Chapter 6 Chapter 6

VALEN'S POV

Those words came as a command 

Mark her?

I can't really point out what exactly she is doing, but she is definitely doing something to my demon…. Was she some kind of witch? 

I stared at her closely as my hand was still gripping her cloth.

Her eyes gazed at me,in a brave and annoying manner.

My eyes found her lips which also looked annoyingly perfect.

I let go quickly like she burned me,

 I turned away from her quickly and dragged my hand through my hair.

“Get out of my sight,” I growled in a rough manner. “ Leave!!! ”

“ And where exactly do you want me to go huh? You stole my ID…. So the only thing that could happen now is for me to share the apartment with you till you resolve the case with your mother ” she said without fear

I kept a safe distance to avoid my demon staring. “ Hey listen!! I know girls like you… you see this as an opportunity to spend a night with me, but I don't even look rags in the face. Pick up your stuff and leave now!!.”

Zora stood there longer. I could literally hear her breathing. Then she picked up her heavy canvas bag and walked down without a word.

After she left, I felt my heart rate increase. 

I placed my hands on my chest right where the demon core was.

What the hell was that? I thought. I had touched plenty of girls before. None of them made the demon speak like this, none of them made it want to claim instead of destroy.

I walked around the suite,my head could not hold it anymore,I went to my bedroom and opened the  drawer. The small glass vial of extract was in there.

 I measured a dose and swallowed it fast. The taste was terrible and it burned my throat all the way down.

For a few seconds,everything was quiet inside me. I sat on the edge of my bed and tried to breathe normally. 

My mind kept going back and forth.The way she had spoken up to Garrick without fear and the fire in her eyes when I leaned close.

I had stolen her ID on purpose.... at first it was just to mess with her. A scholarship girl with way too much pride. But when my fingers brushed her neck earlier, my demon roared inside me.... waking up from its sleep.

Now she is here. In my suit.

I stood up and pacing in the living room. It has always been my safe place. Now it feels invaded.

 I went to the kitchen area and poured a glass of cold water. I drank it slowly, staring at the closed door of the  bedroom she stayed in. My body was restless. The demon core was not fully asleep. It kept sending small pulses of heat toward that door.

Time passed slowly. Maybe an hour or maybe two, then I heard her door open again.

 I stayed on the couch and watched as Zora walked into the living room area. She looked tired but still carried herself with pride, then she stopped when she saw me.

“I thought you would be asleep,” she said calmly, folding her arms. 

I looked at her, not wanting to utter a word, but then I spoke anyway. 

“I don’t sleep much,” I answered coldly. “What are you doing?”

“Water.” She pointed at the kitchen. “The cold here gets into my bones.”

I simply nodded as she walked past me. I didn't want to but my eyes followed her. 

When she finished, she turned to face me but I was fast enough to look away. 

“You really hate me this much?” she asked. 

I stood up slowly. “I don’t know you enough to hate you yet. But you don’t belong here.

She stepped closer instead of backing away in a brave and stupid way. “Then why did you steal my ID? Why erase my room? You could have left me alone......”

I closed the gap until we were only a foot apart. The demon stirred instantly but I ignored it. 

“Because you looked at me like I wasn’t a god on that train,” I said. My voice dropped low this time. “No one does that. I wanted to remind you of your place.”

Zora scanned my blank face for seconds.... The entire room was silent till she broke the silence with words that boiled my blood. 

“You are truly miserable, aren’t you?”

Air left my lungs making me fold my fingers into my palm. 

How did she know? How could she see through the walls I had spent years building?

I grabbed her arm tightly as she tried releasing her grip. “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”

My statement made her stop trying to pull away. Instead she looked at me, trying to study my face as I kept it unreadable. 

I didn't like how my heart raced around her.

My mind kept drifting to throwing her out and ignoring my mom.... but where will she stay…

SINCE WHEN DID I START THINKING ABOUT HER?!!! 

I let go of her arm like it was some costic substance,I stepped back until my legs hit the couch,still trying to maintain my aura. 

“Get out of my sight,” I said again. My voice slightly cracked this time. “Stay in your room. Don’t come near me. Don’t speak to me unless you have to. If you cross any line, I will make sure you regret"

Zora stood there for a while, I could see the questions in her eyes.... Then she turned and walked back to her room. I kept watching her till she was out of sight. 

I sank onto the couch and put my head in my hands. My body was shaking, my demon core was wide awake now. It whispered again. Mark her. Keep her.

I laughed briefly. Keep her? She was a scholarship girl with a loud mouth. A stray who challenged me in front of everyone. But her scent was annoyingly addictive and all I could remember was how she bravely challenged me… no one dared to. 

Everyone was afraid of me, but she… she's looking me in the eyes as I speak. 

I took another small dose of the bitter root even though I knew it was too soon. The burn made me recall memories I hated…  The rage that made me almost kill a training partner. My parents’ fear. The secret meetings, and the lies we told the High Council… I was dangerous to anyone who stayed close to me. 

No one could know. Not even my teammates knew that if the demon took over completely, I would lose everything.... my mind, my body, I would become a slave to whoever controlled the root.

And now this girl had walked into my life and made the monster sit up which wasn't a good sign.

At some point,I stopped outside her door

No light came from beneath her room,she must be sleeping after leaving me restless. 

“You’re going to ruin me,or I ruin you”