Ruby's POV"HERE ma'am." Runita, my maid, dropped the glass on the table near me, bending as she made sure it was balanced before standing upright a few feet away from me."Anything else, ma'am?" She asked politely.I shook my head, no. She bowed slightly before scurrying away, back into the house. She knew when I was in a mood like this, I didn't want any interruption from anyone. I picked up the glass she had placed on the table, twirling it between my fingers as I watched the smooth dark brown liquid flow this way and that, I became lost in thoughts.A few days ago, the news of Damien Griffin's death circulated the entire city, and even though my spies in the Council had informed me that something fishy was going on there, it was the last thing I had expected to hear. I didn't even think that Valerian had the guts to carry out such a gruesome act, but then again when it comes to power, you can't exactly hope that people will be unfazed.When I first heard it, I was in disbelief so
Elena’s POVThe past few weeks have been peaceful but as the norm in my life, once I enjoy a little bit of peace it gets taken away from me. So I just enjoy this period of calmness for as long as I can while waiting for the other shoe to drop.Even Valerian has been very attentive towards me, I think I kind of scared him with how I reacted when he first came to see me after the incident happened.Every evening, or should I say most evenings he comes around and we take a walk through the gardens chatting about mundane things. Sometimes we don't even talk at all, we just stay there hanging around each other in comfortable silence. I liked that, I liked it so much I was scared, as I didn't want to get used to it. Used to him.He's been acting so sweet towards me, making sure I'm comfortable at every turn, sending random gifts my way, I think he's trying to make up for the guilt he felt for abandoning me the way he did.Slowly, he began dropping hints of me and him being together and eve
Zayn's POVI SAT on a chair overlooking the activities going on below, watching people mile about engaging in various activities.Loud music was booming from the invisible speakers that had been set up in various sections of the house. I was throwing one of my famous parties and of course, almost everyone was in attendance. Some people thought I threw it because I was bored but it was actually for another purpose, unknown to some people I was waiting patiently for something.I brought my glass to my lips, tipping it towards my mouth without lifting my gaze from what was going on downstairs...only for me to find out that it was empty. I lifted my glass to a couple of meters away from me and a girl kneeling on the ground beside me, wearing nothing more than a piece of cloth around her privates, holding a glass of bourbon in her hands hastened to fill it back up.Taking a sip of the extremely smooth blend of bourbon -one of my favorites- and savoring the burn as it went down my throat, I
Valerian's POV My alarm beeped twice causing me to pry my eyes open, as I rolled over to my bedside table to stop it. Instead of getting up immediately as I'm supposed to, I took a moment to lay down in bed and relax, mentally and physically gearing myself up for today. Nowadays, I cherish the moments I have as a Valerian- which are so few and far between, before putting on the responsibility of the Alpha King in front of my people to serve them. Honestly, it is a tasking job. My father made it seem easier than it was, probably due to his added years of experience but it wasn't, half the time I'm barking orders at people for them to obey while the other half I'm wondering if those decisions I made are the right ones. It's one thing to rule, govern or handle a section of people or a particular position in the city but for you to be responsible for thousands of lives, knowing full well any careless decision you made would have a ripple effect on them, it was a big deal. But it was wh
Valerian's POV"What is it?" I asked, my voice low and my expression neutral, not wanting to give anyone a clue that something was going on."Nothing." His voice was curt, his eyes darting about."It's not nothing, you've wound tighter than a cable bind. Is something wrong?" I object."I told you this wasn't the right time to hold this feast or celebration." This again. Let's just say Jared wasn't my number one supporter when I decided to throw this little shindig, he kept insisting that it was too soon, and we needed to use all our energy to watch out for our two creeping enemies or any other enemies we might have gathered along the way. But I reminded him that it wasn't supposed to be prolonged too much, no matter how peculiar our situation is.Partly why I was doing this was because there has been so much unrest and chaos in the city, everyone is tensed up and this is an avenue for you to come, relax, and forget that temporarily."I know, but it had to be done," I said firmly, my
Valerian's POV Elena had disappeared after the whole thing had gone to shit, minutes after Jared started ushering people out. Immediately, I wanted to go and see if she was doing okay- not that I expected her to be but one could hope. My attention however was called to another matter which I had to resolve immediately. Some of our guests had gotten upset and I had to quickly soothe them and offer a solution while Jared discreetly sent people away, directing them somewhere else and making promises of getting something done. I couldn't hear him clearly because he was far from me. Slowly, people started trickling out one after the other leaving the place empty as they muttered about the turn of events and the blood, their eyes glancing at the food which lay wasted and the blood-drenched chairs and decorations. It looked like a horror movie came to life here. When the hall was almost empty, I passed Jared intent on making my way up, where I suspected Elena might have fled to. "And w
Valerian's POV I sighed and turned to leave but stopped when she suddenly spoke out. "I..?" "Yes?" I inquired curiously, anxious to hear what she wanted to say. "I just remembered I saw a lady with a white dress dripping red walk into the room in the left wing. I just remembered because she said she didn't want to be disturbed by anyone." "Which room?" "The third." I thanked her and made my way to the part of the building she described. As I was walking, I was thinking about Elena and the back and forth that we have been having ever since I brought her here. To be honest, I was a little bit tired myself. It was becoming an almost every time occurrence that something would happen to drive us apart just when we started becoming close... and it would be so easy to just give up like that, but something kept me going. My father used to regale me with his stories of my mom, back then when he was still accessible. He would tell me about the trials they had to face before they could b
Elena's POVInwardly, I gasped when Valerian opened himself up to me. Showed me his gifts and abilities, the sheer skill it took to seamlessly form a pathway between two minds and not only communicate but share feelings and emotions.When I was able to grasp the depth of the emotion he felt for me, tears pricked the back of my eyes and my throat felt scratchy."Valerian….." I gasped out, overcome with emotion and his beautiful eyes opened to look at me, all his love shining through. I didn't know how or what to feel, especially when he has opened himself up to me like this, made himself vulnerable and I'm still keeping secrets from him.Secrets I know would hurt him when he eventually finds out. Which is why I must leave now, no matter how painful it would be to us both.I knew that Zayn and Ethan would stop at nothing to get me back, that little stunt they pulled earlier just confirmed it. If I was being truthful to myself, I think all that they've been doing so far had made me real