MY DARLING DAREDEVIL

Trusting Russel

Breakfast was already laid out perfectly and ceremoniously on the large dining table like it was a banquet once more. Damon had not given the order even when the maids made such extravagant meals the previous night. They had all worked for Damon to know he had very few visitors, except for his parents and grandfather and when ever they do come, they all have the grandest meal. Seeing as he was getting more involved with the red hair, they just knew what to do to please their master. She had not eaten the previous night, but they knew that she was at the house, and had made just another grand breakfast just to please Damon and the red hair.

Aziza sighed in sweet relief when she perceived a different aroma of delicacies that she could hardly take into her stomach. They were simply too much and she had wondered if Damon was expecting a visitor. Walking arrogantly and straight for the dinning, she ignored the eyes that paired at her nervously, and also the hostile gaze of Damon who was coming behind her. Her eyes went to the table and just as she thought, truly, they had been expecting a visitor. Or so she thought. The food that had been laid out on the table was simply too much for just two people to have. And even if there were more, there were still going to be left overs, a lot of them. Still, she had no time to ponder on that when her mouth was already salivating and her stomach was growling in hunger. She picked a seat and sat down and picked up her cutlery. Then she stared at the table again and wondered what to choose from, seeing as there were banana pancakes, maple nuts and seed muffins, maple pancakes, oatmeal and a lot more that her eyes could not feast on considering how hungry she was getting. She got up, deciding to just have anything. It was just food and she only just had to fill her stomach. The maids stared at her, wanting to help somehow yet not wanting to. She was their guest and should be treated as one, but her ever so fearsome reputation kept them far. They were so scared of angering her, for just Damon, their boss, she was not one to be reckoned with. Strangely, they were so similar, only Damon could be patient when he wanted to be and went around doing things in a formally and orderly manner. While Aziza was an impatient and disoriented person. For example, when the case of the nineteen men who were killed had been sorted out by the media and law enforcement. They all came after Damon, and though he did nothing wrong, he willingly adhered to the law when he had a lot of power and right to refute. His connections were deep rooted yet he did not make use of them and was patient and comported in his time of dilemma. That didn’t mean that he was weak of course. For a quiet, cold and distant man just as himself, he had a way of shielding his weakness and was only so free with his family and the exception of Aziza. But he did not spill unnecessary blood or go on a raging spree, he remained patient and waited till he thought that there was a need to. But if the red hair had been in his position, the media, reporters, law enforcement agents and a lot more would have been dead already. No one would have touched her and she would never have stoop or remained quiet like Damon. That was a big difference between them both, but a greater similarity. While they handled their matters and temperament differently, do not piss them off.

Aziza decided to have the maple blueberry muffins and sat down, then she turned to one of the maids who constantly stared at her with fear, yet was so curious that she could not look away. She was a young brunette, younger than the other maids she had seen so far with sharp hawk-like eyes and thin lips. She had the perfect jawline and looked rather sharp, bold and witted. Fearless and troublesome. The moment Aziza turned her gaze to her, the brunette looked away sharply, scared that she had angered her. But the red hair smiled wickedly instead. She loved how scared they all were of her, she liked the way she made the room tense up and wondered what her true enemies would think of her when they finally met.

“Get me a cup of black coffee,” she ordered, just at the same time Damon found his way to the head seat and sat down. The brunette gave her a nod and zoomed off. His eyes still had anger in them and they still remained on her.

“Did you sleep properly?” she asked, not liking the way he stared at her.

“Well,” he finally looked away and his maids instantly came to him, ready to yield to whatever he would desire.

“No,” he replied honestly. Russel’s words had dug deeper into his heart than he would have initially wanted and it had made him really wary and angry.

“My apologies then,” she stated and turned to her breakfast.

“My sudden trauma must have caused you a lot of discomfort,” she added and did her best to change the topic from what she knew he wanted them to discuss. He drew his brows together at her, remembering about her ordeal the previous night and for a second there, pushing away the question that plagued his mind.

“What happened to you last night?” he asked and turned to the dish he had been given. Whole grain maple pancake with a cup of latte already by his side.

“Just a thing that happens every now and then,” she replied and he frowned.

“You go through that now and then?”

“Yes. Since I started feeling my powers. Russel helped me subdue the pain from what it was like.”

“But you still felt it yesterday,” he groaned. The idea of seeing her the way he had seen her last night every now and then suddenly made him angry. She had been in so much pain, and it was even more painful that he could not help. Now, knowing that such pain was constant in her life suddenly made him feel miserable and useless.

“Russel’s potion does not make the pain go away or disappear. The first time I had felt it, I thought I was burning in hell, I thought my heart was being ripped out from my chest, I thought my brain was being punctured. I thought my eyes were being gauzed out from my socket and I thought I could not breath.” she paused, remembering the faithful day she thought that she would truly die.

“I spent hours, dying and coming back again to relieve the same torment till it stopped on its own. We thought it was over, and never going to repeat itself again, but it returned, this time far worse than before, then it stopped. Months after it returned and again, another month, then more months till I could not take it anymore. So, Russel had done his magic on me, he had paired into my mind and body and made a potion. The potion is supposed to only be taken once in a few months, to subdue the pain. It did return whenever it felt like it, but the pain was lesser than that of the previous. So, I started taking it, like a proper medication. The only problem is, it feels like my body had become immune to the potion, it became less potent and the torments came faster than before.” she explained. The brunette returned with her coffee and she took it, then had a sip of it before she stole a glance at Damon. He was eating of course, but his eyes were on her, strangely.

“What is it?” she asked again. He shook his head at her and took a sip of his latte before he turned back to her.

“Nothing,” he lied even when his urge to protect her and another to be so angry at her were all inside of him.

“I will be fine from now on. Russel would give me more potions and you would not be in harm's way just like you were last night.” she forced a smile and turned to her food.

“By the way, where is Russel?” she suddenly asked. He had been there the previous night, and had certainly given her the potion. But seeing that she was undisposed, he should have stayed behind to watch Damon.

“I left him here, and haven’t found him since then,” he replied grumpily. The old man was a headache and he would be better off away where he would not think about killing him.

“Great,” she said between gritted teeth. Imagining that something had gone wrong the previous night simply because she was not indisposed and her uncle had fled, leaving her vulnerable. Damon stole a glance at her, because of the tone she had used and saw the look on her face.

“Is the food not good enough?” he asked.

“Russel had left you and I vulnerable last night. Even when he knows how important this is to me,” she answered, suddenly feeling very angry that she dropped her cutlery and pushed her plate aside.

“How important is this to you?” he asked, finding it very suspicious, yet soothing to know that her task to keep him safe was important to her.

“If I don’t succeed, I might die,” came her quick response as she got up from her seat, pushed it away and turned to the door. Damon got up as well, seeing that she was heading to the door.

“Where are you going?”

“I need a shower, and a good talk with my uncle.” She answered, halfway to the door.

“You can talk to him later,” he responded. He wanted her to remain close to him.

“I need to be fit, Damon. No one would look after you, if I’m not,”

“So where are you going?” he yelled.

“My uncle, I need more of those potions. Probably daily, so I would never end up in such a miserable and vulnerable position again.” She answered with confidence believing that Russel had her best interest at heart and would forever be her support. If only she knew how different their perspective had become in a few nights. At the same time, she wondered what her new powers were.