Page 76 of Potion of Deception (Potion of Deception #1)

ONE MORE CHANCE

A white crystalline flake flurried before Violette's eyes.

“Dante, are you coming?” she called.

The vampire turned his head. And there she was – standing near the grotto.

Violette. Alive . And if her friendly face and soft smile was not evidence of it then her calm heartbeat, which he could hear from miles away, was.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a second – he didn't have another chance to save her, he had to do everything to prevent her death.

Dante came closer. The smile still danced on Violette’s lips, her brows raised with curiosity. Then her forehead slightly creased, something was off – the way he looked at her, the way his brows pulled down.

“Is something wrong?” she gently asked, her head tilted to the side, noticing something strange in his eyes she'd never seen before, but he didn't give her time to think about it. Before she could see the pain in his eyes it darkened, and his face sharpened.

“No…I was thinking,” he said hoarsely, “you shouldn't come with me.”

“What? Why?” Her brows knitted, the smile waned weaker, taking it as one of his tricks.

“You better leave.” His voice was cold like falling snow.

Violette’s smile slowly faded away.

“What do you mean? What happened? ”

“You fulfilled your part of the deal and you have the cure – you are free to go. There is no need to accompany me,” he said soullessly.

“Are you joking right now?” She tried to pull a smile back. “I don't think it's funny…but if you think so–”

“I'm being serious. I don't want you here,” he pressed firmly.

“What? Dante, I don't understand you…What happened? I thought–”

He cut her off, “Thought what?” His voice became much more cruel and sharper, piercing under her skin as a dagger, slowly going deeper and deeper to reach the most sensitive part of her heart.

“Don't be that rude,” she frowned. “I don't understand why you're acting like this…” A confusion crept under her skin.

“And what did you expect me to act like? I'm not a hero of your little stories and can't follow your fantasies.”

“You–You're being messy. I don't get it…Yesterday–”

He chuckled – Violette heard a crack in her heart with this crispy inhuman sound.

“And you still believe every word I say? I didn't think you were that naive.”

“Don't say it…” Her voice weakened. “You're cruel to me right now without a reason. Or if you have one then say it to my face.”

“I'm not cruel to you. I'm just saying you're free to go whenever you want. ”

“Well, then I want to go with you inside,” she grew bolder.

“And I don't. I don't need you there, do you understand it? Or your little human mind can't comprehend what I'm saying?”

“Don't talk to me like this…” Her brows pulled together in a hurt expression he'd never seen before.

“Then just go, Violette. We finished our deal. There's no reason for us to see each other ever again.” The sides of his eyes crinkled.

Her name felt like vitriol from his mouth.

“Leave,” he repeated impassively.

“But why?” Her frown deepened. She couldn't understand this sudden change in him.

Dante fetched a sigh. “It's not safe here,” he finally confessed.

“What do you mean? I thought we figured out everything. You'll take the mask and?—”

He didn't let her continue. “And there's nothing more. I don't want anything else. Just you to leave and go back to your life while I'll go back to mine as it should be.”

Her heart skipped. She knew he didn’t promise her anything, it was only in her head but she couldn’t believe he didn’t think about them after the end of their agreement. She didn’t want to.

“If you’re playing with me, I don't want these games…” Her shoulders loosened.

“I thought you love games.” He smiled at her but this smile was too cruel.

“Say you are not serious, Dante…Please,” her voice let out a tremble. “What's wrong? Why are you acting like this?” Her starry eyes stared hopelessly at him as if in a plea to say it was all a joke. A very unfunny and cruel one. But she'd forgive him – she got used to his twisted humor.

“I'm just being myself,” he pressed.

“No, you're being the worst version of yourself and I want to know the reason behind it. Why are you pushing me away?”

“How many times do I have to tell you to leave?”

“Dante–”

“I want you to leave. Now,” he demanded.

“Stop saying that!” She was stubborn enough to fight him if that's what he wanted.

“I don't believe in any of your words! Tell me the truth.

I won't leave until then.” She fought tears coming closer with every word.

But she wasn't about to back off – she wouldn't make a move until he's telling her the real reason for him being that strange and hostile.

She didn't believe he wanted her to leave without a reason, not after that night.

His guard let out a crack and he heaved a sigh. “I don't think I can hold on when I take off the mask.”

“That's it?” Her eyes crinkled. “That's the reason? We talked about it. Everything will be fine. You won't hurt me, I know it.” And she truly believed in it, he could read it in her eyes.

“I can't predict all events.” His gaze became even more miserable, like he knew something she didn't and it made her lean closer, her voice softened.

“Dante…” She reached her hand to his, but he pulled it away before she could touch it.

His gaze dropped. “Go away, Violette.”

“Please don't push me away. I want to go with you,” she insisted. “You can handle it. I believe in you.”

Bad decision to make. If she knew what already happened her eyes wouldn’t shine with such faith.

“I told you to leave. I don't want to see you now or after.” His acerbic voice froze the air around. He said it with too much cruelty to joke about or make her doubt it wasn't his real intention.

Her lashes fluttered, her heart sinking.

She stared at his face, trying to read at least something in his eyes that would prove her wrong.

He looked at her with coldness she'd never seen before.

Like she didn't know him at all. Like she was just a stranger to him, a person he couldn't care less about.

Violette's brows pulled closer. “Why are you being an asshole? Why so rude, like I mean nothing to you? Like you don't care.” The tears sparkled in the corner of her eyes.

“Because I don't care about you,” he let out.

This time the dagger pierced right through her heart.

“It' s not true…Then you would let me come with you,” she stuttered, her stomach dipping.

“What is not clear to you? I want you to leave and to never see again. You're just mortal, go and live your fantastic magical life, you are free. We had a deal now it's been sealed. Done . We used each other and now it's the end. Can your mind wrap around it?”

Her legs rooted to the ground, she couldn't even move after his words.

Dante's eyes didn't let any light in or out.

“I let you go.” His tone was sharp as steel.

“No, you are kicking me away!” she snorted through tears.

“Call it what you want, but I want you to leave and to never see you again.”

“You didn't mean it…” The corners of her eyes lowered. These words hurt her more than she'd like to admit.

“I meant every word.”

Tears ran down her face, for a moment, she forgot how to breathe.

Though her heart hopelessly whispered to her that it wasn't what he wanted to tell her, at the same time it was tearing with every word he was saying – so harsh and cold.

It felt like a steel hammer with every blow destroying her fragile heart, which only wanted to believe that she was not just a tool to him .

“Fine…I'll go if you want me to.” She swallowed.

“I thought you were better than this,” her voice cracked, hands started shaking, his words echoing in her mind, “And you know…

Maybe your heart stopped beating a long time ago but I'm not sure you ever had it at all. In order for the heart to stop – you need to have it first.”

She had no choice but to simply leave. Her legs rushed away from the gate, the tears flowed down her face like a waterfall, no matter how much she tried to wipe them off. Her cheeks were being eaten away by salt, her vision obscured, turning everything around to just a white blur.

Then her hand caught on something hard and long, and she hit the cold snowy ground with her knees. A burning sensation made her gaze drop to her palm – blood.

She squeezed her hand and pressed it to her chest, gasping for air. It wasn't nearly as painful as Dante's words anyway. She couldn’t understand why he treated her like that, as if she truly did mean nothing to him.

She was in pain, unbearably in pain, and she couldn't even find a reason why this pain was comparable to a broken heart.

She couldn't even call him a friend. But she thought something had arisen between them, they were clearly not just acquaintances to each other. After these weeks she thought she’d started to understand him but now she clearly saw – she will never get into his way of thinking.

All his actions were lies. His confession was just another twisted trick to make her worry for him.

He shouldn't do it. It was unnecessary. They could just stay strangers, instead he used her in the most evil and unfair way possible.

She believed this day wouldn't be their last day together but it turned out it was just a game of pretend.

Her chest rose and fell with each quiet sob, her hands gripping herself tightly as she sat in the snow.

She felt the cold seeping through her clothes, yet welcomed the numbness it brought.

Snowflakes gently landed on her, forming a thin white veil, and for a moment she wished they’d bury her completely.

The snow reflected its blinding white light on the pastel sky – an early morning. But Violette didn't want to get up. Not now. She felt like this pain would destroy her, crack her in half, if she tried to.

Something whipped nearby, as if the wind had passed through, but she didn't feel the cold. A soft whistle cut the air again, making Violette raise her head in a search of the sound’s source.

It was too quiet, too peaceful around. She sniffled and looked around again, slowly getting up, her knees quailed.

“Dante?” she let out hesitantly.

“Wrong, pet,” a familiar voice brushed her ear but not the one she wanted to hear.

She spun around and flinched – Nigel was leaning on one of the stone graves.

Her brows twisted together, lips pressed in a thin line.

“You,” she muttered through her teeth.

“What, does your vampire boyfriend no longer need you? Did he throw you away like a useless toy?” A smirk curled Nigel’s lips but a second later his brows furrowed and his nose caught a whiff of something in the air.

His gaze fell on Violette’s hand – a burgundy stream of blood slowly flowed down her palm. She backed away, face turning pale.

Their gazes met, something terrible darkened in Nigel's eyes, which prompted her to run. Though the time was already ahead of her. The last thing she remembered – two white fangs and a terrible pain in her neck.

Everything faded to blackness too soon.