A favor for womankind

ARIEL

"Send Marco." I said, my voice coming out shakier than intended. It was hard to even keep my breath under control, much more my voice. My hands were fisted by my sides tightly as I tried to stare my father in the eyes.

"You," Saint walked towards me with a snarky smirk, "you are still so weak." He poked my shoulder hardly with his index finger, making me move back in a stagger. He shouldn't do that.

"You are just like your mother. Just like her. So forgiving, so sympathetic. The pastor is spoiling our plans. He's keeping the kids away from us. Away from us! And yet..." He looked at me unbelievably, "you feel pity for him?"

"I don't feel pity for the pastor!"

Yes, I don't. I feel bad. Not pitiful, just bad. Bad that he had to endure this. Bad that this...this was the tribulation he had to face.

"Colt would kill him and that is final!"

I had barely stepped out of the study when I caught sight of Colt standing, looking smug at the passage way. I ignored him, walking past him but the fvcker was too caught up in his head, not to follow me.

"You failed," He said, his voice like spider crawling on my skin. I did not look back.

"How do you feel now that you tried to kill Delano and failed, let me not forget to add... miserably."

My legs halted on their tracks and I momentarily hated myself for giving into his sarcastic comment. But right now, all I wanted to do was wipe the victory off his face.

"Are you happy?" I asked, swinging around to look at him as I folded my hands against my chest, "I failed. Now you can take the empire since that is what you say you want."

His eyes narrowed at me for a second and I smirked, basking in my moment of win.

"What are you doing?" He asked, his voice dropping an inch low, darker than intended. I raised my brow, waiting for him to explode. But he knew better than that, knew better than to physically cross Ariel D'Angelo.

"I'm mocking you. There are some places you stretch your hands but can never get too and it's not related to your height." I shook my head. Not related, at all.

Colt was an inch shorter than I was and he hated himself many years for that. It wasn't my fault that he just woke up one morning and stopped growing. And I didn't pray for that....I mean literally.

"Won't you beg me? I can torture your favorite pastor before I kill him. Cut his fingers off one by one , rip out every single hair from his head with brutal force and make sure to root out his teeth and break his bones before I finally kill him. His life is in my hands now."

This was something my father hated, something I hated, something everyone hated.

Having a weaknesses or.... having an interest.

"Why don't you add hot iron torture to that. Something more on your list." I tried to act like I didn't care, but my hands were tightly fisted by my sides and Colt noticed that. He smiled.

"Yeah, right. Thanks for the advice."

"You are welcome." I sounded the best I could when it came to my sarcasm and turned to leave. My legs felt heavy.

"You know," Colt drummed his fingers on the wall. It mirrored the loud and fast beat of my own heart in my ears. "I can help you out."

Then do it!

For once, it seemed Colt actually had something important to say, but that was it. I turned. He pocketed his arms and cocked his head with interest.

"What do you want me to do to him?" He asked.

I took the bait, knowing I was probably biting more than I could chew. But we could worry about the future. For now, we'll just worry about the pastor.

"A smooth bullet in his head. No torture, no words."

"Shouldn't the pastor at least know why he is dying?"

"No. He would feel so betrayed by father and I."

Colt's brow raised up in amusement but he simply nodded. "What else?"

I thought hard and fast. "Let him pray."

I turned on my heels immediately.

"You owe me one, Ariel."

I did. He didn't have to say it for me to know I did. I had the pastor covered now. I murmured a secret prayer in my heart for his soul. Now, I had to worry about Delano.

******

It's been ten hours and I haven't had a wink of sleep.

I rolled in bed for the uptenth time and the feel of cake came over my face again, accompanied with the word 'Kitten.'

Shit!

I sprang up from the bed .I hated Delano for flooding my thoughts like this. I couldn't think about anything else, but the failed mission, the merciless and embarrassing failure and the fact that I was supposed to marry and kill him. It was all about him, him! A man whose complete face I didn't know.

I pursed my lips and instantly rushed to my laptop, turning it on.

As expected, I got the message I was waiting for. I smiled as I clicked on it.

Yeah, Delano.

A ugly mother-

I blinked, gulping down every single thing I could find in my mouth, saliva. My mouth went dry after that action.

He was, not the word. No, not the word.

Ariel! Stop thinking that word. I shut my laptop close.

I scoffed lightly and then again, and then a chuckle escaped my lips, making my shoulders shake lightly as I laughed to my heart content.

They didn't tell me I was getting married to the nation's husband.

I swiveled my chair back into position and opened my laptop to stare at the picture one more time. He was impossibly handsome, except for a outstanding scar that stayed on his forehead, nearing his brow. Even that, made him look brutal. Dark forest green eyes.

My index finger rubbed the outline of my lower lips as I watched the picture like it was a movie.

Dark brown hair brushed upwards with two fallen strands across his eyes. He looked like he'd come out of a book. A fantasy book. But that only fueled my passion more. Because this kind of man hardly belonged to one woman and I can't risk him breaking their hearts, they would never ever recover.

I was doing honorable charity for the hearts of soft women no matter how I looked at it. A glint crossed my eyes in excitement.

"You must die, The Viper."