Belladonna gasped silently. She had never seen anything like that in her life before, oh wait, except for that stone in the Forbidden Room but still, this was different. "I am alright now." The King's whisper snapped her out of her train of thoughts and she blinked. "What was that?" She asked, her voice a little breathy from the shocked state she was still in. "Nothing important," the King replied with his casual dismissiveness and she frowned. Not again. "Your blood..." Her voice trailed off as she tried to look for the right words. "It withered my lily. Like it was some sought of poison---" "It's my sickness." He finally let out with a grunt but she wasn't done. There had to be more to it. "Your hand." She looked down at his hand again but he was no longer bleeding and the contaminated water had now washed away, along with her lily, leaving now in it's place, clean rushing water. "It was bleeding. Why?" "It does that every once in a while." Then he chuckled, his eyes twink
A wonderful name.His lips stretched into a small smile, pleased at how she had said it.It just sounded perfect on her lips, her voice like honey to his ears. Then his lips brushed against hers in a light feathery touch, before he pulled away slightly, his hand tightening around her a little roughly. She gasped from the sudden movement, only now realizing she had been on her kneels for a while now, as she bumped into the King who pressed his forehead against hers at contact. Eyes closed. Breathing heavy. Restraint difficult."Donna. My Donna."She pressed her hands flat against his chest to regain her balance, the warmness radiating from the taut muscles beneath the robe instead seeped right into her palms, sending heat crossing through her entire body, her balance further threatened.His thumb by her cheek moved lower to her jaw, titling her head to a side, leaving her neck exposed and at his mercy. He wasn't merciful.His lips ravished her neck, savouring the taste of her skin, l
"I made a promise a long time ago to myself. That I won't be intimate with someone till I'm married to him. For the sake of the child that I might bring to this world." The King gaze was set on her. Brown smoldering eyes. They made her feel at ease. Then she looked down at her knuckles that she was rubbing against the inside of her left palm. "I want the child to have protection and love, and a marriage guarantees that. I don't want the child to end up not being wanted and loved... like me." That was why nothing had happened between her and Lytio. She was waiting. That was a move she had no regret on. But with the King, it felt different. The dreams she had of the Bride Thief weren't helping too. Why hadn't she thought about her long-standing rule in all those dreams? Why had she not thought about it when she woke up? Was he that powerful that he made logicality so far from her? Was his lure on her that strong? It made her worried. Made her want to tell the King about h
"Do you believe he has a hold on me?""Once he appears, he already has a hold."His gaze became fixed on her necklace before he looked up at her face.When he spoke this time, his voice sounded a little cheerful."But he no longer appears to you in your dreams. You are save, with me."But she wasn't save!Her heart pounded in her chest, the thundering filling her ears. "Have you been able to save any of brides before?"He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, patting her hand that was in his. "No.""Oh."His hand went around her, pulling her towards him in a hug while she rested her face against his chest, listening to the beating of his heart and the vibration of his voice."Please, worry not. You are different. You, my Donna, will be my last bride."Different. She really wanted to believe that but she knew she wasn't.She wasn't different.She really wanted to tell him that, but then again, she couldn't. What if the Bride Thief getting to them had something to do with the King? She
"Lavender oil, Milady." Another said, eagerly pushing a carefully wrapped gift into her hands. The face that looked back at hers had wrinkles by the corners of her eyes that seemed to twinkled with abundant happiness, her grin wide. Which only got wider when she realized that she had Belladonna's attention fully to herself. Her hands became a little shaky in Belladonna's own."You'll certainly love it, Milady.""Thank you." Belladonna smiled back in appreciation, taking the gift, as she looked down at the package. Something caught her attention at that moment though. Right on the woman's wrinkly left wrist, was a tattoo. Moderately small, but artistically and beautifully drawn. She couldn't make out what exactly it was, or where she had seen it before but it did hold a sense of familiarity.A scream snapped Belladonna's attention.Something was heading right for her.Swooshing in the air like---Her eyes went wide and she froze.FIRE.She staggered back in a quick response to avert
Belladonna didn't have to watch the burst of flames for long, the King was in front of her in a flash, blocking the sight away, so that all that was left to see was the golden brightness that reflected from the fire.The agonizing screams from the woman ablaze was something he couldn't prevent her from hearing though. Cries of anguish that cut sharply into the night's former peaceful ambiance, ripping it into shreds, till all that was left was nothing. Then, silence.When the King took a step away, no longer blocking her view, the woman was gone, the guards must have taken her away, even the path that led to her had been filled with people again. The fearful look gone from their eyes, their faces filled with smiles once again like nothing happened, cheers pouring out of their mouths as they directed their gifts towards her. Everything just like when she had first stepped out from the carriage, in fact, more cheerful this time.Belladonna could feel a gift being pressed into the pa
"If anything had happened to you tonight, I would have never forgiven myself." He sighed, his voice causing a sort of vibration to her ears that was pressed against his warm chest. "I really wanted tonight to be perfect. Now, it is all ruined.""It's not.""It is. Her screams will give you nightmares." He moved his hand over her hair, brushing it lightly. "I am so sorry." He paused, his hand on her hair going still for a moment. "Will you like to pass the night in my room?"Her heart skipped a beat at the offer and she shook her stiffly. "I'll be alright in mine." The idea had sounded so tempting, in fact, she could almost feel herself in his bed, having him so close by made her feel so safe, but with how close they had gotten tonight, sleeping in his room might be pushing things to a direction she still didn't want to head to yet."I'm confused by how the people switched quickly from the tension to the cheers again like..." her voice became lower as the memory played again in her he
"But do you feel strongly that it is a curse?""Yes. I mean, why would he consistently stand in my way of getting a bride if that wasn't the solution?"That made sense. There was also the possibility that he could be doin that to distract the King from the actual solution, but how long this had been going that. That would most likely not be it."If she is not convinced, why does she participate in the ....hmm...""Choosing Ritual and Ceremony.""Yes. Thank you. I don't know why I keep forgetting things lately." She chuckled."You are overthinking." He said, sounding worried, as he leaned forward towards her, taking in the look on her face. "Stressed," he commented, leaning back, tapping his fingernails against his mask again.She nodded. She could be."I worry about you."He lips stretched into a smile that quickly fell. "I'm alright. So tell me, why?"He caught on where they had left off quickly."Simple. Because I am the King and I commanded that it shall be."That oddly filled her
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