Chapter 100: Chapter 100

Dakar drove the Ferrari to an apartment complex two streets away and parked in their parking lot.

“You left here to come have breakfast at my place?” Avril asked him as he helped her out the door.

“I don't regret it,” he replied in a sideways smile. That one that usually got her heart ricocheting rapidly in her chest.

He placed his hand firmly over her waist and walked her to the elevator which took them to the very last floor—the penthouse.

“Let me guess, another Remusian property,” she stated as he led her into the brown and white aesthetic living room with little light infiltrating.

“I can't keep count of them,” Dakar replied.

“That's what happens when you're dangerously wealthy.”

Dakar chuckled and led her straight to the cream marble kitchen.

“What would you like?” he asked.

“Wow me,” she answered and smiled at him. He smirked and washed his hands in the motion sensor sink. Avril watched as he gently got a sweet smelling brunch ready for her. When he was done, he laid a pretty looking chocolate cake in front of her. It smelled like coffee mixed with cheese and vanilla.

“It's called Tiramisu. You must have had it back home,” he said and placed his arms in front of him on the kitchen island while he stared at her.

“One of my favourites,” she responded and dug in a fork. He smiled and went to get a glass of juice for her, deliberately not giving her wine.

“Uhh so good,” he heard her mumbling as she ate.

He gave her the juice and leaned against the counter, his arms crossed and his eyes not leaving her figure.

She peered up at him when she was almost done.

“This hair kinda fits you, Prince Dakar,” she said and he shrugged.

“I thought so too. Still don't want it though.”

She saw a look of despair flash through his face, but it quickly disappeared.

“When are you explaining things to me?”

“As soon as you want me to.”

She gulped down pineapple juice and picked up her empty plate to the sink.

“Let me take care of that,” he offered but she was already picking the sponge.

“Don't worry.”

She washed the plate, placed it in its rack then did same with the fork and knife.

She wiped her hands with a towel then returned to her glass of juice.

“Mind telling me everything I need to know, now?”

Dakar heaved a sigh and ran a hand nervously through his hair. He was scared she'd be pissed again. But he had to tell her. She had every right to know.

“After they took you from me that day, I was a mad man. It was because your scent, and every single trace of you disappeared the moment I regained consciousness on the beach. Your arrows were gone, your steps gone, Dakavril was gone like he was never there, your room was as it was before you arrived. Everything that had your touch to it had disappeared. I was hysterical. But after a week, I found out your journal—the one you got me didn't disappear. It was right there with me. I was so glad you weren't just an illusion I made up and clutched the book tightly to me. But I lost consciousness again in that room. And when I woke up, I was back in Remus.”

Avril was surprised.

“You mean you left the island after one week?”

He nodded. And she had been so worried about him on the ship.

Dakar went further to explain how he hated everything when he returned. How his father and Camper tried their best to cheer him up. How he later lost all hope of seeing her again and got lost in hard jobs and travelling from kingdom to kingdom. He had also given in to having concubines, ones he hardly even touched twice.

Then finally, he explained the day his torture began. It was approximately one year after his return, when he went to look at the picture of Avril he had drawn back at the island. He missed her so much, and it was her birthday. Dojo had gone to the underworld for a meeting and when he returned, he was as pissed as the hell he just came back from. Obviously, something had happened there that made him dangerously angry. He crashed into Dakar and hit him all over the floor. He burnt his arm again, an intense heat that could only be etched in from hell itself.

“Give in! Give in to my control!” he had screamed repeatedly in his head as he hurt Dakar.

“For Avril, I would never,” he had replied him an that was where the issue began. Dojo's hatred intensified against her, and he vowed to make sure Dakar never thought about her again. Ever since then, Dojo tortured Dakar's body, and soul even if it was only her name that crossed her mind. He infiltrated Dakar's way of living. Planted hatred and cold inside him. He couldn't be himself anymore. He was always angry. Always moody. Always lashing out dangerous punishment to the extent everyone feared him greatly. He enjoyed it, and yet he knew he wasn't the real person enjoying it.

When he had enough and traveled to the North to see Athena, Dojo had gone to the underworld then. Athena had been so sympathetic and scolded him for not coming earlier. She gave him the weed he smoked to greatly suppress the power of the demon. And she instructed him to not let Avril know at all.

The reason was because Dojo could sense that same feeling between them which he detested on the island. Since he was relatively stronger now, he might still break forth from the spell if he sensed Dakar and Avril were having that same emotion binding them more. They had to keep him clueless as to what was truly happening since the weed would create a wall between him and Dakar's soul.

It was supposed to be a temporary solution until Athena called for him for a permanent one.

Dakar also explained to Avril that he also didn't tell her because not only Dojo could sense emotions. The wicked people of his kingdom could do anything to her, if they found out that she knew him while he was away. It would be hard to find out if she kept it a secret. But she was only human. If she wasn't strong enough, the information would still leak out. So it was better to simply put her in the dark too, until her mind and soul was strong enough to be impenetrable.

After he finished, Avril was speechless and petrified for long minutes.

“Say something,” he urged but she couldn't say anything. Her eyes looked over at his arm where his dress shirt covered the burn marks.

“Avril,” he called.

She met eyes with him and her eyes turned teary.

“My God, Dakar you've suffered,” she rasped and covered her mouth. Hot tears stung behind her eyes.

Her Dakar had been in suffering. Her island wolf had been living in pure torture.

“I'm so sorry I was a bitçh. I'm so sorry I—”

“Ssh, don't be sorry about anything. It's still my fault. I should have found a way to let you know still.”

She shook her head and ran into his arms.

“No. I perfectly understand what you did. I just...I just hate the idea that you suffered so much and I was never there to share it with you.”

He kissed her hair and hugged her more.

“It's fine. We'll scale through this together. We'll beat this demon together. Athena has found a permanent solution,” he announced and she jerked her head up to meet his gaze.

“What?”

“She send word last night for me to come to her temple. She's found a permanent solution to get rid of Dojomon for good.”

Avril was more than elated. She hugged Dakar and squealed.

“I'm coming with you!” she announced but he shook his head.

“Don't worry. I'm better off alone. The journey is dangerous. No human vehicles are to venture there. Plus, there are a lot of things on the way. It's not safe.”

“I really want to come with you, Dakar. I really want to.”

Dakar stared at her for few seconds.

“Athena did say you should come along.”

“She did? Then I'm coming.”

“It's dangerous, Avril.”

“I can take care of myself physically. And if there's any nonphysical thing, you take care of it.” She poked a finger into his hard chest.

“Fine. Fine. But you're sticking to my side. A human is too vulnerable.”

“Whatever. I'm still going.”

“Stubborn as ever.”

She laughed and tucked her hair behind her ear.

“Where did you keep my bracelet?” he asked with a smile.

“Always with me. It's in my apartment.”

Dakar's nodded but his jaw ticked afterwards. He bit down on his lip, as if yo stop himself from saying something.

“What is it?”

“Nothing.”

“Hey, speak up. No more hiding anything.”

“That ring. Alejandro's ring. Is it still with my bracelet?”

Avril stilled. It was now her turn to feel nervous. Her heart began to beat hard, and she gulped. Dakar noticed it immediately.

“Alejandro isn't just anybody, is he?” he asked.

“He was...he was my master,” she answered with an exhale.

“That was what Verona said,” he responded. She flashed surprised eyes at him.

“I asked her. I'm sorry. I just...I just wanted to know why he was so important to you.”

“A lot also happened to me while I was taken.”

Dakar breathed deeply. He never wanted to think about this. He knew that ship was no good. He knew his girl might be made into a....he didn't want to even think about it. But that old man, that seer had told him she was safe. In a dark place, but safe. He trusted that.

“Alejandro was my master. That ship happened to be the very ship I fell from. Freddie sold me to the leader of The Lucian Brothers. I was his...,” she trailed off and looked into Dakar's eyes. His jaw was clenched, his fingers curled into fists and his veins were turgid.

“I was Alejandro's woman for two years,” she finally dropped the bombshell and a glassware broke ten feet from them.