CHAPTER 1

“Darius King…you must ALWAYS remember who you are! ALWAYS!” his mother wheezed before she fell back against her pillows, the words interrupted by her severe cough filling the room.

“I will, Mother. I promise you I will. But please… You have to take your pills now… they will make you feel better…” Darius begged the frail woman.

“Throw them away because I’m not going to… I’m dying, Darius. Those little pills can’t help me any longer,” she whispered, causing fear to cut through the heart of the thirteen-year-old boy.

“Then we have to go to the hospital, Mother. Please… The doctors will help you…” Darius begged her.

“Not this time, Darius. Not this time… I’m too tired... exhausted... I just need to rest. There’s nothing else to doctors can do for me… All I need now is for you to promise me that you’ll never forget who you are really are… Never forget to be loyal to your family… To your father… To me… no matter what the cost... Even if it's going to break your heart to pieces. You must punish all of them. Revenge must become your only thought.”

          His mother stopped for a second, then took a deep breath. But she continued almost right away.

“They took everything away from us, Darius. Every single thing! By doing this, they killed your father, just as surely as if they would’ve walked up and stabbed him in the heart. If they wouldn’t have stolen all he’d worked so hard for his entire life, he wouldn’t have died the way he did. He wouldn’t have left us all alone and broken, without as much as a penny to our name.”

“I know, Mother. And I’ll make them pay. I promise you, I will… They will pay for everything… I’ll make sure of that.”

          Darius trailed off, reaching deep inside for the courage to keep him from crying.

“Don’t you cry, boy! Not now, not ever! Tears are for weak men… love weakness the spirit, the heart... And you are not weak! You’re a King! And you better not cry for me because I’m dying. I forbid you! Do you hear me?” his mother scolded.

“Yes, ma’am. I’m sorry…” Darius said, willing to say anything to make that criticism leave her eyes.

          He hated to see her in so much pain, knowing there was nothing he could do. She was mean, always verbally and physically abusive, but nonetheless, she was his mother. The one who raised him and her harsh words made him stronger. And he loved her.

          She had the right to be mean because she’d had to endure a hard life, especially because of having him. Darius knew he was nothing but a burden to her, which was why he had to fulfill his promise.

“I’m tired… I’m going to sleep now, Darius. If I don’t wake up this time, you must never forget why I’m dying like this. You never forget it’s those people, those sons of bitches, who left us like this. If they wouldn’t have taken everything, I’d be all better. I would’ve been able to afford the medicine I needed to stay alive. You would’ve gone to a better school. You get them, Darius. You get them real good. This must become your mantra… this must become your only goal in life. Get… those… bastards!”

          His mother’s voice faded as she closed her eyes and drifted to sleep. Fifteen minutes later her breathing stopped. Darius sat by her bed for another hour before finally standing up and walking out of the room.

          One lone tear slipped from his dark green eyes. He didn’t turn back around and look at her lifeless body. At this point, there was no reason to do it. Darius didn’t even stop to gather any possessions from their meager apartment. There was nothing worth taking.

          He’d slept on the floor from the time he was a baby. His clothes were tattered and the cupboards desolate. He’d never received a gift for any reason. There was literally nothing in the house to take. And it was their fault… all of it. His mother could’ve been a better mother, or at least a decent one, if only they hadn’t ruined her.

          Darius learned the hard way that some people were just greedy, out to get their hands on everything. Well, he made his mother a promise that they’d pay. They’d pay if it was the last thing he did.

          He walked out from the house, vowing never to go back to such conditions again, though he’d never forget how much he’d suffered. He’d seek revenge on those who’d killed his mother, those who were supposed to be his family. He didn’t care how long it took… He got time and patience on his side.

                                                       *****

Four years later

          Darius strutted through the schoolyard, looking for a fight. None of the boys would look him in the face. They were used to the set of his shoulders, the gleam in his green, cold eyes, almost begging for a challenge.

          He was just waiting for one of them to look at him the wrong way or say the simplest remark to set him off, giving him an excuse to thoroughly waste them. They’d lose, that was for sure. They were well aware of the speed with which Darius threw a punch, after witnessing plenty of his brawls in the past.

          His childhood had made him rage internally, and it was always at a low simmer, ready to ignite. The only reason he stayed in school was because he promised his mother. He had to finish school, had to succeed so he could seek revenge on those who’d killed both his parents.

“Shut up, you little bitch! Shut up, you skank, or we will make you!”

          Darius turned to find a petite girl being pushed to the ground by a group of older girls. Normally, he wouldn’t get involved. He didn’t hit girls, no matter how much fury reigned inside him.

          He started to walk away as one of the gang grabbed the girl on the ground by her hair and yanked her head back, spitting in her face. The small girl in clothing as tattered as his own was sobbing as another one of the older girls slapped her.

           ‘Where in the hell are the teachers when you need them?’

          Darius looked around, not seeing anyone doing anything to stop the bullying. A third teenager in the group stepped forward and kicked the girl in her ribs and he’d seen enough. He strode over to them.

“Yo, butt-face! You want to try that crap on me?” he asked, his voice thundering across the yard.

“Get lost, you dickless shit!” one of the snobby girls snapped as she loosened her grasp to glare at him.

          He smiled at her, a smile full of evil delight.

          ‘Let her think I’m crazy.’

          She could go running home to mommy, sobbing about the mean guy who nearly took her life.

“Come on! Let’s get out of here, Stace!” one of the other girls said, nervously looking back and forth between him and her friend.

“I’d listen to your friend… Stace,” he paused, “before something really bad happens,” he threatened with a grin on his face.

          There was no mistaking the menace in his voice as Darius stepped closer to the main tormentor. She stumbled backward, finally realizing she was in real danger. Her glare disappeared and her anger transformed into an expression of fear.

“I’m telling Mr. Swanson,” Stace threatened as she took another step back.

“Go ahead! As a matter of fact, I think I’ll take this girl to his office now,” Darius told her.

          Hearing his words, the pack of bullies, ruled by Stace, scampered off. He didn’t care what they had to say anyway. It was obvious the bullied girl on the ground had been the victim.

“Thank you very much,” she wheezed as he bent down to see how badly she was hurt.

“It’s okay. Listen, I’m going to lift you up. But I can see that you need to see the school nurse,” Darius replied as he gently stretched his hand out and wiped the other girls' disgusting spittle from her face.

          Her entire body was shaking.

“No… I-I’m fine,” she told him in a trembling voice as she tried to sit up.

“Yeah, I can see how fine you are,” he said with sarcasm, but there was no heat behind his words.

          He felt nothing but sympathy for the young girl. He carefully slid his hands beneath her legs and back and lifted her into his arms, barely able to detect her undernourished body against his own.

“What’s your name?” she asked as she rested her head against his chest.

          He felt his cold heart heat up at the sound of her trusting voice.

“I’m Darius King.”

“I’m Britany Felton. Thank you for saving me,” she said before she passed out in his arms.

          Darius picked up his speed and rushed to the school nurse’s station, and she quickly called the ambulance. She made it with just a few bruises and a broken rib. Darius never left her bedside, not for a second.

          From that day on, he and Britany became inseparable. She was his best friend, his confidant, his family… his little sister. Britany was the only person in the entire world, keeping the demons at bay, making him remember to love instead of only hate.

          She was also the only woman he trusted, even as the years passed. He used women, used them to satisfy his needs, but felt no guilt, as the type of women he went out with were those who used him just as much, used his name, his power, and whatever it was they thought they could get from him.

          Darius still never forgot where he came from, never forgot the promise he made to his mother on her deathbed. There were weeks, months, years even when it was pushed to the back of his mind. Only because of Britany, because of his love for his friend. Revenge would happen, though… at any cost.