Zezi could barely stand the nest morning, and when Gwen had busted in, bringing her food and wondering why her Mistress was so weak, she couldn't say anything.Embarrassment had rushed through her when she threw in a wide guess that she had spent the night with the King, saying she caught a whiff of an aura that was powerful than her. Surprisingly, Gwen had not pushed the matter or ask for details. Not like she had ever done that before but Gwen sometimes acted like an excited teenager and it wasn't far-fetched that she could do something like that.All in all, Zezi really appreciated less talking, her mind moved over how Lady Delice had brought her back here very early in the morning, saying that if she were to pass the night in her room while her room was perfectly fine, it might spike the King's interest. The least of the things they needed right now was for the King to be interested in whatever form of action they took. He was already hot on his trials of the dens, to the point
The King hadn't dropped by yesterday, Zezi was very grateful about that. He was indeed giving her space.Gwen had been right. She had looked like she was dying, because after she was done reading to her the story of Mr Meat and Mr Blood Meat, she needed to use the bathroom and had caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. Needless to say, the sight was horrifying. Today though, she felt so much better. Looked so much better too.Lady Delice had been right. Feeling as good as she felt, without any further delay, Zezi started putting her plan into motion.Zezi had, had the time to think overnight, while she laid in bed like a weak vegetable and Gwen had sat down on the dressing chair, staring at her from across the room, refusing to go home and retire for the day. "What if something happens to you while I am not here to help."When Zezi had persisted, Gwen had thrown in a threat. "Should I just tell the King so that he might stay with you?"That had done it. They stayed in sil
Zezi wanted to speak but her words vanished when she realized that her her nails that were raised to his collars were turning into claws.She wasn't trying to shift. What was going----Oh. It was werewolf's nature to show their wolves to their mate, almost immediately after they had found themselves, but since Zezi had been so against it at the beginning, the instinctive move had been so suppressed, until now. "Will you like to meet my wolf?" Her voice sounded more like growl.Valerick's smile broadened and his eyes glimmered with plain excitement. Was this really happening?He had made a lot of research about werewolves after finding out Zezi was his mate and he knew how significant this was. He barely agreed before her cloth had turn into shreds, he could hear every crack as fast as it came, every pop and replacement as quickly as it happened, before he knew it, his mate's human form had completely disappearedAll that stood in front of him was a silver wolf, with blue eyes. Sh
"You passed out."The first three words she heard after she opened her eyes. Valerick was sitting by her side and staring down at her like she was a piece of art that was threatening to crumble at any second. She sighed turning away to get some sleep. What was he doing in her room? Why was he waking her up?The aura that pushed itself into her lungs as she moved within the sheets, made her body tingle, worry rushed into her and consumed her mind but she was not worried, why was she feeling---She shot up from bed, holding the sheets to her body as the memory of yesterday rushed through her mind. Her heart thundered and she fixed Valerick a scrutinizing gaze, one that zeroed in quickly on his neck to confirm if her memory was real or it had been tampered it. She gulped when she caught the sight of the mark that he was making no attempt to hide, and her inside recoiled in the realization that for the first time, her wolf had made a big step that she hadn't consented to. Her wolf had
Play it cool.She had to play it cool or he would discover that something was wrong. "I had the physician check on you? You can't blame me for that, Zezi. You passed out right after getting my mark. I was worried. That wasn't supposed to happen and it did. We were supposed to complete the bonding process and I wasn't---" his voice quivered slightly, and she felt the fear rushed through her, crossing through her veins like that was where it was supposed to be, before it was shut down immediately. He was trying to hide his emotions from her, that gave her conflicting feelings.Although she was sure about the fact that it had been overwhelming. She had gotten a taste of how it felt to share a bond with him before, some months ago when he had fed her his blood but this was different. This was stronger and deeper than anything she had ever felt. The gap in-between them felt like it had been bridged, and there was no way to describe their emotional connection at this point. It all felt
Valerick was right. There was no use switching around and moving to her room, the main reason she had wanted to go would still follow her there.Him. He might even be waiting for her in the room by the time she would get there. It wouldn't be surprising to see that he had already settled in too. The King loved a challenge and she would be damned if she gave him something to be excited about him right now. Her mind was too jumbled up with the feelings that were taking turns with her heart, some were not even patient enough to wait for the other and they overwhelmed her. Her fist around his shirt tightened when she realized that her back had been pressed against the wall, there was a boyish grin on his face and his voice was low when he spoke. "I like your messy morning hair."She let go of him instinctively, trying to use her fingers to comb her hair, then he took a step back, his gaze zeroing in on his mark on her neck. "We have a lot to talk about." His voice was oddly firm, a
She should have raced after him, having only his shirt on as she was, but that would have led to only more problems for her, his suspicions would increase and there would be no excuse that she would be able to give, that would stop him from finding out what it was that she was desperately hiding from him. So she didn't follow him, instead, she tried to get ready as quickly as possible and look for Lady Delice. She needed to tell her everything, perhaps she would find a way around it. She was, after all, the Royal Adviser, she should be able to put that super vampire brain of hers to some use. Going after Lady Delice wasn't easy, and stepping out of the room was where the difficulty lay. Zezi had completely forgotten that Valerick said he would send her someone to help and keep her company.Gwen didn't hide her excitement when she saw the mark, neither did she try to restrain herself from talking about how the association she had created would be over the moon with the news, how sh
Before Delice saw the mark, she had already caught on to the scent since Lady Zezi came into the hallway and her head hug slightly in submission. An action she had done instinctively.Her gaze shifted when Zezi grabbed her hand with urgency, and ushered them into her room that she had just been coming out from. "He knows I am weak. He told the Physician to look at me while I was passed out. He will find out everything. Tell me you have a solution."The words poured out of her mouth the moment they were in Lady Delice's room."You bare his mark." She sounded like she was in a daze, her hand reaching up slowly to the bite marks that had more significance in them than meets the eyes. Once upon a time, she had wanted those to design her neck.Although, for a while now, she had been able to convince herself that she didn't want that anymore, but that surge that she had always felt stirred through her again, and although she fought hard to suppress it, jealousy tasted bitter on her tongu
Regret threatened to overcome her but this was not the time to think of her past actions and question herself as to why she had made those decisions without thinking properly. Every second was important and she would not waste of by dwelling on the past. If her assumption about the White Circle was right, Zezi knew she would need the help of everyone she could get, and to test Lord Rosil, she had asked her if she really didn't want her head for killing her son."I totally understand if you do. What kind of mother wouldn't want the head of her son's murderer?"Well, it seemed like she had hit a nerve because, after that, Lord Rosil had plenty to say. "The kind her son wanted to murder. That silly boy thought draining my blood would give him magic, then gave his sister a hard time because she had orchestrated my escape. Sometimes, it had felt like he was two vampires, stuck in one body. He has one that played the role of a Governor perfectly, and the other that displays just how much
"It is different." Zezi finally declared and Lord Rosil frowned, taking a step closer to her. "Are there any other bonds you know of that could be mistaken as a matebond?""No... This..."Zezi shook her head. This wasn't the time to get overwhelmed by sadness or Lord Rosil's stuttering answer. This was the time to get her head straight and think probably.Lord Rosil snapped her fingers like she had just gotten a groundbreaking idea."Well, of course, it is different! Both of you are different." Her green eyes glinted with excitement at her coming explanation and for that brief moment, Zezi remembered Gwen and missed her. "The King is a Soul Seizer and you, are his mate."Zezi nodded, waiting for more, there just had to be more. "And?""Your Majesty, the King had to make a really big sacrifice to kill his father." Everything somehow felt a little quieter to Zezi, and all her focus zeroed in on Lord Rosil as she approached her. "Only self-sacrifice could kill him and he made that. He s
Had Akeem also been taken by the Volakys?That was what Zezi started to worry about when she still hadn't gotten a message back or seen Akeem and it was already some minutes past midnight. She had also gone to the library to check on him, but as expected, his seat was empty. The library had looked untouched by the chaos going on the the castle, it felt peaceful and Zezi lingered around longer, hoping to walk into Valerick.He had said his mother loved the library, and she thought that he was probably here to find peace in that knowledge.But no, Valerick wasn't here either. With a long and heavy sigh, Zezi stood up. She should probably ask Delice if she had seen Akeem, it was good to confirm everything before jumping to conclusions. She wouldn't want to report anything and arouse suspicion regarding her relationship with the librarian, if things turn out differently. Zezi didn't want more walls thrown between her and Valerick, they already had so many problems to deal with at the m
Zezi's heart was pounding with regret as she ran up the stairs of the castle at an unfathomable speed.Why had she left to watch the execution in the first? She should have never left. She should have never convinced herself that she needed to be at the Execution for all the reasons she had thought it was important before. Right now, they all felt very useless.George and Aunt Alice had stayed behind to be with Mira. Not like they would have been allowed to watch the execution, not like they wanted to either. Gwen had stayed too.Oh, by the Moon, Zezi hoped they were all okay. She screeched to a stop right in front of her daughter's door, flinging it open as fast as she could. Her eyes combed the room and horror seeped through her veins at what she found... or rather what she didn't. Mira's bed was empty. George and Aunt Alice were nowhere to be found, along with Gwen who was...Wait!George and Aunt Alice were on the floor, unconscious. Zezi ran to them, accessing the situation
Valerick looked unmoved and it was hard for Zezi to figure out what he was feeling through the bond. His side of it was still blocked.This was frustrating!She was sitting right by his side but it seemed like a whole wall had been thrown between them. Her attention moved to the Princess, who sat upright, her gaze unmoving from Riza as she clocked her claws together. Zezi wondered if she had poison beneath them, and mentally noted to herself not to get too close to Laura no matter what. She couldn't be trusted right now. But then, when was she ever worthy of trust? They were all unworthy.From the other corner of Zezi's eyes, she watched Lady Delice's reaction. The Royal Advisor kept a calm demeanour but something about hers and Laura's aura were off.From what Zezi could deduce, they were scared that Riza was going to talk about the White Circle.That made Zezi curious. What about the oath she had made before joining the White Circle to keep their business secret? Everyone had
After that, Zezi had gone to see Delice. She didn't even have to share her suspicion, the Royal Advisor had beat her to it."Just be vigilant," Lady Delice had said, as they hurried away from the den, and up the stairs. "I think there is more to this than we know, I will ask Laura soon." Leaving Lady Delice, she had ran into Akeem, whose path she had blocked. His eyes which were originally filled with worry turned into those of attack but she refused to move. Instead, she pulled him aside into the Hall of Statues. So much was going on in the Castle lately, their presence here would most likely go unnoticed. "She turned you, didn't she?" Zezi said the moment the door was shut behind her. "But something had been different in the process. That is why you are different."Hope lit in Zezi's heart. Maybe she would be able to get what her daughter was before the tests would be conducted.Maybe her daughter was just like Akeem. Akeem's face shadowed with secrecy. "I don't know what you a
"I don't have it. I gave it away.""To whom?"Her eyes found his, it had only been for a moment before she looked back at the King, pleading."Please, he didn't do it. He didn't mean it--""Who did you give it to?""Oliver. I gave it to Oli, my mate.""It was a gift of trust." Oliver stood up from the chair, his eyes twinkling with the glint of the ever-present humor. "I didn't even use it. I didn't do this, I didn't do anything. Tell them, Laura!" He ended with a smile. Rage blazed in her eyes, seamlessly mixing with helplessness. It was such a sight. Beautiful."You did it."His smile dwindled."I know you did it and that is why things haven't been the same between us.""Things haven't been the same between us because I spent a night with Riza."Gasps filled the court at the implied reference to cheating. It was a scandalous thing and very distasteful thing to happen between mates, fated or chosen. It was an act deserving of punishment.How hypocritical these vampires were, Zez
"What gives you the audacity to put a royal Pureblood in these filthy chains?!" The Princess's voice rang through the hall, bouncing off the walls, her glare directed to the guard that had just dragged her in and pushed her into the Accused box.Raising her head, she accessed her surroundings, a formation that seemed so high, that it made her feel like she was in a pit, with iron railings camping her. On the high chairs on her left side, different Lords were seated, while on her right, the Governors along with her sweet Delice, Oli. Behind her were the people.Wait!Next to her brother was that fur bastard whose existence was an absolute irritation. This was the Royal Court of Lavida, what an absolute disgrace it was to be in this box. Laura felt repulsed by everything. "You stand in the presence of the King and Queen of Lavida, Royal Adviser, Governors, Lords, and the people, to speak in your defence against the accusations that you are the one behind the Volakys attack!" That br
Valerick was nowhere to be found and even though she didn't want to, Zezi started to panic.Until, she had met Nicholas who told her that the King had to attend to other pressing issues that had more priority than "chit-chatting" with her. When she asked about Mira's health, he tried his best to seem reassuring but Zezi could see straight through his lie.Dr. Nicholas didn't know if her daughter would ever wake up. It was strange. If she really was a vampire, then why was she at the risk of dying without the Volakys venom ever being in her veins in the first place?This just didn't make any sense. "She has been starved for too long. Years! I don't even know how she had survived this long. My guess is that she is some kind of hybrid and that other part has been the one keeping her alive, and the overworking has been killing that part of her. That is why she is always sick. It will be a medical breakthrough to get to the root of this."He had declared in absolute excitement."My daug