The ethereal morning light hadn't yet reached the palace windows. Everything was silent. Alia was fast asleep on the massive royal bed. Her face held none of the CIA agent's sternness only an otherworldly beauty.
At that moment, Victor entered the room. In his hand was a small velvet box, but inside was no ordinary jewelry it was a strange and mysterious gift from him.
Suddenly, a black owl with piercing blue eyes landed on the window sill. It looked like an ancient guardian of the palace, watching Alia's every move.
Victor sat beside Alia with extreme care. He pulled out a special skin-ink and a very delicate black snake sticker. It wasn't an ordinary sticker; once applied, it looked exactly like a real tattoo.
With a gentle touch, Victor placed the black snake sticker right on Alia's beauty bone (clavicle). The snake was coiled in a way that looked like it was guarding her beauty. Alia stirred slightly at the cool sensation, but her exhaustion kept her asleep.
Then, Victor added a bird's wing design just below her famous Phoenix tattoo. It looked as if the Phoenix was now ready to take flight with even grander wings.
Victor kissed Alia's forehead and whispered:
"The snake is the symbol of wisdom and secrecy, and these wings are your freedom. My Queen is now fully complete."
The blue-eyed black owl flapped its wings once, as if echoing Victor's words. Alia smiled in her sleep. She didn't know that new symbols of power had been etched onto her body, which would surely shock Dimitri and the others in the morning.Just before dawn, Victor brought his final surprise. He didn't stop at the stickers; he brought his rare white snake from the garden. The snake was as terrifying as it was beautiful—its body was pure white like silk, with burning red eyes that looked like glowing rubies.
Victor carefully released the snake beside Alia on the bed. It slowly slithered onto her chest, coiling right below her clavicle (beauty bone). The contrast between the snake's white scales and Alia's skin was striking.
Victor then looked at her Phoenix tattoo. He smiled with satisfaction at the bird's wings he had drawn. With these new wings added to the Phoenix, Alia now looked ready to rule not just the earth, but the entire sky.
At that moment, the blue-eyed black owl hooted from the window. The sound nudged Alia out of her sleep. Opening her eyes, she saw the red-eyed white snake watching her calmly.
Alia didn't flinch. In the CIA, she had learned both to fight and befriend wild creatures. She gently stroked the snake's head. Seeing Victor standing there, she smiled playfully:
"A white snake and a blue-eyed owl... Victor, are you trying to turn me into a mythical witch today? Or does this white snake carry a new kind of poison for Dimitri?"
Victor sat beside her and pulled her close:
"This white snake is 'Silent Death.' No one dares touch the person who carries it. And those new wings... they are to remind Dimitri that you have reached a height far beyond his grasp."
Alia stood before the mirror. With the black snake sticker on her neck, the new wings on her chest, and the living white snake coiled around her—she no longer looked human. She looked like a mystical goddess, ready to face Dimitri in his office with a new kind of terror.In the secluded room of the palace, a primal tension filled the air. Victor locked eyes with Alia, grabbed both her legs, and pulled her toward him with a powerful jerk. The white snake on Alia's body hissed in annoyance, but even it seemed to submit to Victor's dominance.
As they united in an intense moment of passion, a long, breathless sound escaped Alia's lips "Ahhh, Victor..." Every second of their union was as fierce as it was powerful.
The red-eyed white snake sat coiled at the corner of the bed, watching them intently like a royal witness. Meanwhile, the blue-eyed black owl on the window sill didn't look away for a single moment. Its blue glow intensified in the darkness, as if these two mystical creatures were guarding the ultimate union of Alia and Victor.
Alia's Phoenix tattoo and those newly drawn wings glistened with beads of sweat. Victor leaned into her ear, his breath heavy and hot:
"From today, you are not just my queen; you are the driving force of this empire. The strength of our union will be the very thing that destroys Dimitri."
Alia pulled Victor even closer. Outside, it was still dark, but inside this room, a new history was being born. Dimitri had no idea that while he was busy weaving conspiracies, Victor and Alia were transforming themselves into an inseparable force.At the height of their passion, the red-eyed white snake began to behave strangely. It no longer remained coiled at the corner of the bed.
The snake slowly slithered over Alia's abdomen, feeling the warmth of their intertwined, sweating bodies. As its cold scales touched Alia's heated skin, she shuddered again with a soft moan. The snake raised its hood right between them, acting as a guardian of their combined power.
Its red eyes glowed like burning embers in the dark. It looked toward the wall facing Dimitri's room and hissed sharply, as if sensing a traitorous move.
At that exact moment, the blue-eyed owl flapped its wings, flew into the room, and perched on the royal headboard above them. The presence of the owl and the snake created an ancient, mystical aura around the couple.
Victor whispered into Alia's ear:
"Do you see, Alia? The snake has accepted our bond. It is now a part of you. Tomorrow, when you stand before Dimitri, this snake will be draped around you like a necklace. To Dimitri, it won't just be a pet; it will be his messenger of death."
Alia stroked the snake's head. It calmed down and curled perfectly beneath her clavicle (beauty bone). Her eyes now held a mix of profound satisfaction and a lethal edge. She realized that Victor's 'union' and these 'gifts' had transformed her from an ordinary human into a supernatural force.was afternoon, and the sunlight slanted across the marble floor of the royal bathroom. Victor stood before the mirror after his shower, water droplets glistening on his muscular frame.
As he stood there, his own secrets were revealed. Right below his clavicle, etched across his chest, was a massive black owl tattoo. Its wings were spread wide, as if guarding his heart. Most strikingly, the eyes of the tattoo were a piercing blue, identical to the living owl on the window sill.
On his back, another gigantic wing was tattooed, mirroring the design Victor had drawn on Alia earlier. It was as if when they stood together, their wings completed an invincible force.
As Victor dried his hair, Alia approached from behind and wrapped her arms around him tightly. Her damp hair and the cool sensation of her skin pressed against his back. She leaned in and placed a soft kiss right on the tattoo of the massive wing on his back.
Alia whispered:
"I didn't know the blue-eyed owl was hidden in your chest too. Were these marks destined, Victor? Were we born to be each other's hunters and protectors?"
Victor placed his hands over hers and looked at her reflection in the mirror. The black snake on Alia's neck and the blue-eyed owl on Victor's chest created a terrifyingly beautiful sight together.
Victor said:
"The owl is the king of the dark, and the phoenix is the queen of fire. When we face Dimitri this afternoon, he will realize he isn't trapped with humans, but with the two deadliest predators on earth."
Alia released a breath against his neck and said, "Let's go. Dimitri probably thinks I'm scared after yesterday. It's time to show him our true form."The lunch table was like the mouth of a quiet volcano. In the palace's grand dining hall, Victor's father the Godfather ate with deliberate, regal calm. Beside him sat Victor, Alia, and the rest of the family. Dimitri was there too, but he was visibly on edge.
Alia wore her crimson-red high-slit dress. As Victor sat beside her, Dimitri's eyes kept darting toward the white snake coiled below her clavicle. To him, the snake looked terrifyingly alive, ready to strike at any second.
Victor's father suddenly stopped eating, took a sip from his glass, and said:
"There is a strange silence at the table today. Victor, you are unusually calm. And Alia... that new 'ornament' (pointing to the snake) is truly regal. I have rarely seen such fire in the women of our lineage."
Alia gave a mysterious smirk and replied:
"Father, some creatures don't make noise; they just strike. I wanted Dimitri to understand that the snake sitting beside him isn't just for show it's a witness to his actions."
Dimitri choked on his food, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. He noticed the wing of the blue -eyed Black owl peeking out from under Victor's shirt collar. It felt as if the owl and the snake were conspiring to tear him apart alive.
Victor took a bite of meat, looked Dimitri straight in the eye, and said coolly:
"Dimitri, come to my office after lunch. Alia and I have a special file to discuss. I hope you remember all your passwords."
Dimitri stammered, "Yes... brother. I'll be there."
A heavy silence hung over the hall. Victor's father smiled faintly; he knew the legacy was in the right hands. Alia placed her spoon on the plate with a soft 'clink' that sounded like a cannon shot in Dimitri's ears.