The Devil's Temptation!

81 Pair Of Black Boots

“I was the one who poisoned the juice, what else do you want to know?” Freya forced herself to speak, but Anna wasn’t going to agree with her completely and her expression turned strict.

She placed the candle on a nearby wood before taking another step towards Freya, but she cautiously kept a safe distance between the two of them, knowing Freya’s hostility towards her.

She could even sense it.

“I know you did.” Anna responded, “but I’m more eager to know who sent you to do it.”

Freya’s hands held onto the iron poles of the cell, a tiny melodious chuckle escaped her lips as she shivered in pain. She met Anna’s suspicious stare and a smirk formed on her delicate lips.

“What makes you think there’s a mastermind behind it?” She suddenly looked thoughtful and a knowing gasp left her lips.

“Is it possible you have a suspect?”

“That is none of your business.” Anna responded before looking at the pill in her palm, then returning her cold stare back at Freya, “your business is with the antidote in my hand, either you tell me the truth or_”

“Wait!!” Freya’s panicked voice stopped Anna from throwing the pill away and her hand hung mid-air.

.....

“Don’t do that, you can’t throw it away.”

“Are you ready to be reasonable then?” She was going to give the maid one last chance. Freya’s fist clenched beside her till her knuckles turned white, restraining the urge to pounce on the human and suck her dry.

Anna’s arms were folded against her chest, waiting and hoping that the maid would reveal something about the Mastermind behind everything.

However, Freya’s eyes filled to the brim with tears and they dropped to her cheeks as she raised her head up to meet Anna’s unfazed stare.

“You_you were never like this hundred years ago, you..you were never like this!” She shook her head before burying them in her palms, sobbing lightly and leaving the interrogating Anna baffled.

“I was never like what? What do you mean?” Anna was taken aback by her words and her brows furrowed into a curious frown.

“Aveline.”

She called the name again and Anna’s pupils dilated at the mention of Aveline. Her crossed arms dropped to her side and she blinked at the maid who was now staring back, looking teary-eyed.

“Aveline?” ‘Wasn’t that the name Roshan equally mentioned before he passed out?’ thought Annalise to herself before the look on her face grew serious.

“You know Aveline?”

Freya nodded, “yes, she was the closest to his highness Roshan, I...I can tell you more about her if you just give me the pills, I’ll also reveal the mastermind behind the juice but....but you have to help me first.”

Anna could see she was unmistakably losing breath and it left her alarmed. ‘I thought Roshan said the poison wouldn’t kill?’

“What if you escape?”

Freya fell to her knees as the pain increased to an unbearable amount, but she forced herself to keep speaking, “I_I can’t escape even if I want to, I’m a low rank Demon so my powers are weak and ineffective at the moment. The cell is well sealed, so how can I escape? Just let me catch my breath please!”

Anna strangely felt she was telling the truth, what if she dies?? But then Roshan told her to be extra cautious, he might have given her the pills but he warned her not to give it until she reveals the name.

“Do you promise to tell me once I give it to you?” Anna found herself saying regardless and the maiden immediately nodded.

“I’ll tell you anything I promise.”

Seeing she was actually honest with her response, Anna gently threw the pill into the cell and watched as Freya hurriedly caught it.

She took the pill with her shaky hands and swallowed it without wasting a second. Annalise wasn’t completely sure if she did the right thing or not, but then she couldn’t stand seeing someone in such pain.

The colors on her Freya’s face were slowly starting to return and her breathing relaxed after a few minutes.

“Now tell me.” Anna hadn’t forgotten her real purpose for giving her the antidote, but Freya darted her an appreciative glance.

“Thank you for helping me.” She said with a tired voice, but then her face scrunched into a look of confusion as a realization dawned on her.

“Why_why did you help me?” To say she was surprised Anna would give her antidote was an understatement, she expected the human to despise her even more for trying to take her life but instead, she’s the one helping her.

She couldn’t understand why.

“You were in a lot of pain.” Annalise truthfully told her, “and I know what it feels like to be framed for something you never did, even if you did most of it.”

Freya’s expression turned into one of guilt and appreciation, but Anna stood her ground and proceeded to the main subject.

“So tell me, who is Aveline?” Anna couldn’t get that name out of her head ever since Roshan mentioned it. Plus Freya said he was familiar with this Aveline and they were ‘close.’ That alone left her even more curious.

“The walls have ears Anna,” Freya hinted, “I don’t want to land in any further trouble so let me whisper it to you instead.”

Anna didn’t have too much problem with that, afterall she was trapped in a cell and her demonic powers must have deteriorated immensely due to the poison, she recalls reading something like that in one of the books at the library.

Although hesitant, Anna forced her feet to move closer to Freya’s cell. Freya equally leaned on the cell, waiting for Anna to get close enough for her to whisper.

Anna turned her head to the side, waiting for Freya to whisper what she knew to her.

“The truth is...” she whispered, “the truth is Anna.... Forgive me but I can’t tell you.”

“Huh?” Anna looked at her and that’s when Freya took the opportunity to gently blow air from her mouth into Anna’s face. Not just any ordinary air, but one that left Anna’s head spinning and almost too quick, her body dropped to the ground, her strength sipped away in ways that left Anna shock-stricken.

“What...What did you do?” Anna mustered up the last breath in her, using it to ask that particular question and that’s when she heard heavy footsteps approaching her direction.

Her vision turned blurry and all she saw was a pair of black boots walking past her. Freya’s cell door was opened by the owner of the black boots she was seeing.

Who could this be?

“Good job Freya, you did well.” The voice praising her was deep and dark, reminding her of the viscous hiss of a serpent and her heavy eyes appeared shocked.

That voice, it sounded familiar, too familiar rather and it sent her blood stirring like the sound of a trumpet.

Who is this? How was Freya able to use her powers?

She tried to see things clearly but her vision was too blurry, her eyelids grew heavier and her body felt weak, signifying she was about to pass out soon. What did Freya blow to her face??

“What did you_” she tried speaking again, only to feel the owner of those boots crouch before her body, tilting her head up with his clawed fingers.

Claws?!!

“We have unfinished business, miss Anna.” The cold voice said to her, and Anna forced her limbs to move as she pushed herself away from the man’s cold touch.

She instinctively moved backwards, trying her best to keep a distance between her and whoever was standing before her in a black cloak that hid his face.

Roshan said to call his name if she ended up in trouble, should she call his name? How can he possibly hear from here??

“Who will save you this time?” The man teased as he advanced forward like an evil predator. His clawed nails were out and Anna didn’t want to imagine what he planned on doing to her with those eagle-like claws of his.

She gave up moving and remained where she was, watching through her hazy vision as the pair of black boots were gaining in on her. She finally used the last energy in her and whispered his name.

“Roshan.” It was barely audible, even she herself couldn’t make out what she said, but it held a desperate calling and as his claws reached to strike her, Anna looked away and instead of feeling her skin being painfully scraped by those claws, a loud clang was heard, as though someone just blocked the hit with something metallic.