SWNOVELS Chapter I CHALLENGE YOU
Bella:
"What are you still waiting for? Or do you want me to teach you your job around here, hybrid?" he barked, and I
stood still, glaring at him. "In case you want to hear it from me, you are stripped of your sidekick role. You can get in line like every other worthless soldier on this team!" He shut his eyes.
"You do not even feel a little remorse for what you did." I finally spoke, and he opened his eyes. "Your team of vampires are the most stupid people I have ever come across. I would rather be put to death than serve something as disgusting as you." A smirk formed on his lips as he sat up straight.
"Be careful what you wish for, hybrid," he said to me, but I wasn't done. There was something rising in my chest, pushing me to go further because, deep down, I was tired. Tired of having to bend my rules to fit his needs.
"You think you are all high and mighty because you have people cowering at their feet in your presence?" I asked without taking my eyes off him. "But let me tell you something, you do not have to kill people to command respect. But I guess it stems from your childhood."
His eyes narrowed, and his brows furrowed when I said this. This made me know I had struck a nerve in his stone- cold heart.
"Tell me, oh great Enzo Darkmoore." I took a step forward as I called out his full name. "Were you not loved properly as a kid? Are you trying to assert your dominance over people to please your dead parents because they never deemed you worthy as a child? And is that why you are trying to do the same to Sue? You raised her as a kid, and you feel neglecting her will make her as strong as you. Is that your motive?" I asked, and he slammed his hands on his throne.
"Enough!" His roar startled me, but I didn't stop. I took a step forward.
"You are trying to put everyone down to prove that you can be as great as your ancestors. You want your father to be proud, and is that also part of the reason you want to release the dead vampires so you can prove to daddy that his son has conquered the world?" I let out a mocking laugh. "I have come to realize right now that you are even more pathetic than I thought at the beginning, because beneath that stone-cold heart is a child that didn't receive any love."
I watched him cracking as his hands remained in fists, shaking violently on his throne. I was getting to him, and it was a wonderful sight to see.
"You do not always have to be a bad person to win, and it is not difficult to choose happiness, Enzo. Never is it too late. You just have to-"
"Silence!" he roared, getting to his feet. "You know nothing about my life or my family. I do not need anyone to believe in me to be great. You are totally wrong, and I feel nothing about their opinions. My father is rotting wherever he is, and whenever he comes out, I will make sure to end his life first!" I could tell he was only trying to sound tough, and listening carefully, I could almost feel a crack in his voice.
Every villain has an arc. This was his, and he was just like Fae.
"Pretending won't make the pain go away, Enzo. Acknowledge your pain just like I did to mine." He swept across the room at the speed of light, grabbing me by my throat and lifting me up at once.
His hands around my neck tightened, and as I stared into his eyes, all I could see was the day I held Ryder up like this. The pain shot badly up my spine as I watched veins crack through his eyes. He was infuriated, and something in me enjoyed it, causing my lips to curve into an involuntary smile. In that moment, Halle pushed open the door, walking in.
"Bella!" she screamed, and I felt Enzo scream in pain as she twisted the blood in his body, causing his hand to swell and thump very fast.
He let go of me at once, then grabbed his aching hand, turning to face Halle, who had her eyes blazing with fury. "What were you thinking?" she yelled at me. "If you do not control your anger, then you will lose more than you should. A plan was foiled doesn't mean that another one isn't in motion!" she yelled at me.
I didn't know what she meant, but Enzo quickly answered.
"If you are talking about your new little plan with your little witch, then I want to tell you I am always a step ahead with an extra step." Enzo snapped a finger, and the door behind him was opened.
Ryder was dragged into the room at once. He was bound in chains, causing me to swallow hard. We were truly done for, and I doubted there was anything that could remedy the situation. My eyes darted from Ryder to Halle, who held her chest as she found it difficult to breathe. She knew this was the end for us.
Enzo let out a boisterous laugh as Halle put down her hands, allowing his swelling hands to return to normal. "Did you think we would spend centuries plotting for this takeover only to get defeated by children who aren't even up to twenty?" he asked, boring his gaze into me. "You are right about one thing, and now I am not ashamed to admit it. When I was your age, I was seeking my father's approval, but when I found out how worthless he was, I killed him." My eyes widened, and I swallowed hard.
"I mean, why do I have to keep trying to impress someone who would never acknowledge me when I could just as easily kill him?" he asked, and I felt my lips unable to move. "Oh, I didn't mean to scare you. I am just stating facts, and once I tasted power, I realized I could make everyone beneath me when they feared me. My father considered wolves superior-such a weakling." He spat out.
He snapped a finger, and more of his men appeared, grabbing me from behind. I tried to fight in resistance, but they wouldn't budge.
"You won't get away with this!" I said, and he cackled.
"It looks like I already have," he said, then walked up to me, smacking me hard across the face. "This is for making my heart feel something after so many years." He smacked my face again. "And this is just because I can."
My face was bruised, and I watched Ryder struggle in his chains, but to no avail. Halle was the only one not bound, and she stood across the room in silence.
"I challenge you to a duel, Enzo Darkmoore." Her voice broke through the silence, and everyone in the room glanced at her.
She was a powerful witch who had lived over a decade, but Enzo was about three times her age, and worse, he was cunning. No one knew what he had up his sleeves, and it seemed almost like he was the one driving us into making these mistakes.
"Halle, what are you doing?" I questioned, and her eyes glowed white with tiny sparks emitting from the sides.
"What I should have done a long time ago," she replied as we all watched her levitate.
My heart thumped in my chest as I remembered how she talked about her time of dying being close. It was almost as if I could feel it too.
"Halle, you just told me that-"
"Silence, child!" she didn't even let me finish.
Enzo glared at her with a coy smile hanging on his lips. He was going to eat her alive, and I could tell. Her blood fit perfectly into his description: feeding on the blood of a Baudelaire.
"You really want to die, don't you?" he questioned, and Halle approached him at once. "I will grant you your request, but to have a duel with me comes with a price. You have to pay with something, including your life, but the fun part is that I do not have to tell you what you are going to pay for."
I knew Enzo was up to something when he said this, but Halle had already set her mind to it. Her mind was already set, and this duel would either liberate us or send us into further darkness. I am not usually a pessimist, but in this situation, it was as though I knew our fate already, and it was an ugly one.