60. Hi, grandma.
Darius smirked, his eyes set on the lifeless body next to his feet. The guards rushed to follow his commands- even if Fenrir and his little friend would want to rebel against Wrath, there's no way any of them could build an army half of the size as his. Not to mention that Darius could kill his own army and leave the battlefield with little to no injuries. The thought of his mate suddenly invaded the male's mind. Darius started to wonder if Ally was alright if she had enough rest and if there would be anyone to cook a proper lunch for the Princess. The deadly sin didn't care, even a little, about all those things everyone spoke about him- only the words which left Ally's lips held any importance.
"Matheo, do we have anyone else to deal with, or should I leave all of this crap in your hands?" Darius turned around, facing a gray-haired male. The man chuckled, shaking his head in amusement.
Matheo was one of the rare men who hasn't been killed by Wrath whenever he went on a rampage. The male was around sixty years old, thirty of which he had spent as a counselor to no one other than the deadly sin. Together, they saw great and not so great times, yet no matter what was thrown their way- both men stood side by side.
"I think I am still very capable of cleaning the mess, Master Darius. You, on the other hand, have planned an important meeting. Should I notice them about your arrival, or would it be a surprise?" The older male grinned, casually sliding hands into pockets of his jacket. Matheo never liked the things which most of the sin servants did, especially butlers. He might be old, but he would rather die than be seen in a tux, looking like a dry penguin.
"I was planning to give them a surprise visit, that might be the best. I don't think that anyone there would even think of me as a friend- those shifters definitely assume that whenever I arrive somewhere, it's for murderous deeds. Let's avoid that- we don't need more misunderstandings." Darius calmly replied, thinking about all possible outcomes. He wasn't one to feel scared of something, yet the male didn't like the official parts of doing anything. It was easy to break free, run around and kill here and there, yet meetings were one of a few things he despised.
"In that case- all I can do is wish you luck and hope for the best. You're a smart kid; you'll get through it, have a little faith in yourself. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to burn some bodies and wash off some blood. For such a tiny ant- that guy had a way too big mouth." Matheo placed a hand over Darius' shoulder and squeezed it gently. The old male never looked at the deadly sin as a problem for him- Darius was as close as a son. That's the main reason why Matheo always kept a safe distance but stood close enough to avoid wasting time if the deadly sin needed him. This was the first day in years when the male couldn't be able to follow his ruler.
"Thank you," Darius smiled at the male, nodded his head, and left. The male knew that everything would be settled by the time he took Ally's home. There won't be blood all over the place, the halls will finally look somewhat brighter, and the people will walk around freely. Many had complained about Fenrir's brutal ways- while he thought his approach was right, the shadow creatures didn't. The old ruler took it upon himself to lock most of those creatures in cells, even the youngest ones. Of course, all of them will think that Darius is a monster, yet they will have to thank that same monster for granting them freedom.
Darius left the building, eyeing his guards. All of them froze upon noticing the leader, yet some smiled and shook heads at ones who acted like statues. The deadly sin took a deep breath, trying to get rid of the bad feeling that took over him out of nowhere. Whatever it was- it had to wait. First and foremost, he had a few shifters to visit; only after that, would the male be able to find out what was wrong. Darius didn't dare to assume that something might happen to Ally- he left her sleeping in the temple, and there shouldn't be anyone who could step a foot in there.
Sliding his hands into the pockets of his jeans, Darius slowly made his way towards the portal, hidden deep in the woods. He could use many ways to reach his destination, but the male didn't feel like wasting even a second- the faster he gets there, the sooner he can return to his mate. A slight smile appeared on his lips, thinking about how upset and lonely Ally might feel if she woke up and he wasn't there. The Princess needed him as much as he needed her, and finally- they were moving forward together. Ally could whine and deny as much as she liked to, but Darius knew that she would lose her mind without him around.
The male approached the portal and sighed, reminding himself about the importance of what he was about to do. There was no way out, either way- sooner or later; it had to be done. And right now, it was better if the deadly sin went alone. Darius stepped into the moving violet light. All he had to do was stand still and think about his destination. The male closed his eyes and imagined the huge building he had to visit so often- not all occasions were the greatest ones, yet some left pleasant memories.
"Let's get this shit over with," the male whispered under his breath, opening his eyes, now- facing his destination. Of course, as per usual, many guards stood around it, protecting the shifters living in the building. Not that he cared; most of those men would drop on their knees in front of Darius, and the sin wouldn't have to move a muscle. Shifters were an interesting breed, prideful and stubborn, but even they knew that there are bigger fishes in the sea. Sometimes it's easier to step back than lose a life over a dumb cause.
Darius walked past them slowly, nodding at the guards- it was a huge honor, no matter what, the shocked men stood frozen on the spot. If any of those guards would tell others that the deadly sin acknowledged them- nobody would ever believe in such words. Wrath wasn't the kindest hero in the book, more like an anti-hero, but the male knew how to act. Walking into someone's territory and acting like a complete dick wouldn't get him far, primarily if the territory was owned by none other than his precious mate's parents.
"Excuse me, sir, you can not go there." One of the guards announced. Darius turned around to face the one who was brave enough to speak up. In front of him stood a short, shaking man, probably in his early twenties. Despite the fear he felt, the guard still stood by the commands given. A brave young man, for sure.
"Is that so? Interesting," Darius scratched his chin, acting as if the male was thinking about something important. Actually- he was playing with the kid, wondering why wasn't he allowed inside and how the young male would hold him back.
"The King and Queen already have a guest, they are busy, and we have to keep everyone out of the castle. If that's alright, I'm sure that within a few hours you might meet them. Sorry, those are our commands, and we must follow them." The young male stared down at his feet, avoiding any possible eye contact. As the last words left his lips- the male shook like a tree leaf during a storm.
Darius chuckled, placing a hand on the guards head and ruffling his hair. "You're a good kid, but let me tell you one thing. Let's call it a warning because only that bitch you call your Goddess knows how much I hate repeating myself. Don't stand in the way of sin- we don't take commands kindly. Besides, I can visit my parents in law whenever I want to- we're practically a family. Now, hop away and do something productive before I change my mind." As he spoke, a wide smile wouldn't leave his lips. It was the type of smile that meant nothing good was coming his way, the type you'd avoid even on your best days.
"C-change your mind?" The guard stuttered, unable to move a muscle. He did want to leave, but the curiosity took the best of him.
"Exactly what I said- before I change my mind and boy, you have guts to test my patience. So what will it be- leave and play in your fucking sandbox, or are we going to paint the castle walls red? I don't care- it's up to you to choose." The amusement in his voice sent cold shivers down the guard's spine. What the hell was he thinking? Everyone knew that killing was a game for Wrath. If there was one thing the sin was good in- it was painting all walls, floors, ceilings, and even towns red.
"I'm going to leave, sorry, sir." The boy quickly apologized, bowed, and ran off. The other guards watched the peaceful encounter with terror written all over their faces. Watching the sin from afar was enough, yet noticing how calm he could be while planning to kill someone was vile. Usually, even serial killers would have some sort of feelings, but this man had none at all. Except for the smile, of course, but that was one of a promise of great pain and agony.
"Gentlemen," Wrath grinned at the men, bursting out in laughter as soon as the guards broke out of their bubbles and took off. Who would make sure that unwanted guests won't get close to the Royalties if everyone fled away? *"Stupid shifters."* Darius thought to himself and headed straight towards the main door. He had wasted too much time messing with the guards; now, he had to act fast.
He kicked the main door open, making sure that the sound from his action could wake up even the dead. Still standing in the doorframe, he took a deep breath and yelled: "Honey, I'm home."
To his surprise, alongside the King and his Queen, there was another person to join him. The man Darius called his best friend- Sloth.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Darius questioned his friend, shocked by his sudden appearance. River didn't act as he used to- the slow and lazy male was gone, replaced by a grinning idiot.
"Well, I had to come here and check if you were around. We're friends, dumbass; I was worr.." Before Sloth could finish the sentence, a little girl slapped his hand and showed off her disapproval about his choice of words. "I'm sorry, sweetheart, won't happen again," River looked down at the girl, his eyes full of regret.
Darius froze, his facial expression showing off disgust and shock. "What the fuck?" The male spat out, surprised at his friend's actions. Sloth didn't care what others thought of him, the male cursed worse than an old sailor, yet he did act differently around the little girl.
"I was looking for you and accidentally found a little more than I intended to," River tried to motion at little Bea without looking suspicious.
Darius still kept quiet, looking between his friend and the little girl, until a couple of seconds later, he finally caught on the message. His lips formed an o, eyes widening as the realization hit him. Well, wasn't that a cute way for Selene to mess with them?
"Anyway, what are you doing here? Where is Ally?" Eve spoke up, instantly gaining full attention from the deadly sin.
Darius watched the Queen; something about her had changed- the rock-solid facial expression wasn't there, and the soft smile on her lips made the male feel.. accepted? He raised an eyebrow, looking at the King, who didn't seem to mind his presence anymore.
"Ah, right. My apologies for inviting myself in, but I'm here to discuss something important. If possible, with the King and Queen- in private." Darius tried his best to act politely. Those shifters were the reason why he had Ally in the first place; both parents deserved nothing but gratitude and respect.
"I think it would be better if my mate would stay around these two, but we can talk in the office. Please, follow me," Eve smiled, motioning towards the direction where he was supposed to go.
Darius didn't move; he needed to talk to both Royalties.
"I'm sorry, but this is a pretty sensitive topic, which should be discussed with both of you," the male tried to hold onto the original plan. He might deal with the Queen, but there was no way Darius wanted to put up with a backslash after King finds out.
"Whatever you have to say- I will listen, and then we can discuss it—you and me. As for my mate- he will have to accept whatever I say since he has been nothing but a dick towards me lately. Am I right, love?" Eve glared at Eros, who instantly nodded his head like a maniac and rushed away. Sloth and the little girl left soon after Darius started to talk to Eve, so the King had to find them both.
The male followed Eve to the office, held the door for her, and closed it behind him. Darius stood by the door, waiting when Eve would sit down.
"So.." the Queen started, but the male had a better idea in his mind. Without any regrets of second thoughts, Darius grinned and cut her off. "Hi, grandma."