Page 62 of Potion of Deception (Potion of Deception #1)

THE HOUND DOGS

“ R unning away from guests is considered bad manners. You should've known this, Dante,” a sinister voice came out from under the shadow of a tree, the tone making skin crawl from one’s bones.

Caidas.

Violette froze.

“Won't you even say hello?” Caidas pushed his back off the tree and left the shadow. Another pair of eyes appeared near. She was familiar with that blond head – Nigel. Violette’s heart shrunk at the sight of his bared fangs.

Dante rolled his eyes in displeasure, and Violette felt how the tension in the air acquired new colors.

“I remember a time when you were polite and nice. Where have your manners gone?” Caidas' voice was like a sudden burst of cold breeze, spreading goosebumps all over her skin.

Nigel side-glanced at him with a satisfied grin.

“It was a few centuries ago, the memory is no longer the same,” Dante responded indifferently.

“For your status, you are being extremely rude.”

“Really? Didn't notice,” he waved insensitively. “Are you here to give me a lesson about manners?”

Violette’s eyes shot to Dante, then to the two vampires before returning it to him. Caidas' words lingered in her mind for half a second.

For your status , echoed in her head.

“Hello, Violette,” Caidas said kindly, turning his amber eyes to her.

Violette lowered her gaze ingratiatingly – she guessed why he was here. Nigel meanwhile stayed silent, the reserved smile froze on his face as his eyes glanced between both of them. He looked like he was here for entertainment purposes, waiting for something that could occupy his attention.

“Why are you here? To take away the Vampire Slayer? Or convince Violette to kill me?” Dante breathed in the air as his brows twisted together.

Violette pursed her lips, hazarding a fleeting look at Caidas.

“Hm, I see you know,” he said placidly, and then spoke to the girl again, “I'm not angry with you, Violette. However, I think you are making a big mistake.”

“I told you I won't do it,” she said with a gloom in her tone, finally letting her eyes meet his.

“I remember, however I hoped you'd appeal to common sense. You know what is the right thing to do, don't you?” Was he trying to make her feel guilty or was he still trying to convince her to change her mind? “Dante is a bad person to be around and you know it.”

Dante ground his teeth .

“When will you stop pretending I'm not standing right here and tell all of it to my face? If you want me dead you should've just said it,” his voice even, the embodiment of tranquility itself, but it inspired a strange feeling in the air.

“Dante, you should know as nobody else that a ruler should do what’s best for his people. It's a shame you'd never had the chance to experience it for yourself.”

“Interesting why,” he finally let some emotions pervade his tone. The muscle near his mouth twitched crossly.

“You can't blame anyone for what happened, except for yourself,” Caidas persistently cut out.

Dante nearly hissed, “Let me decide for myself who to blame.”

“You know too well everything could be different. If only you'd listen.”

Violette couldn't describe how the tension between these two began to tingle her skin.

Dante's gaze was comparable to a predator who wanted to dig its claws into the living flesh of its interlocutor.

Caidas got close to something sensitive, otherwise it was difficult to explain such a fierce look Dante speared him with. Still, his restraint amazed her.

“I listened,” he strained through his teeth, all the color drained from his face, leaving him as pale as the moon.

“Not carefully enough. ”

Violette could swear she could see arson start to flare up in Dante's eyes, but instead of spitting poison in Caidas' face, he just smiled and threw his head back.

“Glad to know you haven't changed since then,” he simply said with a note of merriment, though these words were pierced with bitterness.

“Unfortunate to know, you did, but not the way we all had wanted.” Caidas turned to the girl again. “Violette, one question. Do you want to know why he was imprisoned in this mask?”

“Don't,” Dante said in a low, deep tone. His voice turned harsh and cold as a blade, and just as sharp.

Violette wasn't looking at him, her gaze locked with Caidas instead.

“I am not that stupid to think he did nothing wrong. I suppose something truly terrible,” she said, unnerved.

“Terrible is not the right word. Do you want to know the real reason?”

“I said don't,” Dante repeated.

Caidas cut him a look just for a split second before continuing, “Have you ever heard of a kingdom called Desensisfort?”

“Don't you dare,” Dante drawled again with a deathly tone and this time he was looking at Caidas as if he was a target to shoot to kill. But he didn't move or take a step. He just warned, or perhaps…was asking?

“No, I haven't,” Violette ignored Dante as well .

Caidas' jaw clenched, a line appeared between his dark brows as he continued, “Right, it's because it doesn't exist anymore.

People are saying that the forest and nature are still mourning the tragedy that happened there.

Once a beautiful place, now only ruins and ashes.

It was a home to many people you'd already met at some point.”

Violette tensed, her heartbeat throbbing in her ears.

“You know why vampires don't like your friend?

They have a really good reason. They had lives, families and futures until one monster brought pure terror to their lands.

Streets of Desensisfort Kingdom turned to rivers of blood filled with dead bodies, not tens – hundreds .

The murders were beyond cruel. It was dreadful: the screams and the prayers of the unfortunate had been filling the air but nobody heard their pleas for help.

And while no one knew what a horrible being was causing this chaos, everyone knew one thing for sure – it didn't have a heart. People were assuming it was a ruthless beast but little did they know it actually was a human,” he made a pause and looked directly into Violette's eyes.

Her heart dropped to her stomach. “Well, he wasn't human then, but looks can be deceiving.”

No…

Her insides cowered.

No. No. No.

Please no, Violette's blood ran cold, she could hear the pulse in her temples, fright wrapping itself between her bones.

It can't be… Of course it can. He was a vampire, nobody liked him and he had a mask on his mouth.

How stupid she felt thinking he was not that bad.

He warned her to not trust him and yet she did.

She couldn't believe the words she heard.

Of course it was so obvious, so clear and the puzzle finally fell into one piece but…

How could it be real? She couldn't give an answer, she actually wasn't looking for it at the moment.

All she could picture was blood and pure chaos.

“The darkness,” Caidas went on, “lasted for weeks until there was no living soul on the land – some of them escaped to the other lands but others were brutally killed and by who? The prince .” Caidas switched his gaze to Dante waving his hands.

“An heir to the throne. The future king who ripped the throats of his people and turned them into monsters like him, who destroyed his entire kingdom and broke hundreds of lives just because he wanted to.

Just because he didn't want to listen, didn't want to fight back.”

Violette felt like she was just stabbed into the stomach with a dagger that was slowly twisting. Horror washed over her, draining her to devastation, and yet she didn't move or look at Dante. How could she look in his eyes after what she just heard?

He approached her from the back.

“Little Witch, I–” he said, reaching his hand to her shoulder. She shuddered, flinching away without a sound. It was a touch of monster she escaped.

She raised her chin, ignoring him – her attention was drawn to Caidas .

“And why are you telling me this right now? Should I be scared of this story so it would change my mind? Should I be surprised?” she said, like the story Caidas told her was just a little figment.

“I want you to understand–” The old vampire started but Violette cut him off.

“I do understand. And it doesn't change anything, I don't care what he did in the past, it's none of my business. All I want is to save my father, and Dante,” she swallowed his name like it was a pure acid, “can help me. Sorry if that is not what you wanted to hear,” her voice kept balanced and stringent.

Pretending she wasn't affected by the revealed secret was the hardest thing to do.

She meant to look apathetic and cold. And although she succeeded in it, her soul was consumed by terror.

She was on the verge of shaking, fighting it for her voice could give her away.

“Very sad. I really hoped we would come to a mutual understanding,” Caidas aired disappointedly, working his jaw at last.

Violette remained steadfast as stone, even though her heart was blocking any other sound around.

She knew they could hear it, but she had to endure this moment, remaining detached and unemotional.

All the suppressed screams and fears she wanted to let out have to stay in.

Caidas should see it clearly – she had no intention to back away. Not now. Not when she was so close.

“It's your fight, not mine and never was,” Violette stated, her throat burning.

He released a deep sigh, just before Dante and Violette turned to leave.

“If it's your choice…I really didn't want to do this,” the high vampire's tone deepened. “You know that I can't kill Dante, but I can get rid of you .”