CHAPTER 357: NEXT PLAN III

SAGE

Isla hadn’t stopped talking since we got back to the quarters.

"Come on, Sage," she whined, flopping dramatically onto the sofa, her braid bouncing over her shoulder. "You have to tell me what really went down between you and Darius! One second you were about to burn him alive, and the next—boom—you stop. Everyone saw it. You just stopped."

I didn’t answer immediately. My thoughts were still in that field—still tangled around what had happened, what I had seen, and what it meant. The whispers, the heat, the look in Darius’s eyes when he realized I wasn’t what he thought I was.

Worse, he was really an ancient.

That word still tasted strange on my tongue. It made my heart flutter uneasily each time it crossed my mind.

And now there was tonight—the banquet. I wasn’t sure what to expect. The royal family would be there, of course. Adam would be there.

The thought of it made me draw a slow breath, my pulse quickening despite myself. I had plans for that banquet. A carefully laid move in a game that had started long before today.

Adam would make his little speech, the people would cheer, and I would state my request. My reward. What I would ask of him would push everything forward—my revenge, my justice, the entire chain of events that had been set in motion the moment I stepped into this cursed place.

And there was the comeback of my significant other...

"El," I murmured under my breath, hearing the soft hiss that answered me from deep inside.

You should rest, she hissed tiredly. You’re burning both ends of the candle. Keep playing with the flame, and you’ll get burned.

Parables upon parables. Just like Malek.

I rolled my eyes. "You should go back to wherever you came from."

El didn’t respond. Just the quiet pulse of silence in my mind.

"Hey." Isla tapped my arm, breaking through my thoughts. "What’s going on in that head of yours?"

I blinked, then shrugged casually. "Nothing important."

She gave me a look that said she didn’t believe me for a second. "Right. Nothing important. That’s why your face looks like you’re planning a coup."

I smirked faintly. "I’m fine, Isla. Really."

She sighed dramatically, propping her chin on her hand. "Fine, don’t tell me. But at least admit that something happened out there. The way Darius looked at you—"

"He looked familiar," I interrupted softly before I could stop myself.

"Familiar?" she echoed, eyes widening.

"Yes," I said, sitting straighter, forcing calm into my voice. "He made me an offer—a deal I couldn’t refuse. One that might help with the revenge plan." The lie slid easily from my lips. My tone was even, practiced.

Isla didn’t need to know the truth. Not yet. Maybe not ever.

She frowned but didn’t push. She knew me well enough by now to recognize when pressing would get her nowhere. "So... what’s next then? What’s the next stage of the plan?"

I smiled slightly, the kind of smile that never reached my eyes. "To state my request at the banquet. And then we move from there."

She perked up, eyes sparkling with curiosity. "And that request would be...?"

I tilted my head, pretending to think. "You’ll see soon enough."

"Ugh, you’re so annoyingly secretive," she muttered. "I’m supposed to be your partner in crime. At least give me a clue."

"You’ll survive the suspense."

"Fine," she said, throwing herself backward. "Then tell me this... are you planning to marry one of the royal brothers? Is that what this is all leading to? What about Raul then?"

I laughed, genuinely this time, the sound breaking the tension that had been pressing on my chest. "You’ve got such an active imagination, Isla."

"I’m just saying," she continued with a shrug. "It would make sense. You’ve got the looks, the power, the attitude. You could totally pull off the whole ’queen-in-disguise’ thing."

"I’d rather choke," I said dryly. Marry one of those dorks? The heavens forbid!

She giggled, and I couldn’t help but smile. For all her chatter, Isla had been one of the few constants in my life since this whole mess began.

A sharp knock on the door interrupted our banter.

Isla groaned. "If that’s another messenger, I’m pretending we’re asleep."

Before I could respond, she stood up fast, marched to the door, and swung it open—and froze.

Darius stood there, his tall frame leaning casually against the doorframe, the corners of his mouth lifted in that infuriatingly calm half-smile. His silver eyes gleamed like moonlight on steel.

"Evening, ladies," he drawled.

I sighed, rising to my feet. "Isla, give us a moment."

She blinked, looked from me to Darius, and back again, clearly torn between curiosity and propriety.

"You’ve got to be kidding me," she muttered under her breath, but one look from me sent her out the door with a huff.

I waited until it closed behind her before turning to him. "What are you doing here?"

"Coming to talk," he said smoothly. "As promised."

I scoffed, crossing my arms. "You should go back to your quarters—to your pleasures. I’m sure the maids are lining up for their turns."

Knowing who he was, had kicked open the archives in my brain where information about his species had been stored.

Did the Kings know that blood-feeding was going on under their roofs?

Something flickered across his expression—amusement, maybe. "I don’t sleep with them," he said, stepping inside. "Not in the way you think."

"Oh, of course not," I said flatly.

He chuckled, unbothered. "I only put the image in their minds. The feeling too. I heighten their emotions—desire, euphoria—so that when I drink, the blood carries the sensation with it. It’s... intoxicating. They actually enjoy it... they come back for more."

He paused, watching me. "And before you ask, no, I don’t drain them. I’m careful not to cross that line. I’d rather not risk becoming what you like to call a vampire."

I stared at him, half in disbelief, half in fascination despite myself. "You talk about it like it’s art."

"To some, it is." His smile was faint, almost wistful. "The experience isn’t painful, you know. To most, it’s... ecstasy."

The word hung in the air, slow and deliberate.

I shouldn’t have wondered—but I did. For a fraction of a second, curiosity slipped through the cracks of reason. What would it feel like?

The thought startled me so much I shoved it away at once, as though I’d touched fire.

Darius’s laughter broke the silence, low and knowing. "You can try it if you’re that curious," he teased.

I glared at him. "Leave."

"Why?" he asked, head tilting slightly, eyes gleaming with mischief.

"Because I want to rest," I said sharply. "We can have your precious ’talk’ later."

He studied me for a moment longer, then sighed—almost theatrically—and moved toward the door. "As you wish, my little enigma," he murmured. "But we will talk. Maybe, you will tell me more about your stay here..."

"Don’t count on it."

He chuckled again, slipping out into the corridor with the ease of smoke. The moment the door closed, I exhaled heavily and sank back onto the bed. My heart was still racing, though whether from irritation or something else, I wasn’t sure.

I needed to clear my head.

Moments later, as I entered my private room, I froze.

The Queen’s apparition stood by the window, her ethereal form illuminated by the dying light of dusk. Her crown glimmered faintly, and though her expression was serene, her eyes were sharp, watchful.

"Queen Aliana."

"Sage," she said, her tone smooth as silk. "I came for your report."

I shrugged, then recounted the battle. But I kept certain things to myself. I didn’t tell her that Darius was an Ancient. I didn’t mention the way the air had crackled between us or how something inside me had shifted when our powers collided.

No. That knowledge was mine.

I didn’t need her getting anxious, I didn’t need the plans changing. I could handle Darius myself.