black sky is lit up with stars tonight, I shiver a little as the cold air presses bitter kisses to my exposed skin. Nikolai stands next to me, he stares ahead at the far-off city. The building we stand on is isolated, near the river.
"What do you reckon Marissa and Dominic will do to exact their revenge?" He asks, breaking the silence between us. I sigh, bitterly.
"In their cells? Well, they have nothing but time. They'll get at anything and everything we hold dear, even people we have long since forgotten. There's not much to do in prison but plan," I say out loud.
Nikolai nods his head in agreement, "Do you think Shadowborn and Lotus will be successful under the new leadership?"
At that, I do smile. I trust the new people running it. Agents will always need harsher motivating but I know for a fact that Gabriella and Alex won't use horrific punishments to ensure success from the other agents. Besides the sponsors won't even realise things are run differently.
"I trust them, they seemed ready and willing when we proposed the idea to them," I say.
"Well, the world needs perfect airtight assassins to go on killing..." Nikolai says, there's humour in his voice but he doesn't smile.
"Have you noticed that whenever you and I are together people die?" I ask him, turning to face him. Nikolai mirrors my movements to look at me.
"You and I do terrible things for each other, Poison. We always have, we always will," He tells me. And there's something so romantically terrible about the statement.
I thought I had strong morals but they always warp and twist when it comes to Nikolai. I do things for him that I wouldn't even know I was capable of.
"Do you think Marissa and Dominic were right?" I ask him, my voice catching. Nikolai takes a step towards me and places his hands on my face. He angles my head up to look at him.
"You and I have a gift for attracting death and despair wherever we go, I think that has everything to do with us and nothing to do with them."
"Is it a gift or our curse?" I ask him, softly. Nikolai smiles then, a genuine one as he thinks over my question.
"Depends on your perspective, you were always the more emotional one."
"I'm the only one between the two of us who feels any emotions," I counter. Nikolai raises his eyebrows and I smile a little.
"I feel when it comes to you," He says to me.
I hold my breath as I look up at him. The moonlight casts shadows across Nikolai's face. He looks like a God, freshly emerged from his kingdom in hell.
"Do you love me, Nikolai?"
I have to ask him, I have to hear his answer.
He stares at me, not saying anything for a few moments. I stand there, suspended in the wait as he answers me, "I love you, Ivy."
I press my mouth to his and Nikolai kisses me back. It's soft and tender, he wraps his arms around my waist. Holding me to him.
"I love you, Nikolai," I murmur against his mouth. He cracks a smile and kisses me again.
He doesn't make much of a sound when I push my dagger into his stomach, just a quiet gasp. Nikolai doesn't let go of me, he only leans back slightly so he can properly look at me. Tears pour from my eyes as I look up at him.
"Too many people have died at our hands Nikolai, and so many people will die because of us," I say to him. He looks down at me, there's no hate or anger in his eyes. Just an understanding.
Because we do love each other, Nikolai's love comes with a river of blood and mine comes with the curse of empathy. To be loved by Nikolai means having to accept mass death and destruction as the fallout. And to be loved by me, Nikolai is forced to feel the guilt of his crimes. I made him feel. I'm not sure if caring in the way he now does has been a gift I've given him or a curse. I suppose it depends on perspective.
Either way, I cannot allow it.
Nikolai staggers a little, he doesn't move his hands from my waist to stop the bleeding from his wound. He probably knows it would be a futile attempt, I've made sure this is an injury that will kill him.
"Do you forgive me?" I whisper as Nikolai sways on his feet a little. It's a selfish question but I have to ask it.
Nikolai focuses his gaze on me, "Yes, my love, I do."
To forgive your killer at the moment of your death is a terribly romantic thing.
I drop the dagger, stained with Nikolai's blood. It clatters on the concrete. The wind howls and whips my hair on my cheeks. The stars continue to twinkle in the night sky and the distant sounds from the city can be heard.
The world keeps turning and spinning on its axis, unaffected by this moment. Nikolai takes a step back, letting go of me. I take a step forward and wrap my arms around his neck. I take in his scent, smells like home to me.
Nikolai holds me as tightly as he can and strokes my hair with one hand, "I know you're afraid of the unknown Nikolai, I am as well. But you won't be going alone. I'm coming with you," I whisper in his ear.
"Ivy..." Nikolai whispers into my hair, his voice is hoarse and his strength is leaving him. He doesn't have long left now. He wants to change my mind and argue with me. But I won't allow it.
"The world is better off without our love, but I am not," I tell him. Nikolai takes another step backwards and I move with him. I shut my eyes as I squeeze him tightly. There's comfort in acceptance.
Nikolai's grip on me loosens as he teeters on the edge of consciousness, "In the next life, Poison," He promises.
I smile and push forward, Nikolai falls back and I fall with him. I hold onto him tightly as we fall from the edge of the building together. The water roars as we fall and I bury my face in Nikolai's chest.
And then there is nothing.
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LOL x
YOU ARE READING
Deadly Desires
Romance"You didn't let him kill me? Isn't that what you've always wanted?" Ivy spat at me, she could pretend to be angry all she wanted but I knew she was scared. I imagined she's never been so close to death, her dark red hair was plastered to her chest a...
