"You have quite the effect on people you know that?" Lyra asked, eyes fixed intently on the prince before her.
"I'm well aware about the others but what about you? Tell me Lyra, I'm dying to know, do you hate me as much as you say you do?" he inquired.
Her breath hitched at the question. How could she possibly answer that?
Of course she didn't hate him.
Every movement he made, every breath he took, every smile that graced his face, was perfect. Her soul yearned for him, her heart palpitated for him, she existed purely for him, as he did for her. They were soulmates, even if he thought the notion ludicrous, they were. He enveloped all of her senses, her nerves fluctuating around him, her heart fluttering whenever he laughed. She was infatuated with him, she wanted nothing more than to grab him and kiss him just to show him how much she 'hated' him.
But of course she couldn't. He was the king, he was ruthless, he had no time for feelings of adoration, he had no use for people that no longer rivaled him. So, instead of giving into her feelings, she lied, hoping he would believe her because even if he went on thinking she had feelings of malice towards him, it meant he kept her around and that was all she needed.
"How could I not?" her tone shifted into the one she knew too well, spite.
"Very well then" he spoke clearly before inclining his head ever so slightly and getting up to walk away, ignoring the burning in his heart. She hated him, of course she did. Now he would have to go on pretending to hate her too.
Oh, what a chore.
---
Calian is destined to be the heir to the throne, its what he wanted ever since he was young. But on the day of his coronation, he gets a visit from an assassin who has been hired to kill him. After a failed attempt, he captures her and keeps her locked in his castle. He's fascinated on how she thought she would succeed. He wants answers that she won't give, even more of a reason to keep her around, right?
***I'm back. I know it's been two years. But I'm back. Officially not on hold anymore!! (I'm so sorry)
***
Some people keep secrets to protect others. Some people lie to do the same. The victims always say they would rather hear the truth, the buried secrets, than be lied to. Because that's betrayal, isn't it?
But what if the reasons for lies and secrets are necessary to protect those from themselves? What if, by telling a truth, one creates room FOR betrayal?
What if the truth hurts more than the lie?
***
It had never crossed Clarianna Sinclair's mind that her entire life might have been a lie. Sure, the gods didn't have a squeaky clean reputation, but she didn't think whatever they were hiding from her would be THAT bad.
It was that bad. Worse, actually. And the thing was, the truth did hurt more than the lie.
Because the prophecy revealed to her on the darkest day of the year was dark as hell and just as confusing. Half a year later, she still hadn't unravelled it. All she knew was that it was about her, the war, and the ominous promise of a last shadow.
***
Luke knew that the truth hurt. It always did. But he also knew head one was the only way to face it. He also knew that betrayal was just part of the human character, and everyone betrayed and was betrayed eventually. Promises were made to be broken, after all. But he still wasn't prepared for it. He didn't expect it to come from the one person he thought he could trust.
She had left him. Without a word, even after everything they'd gone through together. Without her, he was adrift in the vast sea with no tether to shore. No one other than the titan down in the pit, who, he was beginning to think, had been a mistake. A terrible mistake. But there was nothing he could do about it now, not when he was this deep, and certainly not when she wasn't here. Little did he know that, even when she came back, she wouldn't be the same girl who had left him.