It was as if Belladonna could see Lady Kestra in a different light.Everything she would have ignored before, she observed. She observed how Lady Kestra walked, every uncertain step she took, observed her so much that she had once caught her absentmindedly almost freezing up a goblet when she drank from it. Her body must be fighting to accommodate all that power. Keres and the child's.Anger filled Belladonna up, not because of how Eli rushed around Kestra, his guilt making him want to do everything to please her, nor the fact that he had carried her in his arms and taken her to her room, settling her in bed as the poor witch held back her tears, but because she now knew who she really was and what she did. Belladonna's hands twitched with the need to strangle her, take her breath away from her forever. She must have killed that child. Belladonna just knew it. Many royal physicians had come to her room, checking her eyes and coming back with the same sad news."We will try our b
"What are you doing?"Eli couldn't help but ask. Although he would always be one to entertain her ambushes and enjoy them, this just didn't feel like the time. She moved on to the next button wordlessly and he held her wrist. Her actions had been somewhat off tonight, he believed that was because of the state she had seen Kestra arrive in.It was enough to put anyone in shock. He had never seen Kestra be badly attacked enough to lose her sight. She had always been capable to handle herself and to know that the threat against his Donna was that strong to put the most powerful witch he knew in such misery, made him worried sick, and agitated. He believed that had been the same state his Donna was in, but now that she was on her knees, unbuttoning his shirt, something just didn't feel right about her actions. What was she doing?She claimed that he needed a massage, he had told her this wasn't the time for anything touchy but she had gotten him to strip nevertheless and found out w
The news of the attack on Inaymi had reached the Castle at daybreak, unleashing a busy day in its wake.Eli was busy, flooded with reports from different villages and speaking to the General on the next dispatch. Many villages had been attacked recently. The news put him on edge. This White Aura attacker was the only suspect he had in mind, Kestra had aided his belief in that suspicion too, and it was scary to know that the Witch moved so powerfully... and quickly.How could he not have known about the attackers until now, after a lot of damage had already been done?From the reports, this wasn't the first time something like this was happening.The Village Heads must have thought it was something they could deal with until they realized their attacker was going around fast, causing massive damage, and finally decided that the matter was something the King had to be involved with.If only they had told him about this earlier, he would have done something about it immediately, many
"It's been a busy day." She said, standing up and pulling the book along with her. He hummed, his feet carrying him to her with an aura that felt like hesitation on the first couple of steps before it faded away completely and he pulled off his mask, a tired smile on his face. His lips grazed slightly against her forehead with a gentle kiss, that lasted for only a second because she was pulling away as fast as possible, stumbling away from him so she would be able to get to the door without any obstacle, go to her study and continue her mission already.There was just so much to read and so little time, so many places that the book listed. She could only visit one place per night with Alaris' magic, so she would be needing a lot of coins to travel and make the best use of each night. "The report reaching me is that there have been no attacks since the soldiers got to their locations." Eli's voice snapped her out of her train of thought. "There are still no traces of the witch eithe
The light in the bathroom was really dim but it was enough for her to see everything that she needed to see.Eli was in the bathtub, his head downcast as the glow of the candlelight glowed on the visible upper part of his naked body.She took a couple of steps closer and heaved a sigh of relief when she realized that he was alone. Why would she think that of him? She needed to work more on trusting him. By Ignas, why had that thought even cross her mind?That he would cheat on her?Never. The sound of water trickling as he moved slightly in the water made it to her ears, and she felt the need to suddenly turn around and leave. They've never had a bath together, he was either helping her clean after sex or something else, even that had been for quite a while, so even though they had been intimate a number of times, this felt like she was invading something private. "I wanted to see if you were okay."She wished. She wished that had been it and not some other thoughts she shouldn'
Repulsed?Where was that even coming from?"I don't understand." She said as she turned around. He had that look he had in the bathroom again, broken and overwhelmed. What was this?"What can I do, so that you can stop being repulsed by me.""I'm not---" she dropped to her knees, cleaning the bloodstains around his nose, the meaning they held dragging a dagger through her heart and making her hatred for Kestra grow stronger and stronger. A frown pulled over her face, the hatred bitter on her tongue. "I'm not repulsed by you. I love you, Eli."The frown on her face wasn't really convincing to him, the fact that her focus was on his nose that had bled a while ago, made him feel even worse."I want you to want me again, want me as you used to before I told you all about," he closed his eyes, gritting his teeth as if his next words were too heavy to be spoken. "My curse with Kestra. I haven't been her ever since I met you, I swear on Ignas."Belladonna was stunned. So, that was it?Tha
Belladonna's gown slipped off her body with ease, her gaze fixed on Eli who was leaning on an elbow so he could look at her. Eli was the one always initiating their intimate moment, he always took the lead too, so right now, she was just doing whatever her lust-driven brain was telling her to do. She moved to him, climbing up the bed and over him, her face hovering above his. She could still see the doubt somewhere in his eyes, she wanted it to become non-existent. Right now the thoughts of Alaris and her mission were far away. So far away. The body pressed against hers with warmth was all she could think about, the person under her was all her mind could think of. "Donn---" she didn't let him finish that, her lips sealed against his, consumed his in the best way she knew how to. She moved against him, the curves of her body melting against his own, his length pressed against her in a way that caused her to wriggle. She pulled away from him, pressing her hands against his che
Belladonna couldn't remember how many rounds they went, they had both been greedy and now she was sore and tired, but the Blood Moon was approaching, her life was on the line and so were the lives of many others. The faster she could kill Kestra, the safer it would be for her. It would be bad if that so-called Nahiri got to her before she could take out the obstacle the Nahiri wanted to defeat. She would give anything to just lay here in bed with Eli, but even as she was looking at him like this, she was reminded of his dying state. His scales looked drained of color, black circles around his eyes, and he looked lean.Eli was sick. Her eyes welled up with tears. He didn't tell her but she knew being with her had not helped his health. He most likely thought it was because their aura didn't match but Belladonna was certain it was that wicked Kestra of a witch. She wanted to tell him, but if he was carrying a whole Alterer without his knowledge of the effect it had on his people, B
Her stomach rumbled, but it was quiet, and for the sake of her dignity, she hoped that he hadn't heard it. “You don't need the sun, you need food; I know a place.”“Get out of my sun.”“I’ll take you there.” Quickly she was on her feet, his arm along her waist to keep her stable. “Are you even listening or are you just deliberately ignoring me?”“Deliberately ignoring you.” “What? I expect the elderly to behave with more sense,” she jabbed, annoyed with his interference. “There are no elderly here.”In a flash, he is with Arlo. Then before she could tell, they were before a table that must have been prepared for them only moments ago. She was dizzy from the speed but the lovely aroma in the air could not be mistaken; there was food here. She felt Ikrus push her into a chair and she took her seat, blinking to regain her stability and clear vision. When she finally did, she looked around. They were in a kind of glass room with flowers on the ceiling. The table before her was smal
She cleared her throat, changing the topic. “Is my age a problem for you, Ikrus?”He sucked in a deep breath, looking away, still thinking about why he had brought her and Arlo here - still trying to figure out his thoughts. “No. I was merely surprised, that is all.” “I’m not bothered either.” She leaned closer to him, a hair’s breadth between them, catching him off guard with her action. “Don’t worry,” she skimmed her fingers over his hair and he stilled, forcing himself not to move as more of her fragrance consumed his air. “I have always fancied old men.”What?!Old men?!Old men where?!“I’m not old,” he said, clearly offended. “You are thirty-two,” she said as she lay down and closed her eyes. “Exactly. I am not old.”She felt his shadow over her and she sighed, wanting the warmth of the sun on her skin once again. “You are thirty-two… and blocking the sun.”“That is not old at all.” He sounded like he was losing his mind, but his voice was leveled. She shrugged nonchalantly
She turned to him sharply, wheels turning dangerously in her head already to come up with a lie, her lungs clogging with fear, only for her to discover that he wasn't looking at her but at someone else. “Look! Arlo is walking!” He declared in hushed excitement. Aniya rolled her eyes, taking a deep breath of relief, tucking away the poison bottle. He didn't catch her, she could still kill him. “Arlo can walk.”“For long distances like that?” He turned to her, surprised. “Yes.”“Oh.”“In fact, we must redesign the room to accommodate him. He keeps on trying to pull things down.”Ikrus frowned. In a flash, he was holding Arlo who was strongly protesting against being held. He certainly wanted to play on the ground. “How old is the little one?”“Arlo,” she said, emphasizing his name, subtly ensuring that he wouldn't call him “little one” again, “will be two soon.”Ikrus nodded, taking the information in as he easily moved Arlo from one hand to another in his struggle to get down. “H
Aniya told her about the strange lily she found in her coin bag while telling her how she had come by it, although leaving out part of the poison, while watching to see if the witch had told Oana about what she was searching for. It didn't seem like the witch told her anything. “I have seen something like that in my room before,” Aniya said. “I’m scared of what it means and I am afraid—” she looked over to Arlo for the umpteenth time, “of harm coming to Arlo or me.” Oana was very concerned and she said she would tell the Alpha and Luna about it so that they could give orders for the Pack House to be thoroughly searched. Then Aniya asked, “What about last night? Why did the sun suddenly come up and merge with the moon?” She rushed to the window. “Everything seems normal now.”“Elder Superior said it was a result of something that happened in another realm. It is none of our concern; our Realm stays unaffected, and all the portals remain sealed.” Aniya panicked.Another realm? Wha
That night, after they had both eaten, Alaris took Belladonna to a nearby river, where a burning incense was placed on a leaf pad to float away. “It is to let go of the past and begin anew,” he has explained. It was something that helped Belladonna even though she hadn't known she needed it. Her heart felt lighter and with a more positive perspective, she left the river bank.The Belarion Rebellion and the rest of the Cave had fully returned now. Shortly after, Belladonna and Alaris started trying to create the army. They were once again under an open sky. Nyka watched from a distance, just like every one of the dragon people had been advised to do. Her father was right next to her, he wasn't supposed to be here. He was still injured from the torture he had received from the White King’s warriors that had captured him but he was terrified that if he as much took a step from her, the Heir would seize her and kill her. “What do I do?” Belladonna asked, trying to shake off the press
[LYCANS’ REALM]The coins vibrated on the floor, clanking as they added to the slight trembling she could feel around her. Aniya’s heart jumped. Quickly, she dashed to her bed and grabbed Arlo, taking him swiftly into her arms. She could hear a bell ringing from a distance. Voices of terrified people seeping into the air, even with her ordinary human hearing, the building chaos felt loud to her.What was going on? Before she could make it out of the room, though, she felt someone sweep her away, and in a flash, she was in an enclosed space, an arm around her, so that she held Arlo between them. She knew it was Ikrus; with such speed and the feeling of momentarily ease that went through her, it could be no one else. She hated the Matebond for many things but for this little ease that she could feel right now, she appreciated it a little. Even if this relief was a lie that everything was alright, it was better than the sheer terror she had been experiencing.The rumbling continued,
Finally, they were under an open sky.The Moon was full in its glory above them. “It is a perfect night,” Ny'ka said before intertwining her with Belladonna's.“Close your eyes.”She obeyed. “Think of the Bearer, of her grave, of her presence, and connect with her.”The Bearer. Belladonna allowed her mind to roam, remembering the silver-haired woman she would always dream about. She had never seen her face so there was no way she could see that. The image was blurry and soon it was nothing but darkness. “Open the windows, open the door,” she could hear Alaris' voice. Then she remembered her way of sealing the windows and the doors of her mind. So many things were happening in her mind. She could see the path to the castle, down to that room, to that sarcophagus, Then she was back in that room again - with the windows sealed and the doors locked.There was a white beam outside the window and a woman with long silver hair that shadowed her face.“Open the doors and the windows!”
“Don't kill me please, I believe now. You are the Heir, you are the savior. I see it.” Ny'ka begged. They were in one of the underground rooms, away from the people of the Belarion Rebellion and those of the Cave. This was something Alaris didn't want many to know about.“Please, take my life instead and spare my daughter,” Leader Tyrek begged. He knew what crimes Nyka had committed, the Priest told him everything.“You tried to kill me,” Alaris said to Ny'ka who was still on her knees, begging, tears running down her cheeks.“It was a mistake. It won't happen again.”Alaris smiled. “It won't.”He held her wrist and pulled her up, but while he did that, he crushed her bones, and pressing his flames into her skin, he healed her, just like he had seen it happen with Nightshade and that stranger in the Castle during their escape.It was an excruciating moment for Ny'ka and it didn't help that he did it again and again and again…By the time he was done, she was back on her knees, breat
The moment the ambush came upon them, some guards had taken Ny'ka and discreetly escaped from the scene. They were headed to the White King’s Castle to be highly rewarded for bringing to him the daughter of the leader of the revolution against him. They were supposed to take Leader Tyrek along too, but it seemed the guards who had him in captivity had been attacked. There would be much to tell the King upon getting to the castle. While they silently snuck away, Ny'ka found a way to free herself from the bondage and attacked them. She would rather die than have them take her alive; it was looking like that was the only option for her until she felt she had until Alaris' showed up. He descended from the sky with his massive leathery wings and he saved her; he killed the guards and swept her up into the air in his arms. In that moment, she saw what the others saw in him. A saviour.In that moment, something changed. “You saved me,” she said, the wind almost stealing her words away