Dark Malfetto (A Young Elites/Grisha Trilogy Fanfic)

Velvet

Adelina's eyes fluttered. Her energy levels were all over the place, the unfamiliar feeling of fear flowed through her veins.

Struggling to rise, Adelina noticed a dark shape in the corner of the room. "Aleksander." Her voice sounded weak and strained.

"Senka." He stared out the window, rain pouring into the streets. "Darkness only shows when there's no light." He sounded grave. Turning towards Adelina, he smiled. "Have you ever heard of the Sun Summoner?"

Adelina grew puzzled. "I've heard about it in legends but always thought they were false. They aren't, are they?"

"I suppose some legends are false, depends on how they're told." He twists the chain on his earring. Silver and black are a beautiful contrast. "The Sun Summoner was very powerful. She could control the light and bring hope to people around her. She almost used it for destruction. She had for a while before she realized what her motives should be. Which in fact did not include darkness corrupting her abilities."

"Was she a malfetto?" Adelina felt the fear diminish inside of her. It's his demeanor that's making me feel this way.

"A malfetto occurred after the blood fever. She had natural power." He came and sat beside Adelina, part of the bed dipping down. "A type I've never seen before in all my years of life."

"You sound like you knew her." He stiffened. She knew she couldn't feel jealousy over the dark danger in front of her but the jealousy showed anyways.

"We crossed paths a few times." Adelina knew he was lying but she couldn't help herself from wondering why. The Darkling stole a glance of Adelina but she was trained on the blankets atop her. "You seem to be keen on staring at that blanket. Velvet not your taste?" He had the presence of a child as she noticed when she looked up at him. He's no different from Violetta in a way.

"I've never felt anything like this before." The rain pattered against the window, casting the room in different shades of grey. Dots of droplets were seen as shadows on the floor. "All my dresses were usually made out of silk and strange cloths." The velvet bunched in her fingertips.

"Most finer things a normal person cannot see." His hand lingered over the velvet, the soft fabric tracing his hand, his skin unnaturally pale. The Darkling's hands were strong and Adelina felt herself being pulled to him. She could feel a trail of fear hanging around her. Yet she wasn't sure if it came from her or the Darkling. He never showed fear around her. Even if they don't show it, it's still there. His eyes caressed her hands, like a grey storm cleaning up the death she holds.

"Senka." His breaths grew shallow. His power dissipated until he no longer retained any emotion that he was the most powerful man in the world. "Oh, Adelina."

Adelina wanted power. She wanted the darkness in her body again. She craved it. It was the whole of her survival. She used her illusions as pathways to power. I will be an unattainable source of power. "Aleksander."

His breaths were light yet Adelina noticed they sounded labored. They danced across her bare shoulder. His hand was inches from hers.

Her pinky twitched, folding the velvet, bringing him closer. The Darkling froze. His hand dug into the fabric then loosened as if he had an inner battle but instantly made up his mind.

The temperature in the room dropped and bumps rose on Adelina's skin. He isn't fazed in the slightest. "Aleksander, please." She shook as the cold chilled her bones.

"Senka, oh senka." The Darkling rose his hand and put it through her hair. "You're such a dark one, Adelina."

A shadow formed in the corner of the room and Adelina averted her attention to it but the Darkling's gaze never faltered.

"Violetta left. Now all I have is my shadows. My illusions. They aren't even real." Her head dipped. At any other time, her room might be filled with illusions of those she's killed in the past. She would see her father, his voice would rise loud enough to make her ears ring.

The illusion in the corner formed into a large man in a dark grey suit. "Adelina." It spoke.

"Dad." Her body grew tense, unable to contain her emotions. Her father stomped closer to her and Adelina hid into herself. Shielding her eye with her arms the best she could. "No!"

Her screams and her shaking body escalated the exhaustion she felt. The illusions are worsening. Pretty soon I won't be able to function without being in forever darkness.

All Adelina could feel was the shaking of the furniture as her father's feet hit the floor.

...

The Darkling stared down at Adelina. His hand moved from her hair to her arm, tracing the scars on her shoulder. Her heart was pounding against her chest. He heard the thumps beating through his ears. Her panic rose and he felt he could do nothing to stop it.

He thought back to Alina. How she would anger at the sight of him. How her hair color changed after the night he last remembered seeing her. She wanted to destroy him.

Looking down at Adelina he realized she didn't want to hurt him. She wanted them to be allies. His dark power ached to use hers as well. She could create illusions, he can control dark forces. He can control anything. The idea of having her on his side to use made his heart skip a beat.

Adelina screamed.

He finally realized his plan. His mission. What he was supposed to do to gain control of all of Ravka again. He can rid the Sun Summoner from his life and him and Adelina can rule beside each other. That's what they both wanted, to rule.

"Senka." The Darkling's palm rested against the scar on Adelina's eye. Tears were falling on the other side of her face, staining the velvet with dark drops. He brought his other hand up and held her face in his palms. Such a beautiful darkness. A drowning shadow. "Adelina."

...

Adelina's cries racked her body, causing her to hiccup. She looked up at the Darkling, at his dark beauty. This dark disaster.

Adelina threw her arms over his shoulders. "Aleksander, oh Aleksander."

His hands fell to her back, keeping her steady against him. Her face in the crook of his neck. "Adelina."

"Aleksander." Her grip never faltered as they stood there shrouded in darkness, the rain hitting the windows, the clouds causing rolling thunder in the distance. Adelina and the Darkling stood still, his eyes widening.