The Assassin's Folly
Chapter Nine
“I have absolutely no desire to talk to you right now,” Zarah said into her phone and Damien tsked at her.
“Not being very kind, are we? After all I did, finding your dear boyfriend’s brother!”
“Shut up. You owe me. Now what do you want?”
“I know you were at his house the other night,” he said, his tone changing from sarcastic to serious quickly. “I also know you didn’t kill him. Surely you had the opportunity.”
Zarah gulped. “I told you: I’m doing it on Christmas Eve.”
“You’re not getting… attached, are you?”
“Oh, spare me,” she spat.
“Need I remind you of your last little fling?”
Zarah sighed, staring at the floor. “Look, I’ve got it all planned out. Just get off my back.”
“If you spend the night with him again, I expect him dead,” he warned.
She rolled her eyes. “Whoever you’ve got tailing me didn’t give you everything. I didn’t spend the night with him.”
“Well, it seems you have learned your lesson after all. Christmas Eve is eleven days away. Make sure you don’t fail or I’m never turning you human.” He hung up before she could retort.
She clenched her teeth and threw her lamp at the wall. Dimitri screeched at the noise, jumping from his napping spot.
“Hey!” he yelled.
“Sorry,” she sighed, getting the broom to sweep up the shards of glass. “Be careful over here, I don’t want you to cut yourself.”
“Just got off the phone with Damien?”
“How’d you guess?” she asked sarcastically, tossing the shards into the trash can. “He has someone watching me.”
“He told you?”
“Sort of. He knows I was at Jareth’s house last night.”
Dimitri looked at her. “I need you to answer me honestly.”
“I’m always honest with you,” she frowned. “You’re the only one I can be honest with.”
“Do you love him?”
Zarah let out a harsh laugh. “Love Damien?” she scoffed. “Yeah right.”
“You know who I mean.”
Zarah looked at Dimitri then fell to the floor. She gripped her hair.
“I’m not allowed to love him,” she mumbled into her knees. “I have to kill him.”
Dimitri jumped on her shoulder, purring in her ear. “Why can’t you love him?”
“Don’t you remember what happened last time?” she whispered, a tear traveling down her cheek. “When he found out what I am?”
“Not many people can handle facing the truth that vampires are real,” Dimitri agreed. “But why let one rotten apple spoil the bunch?”
“He tried to kill me!”
“Did I ever tell you about Bella?” he asked.
“Just that you failed to kill her and that’s why Damien turned you into a cat.”
“I fell in love with her, Zarah. I couldn’t help it. I didn’t have the balls to tell her what I was so I broke her heart instead. I still regret it, 15 years later. I regret never telling her what I am. Among those of us who have failed, we have a term: The Assassin’s Folly.”
Zarah didn’t realize she was crying and wiped her tears away impatiently. “So you’re saying I should tell Jareth I’m a vampire assassin?”
“Not necessarily. I’m saying you shouldn’t move forward until you know you won’t have any regrets.”
He jumped off her shoulder and settled back in front of the fireplace, curling into a ball and falling asleep. Zarah watched him sleep for a while, thinking about what he said.
And thinking about Jareth.
“Not being very kind, are we? After all I did, finding your dear boyfriend’s brother!”
“Shut up. You owe me. Now what do you want?”
“I know you were at his house the other night,” he said, his tone changing from sarcastic to serious quickly. “I also know you didn’t kill him. Surely you had the opportunity.”
Zarah gulped. “I told you: I’m doing it on Christmas Eve.”
“You’re not getting… attached, are you?”
“Oh, spare me,” she spat.
“Need I remind you of your last little fling?”
Zarah sighed, staring at the floor. “Look, I’ve got it all planned out. Just get off my back.”
“If you spend the night with him again, I expect him dead,” he warned.
She rolled her eyes. “Whoever you’ve got tailing me didn’t give you everything. I didn’t spend the night with him.”
“Well, it seems you have learned your lesson after all. Christmas Eve is eleven days away. Make sure you don’t fail or I’m never turning you human.” He hung up before she could retort.
She clenched her teeth and threw her lamp at the wall. Dimitri screeched at the noise, jumping from his napping spot.
“Hey!” he yelled.
“Sorry,” she sighed, getting the broom to sweep up the shards of glass. “Be careful over here, I don’t want you to cut yourself.”
“Just got off the phone with Damien?”
“How’d you guess?” she asked sarcastically, tossing the shards into the trash can. “He has someone watching me.”
“He told you?”
“Sort of. He knows I was at Jareth’s house last night.”
Dimitri looked at her. “I need you to answer me honestly.”
“I’m always honest with you,” she frowned. “You’re the only one I can be honest with.”
“Do you love him?”
Zarah let out a harsh laugh. “Love Damien?” she scoffed. “Yeah right.”
“You know who I mean.”
Zarah looked at Dimitri then fell to the floor. She gripped her hair.
“I’m not allowed to love him,” she mumbled into her knees. “I have to kill him.”
Dimitri jumped on her shoulder, purring in her ear. “Why can’t you love him?”
“Don’t you remember what happened last time?” she whispered, a tear traveling down her cheek. “When he found out what I am?”
“Not many people can handle facing the truth that vampires are real,” Dimitri agreed. “But why let one rotten apple spoil the bunch?”
“He tried to kill me!”
“Did I ever tell you about Bella?” he asked.
“Just that you failed to kill her and that’s why Damien turned you into a cat.”
“I fell in love with her, Zarah. I couldn’t help it. I didn’t have the balls to tell her what I was so I broke her heart instead. I still regret it, 15 years later. I regret never telling her what I am. Among those of us who have failed, we have a term: The Assassin’s Folly.”
Zarah didn’t realize she was crying and wiped her tears away impatiently. “So you’re saying I should tell Jareth I’m a vampire assassin?”
“Not necessarily. I’m saying you shouldn’t move forward until you know you won’t have any regrets.”
He jumped off her shoulder and settled back in front of the fireplace, curling into a ball and falling asleep. Zarah watched him sleep for a while, thinking about what he said.
And thinking about Jareth.