Assassin, until the first moment (🇬🇧)

Will I see you again?

The frigid wind blew uncomfortably over his skin, leaving a painful stinging feeling. Magnus pulled the hood of his dark coat closer in his face to protect himself from the freezing air. He had been sitting on the roof of this house for three hours already, hidden in the darkness of the night, waiting.

He moved his legs to put them into a more comfortable position and checked his knives for the hundredth time, concealed under his coat. Magnus couldn’t put his finger on what it was, but something was making him nervous tonight, cursing to himself when he realised it. This nervousness made him weak, which wasn't good. As a valued member of a secret Assassin League, he couldn’t permit himself to make any mistakes. It could lead to unpleasant consequences for him.

His gaze drifted back to the apartment he was observing and he noticed that the lights were still on. He sighed. Would that man ever go to bed? It had to be well past midnight already. Magnus was beginning to believe that he would be spending the rest of night up here, when he saw that the lights had been turned off, finally. He waited for a few more minutes, just to be sure that his target would be in a deep sleep before he silently climbed from the roof and made his way to the apartment to carry out his mission.

A few minutes later he was kneeling on the balcony of Alexander Lightwood, Duke of Alicante. He started to pick the lock on the glass door. It didn’t take him long, barely a few seconds, and Magnus had gained access to the private rooms of the duke. Picking locks was one of his many talented skills, which made Magnus indispensable for the Assassin League, a smug smile appeared on his face.

He opened the door quietly and listened for any unexpected noises, but the apartment remained silent. It was so quiet he could hear a pin drop. He slipped into the living room, made his way to the bedroom slowly to avoid making any noise. He knew the layout of the apartment by heart, studied the blueprints he received from his client properly to avoid failing on any account.

The Duke of Alicante was laying on his huge bed in a deep sleep, surrounded by fluffy pillows. He was laying on his back and his chest rose and fell slowly but steadily. The thick carpet absorbed Magnus’ footsteps on his way to the bed. He looked downwards at the sleeping man. The smouldering fire lit the room just enough, enabling Magnus to see the face of the duke. He’d never seen him so close, knowing him just from the pictures that his client had given him. Magnus used this moment to get a closer look at the duke.

The man was breathtakingly beautiful. A few strands of his hair had fallen onto his forehead, and Magnus had to stop himself from sweeping them off of the duke’s face. His eyelashes were laying like a fan against his cheeks and his skin was gleaming like bronze in the dim light of the fire. A fine scar interrupted the bow of his left eyebrow and underlined the sharp lineaments of the duke’s face. His lips were full and open slightly, Magnus had to suppress the impulse to kiss them.

He took a deep breath, startled by his own thoughts he covered his mouth quickly to stop the sound. Seconds passed, but the duke didn’t stir. Magnus breathed out a sigh of relief and pulled out one of his knives. Then he climbed onto the bed, sitting down on the duke’s chest and pressed the blade of his knife against the others’ throat.

Just as Magnus was about to let his knife sink into the skin of the other man, the duke moved his eyelids. The assassin froze and a few seconds later he was staring into the now open eyes of Alexander Lightwood. Magnus almost expected to see fear in the duke’s eyes, but this was not the case. He could see a challenging glow instead.

The assassin realised that the duke understood the situation immediately, and they both stared into the eyes of the other... The duke leaned his head back, pressed himself further into the pillow beneath him and offered his throat to Magnus. The sharp blade sank into the soft skin slightly the blood welled instantly from a small cut. Magnus looked almost terrified at the red runlet which ran down over the duke’s skin into the white pillow. Magnus couldn’t move. What was wrong with him? He had to fulfil his mission but something was stopping him, making him hesitate.

“Do it”, the duke demanded and the dark husky voice sent shivers down Magnus’ spine.

“What are you waiting for? Do it.”

Magnus lifted his gaze and instantly lost himself in the dukes pleading gaze. He bit his lower lip but didn’t move. Instead, he stared into the hazel eyes below him.

Suddenly a bolt of lightning split the darkness of the night, followed by a loud clap of thunder snapping the assassin out of his rigid state. His eyes drifted to the plump lips of the other man when he licked them with his tongue. Magnus followed an inner impulse, lowered his head, and was suddenly so close to the duke’s face that he could feel the warm breath from the other man on his skin. Magnus was still pressing his knife against the others’ throat, but he made sure that the blade didn’t pierce the skin any further. The duke followed the unexpected movement and raised his eyebrow, curious. They locked their eyes together again and Magnus could see into the duke’s soul, which was pure and beautiful. It took his breath away.

Neither of them moved, the occasional rumble of the storm outside interrupting the silence in the bedroom. It seemed like an eternity until Magnus finally pulled his knife away and rammed it into the mattress with a frustrated sob. The duke winced but didn’t say a word; he was just looking into the green golden eyes of the assassin above him. Magnus closed the short distance between them with a desperate moan he pressed his lips onto the others’. The duke was laying there motionless at first, but then he returned the kiss.

Magnus closed his eyes getting lost in the feeling of the warm, soft lips of the other. The kiss was hot and demanding, almost desperate. Their lips moved together like they had kissed many times before, but it still felt unique. It drew a moan out of his chest, fizzing off of his lips. He shoved his hand into the hair of the other and Alexander put his arms around him simultaneously, pulling him downward.
His mission forgotten completely Magnus thought that he could continue like this forever, but the need for air pulled them apart. His breath came out in huffs and his heart was pounding fast. What had he done? Magnus pressed his forehead against the others’ and kept his eyes closed.

“Will I see you again?”

“I would have killed you a few minutes ago, and you want to see me again?”, Magnus asked, in shock.

“Well, you didn’t kill me, did you? Why did you stop?”

Magnus drew in a shaky breath. No, he didn’t fulfil his mission. Instead of killing the Duke of Alicante he kissed him.

“I don’t know.” Magnus wasn’t sure which question he had answered. He opened his eyes and stood up, avoiding the gaze of the duke. He turned toward the door but before he could leave the bedroom a hand grabbed his wrist.

“Please!”

It was only a single word, but it comprised so many emotions that it created a painful lump in his throat. Magnus swallowed.

“I don’t know,” Magnus whispered, repeating his answer. He freed himself from the duke’s grasp, running out of the room as fast as possible he disappeared in the darkness of the night.