33: Mine

"Liam, huh?" Demetri said, breaking the awkward silence we found ourselves wrapped in as we sat across from each other, outside on the balcony. It was quiet here and thus, a good place for a conversation... at least, I hoped so.
I bit my lip, nervously and then uttered, "It's complicated."
"I think that's the understatement of the century. But I'm glad you have someone to rely on here. From what I heard; he seems to care for you quite deeply."
I scoffed and then muttered under my breath, "That's the problem."
Demetri's eyebrows creased in confusion and he tilted his head before asking me to explain what I meant, and I did- rather reluctantly. Once I'd finished explaining to him how I was actually supposed to kill Liam in a month's time and how feelings would only complicate killing him even more, he chuckled. "Why is it always life or death with you?"
I eyed him, confused and then asked, "What do you mean?"
Immediately, Demetri's smile fell, and he shook his head before telling me that he meant nothing by it. But I wasn't so convinced, not in the least.
"There's something you're not telling me. Why do you always act as though you know me? As though you've spent countless hours in my company. What are you and Sebastian really hiding?" I asked, slightly frustrated.
"I think it's best you don't find out Phoenix. The more you know, the more dangerous this all becomes. My only piece of advice to you is to trust those around you. Liam and Xavier, for example. They would be good allies to have."
Liam and Xavier? The advice Demetri was giving me, was the complete opposite to the advice Sebastian had. I was told to distrust the two men, and to be weary of them. I had, however discovered that Liam was harmless and Xavier, although cold and annoying, posed no threat towards me.
"I... I'm not allowed allies." I said.
Demetri raised his brows, surprised and then asked, "And who told you this?"
"Sebastian."
"Sebastian? Goddess, that man! Overly protective and overly jealous, as always. I swear the stick up his ass is one day going to puncture something vital. Listen, Phoenix, Sebastian thinks he can take care of you all by himself, but when it comes to you, he's never been the most logical person in the world," and there he went again- acting as though he knew me... or rather, as though he had once known me before. But how could I have forgotten both him and Sebastian? And so, I ran through my memories, trying to find any trace of them. Unfortunately, I drew a blank.
"I know Sebastian is trying to keep you safe, but this sometimes blinds him. He believes no one can protect you better than he can, and I understand where he's coming from. However, things have changed. During the games, your life is out of his hands and in the hands of Sanguis. Sebastian cannot protect you in there. The only two people who can are Liam, Xavier, and yourself, of course. If history has proven anything, it is that the Game of Successio cannot be won alone."
"What are you talking about? Do I have to make allies just to kill them off? I hardly think that's fair."
"Fair? Life's never been fair to you Phoenix, trust me. All I'm saying is that for the time being, Liam and Xavier could prove to be useful, and useful is good. I know you've begun to develop feelings for both Liam and Sebastian and surprisingly, I understand. Werewolves pride themselves on being tied eternally to one person. We can because we don't live for as long as vampires can. But vampires, well they live on for centuries, and as such, they are capable of finding more than one person they truly connect with. There's nothing wrong with loving more than one person, but I fear love is your greatest weakness. You have too much of it, and in the end, you let your heart dictate your actions, instead of your mind. I can't stop you from loving who you chose. I am not your keeper, neither is Xavier, Liam or Sebastian. All I can do is advise you to love carefully and to use your head," he placed a finger on my forehead, emitting soft sparks against my skin, "more than you use your heart."
I was beyond stunned by this conversation. Demetri was nothing if not the most understanding person I'd ever met. But again, there was something mysterious about him, hidden in the suggestions that he made. He *did* know me well, and I was beginning to wonder why more and more. Why couldn't I remember him? He wasn't someone I could just forget through time.
And so, I reached out and touched his face, trying to find some sort of connection with him, before narrowing my eyes and asking, "Who are you, Demetri Forbes?"
He smiled gently at me and placed his hand over mine, turned his head slightly and left a soft little kiss on the palm of my hand, bringing a warm blush to my face. "Would you believe me if I told you that I, like Liam and Sebastian, am a man desperately in love with you?"
"You barely know me." I whispered out with a little nervous laugh.
His eyes fell serious for a moment and he leaned in closer with his lips hovering just a few inches away from mine, "Phoenix Selene Ackerman, I know you better than you know yourself, and I've loved you more than you've ever loved yourself."
And just as he was about to place his soft lips on mine, the entire balcony almost shook with the booming voice of a very livid Sebastian.
"Phoenix!"
"Oh fuck, here we go again." Demetri sighed. It was the first time I'd seen him as annoyed as he now was. Clearly, he and Sebastian were not going to be friends anytime soon.
"What the hell are you doing up here with him!" He yelled.
"Um Sebastian, jealousy is not a good look on you, old friend. It never has been." Demetri uttered. Old friend? How old was Demetri? There was never really much information about the young man, and I had always assumed it was all for the sake of his own peace, to keep him away from werewolf politics. Now, however, I wondered whether there was more to the mystery behind my mate.
"We are not friends." Sebastian seethed out.
Demetri just laughed it off. By this time, Sebastian had made his way right beside me and somewhere between him arguing with Demetri, had managed to grab my hand in his. Just the mere contact between us both had my heart fluttering in the same way it did for Demetri and Liam.
"Come along now Phoenix. Your break is over." He managed to articulate this despite mumbling it through gritted teeth. I honestly wanted to stay and learn more about Demetri and who he really was. It was an absolute pleasure to talk to him. Unlike Liam and Sebastian, Demetri didn't make me feel confused or worried about my feelings. He was understanding, kind and, even though he was clearly hiding something, much easier to talk to about it- he never yelled. But I knew that going with Sebastian meant confronting him about his past, and hopefully being able to squeeze some answers out of him. So, I nodded, reluctantly and shot a gentle smile towards Demetri who returned it.
"Good luck, Princess."
I didn't quite know why, but the second he uttered those words, a strange feeling of Deja vu came over me. It was as though I'd once heard those exact same words being uttered by him, to me, before. But I shrugged the feeling off almost as soon as it arrived and continued to be dragged off by Sebastian who had proceeded to squeeze the life out of my hand. Was this man never not jealous?
We rounded another corner, entered another passage and then suddenly, my back was against the wall and Sebastian's hands were pinning mine up.
"What the hell?" I uttered, staring up into Sebastian's furious blue eyes.
"You were going to *kiss* him, weren't you?" He hissed.
I scoffed and then said, "So what? Who I kiss has nothing to do with you. The last time I checked, you were my *advisor*, nothing more."
"Nothing more?" He practically whispered this out maniacally, sending involuntary shivers up and down my spine. "Nothing more!" He repeated, this time, almost growling it out. I shuddered at the animalistic look on his face. Here I was, standing before a powerful ancient vampire who looked just about ready to kill me.
"Well then, we're just going to have to change that..." Before I could even react to his words, his teeth sunk deep into my neck causing the most agonising, nauseating sensation of pain coursing throughout my entire body. I screamed out and thrashed against his body, but his grip on me was tight and unbreakable and his teeth were too deep in my neck. The pain lasted a few moments more and I began to feel the sensation of my own blood trickling down my neck. Soon, however, the immense feeling of pain began to transform into something a little darker and sensual. It was a scalding hot sensation of pleasure, tugging at the flesh of my neck and striking me right down to my core. The tears of pain even changed to warm tears of pleasure and an involuntary moan ripped from between my lips, making Sebastian sink his teeth deeper into me. The entire situation was unreal, and I couldn't quite understand it. What was Sebastian trying to achieve with this painfully pleasurable bite of his?
Eventually, I began to feel a little lightheaded and dizzy and found my arms wrapped around Sebastian's body in an effort to keep upright. When I did so, Sebastian pressed his body closer into mine, pushing my further against the wall. Sebastian then removed his teeth from my neck and looked down at me with the brightest red eyes I'd ever seen him wear. He slowly licked at his red lips and then uttered a word I never expected to hear from him.
"Mine."
And right after it left his mouth, everything in sight vanished into darkness and I felt myself slip into nothingness.
----
*Drops mic... and falls off stage.*
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