Belladonna pulled away from him to look up at his face, her gaze fixing upon his mask instead, the image of the expectant look that would be in his eyes, taking form in her head."That you will not take any more brides after me."He stared back at her, studying those eyes that held a sought of fire in them when she had said out her demand firmly.Was it selfish that she wanted to be his last bride so much, that she wanted him to give her his word on it? Maybe. But she certainly didn't want any other woman to have to suffer an unsure fate, also she had every intention to end this curse, as soon as possible, with whatever it was that it would cost her.Promising to do as she had requested right now, would mean that he had as much trust in her as she had in him. With no response still given, she shifted uncomfortably in her seat under his smoldering gaze.Her gaze was fixed on the floor of the carriage, the sound of the carriage's wheels on the rocky road filling her ears, while she w
The dungeon was never quiet. It was always filled with the voices of people in agony, the cry of people that were starving, or the relentless pleading of those who yelled out their proclaimed innocence. The dungeon was never bright too, it was always too dim to see anything. The darkness was torture and the noise wasn't helping. If they could all just be quiet!He needed silence to plot the death of his brother when he would finally make it out of here. Kenji sucked in a deep breath and the stench of the place, stuck to the roof of his nose.For how nosy he was, this wasn't the first time he would be trapped in a place like this, but this was the first time his brother would be the one tossing him in and locking the bars. He hadn't had a bath ever since he had been thrown here, he stank so much. His hair needed to be washed, and combed, the curls were starting to tangle and he was terrified of how much hair he would lose when this was finally over. Also, the food here was terr
Although, the point of control had already been decided, Belladonna couldn't help but suspect something else. It was the round blue gem, the one she had seen in the Forbidden Room, the one that was always changing colors and emitting smoke like it was burning anytime it came in contact with her hands, the very one she had seen in her dreams some time ago. Despite the electric feeling the ring gave her, she felt the need to confirm things.Although, the gem seemed to be more linked to Lex than to Kestra, even though Belladonna believed Kestra's link to the ring was indirect. It had been the one in the family painting Eli had shown her. In that painting, 2 years old Lex had been playing with the gem in that picture, at least, the gem had looked similar to it. Eli also said something about Kestra taking over the gems that were in one of the forbidden rooms.To put all doubt at rest, Belladonna went to the forbidden room and grabbed the gem. On her way here, the hallway was empty, lit b
She shivered from the memory.Something about the strange woman didn't feel good. Alaris words rang in her ears about how Thanatou had never lost anything before because he would always claim back whatever was his. Right now, he believed she was his. She wasn't though, so she dismissed the thought. She was probably just overthinking this. The thing she saw, it had to be from the past. There was no way they could still be going after her.They couldn't come here. What was she thinking about, they couldn't even get to Me'k! That wasn't how it worked. Right?Yes.Why was she even worried about this?Feeling much better, she went out of the tub. She took off her gown and dumped it on one side of the bathroom floor. Then she wrapped a towel around her. It smelt like Eli. A smile crossed her lips and she wrapped her arms around herself.Now that she didn't feel like her head was ripping apart or busy making the ingredient to take down the witch, she realized how much she had mi
Belladonna folded her arms across her chest, wanting to get out of here as soon as possible. She kept her eyes trained away from the paintings pasted on the walls. They were her's and Eli's.Very intimate paintings. It gave her mixed feelings to be back in here after everything that had happened. Lunch was in a couple of hours, she intended to miss it. She didn't feel hungry, all she could feel was impatience.She couldn't wait for the Blood Moon to finally be here, she couldn't wait for everything to be over, also she couldn't wait for Eli to finally tell her what he had called her here for. Her eyes followed him as he moved around under the candlelight that brightened up the room with its golden glow, busy with something she couldn't see from here, because his frame was blocking her view. Despite it being in the afternoon, the windows were down and the room was a little dark, so candlelight was needed."Get comfortable." He turned to her, his brown eyes glimmering with excitemen
By the time they pulled apart, they were both breathless. Eli's eyes widened when he remembered the painting that still wasn't dry yet. He had some on his hands--gloves. He would need to wash the black-smearing liquid off his gloves and give her henna tattoo a little retouch. It was a good thing it hadn't been really affected.He wanted to pull away but he couldn't, his Donna's legs had him caged to her, the heels of her feet digging slightly against his butt, as she threw her head back with an almost silent moan, resting heavily on her hands that were pressed flat against the surface of the table for support. It was a sight. One that Eli liked. He craved to see her naked under the candlelight, delirious from his effect on her. A moan resonated through his chest, the warmth his Donna had trapped around him was starting to feel like intoxication.His hand cupped the back of her neck and he moved her to face him. She was panting from robbing against him, her eyes clouded with lus
Trigger warning - I can't even say it is gore, but it gets... oh well._________The dungeon gates were thrown open and the unfortunate prisoners, chosen.Amongst them was a baby fresh out of his mother's womb, still bathed in blood, his newborn cries filling the dead night and the stinky dungeon.Weak, and forced down with after-birth pains, his mother begged for the King's witch to take her instead. Her blind silver eyes sent chills down the new mother's spine, the red slightly glowing light on her forehead, terrifying. The witch towered over her and if it wasn't that she valued her baby's life more than her own, she would have surrendered to defeat, scurrying away, despite the pain she was feeling. Her long fingers trailed down the side of her face, her long red polished nails digging lightly against her dirty, sweaty, and tear-stained skin, as she gave her a blinding smile. "Save him if you can." The mother's eyes flickered to her baby in the witch's grip.She had not even ha
To tamper with nature was to tamper with balance, and for everything there were consequences. Ever since Kestra's ritual had started, the whole of Ignas had been thrown into total darkness.A never-ending night. It was as if the sun had told them all a final goodbye. It wasn't just that the moon stayed constant in the night sky, but it was slowly turning crimson. The people were petrified.It was something that they had never seen before. Even the people of the Capital who had their minds altered not to worry about things that were out of order, started to... worry.The effect of the Alterer on them was glitching, for many reasons. The Village Heads wrote to their King about what was going on, and blamed it on the presence of the witches. They pleaded for their King to make an order for all the witches to be killed, blaming their presence for the abrupt imbalance.The distance from the villages to the Capital didn't allow for quick and easy communication, still, the King tried h
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