My Darling Katherina

Chapter Sixteen

Katherina realized she was in serious trouble. Not because of how he gripped her hair or how his shadows swirled around the bathroom. But how his once-star-colored eyes had darkened.

How his warm, browned skin was cold and didn't appear to glow.

Nonetheless, she was unafraid.

This made her smirk. Katherina, the Queen of Prythian's daughter and High Lord of the Night, was not afraid of the God of Shadows.

The grip on her hair became tighter.

"Do you think this is funny?" hissed the Darkness. After which his shadows dipped into the tub. They snaked their way up Katherina's legs. The water has turned black.

Yes, she wanted to whisper. But she knew better than to. So she replied to what he wanted to hear.

"No."

That, however, seemed to enrage him all the more.

And she liked it in some ways. It amused her that something so innocuous could rile him up.

"You've got six seconds,"

She didn't say anything.

"Five."

Katherina stayed quiet.

"Four."

She was immobile.

"Three."

The only sound was the splashing of shadows in the water.

"Two."

She inhaled deeply.

"One."

"Are you sure you want to treat the Princess of the Night Court that way?"

The shadows on her thighs came to a halt. The water is at rest due to the lack of movement. Because Katherina was not breathing. Her Indigo eyes were fixed on his face. But, just as he had taught her, it was concealed.

Emotionless and unmoving.

She despised it.

Do something, she begged. Anything. Scream, Roar, break things, Anything!
The Darkness just stared at her. His eyes were devoid of any emotion.

"Are you going to just stare at me all day?" Katherina was sick of it. She was simply tired of everything at the moment. "At the very least, let me finish bathing first."

He gave her one last look before leaving the room.

Katherina stared at the door, her thoughts coming to invade her head as she closed her eyes.

She drew her legs up to her chest. The water in the tub had already drained, as if it knew she was finished.

The light went off. Leaving Katherina as the only beam of illumination.

Katherina had cut herself when she was twelve, but instead of blood, just light had ozed out. This was something she didn't tell Amren about.

Only she and Ziv knew about it, so she kept it hidden from the Darkness.

In her mind's eye, the memory was crystal clear.

***

The pain in Katherina's chest was excruciating. She tried to take deep, trembling breaths, but they didn't seem to help.

But, honestly, who could blame her? She'd spent the last few hours with Ziv, laughing and playing.

Katherina was lying on the ground, her hair strewn across the snow underneath her.