"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
"If we were to kill you, Lady Zezi and that is if," Delice said calmly, emphasizing the massive impossibility of that. With the mark of the King that she now carried, it would be easier for him to sense if she was in any kind of danger way faster than before. "Do you really think your death would kill the King or make him sink into eternal depression? His Majesty would be out for blood. His grief will not be a quiet one." Her voice trembled and the look in her eyes showed that she remembered something that she didn't want to. Maybe it had to do with the war during the Dark Times. Valerick had fought his father to end it, they must have seen him at his most feral state during the battle.With the way her face looked extra pale and the way she gulped down the rest of the blood in the goblet, Zezi was sure that would be something she didn't want to experience."Also, you might not know this but I do not want to lose my friend. I will have no one to visit my son's grave with if you are
Zezi had left Lady Delice's room with a contrary plan in mind though. The more she walked towards her room, the more doubt set in, and grew deep roots into her thinking.What if the King doesn't die?The White Circle was so sure about their mission, they were not seeing the other possiblity.They all seemed so sure that the poison would kill him but what if it doesn't?Valerick's strenght was one that couldn't be rivalled with and for someone that had seized so many souls, how sure were they that they could easily take him down by having him ingest the content of a bottle. Up till this morning, nothing out of his action has suggested that he had been affected by that vile liquid in anyway. So, what if it had no effect on him and he discovers her betrayal along the way and takes it out on her people, like he had done to her family before.He would punish her too, that was if she would make it out alive.Or not. She wasn't sure.Ah, by the moon!She had to be selfless. She had a dau
Valerick must have felt her shock, his eyes widened slightly, and his hold around her tightened. "Is everything okay?"Zezi blinked, her hands falling from his waist.Damn whatever spark that was spiraling under her skin, couldn't it get the message that she was in trouble right now?"I just don't like the fact that you are always in my business." She grumbled, trying to block the bond from her end while trying to find lies to cover this up. It wasn't easy, at all. Fated mate and its perks.Ah!"What?""We will go through it together then. Let him in, let's read it together and we will find out the big secret that I am hiding. Since I already told you that I'm fine but you won't just take your Mate's word for it." Zezi said in a whisper, trying as much as possible to ensure that Iriysi would not hear them.That was a useless thing though, if Iriysi was a pure-blood like her brother and an old vampire too, her hearing would be very good. Her gaze flew across the study where Irysi w