Heart of Darkness

Chapter 17

The next day, Angelica sent her brother with Thomas to the castle for his lectures. She wanted to stay at home in case her father came home. She didn't want to miss the chance to talk to him this time.

The whole day went by with her being anxious and unable to focus or think about anything other than her father. It was making her feel sick and she could barely eat.

"My Lady, you are not eating." Eva said, concerned.

"I am alright. Prepare some food for William. He must be home soon."

When William came back from his training, she was shocked to find him covered in dirt and with bruised hands. He also had scratches on his knees. Angelica became furious to see him like that.

"What happened?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Training."

"Like this? Your hands are blue and your knees are bleeding."

Her brother sighed. "Angelica, it is hard to train without getting hurt."

"Not this hurt," she retorted.

He was only ten. He wasn't even supposed to start his training yet and Lord Rayven knew that. How could he let him get hurt like this during training? Was he treating him unfairly because of his animosity toward her?

"Eva, help him clean his wounds and get changed." She ordered the maid.

He shook his head, "no, my lady. No one knows where he is."

Angelica sighed, frustrated. She didn't know who to turn to for advice or help. What her father was doing was something no one could find out. Not even Thomas.

"Keep looking for him," she said.

Angelica hoped he would come home that night, but he didn't. She had never wished for the night to never end this badly before, but the sun peeking through her window was hard to ignore even if she wanted to.

Thomas took her brother to his training after they had breakfast and then he would go looking for her father again. To her disappointment, he came back without finding anything about him.

Angelica was already stressed out about her father's situation, so when her brother came back with more bruises after his training, she became mad. She could almost see Lord Rayven's smirk in her mind. If he was doing this to annoy her, then he was wrong. Because she wasn't annoyed. She was angry.

"Thomas, take me to the castle." She ordered.

Thomas looked at her confused, but said nothing and followed her orders. On her way to the castle, she thought she would calm down, but she didn't. She was as angry when she arrived and as she tried to find her way to the soldiers' quarters; she hoped not to cross paths with the King. She wasn't calm enough to think clearly.

Angelica felt like a sheep among wolves as she walked through the halls of the soldiers' quarters. They couldn't tear their gazes away from her.

"Excuse me," she stopped a soldier and she could see the excitement that lit up his eyes. "Do you know where I can find Lord Rayven?"

The light in his eyes quickly dimmed. "I believe he is with his Majesty, the King."

Angelica clenched her jaw. This is not what she expected or wished to happen.

"Thank you," she said and hurried away.

What was she supposed to do now? She came all the way here to talk to him. It would be a waste to just leave. Maybe she should wait in the soldiers' quarters. She would rather be amongst the soldiers right now than with the King.

Yes, she would stay here.

Halting, she turned back and almost walked into someone's chest. A gasp escaped her lips as she forced herself to stop from bumping into the person. Looking up, the eyes of the man she was searching for gazed back at her.

How? She was sure no one was walking behind her. Where did he come from?

"Are you looking for me, Lady Davis?" he spoke in that dark, husky voice.

He was standing too close to her so she took a step back before straightening herself. "Yes," she said, then wondered how he knew.

He raised one dark brow and waited for her to speak. Angelica had already prepared her speech, but standing in front of him with his tall, muscular figure and intimidating eyes made her question if she was sane to provoke him. He looked like the type who would step over someone just because they annoyed him.

"Do you enjoy seeing people hurt, Lord Rayven?" She asked.

"Yes," he replied.

Angelica looked at him for a long moment, but she couldn't tell if he was being truthful or sarcastic.

"Well, I don't like seeing my brother hurt. You are supposed to train him, not send him home bruised, every day. Do you do the same with the other boys?"

"The other boys are stronger than your brother, so he naturally gets hurt more than them." He explained.

"Then maybe you should start slowly with him. He is younger than them."

"Or maybe you shouldn't tell me what to do, Lady Davis. If you don't like my ways, don't send your brother here."

Angelica took a deep breath to calm down. "This is my brother's dream and he got permission from His Majesty to start his training early on. I won't stop him from doing what he loves."

"But you want to stop me from doing things my way?" He tilted his head to one side.

"I can't stop you from anything, but if anything happens to my brother, I'll hold you responsible."

He took a step forward, his eyes narrowing with curiosity. "And how will you do that, Lady Davis?"

"I'll let that be a surprise." She said, holding her head high even though his frightening aura was working on her.

"I like surprises," he said calmly. "But don't waste your time. There is nothing you can do."

He really thought he was untouchable.

"You underestimate me, Lord Rayven." She said while her rational side told her she should have just turned around and left.

It was like she was bringing trouble for herself before her father could.

He walked to her side and she turned to keep her eyes on him. Then suddenly he strode toward her with his long steps and naturally she backed away until her back hit the wall. Her heart leapt to her throat when she found herself trapped between him and the wall. In defense, her eyes quickly searched the hall for an escape before looking at the threat in front of her.

"Being brave is good, but being foolishly brave is dangerous." He said.

Angelica knew he was warning her, but she could only think of how he dared to be this close to her. "Get away…" she said, trying to push him, but he grabbed both her wrists in one hand and drew her closer.

Angelica gasped, shocked by his boldness, and then tried to wiggle her hands out of his hold, but to no avail.

He shouldn't be this strong. He was only holding her with one hand.

Her struggle seemed to amuse him. He pinned her wrists to his chest; her face only inches away from his. Angelica froze.

"Be careful of who you choose to fight, Angel. The world is full of demons," he warned.