Chapter 396: Locked Together
"Put me down!!" she began to scream, not caring who heard, especially when it was clear that Zyren had gone mad.
"Let me go... you... you brute!" she shouted, pounding on his back, which seemed to do nothing as Zyren clearly took it as nothing more than a pat on the back.
It became even more obvious by the way he continued to walk without pausing or even trying to make sure she was still as she continued to thrash over his shoulder.
Hard enough to fling the blanket he had thrown over her away, but Zyren made sure it was tightly wrapped around her before heaving her back onto his shoulder as he walked into the dark dungeon through an entrance from inside the castle.
From what she could see, it was clear that it was nighttime, especially since she could barely see any sunlight as they moved.
"Let me go! What the hell are you doing?" she screamed at him, a tinge of fear creeping into her voice, especially since she had no idea why he would bring her to such a place.
It was even more unsettling not knowing what his plans were as she struggled harder, clawing at his back. All that accomplished was tearing his clothes as he continued to walk steadily toward his destination.
The dungeon smelled horrible. It didn’t smell dirty, but it did smell damp, considering that there was no light source from the outside.
Aira glanced around as they passed rows of cells, yet Zyren didn’t stop.
That worried her even more than she already was.
Still, it didn’t take long to find out why.
She watched in shock as he walked through a hidden entrance and continued descending deeper, the guards bowing to him at every turn.
They handed him the keys he wordlessly asked for as he passed them and kept moving downward, Aira’s fear growing worse, especially since she had never been there before.
Her annoyance spiked when he finally entered a cell as dark as night and threw her onto the floor.
It was dark, but she had no trouble seeing, her vision as clear as if it were daytime.
There was a large, clean bed in the cell, along with a small table and chair and no other furniture. Everything looked clean and well maintained.
"If you’re going to kill me, you might as well have done it in my room," she snapped as she pushed herself up from the floor, pulling the blanket tighter around her body.
She was cold and uncomfortable, but the last thing she needed was Zyren’s wandering eyes, which would only lead to another heated encounter that would confuse her mind and cloud her thoughts.
"You’re not going to leave me here, are you?" she shouted at him, anger laced with dread when he remained silent and simply continued to stare at her.
That silence worried her.
As she watched him turn back toward the cell door, Aira tensed, preparing to attack if she had to.
Her eyes widened in shock when she saw him lock the door.
And lock both of them inside.
For a long moment, there was nothing but silence in the cell.
She stared at him.
He stared back.
Their red eyes locked onto each other from opposite sides of the small space.
"What is this?" Aira asked, confusion clear in her voice as she waited for an answer, knowing that even if she tried to figure it out on her own, she would fail.
"What exactly is this?" she asked again.
Zyren moved past her without responding and went to the bed, sitting down before lying back.
"Whatever you think it is," he whispered, his voice slightly hoarse as he continued, the strain in it making it clear he was trying to hold back his anger—and failing.
"...If you try to hurt your heart in any way, every time you try and fail, I’ll break a finger."
He glanced back at her, and Aira couldn’t help but step back in fear.
There was no hesitation in his eyes.
Only cold, controlled rage.
"What!" she shouted back. "Is this a pathetic excuse to make me comply and bow to your will?"
She tried to provoke him, hoping he would lash out and hurt her instead.
A small part of her feared she might change her mind eventually, but with his actions, she felt she didn’t need to worry about that.
She remained standing near the cell door, countless thoughts running through her mind.
Then Zyren spoke again.
"...When you’re ready, come and lie down."
Aira scoffed.
Instead, she walked over and sat on the floor before lying down without hesitation, her movements deliberate.
She began counting under her breath, waiting to see if he would get off the bed and force her to join him.
He didn’t.
He didn’t move at all.
It was as if he had decided to completely ignore her.
The cell fell into deep silence.
And it stayed that way for a long time.
Aira refused to break it.
Right up until the silence itself began to weigh on her.
It was completely dark, and if not for her vampire senses, she wouldn’t have been able to see anything. That also meant it was impossible to keep track of time or how long had passed.
At first, she was determined to remain silent, refusing to respond even if he spoke.
But as time stretched on and Zyren hadn’t moved a muscle while she shifted and lay back down repeatedly, she began to realize she couldn’t keep this up.
Her face twisted in irritation as she finally opened her mouth.
"What exactly is this supposed to achieve?" she snapped, her tone sharp with frustration.
"I’m still going to destroy my heart the first chance I get," she told him directly, meaning every word.
She knew that as long as Zyren lived, he would never let her go.
And it wasn’t as if there was anyone stronger than him who could kill him.
