Chapter 113: …And All The Hellspawns
ADRIEN’S POV
SEVEN YEARS AGO...
Orion’s younger cousin sits with his legs crossed casually at the ankles, resting his chin on his palm. He is fifteen years old, a full year younger than me, currently in his first year at the academy while I am in my second.
He is stunningly handsome, with bright, wavy blonde hair that catches the pale sunlight streaming through the window, and the brightest, clearest blue eyes I have ever seen.
He looks far more like a delicate picture-book angel than a member of the most ruthless family in the city.
I stare at him in total shock, my mind struggling to process why he is sitting inside my locked cabin. My room key is still sitting safely in my pocket.
My confusion must be plastered across my face, because Leon gives me a sweet, effortless smile and stands up from the chair.
As he walks over to me, my breath hitches slightly. Even though he is a year younger than me, he has a few inches on me in height. He towers over me comfortably, his broad shoulders casting a small shadow over my chest as he stops a few feet away.
A sharp spike of intense distaste instantly settles in the pit of my stomach. Who the hell does this golden-haired fucker think he’s towering over?
"How the hell did you get in here?" I demand, my hands clenching into fists at my sides as I glare up at his angelic face.
Leon waves his pale hand dismissively through the air, ignoring my question entirely. "That does not matter."
"It does matter!" I snap, backing up until my spine hits the locked door. "This is my room. What are you doing here?"
I have spent my entire life doing everything in my power to stay far away from people who take pleasure in hurting or killing others.
Since Leon carries the Vassilis name, I always assumed he was just as dangerous as Orion, so I made sure to steer clear of his entire circle.
We have never had a single conversation before today. This is the first time we have ever stood in the same room.
Leon smiles again, a calm, arrogant expression that makes my skin prickle with deep unease.
"I have a very simple question for you, Adrien," Leon says softly, his bright blue eyes locking onto mine with unnerving intensity. "What are you going to do?"
I stare at him, my brow furrowing in irritation and confusion. "What the hell are you talking about? Why are you even in my room talking to me?"
"I asked you a question," Leon repeats, his voice light and airy, as if we are simply discussing the afternoon weather. "What are you going to do?"
"You are insane," I spit out, looking past his shoulder toward the empty beds. "My roommate is Timothy. If he comes back right now and finds a Vassilis sitting in our room, I have no idea how I am going to explain it to him. He hates your entire bloodline. Get the hell out before he comes back."
Leon doesn’t move an inch. He tilts his head, his brilliant blue eyes sparkling with a dark, strange light that makes the hair on the back of my neck stand straight up.
"What are you going to do with the poison you were given to kill Orion?" Leon asks smoothly.
My heart stops beating entirely.
The blood drains from my face so fast that my vision flashes white at the edges. My lungs freeze in my chest, refusing to draw in air.
My head goes scalding hot while my hands turn ice-cold. The small glass vial inside my pocket suddenly feels like a lump of pure ice pressing into my skin.
I stare at him, my mind scrambling to assemble a defense.
"I... I don’t know what you are talking about," I stammer out immediately, forcing my voice to stay firm even as my body begins to tremble. "You are completely out of your mind."
Leon gives a small, amused laugh, taking one slow step closer. "Do not lie to me, Adrien. It’s boring. What are you going to do with it?"
"I’m not lying!" I yell, my throat tight and dry. "I don’t have any poison! I don’t know what crazy rumor you heard, but you need to get out of my cabin right now before I call the resort security!"
"Adrien," Leon says softly, shaking his head with a look of mock disappointment. "Denying it three times will not make the bottle in your right pocket vanish."
My heart thumps violently against my ribs, loud enough that I am certain he can hear it in the quiet room. Cold sweat breaks out across the back of my neck.
I stare into his angel-like face, completely trapped.
Leon lets out another light, musical chuckle, resting his hands behind his back. "Ah. I see now. This is probably why my dear cousin is so deeply obsessed with you. You really are terrible at keeping your composure when you are cornered."
I press myself flat against the wooden door, my jaw clenched so hard my teeth ache. "Get out."
Leon’s smile fades slightly, replaced by a cool, calculating look that makes him appear far older than fifteen. He steps closer until he is standing right in front of me, leaning down slightly so his blue eyes are level with mine.
"You are in a very difficult position, Adrien," Leon says quietly, his voice dropping into a persuasive, gentle murmur. "You are stuck between a rock and a very hard place. If you do not poison Orion, your father will ruin you. If you choose to poison Orion, my family will track you down and butcher you like a dog. You have nowhere to turn."
I swallow hard, unable to break his gaze.
"So, I am going to make you an offer," Leon continues smoothly. "If you are willing to belong to me, I will save you."
I blink, stunned. "What?"
"If you agree to be mine, I will completely remove you from the equation," Leon says, a disturbing, calm confidence dripping from every word. "I will handle the fallout. I will make sure your father never touches you again, and I will make sure no one in my family comes after you. You will come out of this completely untouched. All you have to do is say the words. Tell me you are mine, body, soul, and spirit."
"Fuck off!" I snap instantly, my anger overriding the cold terror gripping my throat. "I don’t want anything to do with you! I do not belong to anyone, and I still have no idea what bullshit poison you are talking about!"
I keep lying because I have no other choice. Until someone physically rips the vial out of my pocket and holds it up to the light, I will deny it until my last breath.
I don’t even know what I am going to do myself. How could I possibly trust Orion’s cousin with a secret that could get me killed?
My mind spins violently as I stare at him. None of this makes any sense.
If someone hands a person poison to murder a member of the most powerful family in the city, and another member of that family finds out about it, what is supposed to happen?
Leon is a Vassilis. He is Orion’s blood relative. If he knows I have poison meant for Orion, he is supposed to drag me into a basement. He is supposed to lock me in chains, torture me until I confess who gave it to me, or at the very least go straight to Orion and hand me over to him.
Why is he standing in my bedroom, laughing softly like this is some kind of entertaining game? Why is he offering to shield me instead of stopping the threat?
I stop breathing, looking at Leon again. I really, truly look at his face this time.
The strange, eerie fog in my brain suddenly clears, leaving behind the clear truth.
Leon isn’t here to protect his cousin. He isn’t here to corner me, threaten me, or report my family’s plan to Orion.
He is looking at me with a sickening, quiet satisfaction. He wants this to happen. He wants me to slip that murky liquid into Orion’s drink.
He wants Orion to swallow the venom, gasp for air, and die on the floor of this resort.
Leon does not want to stop the assassination. He just wants to claim me as his prize while Orion bleeds out.
"You want him dead," I whisper, the words slipping out of my mouth before I can stop them.
Leon’s blue eyes widen just a fraction, a dark, wicked spark flickering in his pale pupils. He doesn’t deny it. He doesn’t look shocked that I figured it out.
He simply steps closer, his tall frame blocking out the remaining sunlight in the room.
"I’m giving you an escape route, Adrien," Leon whispers softly, his voice cold and sweet as fresh snow. It sounds like poison to me.
"Hand over everything that you are to me. Give me your body, your spirit, and your complete obedience. Say that you are mine, and I will make sure you survive the fallout."