A black silk dress draped elegantly over her body, perfectly concealing the dagger strapped tightly to her thigh. Her black stilettos adding power to her walk. Any room she entered immediately became hers. An air of power and grandeur followed her wherever she went. Nobody knew her but they knew of her. Her stone cold streak of a legacy allowed her to hold her head up high, nothing ever came between her and her mission. That was until tonight...
Unbeknown to Aideen, the mastermind behind her missions had played her like a chess piece, leading her to him at this exact moment in time.
Aideen flung the towering arched oak doors open with minimal effort. Grace and beauty flowed into the room. Heads turned to snap a glance. Of course nobody knew who she truly was, that would defeat the objective, but her presence was still noticed. Jet black curled hair cascaded down her shoulders as her haunted grey eyes scanned the room. Tonight's victim hasn't crossed her path. What a shame.
Aideen despised socialising. Everything about it made her uncomfortable to the point where she wanted to tear her own skin off.
Small talk and chatter filled the grand hall. Ornate carvings and detailed paintings plastered the ceiling as she strolled beneath it. Blending in and acting had always come naturally to her. She never really had to try for this bit of the process. Her training had focused on combat. After only months she found a simple dagger was her favourite. As a gift she had been given a plain black dagger with a handle intricately carved with serpents and ivy twine.
Mingling with the other guests of the hall, Aideen always had her eyes darting to all corners of the room. Her searching gaze was concealed to others by the warm blanket of wine and champagne, allowing her to freely continue her mission. The band began plucking their strings to a tune everybody knew. Partners lined up to dance and strangers were forced to meet and dance. The footwork was simple, but keeping track of one person was near impossible in this chaotic atmosphere of merriment and laughter. She truly hated it. Pushed into a young man Aideen raised her hand to begin the dance. Every four bars, her partner would change, but none of them were who she needed.
She had almost given up and thought he must be sick or died of his own accord. On the verge of leaving the dance floor Aideen saw the face to be in front of her next. It was him. But she'd lose him in an instant. Thinking quickly, she made note of his hair and attire for the evening. It was the Duke's son she had been tasked with tonight, and here he was. Towering above her with broad shoulders and a sharp jaw clenched as he saw her.
He couldn't possibly know?
Aideen brushed her doubt aside and continued tapping her feet and jumping to the beat of the music.
Face to face with her prey, they raised their hands, electricity passing through their fingertips. Shock coursed through her, why did he have this affect on her. Nobody had ever done this before. As they turned she glared into his emerald green eyes. She finally took the time to absorb his deep green velvet blazer and matching trousers. Clean shoes and well trimmed hair. He looked after himself well, even looking as young as he did. To be fair Aideen wasn't much older, or maybe she's wasn't even older at all.
Her usually determined thoughts were scattered, firing through her mind at speed with no pattern. The music continued and he moved on.
"DAMMIT!" she kicked herself
Suddenly her thoughts cleared and she remembered what she had to do. Paying no attention to her remaining partners, Aideen formulated a plan in her head. It was practically muscle memory for the trained assassin.
Her ledger had a lot of red in it and she planned on adding a lot more.
She'd find him in the room, gaze at him intensely until he noticed. Then she'd break way and disappear into the crowd, reappearing briefly throughout the night to keep herself on his mind. While the room was still alive with conversation she'd be sure to leave, making sure to be noticed. She was sure he'd follow. Then it was simple. Drag him into a discreet corner and slit his throat. Clean and effective, just as she was trained.
The lively music came to a halt and Aideen's eyes searched the room. He was nowhere to be seen. She was beginning to think he must be a ghost. She couldn't find him anywhere. Retreating to a desolate corner of the room she began to formulate a new plan to murder the Duke's son. Completely absorbed in her thoughts Aideen failed to notice the stranger sneak behind her. Feeling his breath on her neck, she immediately fell back into her assassin state of mind. Feeling for her dagger Aideen was prepared to murder whoever this was right there and then. Her plan failed there. The dagger was gone.
"Looking for this?" The man teased, dangling the dagger in front of her face.
She knew it was a man. The low husky voice and the bristle of stubble on her neck as he breathed into her ear gave it away.
Whipping her head back Aideen found her mission right behind her. The same mission who had managed to cloud her judgment with just his fingertips on hers. Was he magic, she wasn't sure.
The dagger still hanging in between her eyes, the Duke's son brought his other arm around her neck, restricting her breathing and blood flow.
"Now you listen carefully," he growled.
" I know who you are and I'm going to give you the chance to leave. You get your dagger back and we both remain unharmed. However, if you so much as try to kill me, I won't be the one with my throat slit. Understood?"
Aideen should've been terrified, but she felt safe in his grasp, despite it being fatal.
"Deal" she wheezed out.
"Good" he replied handing her the dagger and leaving swiftly, merging with the crowd.
No deal. Of course it wasn't a deal.
Rubbing her neck Aideen tracked him diligently as we wove through the crowded ballroom. Stealthily she stayed on his tail, never distancing herself too far, but never edging too close to him. Stopping to bid farewell to a few friends on the way, he left the room into the gloomy cobbled hallway. Peeling her heels and grabbing a random cloak, Aideen followed him. Stalking her prey. Rounding a corner he disappeared from sight again. Pausing for a moment Aideen looked around but instead of finding him, she found his large hand on her neck, almost completely surrounding it.
As he leaned his lips close to her ear, Aideen stared deep into his green eyes. They drew her in. He drew her in.
"I warned you" he breathed into her. The words bore into her brain, imprinting themselves. Not so much his words but his voice. The deep authoritative tone somehow managed to terrify and calm her at the same time.
