After making me physically attractive, with all those painful brushing, ornaments, and beautification, I am ushered into a garden. Something that I didn’t expect because it was already seven in the evening. I am about to comment about the bad planning when I am ushered into a small hut instead. Entering the threshold, the door opens up to a round table with two chairs surrounded by vines and flowers. On the ceiling hangs a small chandelier that is connected to a wooden roof. I look around. The walls, ceilings, and floor are all covered in grass, vines, and flowers. It seems like we are in a garden instead of a wooden house. Seth is sitting in the center, and as I approach him, he stands up to meet me. I raise my brow at him. It’s only me who is forced to wear something seductive. He, on the other hand, is wearing his normal open chest robes giving me a glimpse of his muscular chest and torso. There is also an embroidered green sash that’s tied around his waist and placed over one sho
After our dinner, Seth and I walk around the gardens, but our conversation had become more… educational. I bet he will have a great time having tea with Harbin while talking about books and sharing knowledge. I also request to return to the room where I was adorned by the servants. However, it was already closed and Seth assured me that he will send my clothes before we leave for Pitchford. He also insisted to come with me to my room, but thinking about Theo’s flip-flopping mood, I told him no. The provocative clothes, on the other hand, had become comfortable. So, my mood is visibly lighter as I make my way toward the room I share with Theo. Smiling, I grab the doorknob and am about to twist it open when I freeze. Slowly, I gently place my ear against the door and listen in. “Oh damn, my King! Faster! Harder! Fill me up!” It’s Princess Kissa’s voice. I am sure of it. I have been subjected to that same voice and torture. So, I pull away from the door and retreat. My breathing gets
Before returning to our room, I make it a point to take a bath. Thus, it’s already past mid-morning when I ask the servant if Theo is alone in the room. “I think the King is waiting for you, Miss Kaiya,” one servant adds. “He’s been looking for you the instant he woke up,” another adds. “He’s not in a good mood,” the other shares again. The corner of my lips turns upward. This won’t be good. I move towards the closed door and knock, “King Theo, I am back.” I hear the shuffling of feet inside. I look at the other servants. They bow at me and start to scurry away from me. I am still watching them leave when the door opens, and someone pulls me inside. Then it’s followed by the deafening crash of the door against its frame. “Where have you been?!” Theo screams at my face. “You are supposed to be back last night!” I look away. “I had too many drinks and fall asleep somewhere,” I say. He smashes the door beside my head. “I’ve warned you not to drink! Who are you with?!” “It’s not i
I crouch outside the room as I listen to the incessant lovemaking of Theo and Princess Kissa. I can hear Kissa’s screams of pleasure. And I feel as if I can hear Theo’s grunts too. They’ve been at it after bath and dinner and it’s close to midnight now. My only consolation is that Princess Kissa made me leave the room. My hands over my ears tighten, and I bury my face in my knees. I feel dizzy. I can’t take this anymore. It’s been a few days. I want to return somewhere far from both Theo and Kissa. I sense someone approaching but I ignore it. I continue to tremble in this pain as tears continuously flow. Besides, Theo completely occupies my mind. How can he make love with another woman? Is she too pretty in his eyes that he just can’t help it? Or maybe, I’m the only one who can’t think of making love to anyone because of this blasted mate bond, and he knows it! I feel someone wrap his arms around me and I jump from the sudden invasion of my personal space. I look up to see Klevon’s
I tap the pin on his clothes and look up at him. “All done,” I say. Theo pulls me closer to his body and places a kiss on my temple. I grin at him. I make it seem as warm as possible because my heart had already turned cold. Despite that, a simple touch from him can blaze my body into intoxication again. Thankfully, Kissa is already made aware that I am her rival to Theo’s attention. Like right now, the only reason he can kiss and hug me like this is because we are preparing to alight on the kingdom of Duran. And Princess Kissa is busy with all her clothes and make-up. At night, she also monopolizes his attention. She also started to sleep in his room after they make love, despite his annoyance. So, as he promised, he allowed me to move somewhere I cannot hear their lovemaking. That’s what his kindness means. In the morning, once Princess Kissa is out of the room, I enter to help with his bath. During those moments, he will pepper me with hugs and kisses, while I brush his body.
“Drink! Drink! Drink!” is the chant of the people at the bar where Silvino works. Ami holds a pitcher of alcohol and chugs down its alcoholic content. When she empties the pitcher, I clap with the others. “To my friend, Kaiya!” she slurs. “I will chug another for you.” Unsteadily, she leans towards me and whispers, “I know you are not allowed to drink so I will do it instead.” I smile at her and she adds, “For you!” “You just want to drink more,” Nadif comments which Ami answers with a bright smile. “You got it right!” she admits while beaming at him. She heavily sits beside me and says, “To my friend, turned to best friend, who can’t even drink a glass of alcohol, I feel bad for you.” “What’s happening now?” Silvino asks as he walks towards our table. “My handsome lover~~” Ami coos. She stands up and wraps her arms around his waist. “What time will you be out?” “I can play with you now,” he says. He places his arms around her and adds, “One room is freed up so the five of
I sit on the edge at the foot of the bed. Klevon and I rented an inn room. Right now, he is in the bath while I comb my wet hair. I am the one who proposed this; I am even in my bathrobe and yet, I feel like I am doing something wrong. Why would I though? It is Theo’s fault for having multiple women, why am I any different? Why can’t I have multiple lovers?‘Because you are not a King with duties to a nation,’ my mind screams but I keep it pushed down.I remember the way Ami shakes her head at me as Klevon and I are leaving the bar. Nadif and Elroy have their mouths open. And Silvino is looking curiously at us.I shake my head and close my fist. I am here now. I already said that I will fuck Klevon, so there is no turning back now. I glance at the shower. He is still inside and is taking his sweet time. He is even taking a longer time to shower than I did, and I am the one who is uncertain about all of this.Suddenly, the door to the shower opens, and I instinctively look away.“I int
I open my eyes with the light sifting through the window of the inn room. I shift and realize that Klevon has his massive arms around me. I look up to see him sleeping peacefully. And events of last night appear in my mind. That dizzying intensity of my release. The dark thoughts that accompanied it. The weeping afterward.And now, I feel ashamed. After giving me pleasure, I wasn’t able to keep the end of the bargain. All I did was apologize until I fall asleep. I am not just a whore; I am a very selfish whore. Now, I know how kind Klevon really is, or maybe, he did like me. If not, he could have forced me last night.His eyes open and upon laying his eyes on me, he smiles, “Good morning, beautiful. Feeling better now?”I nod. “I’m so—”He places a chaste kiss on my mouth. After pulling back, he grins. “Sorry is not the first word I’d like to hear from your mouth. I heard it a lot already, so I’m quite miffed by it by now.” He thinks for a while and adds, “How about a thank-you? That
I stand in the middle of an arena. In front of me is an enormous man covered in armor and holding a broadsword in front of him. I pull my sword out of the sheath and face my opponent. He is the biggest of the warriors–at least in mass. His armor covers most of his body except for his joints. A helm covers his face, but even so, I can see that he is very ready to fight. “Ready…” the announcer starts. “Fight!” The crowd of spectators cheers at the same time that the man rushes towards me. He swings his broadsword and I dodge to the left, missing me by a hair’s breadth. I counter by thrusting my sword forward, aiming for his exposed shoulder joints. He parries with ease and strikes back, the force of his attack sending shockwaves down my arm. I take a step back, regaining my composure as he advances once again. This time, I feint to the right and quickly pivot to my left, slashing at his unprotected knee joints. The crowd roars as my blade makes contact, biting into him and drawing bl
It is noisy. Why are people talking about me in my room?! I open my eyes in exasperation. They are saying that I am... Wait, is Kaiya my name? I try to sit up, but my body feels heavy and sluggish. I look down and feel relieved that I have legs... Why though? Nothing is making sense. Confused, I look around. “Kaiya? You’re awake!” a handsome man with black-purple hair says. He hugs me, but I push him away. “She doesn’t like you anymore,” a handsome red-haired man says this time. He’s smaller than the first one but still exudes strength. “Kaiya, you remember me, right? I am your mate.” They wait for me to speak and so I ask, “I am Kaiya?” “Yes, your name is Kaiya,” a woman informs. “The guy with the purplish hair is your lover. The guy with red hair is your mate.” “How does that work? A mate and a lover?” The woman named Inanna shrugs her shoulders and adds, “By the way, I am Inanna.” I try to process what Inanna has just told me. Mate and lover? It feels so foreign to me. “I..
As the purification of the Moon Goddess starts, I am overwhelmed by my own memories. It’s like nothing I’ve ever felt before. The pain is excruciating, and I scream out in agony. But as time passes, the pain only intensifies. Tears flow down my face. But judging from the sting as it flows across my face, I think it is blood. I can feel my mind slipping away from the pain, and I can hear the screams of the werewolves inside my head. Suddenly, a warm hand grabs mine, squeezing it tightly. “Stay with me, Kaiya,” a voice says. Inanna. She presses her forehead against mine and whispers words of comfort. I can feel the calming magic from her as well. Through the pain, I manage to grasp onto her hands, anchoring myself to reality. Her magic and tone stabilize me, and slowly, I begin to focus on what’s happening around us. The Moon Goddess is suspended as her purification process starts. I can hear screams from outside the mimicked Realm that Inanna has done. “Don’t give up now...” she
As we leave my chamber, I can hear the sounds of battle growing louder outside. I can sense humans against humans. But there are also vampires and werewolves fighting against humans. There is the sound of swords clashing against swords or armor. Worse, I see the destruction that the fighting is doing to Orttenburg. Even in the early moments of the war, there are already casualties that can be seen around. I clench my jaws. We must end this war soon. All I need is to get General Brandon and purify the Moon Goddess. After that, we can persuade these kingdoms that there’s no need for war. As we hurry through the chaos, I feel a pang of guilt. I can’t help but feel responsible for the destruction and loss of life in Orttenburg. It was my selfishness that led to this war. I have to make this right. Finally, we reach the hall where Inanna and Ruth are waiting for us. Inanna looks at us with a stern expression. “Good, you’re here. Time is of the essence.” I nod as Gezer puts me down. Ina
After sighing, Seth says, “Fine! But only with Theo, at least him–I trust will not hurt you.” I frown. “If you know that then—” “He will not hurt you, but he might take you away!” “Oh,” I mutter because Theo might really do it. I take a deep breath and the room spins for a moment. Seth helps me back to the bed and sits with me while the room steadies. “You should rest more,” he says, but I shake my head. “I can’t waste any time,” I whisper, trying to suppress the tremble in my voice. “Invite Theo. I will meet him in one of the sitting rooms.” “There’s no need for you to move. I will lead him here.” As Seth leaves the room, I close my eyes and take a deep breath. I analyze the current situation. Theo will always help me. The only problem is, I need him to understand the situation. All we need is to trap General Brandon, take out the Moon Goddess, purify her, and that’s it. I can talk with the Moon Goddess and plead with her about my case. All I need is to be strong enough to wr
Suddenly, I am whisked away from my own mind. I open my eyes to see both Inanna and Seth looking down at me. “Kaiya, what’s wrong? What did you see?” Seth asks. “I come here because I sensed some distortions in the air,” Inanna informs. “What happened?” I swallow hard, my head reeling from all the information. It is my fault in the first place! “There’s no dark entity inside me, but I’ve found out something else instead.” “What is it?” Seth asks. He is looking worried as seconds pass. I grin at him. “I am an apostle, rather than a Vessel—if it makes any sense.” Then, I glance at Inanna and ask, “Did you know?” “Just a hint,” she says. “The Blood God told me that you are technically different from us. Gezer, Ninus, and I are Vessels. You are a little bit different, though.” “Then why did you say that I am...” “Because I don’t know what to call you.” “How is an apostle different from vessels?” “I am guessing that it’s in the amount of blessing you received. Once, the Blood Go
I watch as Theo’s ship slowly reaches the horizon. I can still feel the warmth of his embrace, and his words still echo in my heart. ‘No one can take your place, Kaiya.’ I let out a rush of air as I hold back my tears. He’s only been away for a while and I am missing him already. And so I watch as the ship eventually disappears from my sight. At the same time, Inanna reaches for my hand. “I heard that you will be doing a ritual today. Just inform me if you need help,” she says and leaves me and Seth alone on the balcony. I turn to the ocean and take a deep breath. Despite the distance, I can still feel him inside my heart. “Kaiya,” Seth calls from behind me. I turn to him and smile. “Are you ready for the ritual?” “Yes,” I nod. “Let’s start.” We both take out our supplies and prepare for the ritual. We walk to the King’s private garden—a quiet clearing where no one can disturb us. We start by setting up candles, incense, and some crystals that Inanna provided earlier. When all
“Come on, Theo.” I take his hand and we walk to my room. I open the door slowly, revealing my small but cozy room. Light from the moon spills through the window, bathing everything in a soft blue hue. “Welcome to my room,” I say warmly. He looks around carefully with curious eyes, and I can’t help but laugh at his reaction. “Do you like it?” He draws me close before answering. “It’s lovely.” His arms wrap around me tight and he nuzzles his head against mine before kissing me tenderly on the lips. “I really missed you.” I push back and grin at him. “Well, I missed you more.” I take a step back from him and remove my clothes. He watches me as I peel every piece of clothing in my body. He looks at me with such devotion that it makes me blush. “I think it’s about time you bare yourself to me too.” “Nope, I enjoy seeing you like this.” “Like what? Naked and embarrassed?” “No. Looking at me with desire in your eyes.” Theo takes a step closer and runs his hand down my naked back, se
“What the hell is going on here?!” Theo booms, his eyes blazing with fury. I freeze as I see him, my heart pounding in my chest. “King Theo! I told you that this is King Seth’s private area! You are—“ “Your King has done the same thing in my land!” he growls at Darius, who is much taller and bigger than him. Seth stands up calmly and meets Theo’s gaze. “There’s nothing going on here, King Theo. We were just talking.” Theo steps closer and takes in my state, his eyes flickering between Seth and me. “Talking? With your hands all over her? I’m not stupid, Seth. I know that you wanted her even before you have the mate bond with her!” Seth’s jaw tightens as Theo approaches him. Standing tall and unflinching, he says. “I’m not trying to do anything, Theo. Kaiya and I were just having a moment.” “A moment? Is that what you call it?” Theo sneers, grabbing Seth by the collar of his clothes. I stand up, panic rising in my chest. “Theo, stop! We were just talking, I swear!” But Theo doe