Chapter 2
Chapter Two
Daemon
IT’S TIME
Leave it to Vhaena to make me feel welcome…
She hadn’t always been this way. Having known her for twelve years because of my friendship with Vosten, we had always been civil—respectful. Even a little more than that. Until we weren’t.
Well, until she wasn’t.
Ever since she was attacked ten months ago, she couldn’t stand to be near me—and I had no idea why. No one did.
Ten months ago
“Vos, let’s go. We’re going to be late,” I shouted while pounding my fist against Vosten’s front door.
When I arrived at the work site and he wasn’t there, I asked our friend and coworker, Hendrik, if he’d seen him.
When he shook his head, I figured something was wrong.
So I went to drag Vosten’s ass out of bed.
A few years ago, my father had figured out a way to get running water into homes and other buildings, and we’d been busy since with all the reconstruction, waking up early every day for the past three years for renovations to the older buildings in town.
After a few moments of waiting, Vosten’s door flew open. He had bags under his eyes as if he hadn’t slept all night.
“What in the hells happened to you?” I asked with a smirk.
He looked as if he’d been at the tavern all night; maybe brought a woman home. My suspicions of someone being inside were only confirmed as he glanced behind him before quickly stepping outside and closing the door quietly.
“I…need the day off,” he said with a look of worry.
Oh, shit.
My smirk fell. He had never taken a single day off, and I knew he wouldn’t do that for anything that wasn’t important. “Sure. What’s going on?”
He ran a hand through his brownish-red hair. “Honestly, I don’t fucking know. It’s Vhaena…” He jutted his chin toward the door behind him.
My brows creased, and my pulse quickened. “What about her?”
I knew something was off with her lately.
“She was attacked last night. A rock with the word ‘whore’ carved into it was thrown through her window while she was sleeping. It didn’t hit her, but her face was cut from the glass.
They surrounded the house holding torches.
Thankfully she was able to get out. Then they chased her on horseback, but fled once she made it here. ”
I could see how worked up he was getting with his clenched fists and curled lip. I hid my own reaction. “Calm down. She’s here now.”
“I can’t! I don’t give a damn if what they say about her is true or not; that’s too fucking far!”
I’d heard the rumors, too. In a town this small, with not much else to do, word spread quickly.
Especially when it was something as entertaining as someone’s sex life.
So when someone started talking about how Vhaena was sleeping around, it spread like wildfire.
Then those rumors grew to where she had supposedly slept with nearly half the men in the neighboring town and most of this one, sleazing her way into men’s beds and ruining marriages, engagements, and even stealing the purities from those saving themselves.
It had become the talk of the town for the last month.
It was ridiculously overdramatic; a tale being told over time that just got worse and worse, and pissed me off to no end. No one knew who had started them, and no one seemed to really care—nor had any concern for their validity.
“So, are we going after them or…?” I asked.
Vos was my best friend. Any enemy of his was an enemy of mine. I would have gladly done it on my own, but I had to respect his stance. It was his sister after all.
Another reason I’d never voiced my feelings to her ever since things began to evolve between us a few years ago…
He shook his head. “She doesn’t know who it was. She didn’t see any of their faces, and we can’t exactly go after everyone in the town.”
“I mean, we could.” I shrugged.
“Yes!” the dark voice inside me urged.
“Sarcasm. Back off,” I clipped, pushing the voice away. I didn’t have a violent bone in my body, but that could all change if it came down to it—and I wouldn’t hesitate.
“I’m moving her in with me. At least here, hopefully they won’t mess with her when I’m around. I need to watch over her. She’s really shaken up, and I’m worried they’ll attack her again. So I could use a favor from you,” Vosten said with a serious look.
I nodded once. “Name it.”
“I need you to help me protect her.”
I blinked at him.
Maybe I should have asked what the favor was before I agreed to it…
“I mean it, Daemon. I don’t know what’s going on—she won’t talk to me about any of it—but I could use your help here. Just help me keep an eye on her, and make sure no one hurts her. At least until all of this blows over.”
He can’t seriously expect me to just watch over her all the time, can he?
I sighed silently. I would have preferred to go out with swords and cut all their heads off. It would have been easier.
“Of course,” I said. “We’ll keep her safe.”
“Promise me.”
“I promise.” They may have just been two words, but I meant them.
“Thank you.” His shoulders visibly relaxed. “There’s just one thing.”
I waited for him to continue.
“She doesn’t want you, or anyone else, around her. So she can’t know.”
I had to force my eyes to not roll. I should have expected that.
I guess I’ll just have to get creative then.
I knew the rumors had to be lies. From what I had seen and knew about Vhaena, she wasn’t the promiscuous type. And even if she were, I truly didn’t care.
She was selective with who she hung out with. She was kind—at least she used to be and still was toward her family—and selfless to a fault. She wouldn’t have just brought any random man into her bed.
But that was a long time ago.
And Vosten was right: she didn’t want anyone else around anymore, aside from her family. Whenever she saw me, she would find a way to leave—or glare at me. Like now, when I walked into her parents’ home with Vosten.
“Good to see you, too, Vhaena,” I responded flatly to her groan.
“Vhae,” her brother warned. “Be polite.”
I raised my brow as if to say, Yeah, Vhae, be polite.
Her hazel eyes narrowed as she whipped around, her red hair falling over her shoulder. “This is a family dinner. What is he even doing here?”
“He is here for Vos,” I said pointedly. This whole despising me thing was getting old.
Vosten crossed the room and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Come on now. He’s practically family anyway. Besides, we’re celebrating tonight!”
“Yeah. It’s Pa’s birthday. We celebrate it every year.” She crossed her arms over her chest.
“Not just that. We’re also celebrating something else!”
Her eyes slowly dragged away from mine as she looked at her brother.
While they were twins, they looked nothing alike.
Vosten was tall and bulky, like his father, and Vhaena took after her mother’s slim figure.
Her hair matched the color of her fiery personality, woven throughout with lighter strands from being out in the summer sun, and Vosten’s hair had a brown tint to it.
The only true similarity was their hazel eyes that seemed to change color with their mood.
“Celebrating what?” Allayna, their mother, asked Vosten.
Vosten’s chest puffed out with pride. “You know the open lot next to the armory? Well, it’s about to be a church—and you’re looking at the head builder.”
The women’s faces lit up as they crowded Vosten to shower him with congratulations. I stepped over to the wall and leaned against it to give them a moment, keeping a subtle eye on Vhaena. The way she beamed at her brother was a sight I rarely got to see…
“Daemon Corse,” Allayna breathed. “Did you do this?”
I raised my hands. “It was all him. He deserves it.”
Even though I recommended Vosten to my father for the job, it wasn’t because he was my friend. He’d earned it. He was good at what he did, and he loved doing it.
Vosten and I had worked together as builders since we were eighteen.
While Vosten had found his forever job, this was merely a stepping stone for me.
Eventually, my years of building and apprenticeship under my father would lead me to take over his business, which was really more like an empire in this small town.
He owned nearly every building in Nillah and had made a fortune because of it.
“This is certainly cause for celebration,” Allayna stated with a wide smile before giving Vhaena a stern look. “And Daemon is welcome in my home whenever he pleases.”
I always knew I liked her for a reason.
Vhaena’s lips flattened when she glanced at me, then she rolled her eyes. “Yeah, okay. Well, dinner is ready. Let’s eat.”
My lips lifted into a smirk. Dinner with Vhaena? This would be interesting.
Vosten chatted with his mother and sister about his new position, and aside from chiming in every so often, I remained quiet, taking in the night.
It had been so long since I sat and shared a meal with a family, even my own.
We weren’t close like the Scorens were, and I enjoyed coming here with Vosten.
They always included me as if I was one of their own.
Until now, at least. And only because of Vhaena.
She barely looked at me the entire time despite sitting directly across from me.
It was as if she was actively avoiding looking at me.
And speaking to me was obviously out of the question.
Reluctantly, I was getting used to this dismissive behavior from her.
So I just kept my head down and ate, trying not to think about it.
But oh, how I had missed Vhaena’s cooking.
And it had really improved since she had cooked for me last. I couldn’t even remember how long ago that was.
Vosten was the worst friend in history for depriving me of this for the past year.