By the time they reach Astra, it is nearly evening. Lavi and Thena enter the town which is lit by thousands of colorful lanterns all lined on strings tied high along the roads. There are houses made of bamboo and mahogany with curtained windows but the curtains are so thin that one can see the shadows in the rooms.
Several women in skimpy dresses are eyeing Lavi, his handsome features prominent even though he is wearing a makeshift eye patch over his blue eye. They are omegas or human slaves who were sold off to the p*mps at Astra to make a few bucks from the flesh trade.
“Hey honey, wanna get some tea at my place?” One of the women hoots at him. Lavi ignores them and keeps on searching for his master who might be in the town.
Thena is also keeping an eye on him, wondering if Lavi is go
They enter the Den which is buzzing with people. Anna can smell the familiar stench of stale beer and onions in the air and hear the chatter of people all around her. Occasionally, she can catch the scent of human slaves who are forced to do the bidding of werewolves who treat them with disdain. Lavi scans the dark bar for anyone who might recognize him.The bar is notorious as a brothel as well with patrons frequenting the human slaves who are captured and imprisoned there. Several of the humans have accepted their fates and are entertaining the guests as they gamble and drink. A large bar is placed in the middle while several dancers in skimpy clothes dance to entertain the guests. They move their bellies in a sensuous manner, sometimes even dancing intimately on the laps of the men.One of the dancers comes up to Lavi but to his surprise, he feels noth
“Anna, this is going to end badly,” Thena whispers in her head. Anna does not reply but is tense as the men gather around to play a game of dice. Lavi and John are seated opposite to each other, both men looking intense.John’s eyes flicker at Anna every now and then. She knows very well that the man is lusting after her and the very thought makes her body shudder. He leers at her disgusted look and is determined to win.“I’ll go firs’,” John says. “‘Ules are simple. ‘E ‘oll the dice. ‘Hoever ‘olls the ‘igher number wins the ‘ound.”“‘Ow many ‘ounds?” Lavi asks.“Five.”“Deal.”
Damien is walking over the remnants of the Den, stones crunching under his shoes at every step. The entire town is shaken by the sudden combustion of the building which killed nearly all the rogues and sent the remaining ones into lifelong torment. Headless bodies are scattered all over the town, some falling as far as the outskirts. Blood and soot color the town walls and the soldiers are digging up more bodies from the debris.“What in the world happened here?”Damien turns around to find the Prime Minister of the country, Charles Rubert. Even though Charles is well into his seventies, he is still tall and active. With snowy white hair and goatee, he is still one of the most powerful faes in the country. His popularity is so high that he has been the Prime Minister for nearly three decades.Charles is
Anna’s heart beats hard as she feels Lavi’s fingers yanking her dress up. She squirms a little when he starts to pull down her pants but she is also slightly excited. Why? Why am I feeling like this? She wonders. This should be wrong. He is the enemy and yet… Lavi slowly pulls down her pants and parts her legs, exposing her s*x to him. Anna can hear him exhale sharply and she blushes hard, feeling very aroused. There is an aching between her thighs and she just wants him to make it go away. At the same time, she is craving for more intimacy. What is wrong with me? She wonders. Lavi cannot help but marvel at the moment. His desire for her is overwhelming all his logic and senses. He only wants to bury himself into the midst of her entrance, taste her and plunge
Lavi barges into the study to find Charles sitting there. The old man stands up and bows to him but Lavi walks past him towards his desk.“Why are you here?” he demands, not looking at Charles.“I am here to see you, kid,” Charles says in an affectionate way but Lavi snorts.“Are you here to see me or are you here to confirm whether or not I have turned into the monster you all fear I will become?”Charles sighs and shakes his head. “Not everyone is like Phillippe,” he bemoans. “I know you have suffered a lot.”He pauses before adding, “I know she suffered a lot too.”Lavi goes still but does not react. The pa
Anna is apprehensive of the smiling knight. Damien seems to have read her hesitation because he says, “I see that you are scared of me.”“I am not scared but rather suspicious,” Anna says out loud. “After all, the Crown Prince and I almost died under your supervision.”“That was done by the rogues and I am apologetic for the incident,” Damien states. “I am truly sorry for the incident and no one is as regretful as I, Lady Vanya.”Anna frowns.“Can I escort you back to the palace?” Damien asks.“I…I actually had some business here,” she says. “I will return to the castle later.”
Lavi glowers at her but Anna remains defiant.“Sir Wilde was only escorting me back to the palace,” she states curtly.“Why the hell did you leave the palace?” he snarls. “You know very well that my enemies are still out there, looking for a chance to kill me-”“Just like I am,” Anna says. “I am an enemy too, remember?”There is a cold silence between them. Each passing second only fuels Lavi’s anger towards her. The moment he heard that she left, his heart had been in turmoil. No matter how hard he tried, he could not control his feelings of grief and anxiety because he was afraid that she might leave him.“Why were you out?” He demands again.
The steam is soothing Anna’s mind and she leans against the tub. She submerges into the hot water and reemerges from it, letting the soreness in her muscles go away. Lavi’s strong scent is present even in the bathroom. She does not want to admit it but the musky fresh mint scent is calming her nerves.Her mind drifts off to their tryst earlier in the morning. She can still feel his lips on her clit and how his fingers touched her in intimate ways. Thinking of that moment makes her blush hard and she tries to forget about it in vain.“Are you starting to like him?” Thena asks her.“I do not know…”Anna really has no answer to that question. At one moment, she wants to kill him and in the next, she wants to kiss him. Her min