ã€ŠCall Of The Darkã€‹


 Chapter 1 Selling Her?

    ?Emma was stunned. She came to a halt, hiding behind a gnarled tree. She held her breath as she peered around to take a closer look.

    Through the mist shrouding the ck woods, her eyes fell on the most handsome man she had everid her eyes on. With skin like pristine marble, pale blond hair, and chiseled features, he was nothing like the men Emma had previously seen. His eyes¡ªred. Otherworldly.

    A woman knelt before him, possessing a glow that softly illuminated the surroundings.

    "I will do anything for you, Lord Lazarus," she mewled in a regal ent, her eyes locked with his. "This mortal body is dying and in order to rule Wilyra, you need me¡ªa goddess. But I am trapped in this sickly body. You must find another human body for me."

    "Soon," he hissed. "I will find a way."

    Emma''s eyes widened as terror surged through her. She had heard of those who ruled Wilyra but had never seen any of them.

    Vampires.

    They lived in high castles over the snow-covered hills, away from the maind.

    Shaking with fear, she gasped but immediately pped her hands over her mouth, realizing she made a mistake by revealing her presence.

    His head snapped in her direction and their gazes locked. Those murderous piercing red eyes bore into her emerald green ones. She let out a soft whimper. He clenched his jaws, fisting his hands upon seeing her¡­ as if in rage. Thick tendrils of mist rolled in the forest around them, enveloping them in the dark woods.

    The fog now reached up to her thighs. Lightning crackled in the distance, making her jump. Dread skittering down her spine, she turned away to the woods behind her and raced back home. Twigs and leaves and swishes of des sttered and crunched beneath her feet as she crossed the poppy fields and the stars overhead, to go back to her home, trying to outrace her thundering heart and not focusing on the asional rustle of leaves around her.

    Emma hade to this part of the woods, a path she had memorized ever since she was fourteen years old. She found peace here, and from the past few months, her life had been tumultuous.

    As she ran, her nightgown fluttering behind her, the sky deepened with darkness. She stopped at the edge of the forest, far away from them. She leaned her back against a tree, trying to catch her breath and tears poured out uncontrobly. She sucked in sharp air when she started to walk back on the path that led to her vige.

    Just when she was crossing the dirt road that led to her vige, a high-speed carriage whooshed past her. She almost caught herself in time otherwise she would have fallen under its wheels.

    The carriage came to a screeching halt and the coachman jumped down. He rushed to Emma. "Are you fine?" he asked, studying her with serious concern.

    Shocked, Emma nodded, not realizing that her cheeks were now wet. "I''m fine," she said in a hoarse voice, noticing his tall and wiry frame.

    His brows were furrowed as he looked at her with concern in his emerald green eyes. Her eyes darted towards the carriage he was driving and from its ck and gold fa?ade, she knew it was a royal carriage. She wondered if a vampire was sitting inside.

    "You should be careful, little girl," he said with a warning in his voice. "The skies have be too dense. Another blizzard is on its way. Get back home soon, unless you want to be food for the rogues. There are plenty, roaming at this time."<novelnext></novelnext>

    She gulped as terror dug its ws in her. "I''m going," she said in a low voice.

    She stepped back from him and hurried away. As she walked, she could feel the eyes of the coachman boring holes in her back. She turned round a corner and stopped in the shadows of a house to hide and take a glimpse at the coachman.

    He went back to the coach and spoke to someone through the window. Then in one swift motion, he sat on the seat and pulled the reins of the horses. The equines let out a soft neigh before moving.

    Who was he? She wondered as she watched them disappear in the night.

    Thunder sounded far in the distance and Emma hastened. She trudged through the umted snow over the cobbled street as she passed through a row of small houses. Snow started falling as wind pped her face and the soft little kes fluttering to the ground quickly became icy needles.

    The streets at this time of the night were eerily silent and empty. They had no sign of the market that was held that day. Soft glow of candles or firelight that escaped through the windows that were covered with thick furs were the only signs of life in this part of the kingdom.

    When she reached her home, she heard her mother''s loud voice from their room. Her hands fell away from the door that she was about to open to enter.

    "The royal family?" her stepmother said excitedly. "Are you sure? Finally, our son will be saved!"

    "Shh¡­ keep your voice low, Avice," said her father, Drogo. "It''s a secret. Lord Remus said that I had to remain silent about it till the deal was done."

    Avice lowered her voice. "So how many coins will they give us for our daughter?"

    Emma froze, withering in her ce. Were they selling her? To the royal family?

    "They will take her, this I know for sure," said Drogo. "And although I don''t know whether he would care for her, it''s not like she will spend the rest of her days in poverty. She is going to be safe."

    "Safe? She will be treated royally, and at least we will get enough coins to treat our son," her mother scoffed. "But what about other vassals? Won''t they rebel against you?"

    Water welled in Emma''s eyes. She lifted her trembling hand to open the door, but her father''s words stopped her. He said, "Hush. We will talk about itter. Don''t tell any of this to anyone. The royals wille here tomorrow night. Just dress her up in your best gown for him. This is the only way we can save Angus."

    Him?

    Emma''s whole world crumbled in that second. Was she going to be a vampire''s concubine? And that too a royal one? He would suck her dry in a day. Her body started shaking uncontrobly as her heart lurched to her throat.

 Chapter 2 The Man With Red Eyes

    ?Her stepmother had suggested to her father in the past that Emma can be sold to a merchant as a ve to earn money. Working as a ve in a merchant''s house was eptable in return for help, but to be thrown in the den of vampires who thrived on the bloods of the Loreans was something else.

    Emma squeezed her eyes shut against a strong rush of tears. With shaky hands she opened the door of the house and entered ready to protest.

    Surprised, her parents whipped their heads towards her. "Emma!" her mother snapped, a pale blush forming on her cheeks out of excitement or guilt. "Where have you been? Angus was asking about you in his delirious state."

    The surge to protest in Emma crumpled instantly.

    Avice came to her, her face full of sadness. Holding her hands, she cried, "Your brother is battling with life and death Emma. The healer said that he is in hisst stages and he needs the cure very soon or¡­"

    Emma nced at her father. He narrowed his eyes, then turned away to walk to the room where Angus was probably sleeping. A gaping hole formed in her heart, seeing how apathetic he had turned towards her in a span of a few months.

    "You must be hungry, Emma. Go change your clothes ande back to the kitchen. They are stained with grass," Avice''s strained voice reached her ears.

    "Yes, mother," she murmured, knowing fully well that Avice put up the show of love and care only when she needed something from Emma.

    In the bathroom, emotions swirled in her chest and she resisted the familiar rush of tears. Her eighteenth birthday was just a weekter and this was the gift she was getting. Blinking away the burn behind her eyes. She washed her tear-stained cheeks and with heavy steps went to the kitchen.

    Avice gestured to her to join her on the table. When Emma sat down, Avice instructed, "Don''t go out anywhere tomorrow, okay?"

    "Why mother?" Emma asked.

    Avice put her spoon down. She lowered her voice to a whisper. "Tomorrow you will be going to the royal pce. Someone wille to pick you up. In exchange for you, they will give us the potion that will save your brother."

    "But why? I don''t want to go," Emma pleaded.

    Seeing her protest, Avice snapped. "How dare you resist? This is your only chance to save your brother Emma, and this is how you repay our debt?"

    Emma bit her bottom lip to stop it from trembling. Ever since her mother died when she was just two-years-old, her father brought home a new mother. No one could be more callous than Avice. She gave her bare minimum care and punished her for the smallest mistakes. But now that her son was dying, she was asking to pay her debt? "You''re trading me, aren''t you? To save Angus''s life you are sacrificing mine?"

    "That''s the wrong way to look at it, Emma! You are going to be very fine in the royal pce."

    Emma lost her appetite. She retorted, "That''s nonsense!"

    Avice''s face morphed into anger and she pped her tight. "You''ve always been so disrespectful and ungrateful! When your mother died, I took care of you and this is how you thank me?"

    Emma burst into tears. "They will kill me!"

    "Stop being so dramatic!" Avice growled. "And don''t think of running away. We will find you."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Holding her cheek, Emma got up. Leaving her food untouched on the te she ran back to her room. She crashed on the bed gripping her head and curled into a ball. Tears squirmed from her eyes, threatening to drown her. She let them loose. She was torn asunder between terror and duty.

    For the entire night Emma couldn''t sleep well. Nightmares visited her naturally. Red eyes haunted her in the nightmares and she woke up with a start, stifling a scream, soaked in sweat.

    Unable to sleep more, she visited her brother Angus. He was in deep slumber. Emma sat on the edge of his bed and ran her fingers over his feet. He was having a fever.

    The day went past in a haze with her mother arranging the house for the visitors. In the evening, her mother made her wear the best gown she had. It was a full sleeve crimson gown. Its round neckline was bordered with embroidered roses. It cinched on her waist and the skirt pooled at her ankles. Her mother insisted that she should let her golden hair open. They cascaded till her hips in waves. There was no other makeup on her.

    Her stepmother removed the gold chain she was wearing and made her wear it. "It is your mother''s. You may keep it." It was as if she was trying to get rid of thest memories of everything associated with her mother.

    Emma heard a rustle of fabric and papers. In the main room her father and a local merchant named Remus, were sitting, finalizing the deal.

    It was near midnight, when Emma heard clops of hooves on the cobbled road in front of their house. Emma''s heart beat wildly in her ribcage as a healthy dose of fear surged through her. She clenched her dress on the sides. Blood rushed to her head and she felt dizzy.

    "Emma!" Her father called her in a sharp voice.

    Avice held her hand. "Emma, you have to go. I will ask your father toe to take you out of the pce as soon as possible."

    "Really?" Emma asked naively, her eyes rounding at the corners.

    "We will try," Avice said dryly.

    Emma''s heart sank. "You won''te back, will you?" The little flicker of light in her heart snuffed like a candle against a storm. She knew her father would nevere back, because her father was the head of the rebellion against vampires. And also because this deal was a secret.

    "Emma!" Drogo called her again, halting the conversation. He opened the door of her room and rushed inside. "Come fast!" Emma flinched.

    Her mother pushed her. "Go!" Holding the sides of her gown tightly, Emma walked out of her room with her heart thudding inside. And the moment she stepped in the main room, she froze. Her eyes flew wide open when she gazed at the man with red eyes.

    Emma gasped.

    Audibly.

    He was the same man whom she had seen in the ck woods. A woman was kneeling in front of him that night.

    Goosebumps lifted on her arms and it had nothing to do with the cold.

 Chapter 3 Sealing Her Fate

    ?Emma''s face paled when his sharp and piercing red eyes that promised murder, fell on her face. He was so tall that she had to crane her neck up to see him. He exuded a powerful aura that instinctively made people around him submit to him.

    He was wearing a ck silk shirt with ck leather pants. A ck fur cape was thrown across his shoulders. His pale blond hair was pulled in a bun at the back highlighting his features. His high cheekbones were so sharp that they could cut ss. His bow shaped lips were full and red. She couldn''t help noticing his square jaw that eased into the thick column of his neck. A muscle feathered in his jaw when she stared at him without blinking. Gold speckles flickered in his irises, mesmerizing her.

    Heat coiled up in her belly and her toes curled. Her lips parted and instead of feeling fear, she felt¡­ attracted.

    Immediately shoving those strange feelings away, she bowed to him, ending their staring contest.

    "Prince Lazarus, this is my daughter, Emmelyn," her father introduced her.

    Emma''s eyes widened. Goddess! Prince Lazarus?

    Lore''s most ruthless vampire.

    True heir to the throne of Wilyra.

    Emma shivered under his gaze. Her fight and flight instincts took over and flight dominated it. She wanted to pick up her gown and run as far away as possible from him because he was known to show no mercy to his foes. And Emma was the daughter of the biggest foe of Wilyra, Drogo, the head of the rebels.

    As Prince Lazarus continued to stare at her, his men who had filled the room finalized the deal. From the corner of her eye, she saw that they took her father''s thumb print on a scroll. Her father was handed a few bags of coins that jingled her doom. "The deal is done, my lord," said the man who seemed closest to him.

    "Get her to the carriage," said Lazarus in a deep voice and turned on his heels to go back.

    Emma couldn''t budge from her ce, feeling as if her feet had grown roots. Her mother kissed her and poked her elbow for her to move. "Go Emma," she said. When she didn''t move, Avice held her hand and dragged her out of the house.

    "Thank God, she is leaving," her father said and didn''t evene out to see her off.

    ? A royal carriage was waiting for her in which Lazarus was already sitting. There were several horses standing along with soldiers, one of whom was carrying the royal g. Vampires. They all had pale faces and most had dull-red eyes.

    Emma noticed the same coachman who had warned her yesterday, was holding the door open. So she had encountered the prince yesterday?

    The coachman gave her an encouraging smile to sit inside but Emma looked back again at her mother and peered towards the door of the house to see if her father came back, but he hadn''t. "Please mother¡ª"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Enough, Emma!" Avice hissed and pushed her towards the carriage. "Don''t be so selfish!"

    Stomach gnawing inside, Emma stepped inside the carriage. The pce was a long ride from here being located on the north of the kingdom amongst the vampire''s stronghold where not a bird breached, where everywhere one could only see snow.

    The coachman shut the door, sealing her fate. She sat on the ck leather cushioned bench opposite to the vampire prince. So close to him, fear gripped her heart like a vise. Emma clutched her gown in herp when the carriage started, moving to the farthest corner. When she looked up, she saw the prince had reclined back, his eyes closed. Tense silence descended.

    As the carriage rolled, silence engulfed the space. She had many questions but Emma couldn''t muster enough courage to give voice to her questions.

    She didn''t know how long the carriage drove, but the man in front of her was dead quiet, perhaps sleeping. She shivered as icy fingers of dread scraped at the back of her neck.

    Soon the cold became unbearable. She crossed her arms to stop her teeth from chattering. She gazed at him, examining him, when suddenly, he opened his eyes and caught her studying him. She blushed and lowered her gaze.

    Untying the strings of his fur cape, he handed it to her. "Wear it," he said and closed his eyes again. Though surprised by his gesture, Emma couldn''t help the temptation to stay warm. She wrapped the fur and its warmth around her.

    She must have slept in its warmth because she woke up with a jolt. The carriage had stopped. There was amotion outside, as if metal nking against metal. "Have we reached?" she asked him, but he ced his finger on his lips, motioning her to stay quiet.

    Lazarus leaned towards her and turned his face left to her ear. Emma''s blood rushed to her cheeks when his hot breath fell on her neck and his intoxicating cedar and spicy scent surrounded her. "Stay inside the carriage. Don''t step out."

    "W¡ªwhy?" she asked.

    "I think my bastard brothers have attacked. I will be back in a few minutes." Lazarus withdrew, inhaling sharply next to her and then in one swift motion, opened the door of the carriage and disappeared into night. The carriage moved with a jerk and halted again.

    In the distance, a scream rang out. "What is going on?" she asked someone, anyone. An agonized yell sounded and she jumped in her seat. A jarring sound of st fueled her fears. She heard a guttural bellow, "Where is he? I can''t see him!" A whileter, she heard a bloodcurdling scream. Someone in the close vicinity of the carriage begged, "Please spare me Prince Lazarus. Have merc¡ª!" But his pleas were cut off by a gurgling sound.

    Left in the dark carriage, Emma started to hyperventte. She clutched the front of the fur cape with one hand. Cold sweat broke on her face.

    This was her chance to get away from her impending fate and disappear.

 Chapter 4 This Is The Best Thing

    ?Emma was in the hands of the most dangerous man in the Lore. Scared as hell, her flight instincts took over. She opened the carriage door and jumped out. There was mayhem everywhere. She looked to her right and then left. Without thinking for a second, Emma started to run towards the darkness beyond in the opposite direction, taking cover of the snow-covered trees.

    Emma ran as fast as possible in the opposite direction. She didn''t have much of a n and had very limited knowledge of these areas, but she knew that if she traveled in the opposite direction, it would lead her back to her home. Ayer of snow crunched beneath her feet as she darted towards the forest that surrounded the dirt path on which the carriage stopped.

    Her breath came out in puffs and misty clouds gathered in front of her. "Help me goddess," she muttered when she heard the grunts of beasts. She had never been on this side of the kingdom. She didn''t know how far she had run, but only when the silvery moonlight shattered and was enough to show her the path, she realized that she hade deep in the forest. She heard a howl in the distance, which only made her run fast. All Emma wanted was to maintain as much distance as possible between her and the vampire.

    Everyone in her vige said that vampires were dangerous, driven by blood lust and blood rage. Emma''s parents were blood vassals in the kingdom of Wilyra, because the vampires had allowed them to stay in Wilyra, but only if they gave their blood in exchange for protection.

    Emma couldn''t help wondering if her father would suppress the rebellion after this deal. Drogo was the leader of all the vassals and currently there was a dissent amongst them. They were grouping up and rebelling against the royals to not give their blood anymore and take up the kingdom of Wilyra.

    Emma''s boot snagged on an exposed boulder and she fell down hard, but immediately she was back on her feet with a few scars and a tear in her gown. She ran until the side of her stomach developed a stitch. She was sure that she hade closer to her home. The trees were less dense leaving a vast expanse of snow-covered ground.

    Her breath wasbored and her pace slower. All she hoped at that time was that she didn''t encounter any wolves or bears. However, with her terrible luck these days, she wasn''t even sure of it. It was highly possible that she was running towards arge family of very bad-tempered wolves. She had never seen wolves, only heard their howls. But at least¡ª

    A branch snapped and Emma held her breath. She ran towards a thicket of pine trees as her skin prickled with goosebumps. The cracking sound came closer and she sprinted harder, but the next moment, a sudden force came in front of her and she dashed straight into the hard and muscr wall of someone. She shrieked as she fell down but strong arms grabbed her waist and prevented her fall.

    "Where were you going?" Prince Lazarus growled menacingly. "You think you can escape me?"

    His cold voice sent a shiver down her spine. Her heart sank all the way down to her toes as she looked up at the tall vampire whose muscles were bulging and rippling beneath her touch.

    "Let me go," she said, fear threatening to throw her food out of her gut. Her struggles were a losing battle against him.

    "Never!" he growled. He bent down, grasped her thighs and hauled her over his shoulder. And the next moment, Emma saw smoke and shadows and mist all around her. The wind knocked from her as a splitting headache rips through her skull. Her world spun. Her shoulders popped with a quick jerking motion. And when all of it settled, she found herself being tossed on the bench in the carriage.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Emma peeled open her eyes, her mind trying toe out of the dizziness. And right in front of her was Lazarus who was towering over her. Shocked that it had taken her so long to run away, and merely a few seconds toe back, she let out a ragged breath, as she scrambled back to the bench.

    The prince''s shirt was stained with blood and pieces of flesh and so were his nails. Yet he cut a striking figure, silhouetted against the soft moonlight that filtered through the window of the carriage.

    "You can''t run, Emma," he growled, his voice so husky and low and dangerous that she trembled. "And you can never outrun me!" He thumped the side of the carriage and it started moving, this time at a higher speed. He settled in the bench opposite to her as he stared at her with his red eyes. "Next time, I will just put a shackle on you!"

    Emma trembled under his gaze as her anger and helplessness and confusion warred inside her. How did shee back in the carriage so soon? She scurried away, trying to merge with the farthest corner, away from him. "How did you manage to¡ª to¡ª"

    "Some of us can parthon. An ability to trace from one ce to another in seconds!"

    Anger won. "You shouldn''t be doing that to me! This is all wrong," she squeaked. "My father¡ª he is the leader of the rebellion! He has made the wrong decision."

    "No, this is the best thing your father could do!" he snapped.

    "You royals have been using us for centuries. It is time that you free all of us!" she protested in a weak voice.

    "The only way to free yourselves from us is to get out of Wilyra and nevere back!" He scoffed and crossed his arms across his chest after wiping his hands on his pants. "You should have told this to Lord Drogo, the man who is leading the rebellion. But he is such a hypocrite that to save his son, he made a secret deal with me in which he handed over his daughter to me in exchange for the costliest medicine avable in all of Wilyra along with a promise that he would quash the rebellion!"

    She didn''t know how to counteract the bitter truth the prince had justshed out. Emma''s chin trembled as fresh tears came in her eyes. She looked away from him outside the window where the snow forest was passing in a blur. This was true. Her father did sell her. To save his son, he threw his daughter in their of vampires. But there was more.

 Chapter 5 Madly. Badly. Desperately.

    ?Two days back.

    Prince Lazarus was the first born of his father. His heir to the throne, but his father had ensured that ascension to the throne wasn''t easy. He had produced numerous children from his other wives and concubines. Overall, Lazarus was contending with a dozen or so brothers and sisters.

    "I want this rebellion to be crushed!" King Victor roared in the throne hall as he pounded the armrest of his throne, the splinters flying on all sides. "If necessary, kill all the blood vassals and drain them dry!"

    His siblings roared with his father in unison. His second brother, Anton, who was next to him in the line to ascend the throne, said, "Give us the order to march over there, father! Your wish is ourmand!" Anton nced at Lazarus, who was watching all of them with his arms crossed across his chest, seated on the first chair of the throne hall, a coveted chair and position for all the princes. "It seems our brother doesn''t agree with us," he challenged Lazarus in an insulting manner.

    Victor stared at his oldest. "Do you disagree with me, Lazarus?" he dared him.

    "Yes," he replied coldly, bluntly.

    There was a stunned silence in the throne hall. Lazarus was known to defy his father and he made no secret of it.

    Anton scoffed. "This is what you expect from a weak prince. Are you scared of those vassals, brother? Have you forgotten that they are in ournds under our protection? And now they are lifting their heads to go against us? They want ournd. We are going to kill all of them and show who is the owner of this kingdom!"

    Lazarus stopped an urge to roll his eyes. He knew that Anton was provoking him. He continued to sit in his chair and crossed his legs over his ankle slowly. "Only a durd would kill all the vassals to im your ownnd," he said, inviting grunts and growls from his brothers. Lazarus looked at Anton and smirked, "Once you will kill them where will you get your daily blood from? And after this carnage, will anyone else even dare to migrate to Wilyra?"

    "We will capture people from other kingdoms and bring them as our blood bags!" Anton snarled. "But we won''t be scared of the vassals!"

    Lazarus got up from his chair and closed the gap between him and Anton like a predator. Standing a few inches tall, he was intimidating. His powerful aura was undeniable. "Only a fool like you could say that," he said in a guttural voice. And a chill ran down Anton''s spine.

    Lazarus knew that his brothers were big sycophants of the king in order to show their support to him. The problem was that King Victor was getting old. He was looking for heirs and Lazarus was his least favored. He didn''t want to quit the throne till thest day of his life. So if Lazarus had to snatch the throne from his brothers, then so be it. He had his ns.

    "Then do you have an option, son?" Victor roared. He hated Lazarus because he was aware that Lazarus was stronger than him, stronger than all his brothers and sisters. Anytime, he could take over his throne, his rule and his kingdom. Lazarus was like a thorn in his eyes. One he had to remove as soon as possible.

    Lazarus turned to his father and covered the distance between them in long strides. "I do have one, Your Highness," he said coldly. "But that needs to be carried out discreetly."

    "What is it?" Victor demanded. "Tell me now!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I would like a private audience to talk about it, Your Highness," he remarked, his eyes boring into his fathers. He knew that his father was looking for an opportunity to remove him from the line of those who were contesting for his ce.

    "Oh, so Prince Lazarus deigns to obey mymand," Vitor called from his throne. His eyes grew redder, their crimson standing out against his pale face and his light silvery hair that fell over his forehead from beneath his crown.

    His brothers and sisters that were seated stared at Lazarus with malice evident on their faces. Feeling their malice thickening in the air, Lazarus turned to look at them sharply and drew his lips back to sh his sharp fangs at them. He found all of them beneath him in power, strength and intelligence and he didn''t hide his feelings from them.

    He turned to face his father. "I am not disobeying yourmand, Your Highness," Lazarus reasoned. "I am merely asking you for a private audience."

    Victor scoffed. "You are too weak, Lazarus! Your mother was weak and she was never up to the standards of my family. See what she produced. If you are not afraid that you won''t be able to execute your n efficiently after revealing it here, then I believe that you don''t trust your brothers and sisters. And that is a punishable offense. I can send you to the gallows."

    Lazarus smirked. This wasn''t the first time his father had threatened him about sending him to the gallows.

    Victor stared at him long enough, his hatred evident. Ultimately, he broke his silence and continued with irritation, "So what is your n?"

    Lazarus knew what was going on. "My n is simple," he said, conceding to his father''s demand.

    And right now Lazarus was staring at his n in the carriage who was huddled up in the corner and staring, rather ring at him with her clear blue eyes. Because he had revealed his n to his brothers and sisters, they hade after her. He had killed two of his brothers to save the girl seated in front of him and she was running away? And that too from vampires? If he had been a few minuteste, she would have be the feast of one of his dimwit brothers. He sucked in a sharp breath.

    In all his life, Lazarus was not easily surprised, but Emma''s actions surprised the hell out of him. Running through an attack by blood vassals was one thing, but plotting to run away from him was quite another thing. He was unable toe to a conclusion about her: whether she was suicidal or she was in crazy.

    Either way, he decided that the girl was going to be nothing but a pain in the neck. And through all the madness he went through because of her, he was still unable to understand as to why his instincts red up when she was running away. All he wanted was to protect her until¡­

    Lazarus was known in the Lore as being the most cunning and evil vampire, battering or breaking his enemies in time with his shrewdness and sheer power. Yet, this mortal, who was beneath him in all standards, was confusing him, surprising him and above all¡­ luring him.

    Madly. Badly. Desperately.

    And this wasn''t the first time.

 Chapter 6 Fae Goddess, Maeve

    ?They reached the pce two hourster when the moon was about to descend in the horizon for its bright sibling to wake up.

    Emma was still dizzy from all the mental exhaustion when she stepped out of the carriage. She was terrified, as her eyes darted blindly in the dark. The Wilyra pce was lit with torches that were burning on the walls. Snow fell around her in soft flurries and she walked towards the stairs that led inside with shaky steps. Suddenly, her waist was grabbed, she was yanked off her feet and ck shadows and mist burst around her.

    When she was set on her feet again on the ground, she stumbled forward and sank on her knees, coughing and wheezing.

    "Emma," his deep timbre voice came from somewhere. It was a voice she would never forget. She felt her bile rising in her throat. When the room around her came into focus, she realized that she was in some kind of a very luxurious room. A four-poster bed was in the middle of it with a crimson canopy overhead and white gauzy curtains tied to the posters. A very soft plush carpet was spread all over. A fire hearth was right in front of the bed where some logs were still burning.

    She was taking it all in when the vampire appeared in front of her eyes. He stood in front of her. Curling his fingers below her chin and lifting her face up, he growled, "I am warning you again, mortal, if you try to even think of running, no one will be able to save you from me. I am the only person you should be afraid of."

    Emma red in his red eyes but couldn''t help noticing that his muscles had bulged. He looked menacing and even lethal. His neck tendons were strained and he had clenched his jaw. And now in the buttery glow of the fire, she saw that there was blood sttered all over his face and some of his pale blond strands over his forehead were also stained with it.

    "I promise you that if you run away, I will punish you. Severely. I had made a deal with your father that if I take you as my wife, he will stop the rising rebellion of the vassals. Apart from giving his son the much-needed vampire blood to heal him. So, don''t¡ª and I repeat, DON''T even think of stepping out of here. Is that clear?"

    Emma nodded her head lightly, feeling like a trapped dove in a lion''s den. Wait. Wife? "Wife¡­" she murmured. She thought that she was going to be taken as his concubine. But wife? That was something entirely different. Her whole world tilted on its axis and started spinning too fast. "But you are betrothed already?" her words tumbled out, trepidation cascading down her body.

    She had heard a rumor that the eldest prince was betrothed and that was why she was loathing the idea that she was going to be his concubine or his blood bag. But he brought her here to be his wife?

    Lazarus stepped back and his lips lifted into a sinister smile that spoke of mystery. She heard soft footsteps in the room and she looked back. A beautiful woman with straight ck hair walked in. She was having the glow of a goddess. She was fearsome in her perfect features, and was utterly calm and radiating grace. She was wearing avender gown. Her long white fingers folded in front of her as she came to stand with Lazarus.

    "Meet the fae goddess, Maeve," he said as he looked fondly at the woman beside him. "In the mortal body of Ileana."

    When he reverted his gaze back to her, Emma shuddered at an unknown notion. This was the woman she had seen kneeling in front of him in the ck woods. She recalled when she saw her first.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I will do anything for you, Lord Lazarus. This mortal is dying and in order to rule Wilyra, you need me¡ªa goddess. But I am trapped in this mortal''s body. You have to find another human body for me."

    A ragged breath left her and she felt rage rising inside of her instead of fear. The vampire prince had yed with her life. He had hit two birds with one stone. No. He had hit many birds with his one master stroke. He was not only going to force her father into suppressing the rebellion because she was now bound to him, but he was going to get Queen Maeve to enter her body and who knew what else?

    "You are going to cast my soul to get the fae queen inside me," Emma muttered, her mind going numb. "And take me as your wife with her soul in my body."

    "That''s right," Lazarus chuckled. "Only Maeve can help me get my kingdom."

    Lazarus was a vampire but his bloodline descended from the fae bloodline of Vilinski, which meant that although they had lost the ability to fly, they could easily parthon or in simple words, they could move from one ce to another in a matter of seconds, howsoever long was the distance.

    He knew that the only person who could help him rule the kingdom of Wilyra was the fae goddess, Maeve. He had gone to retrieve her from Vilinski, and the goddess was willing toe with him, but at a cost.

    She didn''t have a body. She was just a spirit. With the help of a soul reaper, she had possessed herself in the body of a young girl without her permission.

    Little did Lazarus know that Maeve was killed by none other than her fae sister Mab and her body was tossed into a different realm which was sealed forever. And now Maeve was seeking the body of an immortal and live peacefully and return to her fae lover, Ailill.

    Maeve looked down at the girl in front of her with loathe. Her lips lifted into a soft smile. "I have been waiting for you for a long time, Emma."

    "Why?..."

 Chapter 7 Use Her

    ?Maeve''s eyes sparkled a purple, a clear indication of her fae genes and that shepletely controlled the body of the mortal she was residing in. She started circling Emma. "In your body, I will be stronger, more beautiful and will be able to help my love, Lazarus, to conquer his kingdom for him and get rid of his useless brothers." She came to stand in front of her. She leaned down and curled her fingers beneath her chin, tipping her face up.

    "So don''t try to hurt yourself and injure this little body of yours. More importantly, don''t think of escaping." She let out a softugh and then snapped her fingers. Air rippled around Emma and her ears popped. "This magic is not going to let you out of this pce. It is specially crafted for you, Emma." Maeve turned to look at Lazarus. "You''ve done wonderfully, Prince Lazarus. Our trick worked. Now after the ritual, her soul would be tossed out and I will enter. Have you arranged for the soul reaper?" She walked to curl her arm in his.

    Emma stared at the two of them, her mind so numb that she couldn''t even think much. Lazarus smirked at her. He removed his arm from Maeve''s and walked to the bar counter to pour amber liquid for himself. "I have. What are we going to do with her next, Maeve?"

    The girl sitting on the floor was so beneath him that he was disgusted by himself. By what fate had chosen for him.

    Emma was his mate.

    It was surely a mistake in the Lore. The biggest mistake. He was the most powerful and strongest vampire of the Lore and she was a¡­ little mortal. Of no consequence.

    He red at her, recalling that he had seen her for the first time when she was only fourteen in the ck wood forests. And he was shocked to find that a mortal was his mate. He was hunting rogues in the forest when all of a sudden, a mouthwatering and intoxicating scent of violets hit his senses.

    He left the pursuit of the rogues and rushed to find the source of the smell, driven by his instincts. His head was dizzy, overwhelmed by the sensation. He had finally found his mate, one that was predicted by the faes. One who would bring Wilyra to his feet. One with whose help he was going to rule his kingdom and defeat his brothers and sisters.

    Tearing through the trees and the dense forest, he sprinted to her. And when heid his eyes on his mate¡­ She was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen in his life. Long blond hair and beautiful blue eyes that rounded at the corners in¡­ fear.

    He was appalled when he saw that she was standing with two boys on a cliff.

    Protective instincts red when he heard that those boys were threatening to force her into sex. When one of the boys touched her, jealousy red.

    Rage sted inside him and he wanted to rip them. But he controlled himself and so, he ended up throwing those two boys down the cliff. Theynded on trees and were hanging out there for two days till their families found them. All Emma knew was that a whirlwind of movement caused the fall. He left her, stunned.

    He had left the kingdom soon after, not believing that Lore could y this trick on him. He had gone to Vilinski to get answers for his questions from his ancestors'' souls. And there he found Maeve. She convinced him that she was the woman he needed to rule Wilyra. He brought Maeve to Wilyra and dered her as his fianc¨¦e.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Even though he hade back, his urge to see Emma overruled his logic. He visited the same ce several times in hopes to see her, but in vain. It was after three years that he smelled her presence over there. He hid behind the trees to stalk her.

    She had be stunning with striking features. Her skin was creamy and her body became curvy only for his hands to explore. He stayed to watch her till she was there and left only when she left. But Lazarus was aware that she was still a mortal. Too low to seduce him. Nothingpared to the goddess.

    Once he had spied her walking with a boy her age in the market and he had be so jealous that at night he had destroyed the two carriages that boy''s family held. He reasoned that the boy was too good for her.

    He had gone to see her again yesterday because he knew that she was about to turn eighteen. Along with Maeve he had hatched a fantastic n.

    The only way to bring her permanently to hisir was to make a deal with Drogo. He was going to sink his fangs in her and mate with her after the ritual, only when her body was going to get the soul of the fae goddess.

    Maeve''sugh brought him back to the present. "Keep her safe, Lazarus. Maybe use her for¡­ services?"

    Giving Emma a look of disgust, Lazarus leaned towards Maeve and kissed her cheek. That was all Maeve was allowing him to do, but he had to show it to Emma. Impressions were important. Maybe he was assuring himself.

    Maeve was the woman who had to be his perfect match. But the fact that she even suggested he use her for servicing him was shocking. How could his betrothed suggest that? Did she not feel jealous of Emma at all?

    Emma was so different from Maeve. She was a goddess, worthy of him, and Emma? She was nothing.

    The idea of having the goddess in the body of his mate was thrilling. Was satisfying. Though Lazarus was a much-coveted prince in Wilyra. Way too many vampire females and other Lore females wanted to bed him and impress him. He was very charming, attractive and an alpha male. Yet why was it that Maeve didn''t even want to explore him sexually? It was bizarre. On many asions he had demanded sex from her, but she would slip out with one or the other excuse. It was not untilst night that she promised to give herself to him if he helped her live in the body of his mate.

    An intense desire took hold of him just thinking about his mate''s body. His eyes locked on to her blue ones. So close to her, every part of his body rebelled against his mind that was already plotting too many ways to be with her. Maybe, he should use her for¡­ services.

 Chapter 8 Delightful Shivers

    ?Emma got up from her ce with her limbs shaking. She couldn''t believe what the prince just confirmed. She had fallen from a valley into an abyss. If her life at home with her stepmother was bad, her remaining life in the Wilyra Pce was going to be horrible. She didn''t know if fate could be so cruel to her. She mumbled something incoherent and then swayed, as ckness engulfed her. She heard a loud grunt and before she hit the ground, strong arms held her. Before she sumbed to the darkness, she saw those red eyes again.

    "I am cursed¡­" she murmured. "I am cursed¡­" She peeled open her gummy eyes and saw a crimson canopy overhead. It was all too dark. Cold hands pressed on her forehead.

    "Emma?" a deep and soothing voice came. She was lifted from the pillows and someone pressed cool metal of ss against her lips. She drank sweet liquid, probably fresh orange juice. She was again helped to lie back on her pillows.

    "Father¡­" she muttered. "Come back¡­ Red eyes¡­" And ckness surrounded her again.

    Several hourster, a noise stirred her from her sleep. She was on her side, wrapped in silk nkets. The fire in the hearth cast a soft buttery glow around the room. It was pitch dark beyond the windows. A dull headache had formed and she was about to ce her hand on her forehead when she saw a dark silhouette against the glow of fire. She narrowed her eyes to see who that was only to find her prince Lazarus sitting on a chair.

    His hair was disheveled and there were purple circles beneath his eyes. His tunic was open from the front, revealing his broad chest that had a fine dusting of pale blond hair in the center. One hand was on the armrest while the other was holding a ss of amber liquid. And he was staring at her. With a scowl on his face.

    She should have felt fear, but all she felt was anger.

    He growled, "Being the prince of Wilyra, I have a lot of work to do rather than babysit a mortal. You must take care of yourself!" He sipped whiskey and muttered, "Bloody weak hearted mortals!"

    "Work? You mean you have to get your kingdom back? With Maeve''s help?" She tried to deny the fact that when he kissed Maeve, she felt¡­ jealous. No. It couldn''t be. She felt disgusted.

    "Do you ask useless questions all the time?"

    "Don''t you ever answer questions?" she snapped and that made him growl at her. "If Maeve is so important to you, why are you here and why not with her?"

    "To make sure that you don''t fall down every time you walk."

    "Why are you so concerned about me?"

    He sipped his whiskey. He had no answer as to why he was concerned about her. When she swayed and was about to fall on the ground, his instincts made him trace to her in that instant and he grabbed her in his arms. He clenched his jaws to stop the panic that was radiating in his body. He leaned forward and growled, "I am not concerned about you. I am only concerned that you don''t injure yourself till the ritual. Which means that I have to look after your body."<novelnext></novelnext>

    "My body?" Emma couldn''t help feeling that he was just like other men.

    "Besides, this pce is full of my enemies. They would happily harm you or Maeve just to get back at me."

    "You mean they would harm me or Maeve?"

    "Both of you!" he grunted. "But Maeve is a goddess. She can take care of her easily. And you?" he sneered. "You are a mortal who can be easily snapped into two by any of them. So you better stay in here only."

    Emma looked away from him exhaling loudly, hoping to reduce her anger. She would have formed a n to run away from the pce easily, maybe even hoodwink the vampires but how was she going to take care of the wall that Maeve had created around the pce so that she couldn''t escape. "I don''t have anything with me. What about my clothes?"

    He pointed to a door. "That leads to your closet. I have ensured that you are fully clothed and every one of your necessities is taken care of."

    Her eyes widened. He had thought so much about her. "I hope everything fits me."

    Lazarus smirked at her. "Well, I think it would be a nice level up for you, peasant. Everything inside that closet is ording to royal standards."

    Emma narrowed her eyes at him for the way he was insulting her. "Maybe, you should also find a tailor to sew your head ording to royal standards!" she snapped.

    Lazarus was on her in a second. He ced both his hands beside her head as he glowered at her from his vantage point. Grasping her jaw, he said, "You speak too much, Emma. Behave." In the next moment just to show what he had done and how much he had bought, he grabbed her waist, yanked her up and he traced her to the closet that he was pointing at earlier.

    Emma coughed as the mist around her dissipated. She kept her head buried in his shoulders to avoid the rise of bile she had experienced thest time. She took a deep breath of his cedar and spicy smell as she clutched his neck with her hands. Something funny happened. Delightful electric shivers ran down her body and she stifled a gasp. She stared into his red eyes and didn''t say anything for a long time, feeling¡­ mesmerized. The golden speckles behind the irises danced like stars. She swallowed her saliva.

    "Will you stop it?" she said hoarsely. "I hate this!"

    After he felt that she was fine, he set her on her feet but didn''t leave her waist, lest she would fall. "Look at all this," he grated, not liking how his body was responding to his mate. His muscles strained under her touch. He wanted to protect her but¡ª

 Chapter 9 Weird Tales About Vampires

    ?He wanted to protect her on instinctive level, but he pushed those thoughts away.

    Emma''s eyes flew wide when she looked around at the closet. seeing so many royal gowns of silk and finest material, furs, gloves, jewelry and other paraphernalia.

    "I am sure you must have thought of Maeve before buying all those dresses. Ultimately, she would be the one wearing it, won''t she?"

    His gaze turned softer as he studied her face. He lifted himself up and turned away to walk away. He didn''t say that he had measured her curves well in his mind so well that it wasn''t an issue for him to order those clothes. "Yes, I have."

    "I am sure she really loves you a lot¡­" Emma mused.

    He picked her up in his arms and traced her back to the bed, happy that she was impressed by all of it. As he tucked her in the nket, he said, "Well, she is my betrothed. Why won''t she love me?"

    "But does she?" she asked when he stepped back.

    "She is my betrothed," he growled, getting irritated by her questions. The problem was that vampires couldn''t speak lies because they inherited fae genes. If they tried to speak a lie, they experienced burns in their tongue and whole body. So it was impossible for Lazarus to lie, instead he had learned the art of making deals and circumventing lies, just like faes.

    Emma became quiet for a moment. Her head was still dizzy with all the tracing he was doing. She licked her dry lips. "Water¡­" she murmured.

    He turned around and brought water for her instantly. Emma drank it greedily and when she settled a bit, she said with sarcasm, "I am sure you love her a lot¡­ Why don''t you turn her into a vampire? Then both of you can live sadly ever after!"

    Slowly he came back to her. "If it would have been one of my subjects speaking like this to me, I would have burned them at stake or maybe pulled out their tongue."

    She turned her head away from his dangerous face and murmured, "I am not someone. I am someone special."

    He bent down towards her and ced his hands on either side of her body. "Yes, you are someone special because your body will host my mate. Other than that all I see in you is a mortal girl with no ss andcking in all departments." She was socking that every time he went after her to stalk her, he wondered how Lore could be so biased. And Lazarus had obsessed about her since the time he had seen her. Emma was blissfully unaware that someone stalked her all these years. What if she had known that it was Prince Lazarus who was trailing her?

    "I hate you," she blurted.

    "The feeling is mutual, mortal," he said but couldn''t help taking his hands to her hair that streamed like rays of sun all over the pillow. They were so soft and silky that he lifted them in his palm and let them slip through his fingers. It was something he had never attempted on Maeve.

    Emma wanted to protest, but she found herself calming down. She closed her eyes, reveling in the touch, in his proximity. Her body reacted to this vampire so strangely, but her mind¡ª it was different.

    Suddenly, he removed his hand and straightened up. She opened her eyes with a jerk, missing the feel.

    "I am going out," he said arrogantly. "Like I said earlier, I have a lot of work to do!"

    Emma drew her brows together. "I never stopped you," she remarked.

    He opened the door and before leaving warned her, "Don''t think of escaping. You are too fragile and very weak."

    "When is the ritual?" she asked from the bed. Her stomach grumbled out of hunger. The hell she would stop thinking of how to escape.

    "It is on the next full moon," he answered.

    "And what should I do until the next full moon?" she said. The next full moon was almost a month away if her calctions weren''t wrong.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Eat, and sleep," he grated. "Live your best life, because you won''t be feeling it after the next full moon. The pce is your new grounds. And try to change your sleeping routine. Sleep in the day and wake up at night." Saying that he closed the door behind him.

    "You will go to hell!" she spat, ring at the door. Her mood plummeted once again. She hated closed spaces and loved to go to the ck Woods once in a while because she felt good there. Sometimes even protected. Now where would she go? Anger and hopelessness warred inside her.

    Soon the door opened again and she blurted, "Remove the¡ª" She stopped mid-sentence when she saw that instead of Lazarus it was a young maiding in with a te of food.

    The maid bowed and smiled at her. "I am Ginger. Prince Lazarus has sent it for you, mdy," she said in a soft voice.

    Emma saw that there was a bowl of steaming stew on the te. Her stomach grumbled louder but her surprise wasrger. She blinked at the maid who brought a small wooden table and ced it in front of her. After putting the bowl on the table, she helped Emma to sit up on the pillows.

    "Thank you¡­" Emma said softly.

    "No need to thank me, mdy," said the maid. "The prince has asked me to take care of you and so here I am."

    Emma smirked. Surely the vampire prince wanted her in a healthy shape so that she was going to be able to sustain the soul casting ritual. She gritted her teeth.

    "Would you like to eat something else?" the maid asked, pulling her out of her reverie.

    "No," Emma shook her head slightly and started to eat rabbit stew. The stew was so tasty that when the buttery vor exploded on her tongue she couldn''t help groaning. The maid giggled. Emma smiled and carried on eating the stew. "You don''t look like a vampire, Ginger," Emma said, wiping her mouth with a napkin.

    Ginger chuckled. "I am not a vampire. My family has served the royal family since ages and that is what we do naturally. We are humans."

    Emma jerked her head back as her eyes widened. "And you are in the den of vampires? Aren''t you all afraid?" She lowered her voice and asked curiously, "Don''t they suck your blood?"

    It was Ginger''s chance to jerk her head back. "Suck our blood?"

    Emma nodded.

    "I am under Prince Lazarus, and he and he don''t suck the blood of those who serve them." Ginger said as if surprised by Emma''s statement. "Moreover, the vampires in Wilyra don''t suck blood of everyone or anyone. The owner has to give permission to them to suck the blood, otherwise, it is considered illegal. And that is why there are so many vassals in the kingdom!"

    "B¡ª but¡ª" Emma spluttered.

    Ginger chuckled. "I think you have heard too many weird tales about vampires." She removed the bowl and offered her a ss of water.

    Emma watched her curiously over the rim of her ss. Ginger looked intelligent.

    The maid kept the table on the floor. "I am twenty-five years old, mdy, and there hasn''t been an instance in which I was forced to give my blood to the royal family."

    Emma spluttered. The water came out as a jet from her mouth. Gingerughed as she patted Emma''s back. After taking in a few deep breaths, Emma settled and smiled as she shook her head.

    "You must rest now, mdy. The morning sun has just risen and almost all of the royal family has slept. I willeter to give you a bath."

 Chapter 10 Lazy Liar

    ?Feeling better, Emma went back to sleep as soon as Ginger left. The maid said that she wouldeter to give her a bath, but Emma wasn''t used to taking baths from maids. So when she woke up next, she decided to take a bath on her own instead of calling the maid.

    She removed the sheets from herself and stretched her limbs with a yawn. It had been ages since she had felt this rested. And that too in a ce surrounded by vampires. The irony wasn''t wasted on her.

    She wondered how her brother must be now. Avice had mentioned that he was going to be better after the potion that contained vampire blood would be given to him. Who must have given blood to him? Well, whosoever gave, she hoped that her sacrifice didn''t go for a waste and Angus was fine.

    Emma walked to the window and drew its sheer red and golden curtains out to let the soft breeze in. The scenery outside was¡­ stunning. Vastndscape that molded in mountains -all of it covered with white snow that reflected the sun''s red and orange rays. Few snow-covered trees dotted the area as if obliging thends with their presence. Mist coiled around them in thin tendrils, squandering and appearing with the gusts of wind.

    She took in a deep breath of the fresh and cool air and then turned to inspect her room. Arge dressing table upied a wall next to the closet. She sat down in front of the mirror and slowly started to remove the baubles and pins from her hair. She unbuttoned her gown and tugged it off her shoulders. Just as she was about to slide it off from her body, the door of the room opened. She was expecting Ginger. "I can take a bath myself, Ginger," she sighed.

    "Oh, I haven''te to give you a bath, Emma," Maeve''s soft voice fell on her ears and Emma turned sharply. Maeve chuckled. She came closer to Emma. She cupped Emma''s cheeks. "You are beautiful Emma," she said, her purple eyes fixed on her. "I can''t wait to enter your body¡­"

    Disgusted, Emma backed away. She got up and moved away from her. Narrowing her eyes, she said, "The body you have possessed is that of a very young girl. Then howe she is dying?" Emma wanted to know how it was possible that when Maeve would possess her, she wouldn''t face the same fate.

    Maeve''s lips curled up. She covered the gap between her and Emma in a second. She picked up Emma''s hand and squeezed it lightly. "This mortal is unable to contain my magic. I am a goddess and ites with its costs. My magic is so potent that a mortal can''t handle it."

    "But I am a mortal," Emma reasoned.

    "Yes, you are," Maeve left her hand and stepped back. "But your body will be marked by Lazarus."

    "So?" Emma asked, not understanding what that meant. She hated Maeve by the minute.

    "Hmmm¡­ nothing," Maeve giggled. "I don''t think your mortal brain could fathom the mysteries. Just prepare yourself well." Maeve patted her cheek and then left her.

    Gritting her teeth, Emma slipped down her gown and entered the bathroom. The bathroom was like a¡­ dream. There were porcin sinks and a huge marble bathtub right at the corner, overlooking the beautiful snow-covered mountains. She ran hot water in it and sank her body in it. When she emerged from the water, she yelled, "I hate you more than hell, Maeve."<novelnext></novelnext>

    She picked up a soap bar and started scrubbing her face and body with it. "I am going to find a way to escape and I will not let you win, Maeve. I will run away before you can cast my soul out of my body!" But even as Emma said those words aloud, she hated the miserable feeling she was experiencing.

    She wanted to go back to her normal life. Why was it that she was chosen by Fate for this misfortune? It could have been anyone in the Lore. Why was it that Lore was so biased towards her?

    She began scrubbing her face and hand harder where Maeve touched her as if ridding herself of her.

    She stepped out and dried herself. Wrapping the towel around her body, she came out and entered her closet. The closet was wonderful and extravagant and she couldn''t deny that she loved it. She chose a light pink silk gown and came out. As she dried her hair by the fire, her mind went back to Lazarus. When she asked if he loved her, or whether she loved him, he hadn''t given her a satisfactory answer.

    She started tob her hair. One question kept bouncing in her head. Did he love Maeve or not? And whether all the vampires were just as rude as he was? Lazarus was bing more of a puzzle to her and she wished to solve that puzzle.

    She wore her gown and left her hair open. She thought of going to her bed, but she looked at the door and decided to go out and explore the pce. She went back to her closet, grabbed a shawl and just when she wasing back, she spied a door behind a curtain. Earlier she thought it was a window with stained sses, but when she pulled the curtain, she realized it was a door.

    Surprised she slowly walked towards to open the knob and see what was on the other side. When it didn''t open, she knelt at the doorway crack to listen to any sound.

    She heard a rustle of sheets and several expletives.

    Lazarus.

    This was Lazarus''s bedchamber? He had told her that he had to go for ''princely'' work, and this was what the work was? Toze in his room? Lazy liar.

    She was about to turn back when she heard¡­ a groan?

 Chapter 11 Advantage Turned Into Disadvantage

    ?Lazarus looked at his raging erection and clenched his teeth. He tuned on his belly and grabbed a pillow to put it on his head. How could he sleep like this?

    Ever since Emma hade to the pce, Lazarus had been mentally disturbed. As if his earlier tensions weren''t enough. He needed to seize the crown. His father was trying his best to remove him. His brothers and sisters were¡ª Well, he killed two of them already because of her and he was sure to hear from his father soon. Even though he had his exnations ready¡ª His thought returned to her.

    "Emma. Emma. Emma!" his hissed. Everything was about her.

    After Emma had fainted, he was so worried about her health that it was impossible for him to sleep. He convinced himself that it wasn''t because she was his mate, but it was because she was important for his betrothed. He had sat down on a chair beside her bed for the whole day and then the night waiting for her toe out of her unconsciousness. He couldn''t wink an eye, his chest tightening at her situation. But he knew that it was a normal feeling because she was his mate.

    Lazarus was tired as hell. He wanted to sleep, but his erection wasn''t letting him sleep. He wanted to grind himself in the mattress or maybe take his cock in his hand and help himself, but his imagination was going wilder than his body.

    He had made sure that she would be in the next room as his. Mind that, only to keep a close eye on her.

    But this was proving to be detrimental for his mental health. Now all his wanted was to go back to her. He knew that she had taken a bath and was fresh. She had also eaten her food. He had traced to her room when she was taking a bath, unable to keep himself away.

    He had leaned against the door of the bathroom, listening to the sound of water and her taking a bath. Her scent of violets was mixed with that ofvender and it was creating the most intoxicating effect on him. He wanted to rip the door and enter the bathtub and bury his cock and fangs so deep in her, that he wouldn''t know where she ended or where he began.

    But the moment, she finished taking her bath, he traced back to his room and now he was suffering from this raging erection because of a little mortal in that room who was oblivious of his torture.

    He grabbed the pillow and threw it on the door that led to her room through the closet out of frustration. "I will not go beneath my stature for that little human! I am only going to have sex with my wife. The goddess who I deserve!" He was going to wait for the soul casting ritual, he promised himself. But what were Maeve''s thoughts on this? She was refusing him from day one.<novelnext></novelnext>

    He tossed and turned on his bed, trying to think of things that would make him sleep. He thought of getting up and making arge drink for himself but he had already had a lot and none of it was working. Finally he got up to rest on the headboard and sped his head. He wondered where Maeve was at this hour of the day.

    Unable to tolerate this torture any further, he traced to the room of his youngest brother, Magnus, and to his utter horror, he found him over the naked bodies of several female vampires. "Fuck you, Magnus!" he grunted and then traced back to his room, leaving a very flustered Magnus.

    It was then when he heard the faint breathing of Emma. She was sitting on the other side of the door and listening to him. Very slowly, he padded his way to the door and now he could hear her heartbeat as well. He was so exhausted, yet when he came next to the door, her scent of violets, now mixed with that of warm honey with a bit of lemons, filled the air around him, making her the most enticing creature in the whole Lore, her body beckoning him to im it. His earlier rage, soothed.

    As if drugged by the scent of his mate, he came to stand very near to the door. His eyes were hooded. Was he feeling happy that she was snooping on him? He took a ragged breath as he waited for her. His hand went to his cock and he rubbed it. A groan escaped his mouth as his cock swelled painfully in his pants. And as soon as he groaned, he heard her getting up and rushing away, leaving him in the same state that he started with.

    A few minutester, he heard the soft steps of the mortal in front of his room. Now her scent of candied violets was mixed with that of roses. As if she was his ma, he walked to the main door of his room and leaned his frame over it, hearing every step, every rustle of her fabric. Had it been night, he would have opened the door and gone to her, but it was day time and if he stepped in the sunlight, his skin would burn like a leather strop rubbing slowly on it.

    She was humming a tune as she walked past his room. Bloody sexy little mortal. She was trying to entice him like a siren. He clenched his fists and resolved that he was going to teach her a lesson by confining her in her room from tonight. Gritting his teeth, he walked back to his bed and plopped on it. "How am I going to survive this one month?" he said aloud. He needed to focus on his strategy tobat his siblings and ascend to the throne with Maeve rather than on Emma.

    And he could strategize with only three people whom he trusted in Wilyra¡ªMaeve, Magnus and his close friend, Yul, whom he had thought of making his General when he ascended to the throne. He thought that adding Emma to the equation was going to be an added advantage, but she turned out to be a disadvantage. She was too¡­ distracting. No. He was going to reign in his body''s needs and focus his mind.

    But he wasn''t prepared for what happened next.

    asionally missing content, please report errors in time.

 Chapter 12 Desperate Control

    ?Emma walked past the door of a room that she presumed was his. Sure that he was sleeping, she walked into the cold corridor, watching the birds trill and little squirrels and rabbits rushing to their underground burrows to hide their winter nuts. Scent of apple trees floated in the air and she wondered if the pce had apple gardens even in this harsh winter.

    The whole ce was surreal. Without vampires. She started humming a tune that she remembered. It was as if the tune was etched in her mind. She had never known the source of it because her stepmother had never sung it for her. And her father, certainly not.

    The pce was a maze. She decided to take its tour with Ginger and hurried back to her room. Mentally exhausted by all the thoughts, she slept. It was when the sun had begun its descent that she woke up and decided to walk to the periphery of the pce to test the magic that Maeve had cast upon her. The fae had said that the magic would work only on her and no one else.

    She wrapped her shawl around her to go out when she was greeted with a sight of a tray with a lid. Dinner. She hoped Ginger was there with her to talk to. She lifted the lid to findmb meat, cheese and soft bread. She groaned at the sight of it and devoured it hungrily. She hadn''t had such exotic tasting food ever and was surprised that vampires even cooked food. She made a note to thank Ginger for keeping such good care of her. "Until I am no more¡­" she sighed. And that thought killed her appetite.

    Emma drank water and in order to divert her attention, got up to test the magic that Maeve had cast on her. She had never been subjected to it but had heard about magic. Those were the fairytales that mothers told their young ones before they went off to sleep. She was sure that it was nothing and only a way to scare her.

    The snow crunched under her boots as she trudged her way towards the periphery of the pce. Emma noticed the naked trees and then some pines and firs whose leaves were loaded with snow. A soft gust of wind shook the snow to the ground. As she reached a thicket, a movement in the shadows had her frozen. It was no more than a rustle but in the disappearing light, her heart started to beat wildly. She shouldn''t have at this time.

    She crouched low, as she tightened her grip over a knife that she had stolen from her dinner tray. Panic made her breathe heavily with the mist-scented air filling her lungs. As minutes passed, the evening rapidly started turning into night.

    Without warning, a rabbit darted from the bushes, it''s white under-tail bobbing furiously. Within seconds it disappeared into its burrow. Emmaughed at her panic for a bunny. She got up and realized that her shawl had be wet. Folding it in her hands, she went ahead towards the boundary which was now visible in the form of a tall wall made from gray and red stone.

    Though she was shivering with cold or anticipation, she rushed towards it, sure that there was no magic. She was excited, hoping she would find a way to escape,

    The moment she reached within a few meters of the wall, the air rippled and sizzled around her body. Electric sparked and she experienced a jolt so heavy that she screamed in agony getting tossed back in the air.

    "Eeeeeee!" she shrieked andnded on her ass over something¡­ hard. Pain exploded in her back and she jerked her head back with a start, her wet shawl pping against the face of whom shended upon.

    The force was so strong that Lazarus found himself tumbling to the ground when he tried to grab the mortal in his hands, tangled in a length of wet shawl which blinded him. Sharp pain mmed through him. It knocked the air out of his lungs because it wasn''t just the girl falling on him, it was also because he had hit a hidden rock on the ground. He growled in pain, briefly closing his eyes.

    "Wake up!" Someone called him, tugging him up. "Wake up, please!" The soft hands tugged him further up and then he realized that there was something over his face. Numbed by pain, he intended to untangle the shawl off his face when he found himself grabbing at something else totally. There were two very soft, damp, round and supple, yet firm¡­ mounds. And right in the middle of those were very hard pebbles. His fingers dug in those, moving around a little to feel what they were when he heard horrified gasps.

    The shawl on his face slipped slightly, and Lazarus realized that his hands were groping her breasts. He forced his hands away to remove the cloth from his face, and without thinking tugged at it frantically.

    "Wait!" she shouted. "What are you doing?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Though Lazarus waited but in his frenzy of getting away from her, because it was creating havoc on his senses, he continued to remove the shawl, when he heard the sound of another tear. The shawl fell away and now his face was right in between her breasts. He was dangerously distracted by the two beautiful mounds that were jiggling in front of him through the chemise that was visible from the torn gown.

    Fascinated as hell, his fangs, ws and cock grew, as his eyes darted from the left one to the right. Little was he aware as to what Emma was doing to his head. "Oh goddess," she rasped. "You got blood flowing down your head at the back!" Suddenly, she lifted his head to examine the back of his head and in doing so, his head buried in those breasts.

    She dabbed her fingers in his blood. "It is right here!" she said in a voiceced with worry.

    Lazarus was losing control. His heart was beating wildly. He had forgotten about the pain. So close to his mate. As if her scent of violets wasn''t enough to distract him, it was now mingled with that of roses. He wanted to desperately sink his fangs in her and drink from her. Even a drop would be enough. Blood lust was taking over.

    He couldn''t help but nuzzle into her plump breasts. They were sinful. Desperately controlling himself to not sink his fangs in them, he grazed them with it. His fangs were dangerously close to her nipples which grew harder than ever.

    Emma stilled. Like prey sensing a predator.

    Sensing her danger, he opened his mouth to say something but ended up flicking her nipples. He didn''t want to scare her, but he realized that he had closed his mouth on her irresistible nipple.

    Blood lust.

    He had only flicked his tongue over it and was ready to sink his fangs in them when in the next instant, pain shot through his head all over again. He groaned.

    She dropped him back to the ground. "You louche!" She got up and walked away, anger bubbling inside her.

    Lazarus got up. He strode towards her and grabbed her waist.

    ---

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 Chapter 13 The King Has Called

    ?Shadows and mist surrounded Emma. The next moment she found herself in her bedroom. On her bed. With Lazarus holding her by her waist, her head against his chest as dizziness made her body sway. He was on his knees, grasping her so tightly that she was pressed hard against his body, his breathbored.

    "Did you fucking think that you could actually run away?" he growled so loud that the ss windows shook. "That was Maeve''s magic you just experienced. It is so strong that it could have killed you!" He paused. "Besides, if it wasn''t for meing to rescue you in time, you would have run into the risk of bing food to others¡ª!" He stopped and dug his fingers so hard in her flesh that she whimpered.

    She looked up at him with a squint. Her eyes round at the corners with a hint of fear shing that was as quick as lightning.

    Lazarus was the kind of a vampire who never needed to instill fear in order to punish or kill his victims, because others were simply¡­ afraid of him. He didn''t mind teaching harsh lessons. Many could attest that. But when he saw Emma in his arms staring at him owlishly with nothing but confusion, he could see how light from the fire in the hearth reflected in her beautiful green eyes. There was more depth in them than what he thought. It was as if they were a window to her soul. It was as if they reached his soul¡­

    His Adam''s apple, bobbed. His hands shuddered for a moment when all he could think of was how fragile she was. In his arms, she was like a dainty butterfly. And she had run to meet Maeve''s magic.

    From this point, he saw her delicate features. His eyes traveled to her nose that was slightly perked at the end. Her lips were full with a deep midline groove that ran from the top of her lip to the nose, giving them a bow shape.

    Blood rage crawled into him and the inkling of taking her desperately and spending himself inside of her made him clench his jaw so tight that his fangs hurt. His eyes went lower to her see-through chemise and he grasped her tightly. He forgot to breathe.

    "You are bleeding¡­" she murmured when she saw blood trickling down on his shirt.

    Lazarus immediately pulled himself away from her, lest he would harm her. He stabbed his fingers in his hair. He couldn''t even think of taking this fragile creature. She was just too delicate to handle him. He needed distraction. He should go hunting or go for his favorite sport¡ªhunting rogues. Killing two or three was going to divert his attention.

    As soon as he left her, Emma sat on the bed, trying toe to terms to the sudden tracing. She rubbed the back of her neck and pulled her golden hair up in a messy bun, exposing her crane-like nape.

    His eyes went to her pulse point. Once again, his fangs grew painfully hard even though he resisted them. He was sure that she would be repulsed, so he turned his face away from her.

    "Oh goddess!" she rasped when she saw the back of his head. "You are bleeding so heavily!"

    "I will be fine," he growled and was about to get up when she grabbed his hand.

    "Please sit," she ordered him.

    Lazarus was not used to orders. How dare this mortal order him to sit down, but before he could protest, she warned him, "If you won''t sit, I will follow you everywhere!"

    He grunted. She gave him a harsh re and went to the bathroom. She came out with a soaked towel and found him waiting for her on the bed with a re.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I get healed very fast," he grated in order to ward her off, but she pped the towel at the back of his head. He winced but became quiet as the icy cool towel calmed his throbbing headache. His skin began to heal.

    She was so close to him. Her scent of blood acting like a drug. He had to leave or he would be an addict in a minute. Maybe he should think about his impending trial that he had to face for killing his brothers. Besides, he reminded himself that the mortal was just too beneath him.

    So, he caught the towel at the back of his head and traced from the room, leaving her alone.

    Shocked, Emma took a deep breath in to wrap her mind around his antics. Lazarus was rude and obnoxious and not to mention¡­ a louche. She closed her eyes and mulled at what happened in thest few minutes. Despite him being all that, she wanted to¡­ heal him.

    She was so tired and cold that her muscles begged for her to take a hot bath. And as if she had heard her thoughts, Ginger appeared in the doorway. "Lady Emma, would you like to take a bath?" she said after seeing Emma''s state.

    Emma smiled and a sigh escaped her lips. How could she know so quickly?

    "I will prepare one for you quickly. I have to get you ready to be presented to the royal family. The king has called upon you to join them for dinner in an hour."

    Emma was surprised. "The king?" That was a shocker. "You mean King Viktor?"

    Ginger nodded with a smile and went to the bathroom.

    Emma followed her and as she removed her clothes, she watched Ginger preparing the bath for her. She filled the tub with hot water, dropped a few drops of jasmine oil in it and faced her.

    When Emma was in the bathtub, she sighed as the warm water hit her body. Her thoughts went to Lazarus. The way he had closed his mouth on her breast. Suddenly she felt a strange ache in her lower belly and it had nothing to do with the fear of the ritual.

    Ginger chuckled. "You shouldn''t have gone to the pce''s periphery, mdy," she said in a soft voice.

    "You know about that?" Emma was startled.

    "Yes, Prince Lazarus asked me to give you a bath." She poured water over Emma''s hair. She gave a furtive look at the door as is scared of someone. Then in a very low voice, said, "Goddess Maeve has powerful magic. You should be afraid of her. She can be extremely dangerous¡­"

 Chapter 14 Are You Pure?

    ?"Is it true that all faes have magic?" Emma asked, her hands closing around the edge of the tub in anger, thinking about Maeve.

    "From what I''ve heard, they all do. But Maeve is a goddess. Her magic is dangerous and potent." Her gaze flicked to the door, then back to her. "Even King Victor is afraid of her."

    "Does he know what his eldest wants to do with me?" Emma''s heart hammered in her chest at her words.

    Ginger looked back at the doorway skeptically. She whispered, "I don''t want to speak about it."

    "Please, Ginger," Emma pushed her. "You must tell me."

    "King Victor knows everything. He wants to see you¡ªthe woman who would be his son''s wife. The woman who Prince Lazarus has chosen for the soul casting ritual."

    Emma''s mood dropped at the mention of the ritual. "What if I am unable to ept Maeve''s soul? I don''t want to go through this ritual¡­"

    Ginger''s eyes shed with fear. She ignored her words. "Let''s get you ready, Lady Emmalyn. The king doesn''t like tardiness."

    Emma was terrified at the prospect of sitting with so many vampires at the dinner table. A chill ran across her skin and even the heat of water couldn''t cure that chill. She couldn''t help thinking of herself as a sacrificialmb. And she was just not ready for what came next.

    Emma stared herself in the mirror, hardly recognizing herself. Her golden hair was pulled back and curled into an borate design on the top of her head. Ginger had applied thick kohl along her eyes and golden dust on her eyelids. She looked so different from what she was.

    However, for Emma this wasn''t the issue. It was her midnight blue dress that fell from her shoulders. It had so many crystals on it that it shined like stars cascading down the whole length. The back of the dress was so low that he fell just above the small of her back. She was bare right from her nape to her back. "I don''t like it," she said to Ginger.

    "I am sorry, mdy, but the king wants to see you and assess how strong you would be for his son."

    Emma couldn''t believe that the king was interested in what she was going to be in the end even as she trembled from the chill of the night. Somehow, she wondered if all this even made sense. It was all adding to the mystery surrounding her.

    Soon, she was standing right outside the dining hall, fidgeting with her dress as she tried to breathe.

    "You will be fine, mdy," said Ginger softly. "Are you ready?"

    Emma pursed her lips. "I don''t think I will ever be ready."

    The vampire guard announced her and opened the door. When she entered, she saw several red eyes staring at her in an opulent dining hall. Fresh dose of fear filled her. And as she looked at each of them, she hated herself for only searching for the face of¡­ Lazarus.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The dining table was huge with almost twenty-four chairs. Threerge chandeliers hung over it from the ceiling with hundreds of candles lighting them. The servants were standing at the wall, watching every step of hers.

    She walked to the table around which the royals were sitting. All vampires. All watching her with wonder and an emotion she couldn''t pin. Goosebumps pebbled her skin. She looked away from them and let her gaze fall upon the king who was seated at the head of the table. The chair on his right was empty, and Maeve was sitting on the next chair. Maeve looked down at her with a severe and calcting gaze. Two chairs on the king''s left were also empty.

    King Viktor was dressed in a white shite shirt and a red cape that was embroidered with golden thread. A crown sat atop him. Spires of gold topped withrge rubies and diamonds. His white hair fell on his shoulders. Her gaze went down to his neck where he was wearing a¡­ ne. Adorned with gems, the golden ne exuded a powerful aura as if giving life to him. It was impossible for her to remove her eyes from it, but she managed to do the same and bowed to the king.

    A hush fell over the room as the king addressed her in an unyielding voice. "Emmalyn," he said. "So you are the girl for the ritual?" His gaze dropped to her nape, to her pulse point which was now throbbing in tension.

    Emma shivered under his gaze and under the distress that loomed over her.

    King Viktor waved his hand towards an empty chair on his left. "Sit."

    A knot settled in her stomach at hismand. Slowly she walked to the chair and was about to sit when a servant came rushing and helped her sit on it. Emma flinched under the king''s stern gaze. Where was Lazarus? She didn''t know why she was hoping for him to be there when he was her tormentor. The one who had brought her to the pce for the ritual.

    All eyes settled on her and a murmur started. She hated how Maeve was assessing her. She noticed that Maeve''s eyes were more sunken than before and a vein on her neck had darkened. Her hands appeared wrinkly and thick veins stood out. The glow that she possessed earlier had reduced.

    As the servants began to serve food to all of them, King Viktor asked her, "Are you pure?"

    Emma''s mouth opened in the shape of O. "I¡ªI haven''t¡ª" What the hell did he mean?

    "She is pure, father!" A powerful voice boomed in the background. Emma clenched her jaws. "She has never been fed from."

    Lazarus. Her eyes darted to him and their gazes locked.

    King Viktor gave Lazarus a tight nod. "Good. Then she is fit for the ritual."

    Emma clenched her jaws, panic filling her. She noticed that Maeve gave a loving look to Lazarus.

    "Come here, Lazarus," Maeve said, pointing at the chair next to hers.

    On an instinct, he took a step towards Emma, but he corrected himself immediately. He was surely not going to sit next to the mortal. He deserved no less than a goddess. Without looking away from Emma he walked to sit next to Maeve. But he absolutely not prepared for what happened next.

 Chapter 15 She Feltâ€¦ Drunk

    ?Seeing that Lazarus was sitting with Maeve, his younger brother Magnus shifted to sit next to her.

    Lazarus seethed. Maeve had ced her palm on his thighs and she was smoothly stroking him, but his attention was on Emma and Magnus. He wanted to go and rip Magnus off her.

    "I am Magnus," he introduced himself to Emma with a charming smile. "The youngest of my siblings."

    Starved of soft words and warm behavior, Emma immediately cozied up to him. "I am Emmalyn, but you can call me Emma."

    Magnus chuckled. He lifted a ss of wine that was mixed with blood and said, "To Emma."

    She gave him a broad smile and was about to lift her ss, when Lazarus growled, "You can''t drink that wine! It is fae wine and not meant for mortals." He was loathing how Magnus was cozying up with her.

    Emma red at him and ignoring his words, took a sip. The taste of wine burst on the tip of her tongue in fruity vors. She loved it. "Magnus," she said, leaning towards him. "Could you show me the pce grounds?"

    "Of course," he replied with enthusiasm.

    "You must see the pce," Maeve interjected rudely. "You don''t have other ces to go. You don''t have much time left anyway. After the soul casting ceremony, you will belong to me, and I will marry Lord Lazarus." She squeezed his thighs gently.

    Emma couldn''t believe how insolent Maeve was. "Yes, till then you can watch me greedily!"

    "You¡ª!"

    Emma disregarded Maeve and turned to Magnus. "I smelled apple orchards in the pce grounds. Do you have orchards here?" From the corner of her eyes she saw a male vampire staring at her intently. Familiar fear skittered down her spine all over again.

    Magnusughed softly. "No, we don''t have apple orchards. But sometimes the humans of the pce grow nts that they like. Perhaps you must have smelled that. I will take you to the small garden that they maintain inside the pce."

    "Oh, that would be wonderful!" she said.

    Lazarus was staring at her, loathing every minute of his brother sitting next to her. She was his unimed mate and if the circumstances were normal, he would have killed Magnus for talking to her. He snarled "She won''t be going anywhere!". Not without him. "You are going to stay in your room!"

    "Why Lazarus?" Anton intervened. "Are you afraid that she will be killed? You ended up killing two of our brothers for her."

    Emma was stunned. Lazarus killed his brothers for her?

    "And I won''t hesitate killing more!" Lazarus shot back.

    "Enough!" King Viktor snarled. "Tomorrow I will be holding a trial in the court for Lazarus. If he is found guilty, he will be punished!"

    Anton scoffed at Lazarus. He lifted his wine and said, "To Emmalyn."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Emma saw that Lazarus was least concerned about what his father just said about his trial. He was only staring at her as if she was the most valued possession of his life. She just couldn''t understand anything that was going on. Why wasn''t he bothered? The king could punish him if he was found guilty. Even Maeve didn''t seem concerned about it. Panic dug its ws in her soul. She hated the idea of Lazarus being punished and she couldn''t understand why. What kind of punishment would the king give to his eldest?

    Silence fell upon the table. King Viktor got up after eating his dinner. "Anton," he said. "I want to speak with you." Then he looked at Maeve who gave him a slight nod that didn''t go unnoticed by Emma. Everyone except Lazarus and Magnus were now left at the table.

    "I would love to visit the lower level of the kingdom where the vassals live." Magnus''s voice pulled her back. "Will you take me for a visit?"

    "Sure!" she said and sipped more wine. It was very good. "I will take you to all my favorite ces!"

    Lazarus got up with a jerk as jealousy red. The chair behind him screeched and toppled on the floor. He strode to her and grabbed her arm. He pulled her up and leaned over her, their bodies pressing hard against each other. "Did you forget that you can''t leave the pce?"

    She ced her hands on his chest as she watched his face. "Ask that fae betrothed of yours to remove the magic. I will go," she responded mulishly.

    "You are my captive. If you leave the pce, I will chain you to the bed. This body belongs to me and I will not let you harm it. You won''t move without my permission!"

    "Maybe this body, but not my soul."

    Giving him a haughty look, she picked up her ss of wine and was sipping it when Lazarus grasped her wrist and drank the wine off her ss. "You won''t drink without my permission!" He was expecting her to growl at him, but¡ª

    Suddenly, her hand reached out to his bottom lip and she wiped the wine from there. Her touch was electrifying. She put that finger in her mouth, between her lips and sucked it. His body tensed as he stared at her sucking her finger, thinking of her lips wrapped around his member.

    "Brother," Magnus called him.

    Lazarus dragged his gaze away from her reluctantly but didn''t step back.

    Magnus continued, "You are unnecessarily getting worried. You should ask Maeve to remove the magic. It''s not like Emma can run away anywhere. Besides, how are your ns for the ritualing up?"

    Lazarus smirked, looking at Emma. "Maeve is managing the whole thing and I know that she will seed."

    Emma clenched her teeth as her face turned red. She snapped, "Sounds like your betrothed has covered up for you. I wish you both never after."

    There was a stunned silence in the room as Magnus pressed his lips hard. Lazarus stared at her. The gall of this girl! He mmed his fist on the chair behind her. It splintered under the impact and the splinters flew in all directions, somending in her hair and dress.

    Emma calmly removed a splinter from her hair, brushed her dress, and squeezing her body away from him, she picked up her wine ss and drank thest drops of fae wine from it.

    She had never tasted wine before and this was fae wine.

    She felt¡­ drunk. Heavily.

 Chapter 16 Anger And Jealousy

    ?The fae wine was¡­ strong. It hit her fiercely. Her head became lighter and her vision swam. A silly smile yed on her lips.

    "Ginger!" Lazarus shouted.

    Ginger appeared in a second, trembling from head to toe.

    "Take her to her room and make sure that she doesn''t get out of it," he growled, seeing her condition.

    "Sure, m''lord!" Ginger said. She came to help Emma walk back to her room.

    When Emma was in her room, she was feeling jubnt. Her chest was warm. She felt like dancing. The fae wine was wonderful. She could have more.

    Though Ginger helped her settle down after changing her into a nightgown, she didn''t feel like sleeping. As soon as Ginger left, Emma got out of the bed and walked out of her room. She was feeling so light that she thought she could fly in the air.

    The night was chilly, yet she was warm. She started humming the familiar tune and walked towards the gardens when in a distance she saw a few guards sitting around a bonfire. They were singing and drinking and a couple was dancing. She giggled. The vampires came to life only during the night. Her feet took her to the group and soon she found herself standing near the bonfire. There were five men and three women sitting and chatting while a man was ying fiddle and another one a small drum. She began swaying on her feet as she watched a couple dancing. They spun so close to each other that it was difficult to make out where one body ended and the other began.

    They gasped when they saw her. The couple who was dancing, stopped.

    "Do you know me?" she asked with a broad smile.

    "We all know you," said a woman. She handed her a ss of wine with a wink of an eye.

    Emma giggled. She downed it in a minute. Her insides burned and her head swam even more. "Then don''t stop dancing!" Sheughed as the world spun around her. The music began. Its tempo increased and she wanted to join them. There was no one to stop her and she got pulled towards it.

    She joined the couple dancing around the fire hearth. The woman smiled at her and pulled her in between herself and the man she was dancing with Emma facing the man. The man held her. He stepped back, spinning her. She stumbled but was caught by the woman. The woman ced her hands on her hips while the man ced his hands on her shoulders. Together, their hips and feet moved in sync as the music flowed in the air.

    "Emma!"

    Emma whipped her head and found Magnus standing there with a surprise on his face.

    "What are you doing?" he said with an amused grin.

    "Come, join me!" she said with a chuckle. She pulled his hand and started to dance with him, the wine hitting her hard now.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Lazarus is not going to like this," heughed.

    "Lazarus?" she said, swaying her hips. "That conceited vampire? I hate him! Ever since he has got me here, he thinks that he owns me." Her words came out¡­ slurry. She swayed her hips more and then spun on her heels. "But you know what?" She leaned forward a little and whispered. "I don''t belong to him." She fluttered her fingers in the air. "I will ruuunn!" She tipped her head back andughed loudly.

    Magnus shook his head. She was definitely drunk. "Let me take you back to your room, Emma. You are drunk and need to rest."

    "No!" she shook her head vehemently. "I will not go to my room!" Then she walked to the ce where more drinks were kept. She picked up a bottle and chugged down the contents.

    "Emma, no!" Magnus said loudly as he lunged at the bottle. "That is fae wine!"

    But she had had a lot by the time he removed it. She swayed more and giggled uncontrobly. "And he is¡ª!" she hupped. "He is too controlling!"

    "You need to leave, Emma," Magnus argued. "Let me help you." He started towards her when all of a sudden, an angry voice boomed from behind.

    "Emmaaa!"

    Shocked, everyone in the group got up and the music stopped. Emma turned shakily to look at the source of the voice and saw blood red eyes ring at her. The man was only in his trousers and wasn''t wearing his tunic.

    "Ooooo! Are you that narcissistic Lazar?" she said, pointing at him shakily with her index finger. "If you aren''t, let me tell you a secret." She swayed and with faltering steps came close to him. She was about to fall down when he caught her in his arms, ring hard at her. She craned her neck to look at him and whispered, "The secret is that Lord Lazarus is a wretched character!" She paused and stared at him, her head bobbing slightly. "But you are so¡­" she traced her finger on his jawline and slurred, "so handsome."

    "She''s been a handful!" Magnus said, raking his fingers through his hair. "Let me take her to her room."

    "You don''t dare to touch her!" Lazarus said, his words loaded with a warning. He was ready to rip his arm if he touched her. He grabbed her waist to steady her and said, "I asked you to stay in your room. Why did youe out? How dare you not listen to my orders. I am going to chain you to your bed now!"

    She stretched her arm towards Magnus and said, "He is rude! But you¡ª you look so pretty. Take me to your room, pretty man. I want to sleep."

    Lazarus grabbed her arm and brought it back down, twisting it behind her. Her breasts puckered up against his. "What did you say?" he was seething with anger and jealousy. "You will sleep in his room?"

    When she nodded, he caught her thighs, threw her on his shoulders and traced to his room. If she was going to sleep anywhere that would be his room and not anyone else''s! However that night¡ª

 Chapter 17 Tempted

    ?An hour back, after Emma had left for her room along with Ginger, Lazarus had gone to find Maeve. She was sitting with King Viktor and Anton and discussing something but as soon as they saw him, they stopped talking.

    She exined, "We were talking about the ritual."

    "Come back," he ordered, ring at Anton. Maeve got up immediately to be with him. Together they walked back to Maeve''s room. Lazarus was so tense about the ritual and the trial that he wanted to spend time with Maeve. Maybe she would allow him to spend himself in her. But she was being reluctant.

    When they reached her room, he caged her against a wall and said, "How long will you make me wait? Why aren''t you attracted to me?"

    She stood cold like a stone, pressed against the wall. "Lazarus, you should know that my body is weak. I can''t take you. Why don''t you use the mortal? That girl is good enough for you till the soul casting ceremony. Once I possess her body, I will freely give myself to you."

    He growled. "You are the one I will marry. Then why do you hesitate so much?"

    "I am not hesitating. I am trying to prepare myself for you. That''s all. I am really looking forward to the ritual. Is the act of sex so important between us when we are going to be together in this for eternity? After all, your endgame is important. Do I have to remind you that I am a goddess above all these things. Besides, you need me to ascend the throne?"

    Lazarus pounded his fist on the wall behind her out of frustration. The stone cracked.

    Maeve flinched. Lazarus was a very strong vampire and in her current state she couldn''t afford to antagonize him. Carefully, she ducked and came out of his cage. She walked further from him and said, "I am thinking of going to Vilinski for a few days. It is important for my health to be in a familiar environment else this body won''t be able to sustain my powers. I know that it irritates you, but I am sure you will understand my position." Basically, she wanted to meet her fae lover Ailill.

    With an impending trial, Lazarus was sure that Maeve would support him the next day, but looking at her condition he believed that she was not wrong. "When will you return?"

    "As soon as possible dear," she replied in a soft voice. "I am leaving tonight. Use the human for your needs. I am absolutely fine with that."

    Lazarus turned sharply to look at her, but she shrugged. "I am¡­ benevolent." She left immediately after.

    Alone, his mind went into turmoil. His anger increased. He went to take a hot shower and when he returned, he wore his trousers and began pacing the room. He couldn''t concentrate on anything as his mind kept going back to Emma. In the chill of the night, he walked out. He was thinking of going to hunt some rogues, when he heard Emma''s loud voice. He traced to her only to see that she was dancing sensuously, her body caged in between a man and a woman.

    "Emmaaa!" he roared, his muscles bulging.

    As soon as he traced her, he made her lie on his bed. She tried to struggle to be free but he slid beside her. He curled his arm tightly around her waist, caging her arms, and threw his leg around her thighs, holding her tightly in his grasp.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Leave me!" she slurred.

    "Never!" he snapped as he tucked her head under his chin. "Now sleep." Lazarus convinced himself that this arrangement was temporary. Only for this night. She was going to sleep in her bed from tomorrow.

    However, Lazarus was now facing another problem. Surrounded by his mate''s mouthwatering scent, his cock had painfully swelled. Her body was like a trap. His muscles bulged. The mate bond was fierce. The notion of mating with his mate was intense. It was like a primal instinct, overpowering his senses, his logic.

    Sweat trickled down his temple at the control he was exercising on himself. He had never experienced the same with Maeve, who was his betrothed. And he had been in her proximity for a long time. Now he couldn''t wait for the soul casting ceremony. With Maeve''s soul in this body, he was going to spend himself inside her every day.

    Emma was out of breath not only because her head was dizzy because he had traced her but also because she was feeling too sleepy after having fae wine and dancing. Her eyes were droopy. She murmured something iprehensible.

    "You''ve been a bad girl, Emma," he growled. "I am going to punish you for defying my orders. No one, and I mean, no one has the audacity to defy my orders!"

    He sounded so stern that he was sure she would gasp in shock, tremble and fear him even in her state of intoxication and apologize to him¡­

    Silence. He lifted his head and peered at her and his jaws clenched.

    Emma was sound asleep.

    He was threatening her and she had fallen asleep? He was so tempted to wake her up and repeat his threat, but he found himself staring at her face, his focus going to her plump lips and her pert nose. She appeared so fragile and young. She was so beautiful that his breath lodged in his throat. But¡ª

    She was nowhere close to goddess Maeve in power and abilities. He realized that Emma would have continued to live her mundane life but by bringing her here he had given her life a purpose.

    Emma''s lips parted slightly and he found himself staring at them, his fangs growing, goading him for a blood kiss.

    Her scent of violets was mixed with that of wine. It surrounded him, intoxicated him. Her body lured him. She was so soft and supple and the way her curves fitted in his, it was surreal. She was made for him. Comprehension. No, her body was made for him.

    He had to snap himself out and so he focused on listening to the rhythm of her heartbeat. Gentle, like music that entered his restless mind, binding it together and wrapping him like a luby. Tension seeped out of him and he couldn''t believe what happened to him next.

 Chapter 18 Frightening Bellow

    ?Lazarus continued to gaze at her and her calm heartbeat till a yawn punctuated his thoughts. He rested his head back on his pillow and went off to sleep soon, her heartbeat acting like a luby to his tumultuous mind.

    He had stayed awake for thest so many days with tension cruising through him about various things. And out of these, thest two days were spent thinking about her.

    Emma peeled open her eyes with a pounding headache and a groan. It was still dark in the room she was in. Only the soft ambers of the fire had spread its buttery glow in the room with shadows dancing on the walls. This wasn''t her room.

    Something heavy was weighing her down. It was so hot that she was sweating even in this chilly weather. She tried to disentangle herself but the weight was too heavy for her to move. Groggily she looked down only to find a muscr arm curled around her waist and further down was a thick column of a thigh. She recognized those.

    Lazarus.

    A blush stained her cheeks at this invasion of privacy. No one had been this close to her. What did she dost night that she was pinned like this by him? Did he¡ª "Goddess!" she murmured.

    She looked at her clothes. They were all intact. Nothing was torn. But her nightgown was on her thighs and his leg was on them. Very carefully she removed his arm from him and then slipped out from beneath his leg.

    When she turned to look back at him, she found his naked chest pressed against her and sleeping without a care in the world. Her face became redder.

    His head rested on his arm. Gazing upon his looks she let out a rough exhale. The vampire was so gorgeous that it was impossible to believe that he was so dark on the inside.

    His pale blond hair was disheveled and streaming over the ck satin of the pillow while some fell over his neck. He had the most perfect face she had ever seen in her life. Such broad cheekbones and bow shaped lips with a square jaw that she felt like tracing the outline of each. He had broad shoulders and had strong muscles beneath that wless skin.

    He was only wearing his trousers that had moved lower to his hips. She couldn''t help noticing the pale blond line of hair that disappeared beneath his trousers and her cheeks heated.

    Emma bit her lip when he moaned and she saw the tiny hint of his fangs. All at once, he shifted and was now lying straight on his back. In doing so his muscles rippled and she could see his entire torso. It was so beautiful that every dip and ne was cut to perfection. She was enthralled by him.

    Her mouth went dry when suddenly, her senses came jumping back. He was her tormentor and captor. He was going to cast her soul out in a few days for his betrothed. The thought left a bitter taste in her mouth.

    She slipped out of the bed and walked to her room without looking around his room which was enveloped in darkness which Emma thought was a part of him.

    When Emma reached her room, she found her maid waiting for her.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Where were you all night?" she asked, worry written all over her face.

    How could Emma say that she had spent her night against the naked chest of Lord Lazarus? She pursed her lips and hurried to the bathroom.

    Ginger prepared a hot water bath for her and as soon as she was in the hot water, she sighed with pleasure and let Ginger scrub her body with a scented soap bar. She closed her eyes to the royal treatment but her thoughts of Lazarus''s naked torso returned in her mind and a strange ache developed in her lower body. Her nipples grew hard when she thought of his plump lips.

    "Goddess!" she said, jerking her eyes wide open and making Ginger winced.

    "Are you okay, mdy?" she asked.

    "I am," she murmured. Why was she thinking of him? She hated the strong pull she was experiencing towards the man who was her captor. How could her thoughts be full of him when she disliked him so much? She had to gain control of herself before it was toote. She decided she would avoid him as much as possible and spend her time in other activities, such as finding a way past Maeve''s magic and escape.

    From what she had heard from other vassals, the vampires had this power to lure their victim before sucking them out. Maybe that was what Lazarus was doing to her. But if he was so alluring after being such a douche, then what was he like when he was charming the women. Suddenly, the idea of him charming other women left her jealous.

    She gritted her teeth and closed her eyes to allow herself to focus on what Ginger was doing. When she came out of the bath, she let Ginger dress her up in the best of the collection. "Howe these gowns fit me so well?" she asked absent-mindedly.

    "Lord Lazarus had ordered them for you two days before you came. He gave your measurements to the seamstress."

    Now that was a surprise! "Oh!" She wondered if he was awake and that notion stirred butterflies in her belly. No, the flutter of butterflies was more out of her anxiety. When Ginger tried to apply makeup to her, she said, "No, leave it."

    "You must rest well today, mdy," Ginger said as she braided her hair. "The king will call you for the impending trial of Lord Lazarus as a witness."

    "I find it very strange, Ginger," she said.

    "What do you find strange?" the maid asked as she added a diamond pin to her hair.

    Emma wanted to ask about the trial when all of a sudden, a loud frightening bellow sounded from his room.

 Chapter 19 Lashed

    ?The world was so warm but now it felt¡­ cold.

    Nightmares gued him.

    His father was whipping his mother mercilessly. She pleaded with him to let Lazarus live as he whipped her. There was blood all over on the ground. Seven-year-old Lazarus wanted toe out of his hiding and protect his mother, but she had locked him inside a small closet, forbidding him toe out. Why did his father hate him so much?

    The scene shifted to dazzling moonlight over the snow. Emma was running towards him. His mate. His fangs grew sharper and he opened his arms.

    His fingers moved to his side to find the familiar warmth in which he was going to sink himself. But he was met with the rustle of cold sheets. He peeled open his eyes and found her missing. His nightmare still bouncing around his head, he panicked and bellowed.

    The day was about to start and she had disappeared. She was drunkst night and he didn''t know if she had lost her way out. She was not safe without him. Where was she? He needed to protect her till Maeve entered her body.

    He tossed the nket aside that was smelling of her and rushed outside even though the day had begun. His skin began to heat.

    He opened her room''s door with a bang and found her sitting in front of the dresser with Ginger who was pinning her hair. The moment Ginger saw him, she hurried out of the room. Lazarus closed the door behind her without turning behind. He leaned against the door.

    Emma got up and started to draw the curtains in as sunlight had begun peeping through the window. When she finished, she came near him.

    Her eyes widened and they rounded at the corner. "Are you fine?"

    He continued to stare at her. "I want my bride, Maeve. In you."

    "But she isn''t here." Ginger had informed her that Maeve had left for Vilinski. "And you can''t until the ritual."

    His chest rumbled in a dangerous growl.

    "Lazarus," she said as she closed the gap between them with concern in her eyes.

    He clenched his jaws as she came closer to him. He wanted to revel in her scent, wanted to smell her hair, bury his head in her nape and smell her blood. Maybe, taste a little.

    She came very close to him and craned her neck up to gaze into his eyes. Her eyes were a beautiful emerald green. They were rounded at the corners like that of a baby owl. Her lips trembled as she let out a rough breath. Her hands trembled as she lifted them to touch him.<novelnext></novelnext>

    He narrowed his eyes on her, frozen at his spot. Would she touch him or would she be repulsed? His ws grew in anticipation and they dug in the flesh of his palms. As her hand neared his naked chest, her hands started to shake more.

    At the prospect of her touch, his breathing became rough. She hesitated for a moment. He waited for an eon. Her soft fingers slowly inched towards him and finally met his skin over his chest. A muscle feathered under her touch. His neck tendons strained. He couldn''t move.

    He wanted to ask her as to when she came out or when she woke up, but he didn''t. It would stop her rhythm and he didn''t want it to stop. She was already trembling so much. If he moved an inch, she would flee.

    Her fingers slid over his chest, trailing a soft path to his neck. She swallowed thickly as she moved them to his jaws. It was as if she was exploring him, entranced. Her touch was burning his skin. His need was so potent that he was antsy. And her touch was soothing him. Against his better judgment.

    Her fingers went higher to his cheeks and then to his tousled hair which she removed from his forehead so lightly. Her lips parted and Lazarus felt like seizing them. But how could he move? If he as much moved a finger, his prey would flee. A shudder passed through his body. He wished that it was Maeve touching him. She never touched him like Emma did. Her touch soothed his mental state. Thorns of panic slowly came out of him and his eyes became droopy. She removed her hand and he hated the absence of her touch, but she resumed it by moving her fingers down his bicep. His breath evened out and his ws retracted as he watched his mate exploring him.

    When she was near his nipple, he said in a raucous voice, "Emma?" He had to stop her else he didn''t know if he would lose control and take her to bed and sink himself inside her.

    She immediately removed her hand, blushing a thousand shades of red. Her scent of violets was now mixed with that honey and spice.

    He gulped.

    He straightened himself and moved away from the door, moved away from her intoxicating touch and feel. "When did you wake up?" he asked, now feeling better.

    She turned to look at him as he walked into her bathroom. His trousers hung low on his waist. "I¡ª I¡ª" His torso was V shaped.

    He turned his head over his shoulder to see her and found her looking at his back. Proud that she found him attractive, he flexed his muscles as he walked.

    Emma was acutely embarrassed of herself when he caught her watching his back. "I woke up an hour back!" she said, moving her eyes to the curtains on the window. They were horrible. Were they? What color were the curtains?

    Lazarus scoffed. Cockily he said, "Women like me every time. It''s not that you are the first one to like me. But I wish that it was Maeve in you who lusted after me."

    Her trance snapped, reced with spite. Sheshed, "I am sure they liked your fa?ade. Don''t tell me that they knew you closely. No woman would have survived your arrogance. Even Maeve has run away. The one who should have lusted after you!" Saying that she flicked her braid back over her back and wondered if she should draw out the curtains for the sunlight toe in.

    "Emma!"

 Chapter 20 Close Your Eyes

    ?"Emma!" Lazarus warned her with a growl. "No one insults me. And with what you have just said, it seems that you wish to die!"

    Emma walked to the curtains that she had been thinking about and said, "Then kill me, Lord Lazarus. I challenge you to."

    Lazarus watched her, studying every movement of hers. He knew that she was provoking him. He smirked. "Provoke me all you want, Emma. I won''t kill you." He opened the door of the bathroom she had just used. "But I will punish you for this!" He entered the bathroom and closed the door behind him before she could utter a word.

    The bathroom was filled with her scent mixed with that of the fresh hot water that Ginger must have added to wash her clothes. He removed his trousers and stepped into that hot steamy water. He grabbed the edges of the tub and rested his head back.

    Though he had slept like a log for hours, his nightmare visited him only when she had left him. He hadn''t experienced this kind of sleep in years. This meant that he was cking.

    Over his years of plotting ways to grab the throne of Wilyra, he had epted the risk of facing dangers at every step. But he had told himself that he was mentally and physically far too strong. He could easily handle that risk. And why not? He was after all the first born of his father and strongest of his siblings. Over the years he had be cruel and wicked in all his dealings because of his single agenda.

    Nightmares visited him every single time he slept, but he never expected that he would sleep so well surrounded in her presence. He never thought that he would be ovee with panic in her absence. He was always so busy making plots upon plots to seize his father''s throne, using people for his advantage but now¡ª

    He hadn''t given a single thought to the impending trial. His father had called him by afternoon for the trial, knowing fully well that he slept during the day. He knew it was to torture him.

    Yes, he was cking. His heart that was thundering when he didn''t find her in his bed, was strangely¡­ calm.

    Using the same soap bar that she used for herself, he scrubbed himself well. He was going to present himself to his father along with Emma.

    When he finished taking a bath, he wrapped a towel around his waist and came out, flexing his muscles all the more. For her. He ruffled his wet hair and let the drops of water sluice down his torso to appear sexy. And just as he expected, she started stealing nces at him. In order to exhibit his muscles, he flexed his biceps as he walked past her.

    Her cheeks became a lovely shade of pink. His chin lifted up in pure male pride. He said, "I know that you lust after me even though you hate me."

    She clenched her jaws at his hubris. "No, if you are thinking that you are the first man in my life, then you are wrong. Several boys liked me back in the vige." She brushed her dress and picked an invisible thread. But she never lusted after them.

    Lazarus had to think seriously about his trial but a very strong emotion akin to jealousy red inside him. He shook his head to get rid of the jealousy because soon she was going to have Maeve in her body. Emma was going to be Maeve. It returned.

    In graceful steps, she walked to her bed and sat down on it with her arms leaning back for support. "If I go back to the vige, I am sure there will be a be- line of boys for me." She gave him a side nce. "And you would be thest one in that long line."<novelnext></novelnext>

    His pride hurt, he wanted to break the bed she was sitting on and see her screaming. He padded towards her, his chest heaving. He leaned over her and caged her in his arms, the muscles of which were already bulging. With his face merely a few inches away, he growled, "Are youparing me with those useless wimps of the vige?" He remembered when a boy had started liking her in a vige who wanted to make out with her. The thought made him¡­ mad. He felt like going back to the vige and killing the boy. And now, he regretted that he only broke his carriages.

    "Why should Ipare?" she said, inching back from him. He seemed toe nearer as she leaned further back. "They were better than you."

    Everything turned red. Emma was bathed in crimson. He pounded the headboard of the bed and it shattered under the impact. She shrieked and before she could fall, he grabbed her waist and traced her to his bedchamber.

    "Lazarus!" she screamed when he set her on her feet.

    "You are going to stay here and together we will go to the court for the trial!" he growled and left her to get dressed.

    Immediately, she sank to the floor, feeling dizzy. "Stop tracing me!" she said in a shaky voice.

    "I won''t," he replied under the fa?ade of calm. Inside he was raging. He would go back to the vige after trial and kill that boy.

    After he got dressed in his signature ck trousers and matching tunic, he said, "I have to trace you to the throne hall."

    "No, thank you!" she snapped. "I wille myself."

    "We don''t have time," he grated. He was disgusted with himself for spending time getting jealous of a useless boy.

    "I don''t care," she murmured.

    "Nor do I!" He said and grabbed her waist. He picked her up like she had no weight, and cupped the back of her head, despite her protesting. He pressed her face against his chest and said, "Close your eyes."

    Emma didn''t have a choice. She snapped her eyes shut, buried her face in his chest, and he traced with her to the throne hall. This time she didn''t feel dizzy when he set her on her feet. When she opened her eyes, she saw King Viktor on the throne, staring at them.

 Chapter 21 The Trial (1)

    ?King Viktor stared at them with his red eyes in disgust. "You arete!" His voice thundered through the throne hall, filled with loathe.

    Emma was so scared that she started trembling in Lazarus''s arms. Lazarus tightened his grip on her and very coldly said, "My apologies, Your Majesty." Slowly, he removed himself from Emma and she bowed immediately.

    Emma saw that every window of the hall was covered in thick velvety crimson curtains, not allowing a beam of light to enter. Rich tapestry adorned the walls. There were paintings of kings on the walls and between paintings, the g of Wilyra was hung. Two swords crossed in the middle with a trapped dove against a red background. Fiverge chandeliers hung from the ceiling with thousands of candles lighting them.

    Men and women sat on plush chairs in a line on the sides. Vampires. They watched Emma and Lazarus like hawks. Emma recognized half of them for having had dinner with her the previous evening. Her gaze went to the man on the king''s left where Anton was seated. He smirked at her when their eyes met. The chair on his right was empty and there was no doubt that it belonged at Lazarus.

    King Viktor looked at his General, who was standing beside the dais on which the throne chair was. "Read the usations against him!"

    The General straightened. He looked fleetingly at Lazarus and opened a scroll with shaky hands as if Lazarus would rip him apart into two if he read out the usations. Taking a deep breath in, he started reading them out. "Lord Lazarus is hereby charged with treason. He killed his brothers, Antonius and Bardo, while returning from the lower level of the capital. The two had gone to assist him ining back to the pce, but he attacked them with the intention of murdering them." The General looked up at Lazarus and asked, "Do you plead guilty or not guilty?"

    Emma''s mouth fell on the floor as fear cruised through her in waves. The usations were ridiculous. The brothers attacked him and they wanted to kill him or her. She had heard¡ª Her thoughts were punctuated by Anton''s sharp voice.

    "Lazarus should be sent to the guillotine. He hasmitted a heinous crime. He has killed two princes who were in line of session." Anton got up with his fists clenched on his sides. "He has always been an anomaly in our family. He had never had anypassion for his brothers and sisters."

    There were murmurs of agreement around them. Emma watched all of them as she stood next to Lazarus who remained unaffected by all that was going around him or was it just his fa?ade?

    Anton continued, "That night I had sent Antonius and Bardo to assist him on his way back to the pce. However, his men attacked them without giving them a chance to exin why they hade." He pointed to a vampire sitting beside him. "Obi, my younger brother, is a witness to the massacre he had done because he too had gone with them. My sister Edna over there," he growled pointing at a woman sitting on the opposite side, "had also apanied Obi. She was hurt in the process and was injured on her back." His eyes went to the king. "Lazarus should be punished as severely as possible, Your Majesty!"

    King Viktor tilted his head and narrowed his eyes at his eldest son. "Do you agree to all the charges made by Anton against you?"

    "No, Your Majesty," Lazarus replied coldly as he didn''t even look at Anton and remained standing arrogantly in his ce. "All charges made by him are false."<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Lazarus!" Anton shouted. "How dare you tell lies?"

    Lazarus rolled his eyes. "It seems that my second brother has forgotten that vampires can''t tell lies because they are descendants of faes. I am not speaking lies but¡ª" he snapped his head at Anton. "¡ªhow are you managing to lie? Isn''t your throat hurting now?"

    ? "You¡ª"

    "Quiet!" The king roared in the hall making them all silent. He rested his elbow on the armrest of the throne and then ced his chin on his palm. Looking at Lazarus he said, "Why do you say that you are charged wrongly? You killed two of your brothers and that is a reason enough to go to the guillotine."

    Lazarus took a deep breath in. All the while he had listened to all of them quietly. He started, "That night my brothers attacked me when I was bringing Emma to the pce. I was bringing her for my betrothed, Maeve. I would have taken Maeve with me, but she is not well and as we all know, she has left for Vilinski to heal. As Anton pointed out, Antonius and Bardo were not there to "assist" me toe to the pce." He emphasized on the word "assist". "I mean why would anyone assist me toe to the pce when I already know the way back to it? This mortal out here is witness to it. They attacked me and wanted to kill Emma so that she couldn''t be used as a vessel for Maeve."

    Emma hated the way he was talking about her as if she was amodity, but what he said was right that his brothers attacked him.

    "What do you have to say about it, Emma?" Viktor asked.

    "She doesn''t have to answer!" Lazarus snapped.

    She was holding her breath. She had never been to a trial and this was a royal trial. If she spoke against Lazarus, the vampire who had held her captive, she would be free from her captivity. And if she spoke for him, she was going to suffer the ritual. She was at the crossroads as she looked from Lazarus to Anton to the king.

    If she was wise, she should lie. But was she wise? Or was she a fool who couldn''t tell lies. Would her conscience allow her to speak lies and send Lazarus to his death when he was the one who actually saved her?

    A tear rolled out of her left eye as she opened her mouth. She said in a shaky voice, "Your Majesty¡ª"

 Chapter 22 The Trial (2)

    ?"Shut up, Emma!" Lazarus growled. "You don''t have to say anything."

    "Why not?" Viktor countered. "She will answer to this court and since she was a witness, her answer will hold the final weight. She has to answer!"

    A growl escaped Lazarus''s chest and he came to stand in front of her as if to protect her. "I brought her here because it was desired by you, but you cannot force her into being a witness. She has the right to choose otherwise."

    Emma knew why Lazarus was shielding her. He was afraid that she would go against him. Or was he really protecting her? Confusion warred with anxiety on the inside. She lowered her head as more tears rolled out. She sped her hands as Lazarus stood like a rock in front of her.

    "In that case, I have no choice but to send you to the dungeons, Lazarus!" King Viktor growled. "And I have my men to torture you to find out the truth. You have killed two of my sons and I won''t take it lightly."

    "You know that this is all staged!" Lazarus snarled. "The reason that Anton is giving about assisting me to the pce isughable. I was never close to Antonius and Bardo and nor did I have cordial terms with them. Why would theye to help me in something as mundane as helping me in going to the path? There was no blizzard that night nor was I stuck up. They attacked me and my group of soldiers just to do away with Emma!"

    "He is insinuating my dead brothers!" Anton shouted.

    "Your dead brothers?" Lazarus scowled. "You never even asked about them when they were alive. Suddenly you remember them? Suddenly you sent them to help me? Are you even listening to yourself?" At least he had the guts to acknowledge that he wasn''t close to his brothers and sisters. But Anton¡ª he was a viper in the sleeve.

    "You don''t know anything," Anton hissed. "They meant a lot to me. And even if that is not true, then they were princes. You don''t go around killing royalty just like that!"

    Lazarus flinched. Memories of how his mother was killed shed across his mind. Viktor had killed her in the cruelest way possible. She was sent to the blood forest where she was buried alive. The trees of the blood forest sucked her blood till she died. A shudder passed through him and he spaced out for a moment, but he instantly recovered.

    His eyes boring into his father''s, he said, "Yes, you can''t go around killing royalty just like that!" He wanted to see his father''s reaction, but the man was too wicked to show any emotion.

    Viktor said, "I want Emma to speak. She holds the key to this trial. Her statements are important!"

    "But humans can lie, Your Majesty!" Anton growled. "How do we know that she is speaking the truth?" He gave Emma a look full of animosity as if warning her to speak otherwise.

    "It will be easy for me to detect if she is speaking truth or lies," Viktor replied with indifference. If she spoke lies, he would be able to hear her increased heartbeat and the scent of her blood would change. He straightened and leaned forward. "Let Emma speak, Lazarus," he ordered, asking him to move aside to reveal her.

    "She has no business¡ª" Lazarus hissed, but Emma ced her hand on his back and he became quiet.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I want to speak," she murmured.

    Lazarus clenched his teeth. With a rough exhale, he stepped aside. "Are you sure?" he asked.

    She nodded her head. This was her chance to throw him in the dungeons and be free. When she looked at King Viktor, she saw that his face had a half smile. It was as if he knew what she was going to say. No one liked Lazarus in this hall.

    She started, "When Lord Lazarus was bringing me to the pce from the vige, we were attacked by his brothers. Lord Lazarus asked me to sit inside and note out of the carriage. He jumped out and fought with others. While sitting inside I heard sounds of battle going on outside. I¡ª" she paused. "I wanted to escape!" she said, lowering her head. "And so I jumped out of the carriage. I saw soldiers battling with each other. Lord Lazarus wasn''t around but I know that he had gone to defend his group of soldiers."

    "Emma, you are speaking lies!" Anton used her, staring hard.

    She whipped her head at him. "Why will I speak lies about something that I am not even concerned with? It seems that you want me to tell lies or you don''t want to believe the truth."

    "Emmalyn!" Anton growled.

    Lazarus peeled his lips back and his ws grew. "Keep your voice down, Anton," he hissed.

    Anton backed down.

    Emma continued, "I jumped out of the carriage. Taking advantage of the situation, I started to run, but Lord Lazarus found me and brought me back to the pce safely." There. She gave up herst chance to be free of him. If she spoke against him, she would have been set free. She took a deep breath in, her head pounding with a headache. Right beside her, Lazarus was standing like a rock. She could feel his chest heaving.

    The king rested back on his throne and said, "Emma''s words have settled it. Antonius and Bardo, indeed attacked Lazarus for no reason other than to kill him or Emma. And so, all charges against Lazarus are dropped. You can go, Lazarus." He looked at Anton who was about to protest. "You will see that Antonius''s wife get proper care after this."

    Anton red at Lazarus and then bowed to his father. "Yes, Your Majesty."

    Lazarus didn''t wait for a minute after that. He grabbed Emma''s upper hand and dragged her out of the throne hall. He didn''t want to stand in the den of vipers who were all assembled there to see his downfall. It looked like it was all staged. He was aware of it. He knew that all his brothers and sisters were in cahoots with the General. He was going to teach them a lesson. Soon.

 Chapter 23 The Queen Of Sorcerers

    ?As soon as Lazarus was out of the throne hall, he picked up Emma. Cupping her head against his chest, he traced her back to his room.

    Emma remained in his embrace for some time before pulling away. She didn''t get dizzy at all this time. Maybe it was because she was getting used to it or because he pressed her against his chest during the whole tracing.

    Tears stained her cheeks. She recalled how everyone was hell bent on sending Lazarus to the dungeons. He deserved it for all she knew but she didn''t know why she defended him. She craned her neck up to see him as he tipped his down to see her. He was breathing heavily.

    "You didn''t have to defend me there," he said. "I could have gotten out of it easily." He didn''t like the way Anton shouted at her. He didn''t like his father questioning her.

    She took a step back but he didn''t let her waist go. "I didn''t want to," she replied. Shaking her head, she said, "For everything you have put me through, I will never like you." She grabbed his arm and pulled its tightening grasp away from her. "Please free me. I don''t want you. My birthday is in three days and I want my eighteenth birthday to be peaceful and happy!"

    He red at her as his breath became rough. He pulled her closer to his chest and growled, "Even I don''t want you. I hate you so much that it burns. My problem is that I need you badly. Desperately! And that''s why I can''t free you."

    A sob left her. She struggled against him and he left her. She turned and then rushed back to her room. He heard a loud bang of her door closing. Lazarus stabbed his fingers in his hair and murmured curses against his brother and father. Closing his eyes, he just sank on the rug, recalling what all he went through in the trail. He didn''t know how long he spent his time on the rug, but when he got up, the sun had begun setting. He didn''t get any sleep today either. His mother had said that like a good vampire, one must sleep during the day.

    It was her eighteenth birthday in three days? He dragged himself to his closet and changed into another set of clothes to go to meet his friends and Magnus. He had a lot to discuss.

    Magnus was sitting in his room with two women when he traced there. "How do you manage to do all this?" Lazarus asked, shaking his head. The women got up and scurried out seeing him.

    Yul came into the room as the women opened it and went out. Lazarus had called him for the meeting in Magnus''s room. This was the only ce he trusted because everywhere else his father had spies.

    "Where is Richard?" Lazarus asked Yul, watching him sitting at the table. Richard was Lazarus''s most trusted spy and a friend.

    "He hasn''te yet?" Yul said. He was looking tired. There were bags under his eyes and it looked like he hadn''t slept for a long time.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Lazarus rested against the pillow behind him. "What is the report on the witches?" He had asked the queen of the sorcerers, Mabel, to be his ally in his quest for the kingdom of Wilyra. Mabel was a strong sorceress and was the ruler of the kingdom of Ixoviya. She was still finding her mate and it was said that Mabel had decided to marry her mate only.

    Yul tightened his lips. "Mabel wasn''t in her kingdom when Richard contacted her. But it is said that she is still contemting the alliance." He shrugged. "You know the sorcerers. They will see what is in it for them before giving their alliance to you."

    Lazarus knew. Everything was going against him. As much as he wanted to control everything, he was losing control of everything. Every piece in his game of chess was falling apart. Maeve had left. Emma hated him. He just escaped another round of torture in the dungeons because of Emma¡ªsomething he had never anticipated. He was looking forward to killing more guards over there. And his father was finding more excuses to kill him.

    Magnus got up and walked to the bar to pour wine for his brother and Yul. He handed it to them and sat down in his ce. "I don''t know what Anton is up to, Lazarus," he said, "But you have to be careful of him. He has been holding meetings with brothers and sisters over the past few days. It''s as if they all are waiting to take you down."

    Lazarus swirled the wine in his tumbler. He knew what Anton was at. He was against Maeve entering Emma''s body. Since he couldn''t openly kill Emma, he was seeking ways to eliminate her and Lazarus.

    "To be honest," Yul added. "I am not sure of Maeve''s intentions either. She keeps meeting the king and Anton quite frequently. You should rein her in."

    "She has gone to Vilinski for a few days. I am not worried about her," Lazarus said and sipped wine. He was only worried about Emma. "Maeve can handle herself pretty well."

    "But why is she talking to the king and your brothers and sisters so much?" Yul said in an irritated voice. "I am afraid that she would spill all our ns to them."

    "Maeve is never going to do that. Don''t you think that I know she is growing friendly with them? It hasn''t gone unnoticed," Lazarus defended her. Maeve was acting like his spy and at the same time trying to have a warm rtionship with his brothers and sisters so that once the soul casting ritual took ce, she would be able to know their weaknesses and press their nerves around it. This would help him gainplete control of his siblings.

    Yul nodded lightly. "There''s another thing. Your cousin brother Cain, Lord of Upper North Jupan, has invited you for Samhain."

    Lazarus chuckled. "What has Cain up his sleeve this time? Tell him that I wille." After discussing a few more important things, Lazarus left. His feet took him to Emma''s room, but Ginger informed him that she was sleeping. He grew restless.

 Chapter 24 I Have Questions

    ?For the next day, Lazarus was restless. Emma hadn''t met him and she avoided him at all costs. He couldn''t sleep well again as rage built in him. On top of that Maeve had also left. He had hoped that she would return soon, but he knew that she couldn''t.

    Desire inside him swelled to the level that it was difficult to contain. Now that his mate was near him, he wanted Maeve all the more. His thoughts went to the time when she¡­ satisfied him. She had never. She was always promising she would and every time she promised only after he showered her with his wealth. He wondered if she was going to do that after they married as well.

    Lazarus was extremely handsome and that was the main reason why most women lusted after him. Maeve also showed signs that she was attracted to him initially. Then why did she leave him when she knew that he needed her? And she even said that he could use the services of the mortal. That made him think of Emma all over again.

    He began pacing his room furiously. He wanted to go back to see Emma, but his pride stopped him. In order to stop himself from thinking about her, he went rogue hunting. Alone. However, even after killing three rogues, he wasn''t satisfied. He couldn''t help but think of Emma''s sweet scent of violets. He found himself running back to the pce and going to her room, but she wasn''t there. "Ginger!" he roared. "Where is Emma?" It was dark in the night and she was missing? "I have given you one job, Ginger," he snarled at her. "To keep an eye on her, and you can''t even do that?"

    Ginger started shaking in fear. She didn''t know where Emma was because when she came back to see her, Emma was not in her room.

    Before she couldn''t say anything in her defense, Lazarus followed her smell and reached the small cottage where Emma was sitting along with the soldiers and some women and chatting chirpily. The moment their gazes met, she gasped. He walked straight to her, disregarding every vampire soldier over there and their women. It seemed he had walked into some sort of celebration, but his presence disrupted it. And what the hell was she doing amongst these vampires? She was sleeping only a few hours back.

    "I asked you not to venture out," he growled as he walked towards her, his demeanor predatory, his eyes never leaving her.

    Emma rested back on the pillow on the couch she was sitting on. She tilted her neck to the side and rubbed the silk of her skin on the pulse point. Lazarus''s fangs throbbed as venom pooled in them. All he wanted was to sink them in her and mark her. "I can''t stay in my room all the time," she said softly, sipping her wine.

    "I have to talk to you, now!" he said urgently.

    A blush came on her cheeks and her scent of violets mixed with that of wine became stronger. Damn. She was so perfect in all ways that his fangs throbbed and were now piercing his lower lips. Did he smell her arousal? He quickly nced at her thighs and she clenched them. His betrothed was not with him while his mate sat right in front of him. Maeve could go to hell!

    "Even I have to talk to you," she said softly. "I have questions."

    He grabbed her by her upper arm. Taking the wine from her, he drank it and threw the tumbler on the ground. He cupped the back of her head, buried it in his chest and traced to her room. Carefully, he made her sit on her bed, not missing the opportunity to smell her hair, thinking of her supple breasts that pressed against his chest. It calmed him greatly. "What do you want to talk about?" he said as he walked away from her to sit at the table.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Emma pulled her feet up. Lazarus had ordered a new bed for her after he had shattered its headboard. She took a pillow and grabbed it against his chest. "I wanted to talk about Maeve."

    He narrowed his eyes. "The goddess is perfect for me."

    "Then why was she meeting your father and brother behind your back?"

    He scoffed. "It is beyond your intelligence level. It''s better you don''t go there."

    She hated when he talked like that. She took a deep breath in to control her fury. "Why isn''t Maeve with you when you are about to get married to her? Doesn''t she want to shop for her bridal trousseau? Why doesn''t she look happy getting married to you?"

    "You are thinking too much, Emma,'' he said, crossing his legs. "If you think you can sow seeds of discontentment between us, then you are a fool. Maeve is dying to marry me. As for shopping, she has entire married life in front of her. Moreover, she has already bought a lot of jewelry with my money." Lazarus remembered when he had to pay ten bags of gold coins for her jewelry and makeup.

    While Maeve was always underyers of makeup which he liked, Emma''s face that was devoid of it was¡­ refreshing.

    "I see¡­" she said and got up. Curling a strand of hair with her finger and running the bottom of her lip with her thumb, she asked, "You killed two of your brothers. Your father should have sent you to the dungeons, yet he didn''t. He let you free. Don''t you find it strange? Why did he leave you so easily? It is clear that he detests you, then why didn''t he punish you?"

    Lazarus gritted his teeth. He got up and strode to the fire hearth. The mes were burning bright just like his fury. "What do you know about punishment?" His mother''s face shed in his eyes. "It is better that you keep your nose off my affairs and think of how you will spend the next few days of your life."

    "I have thought about them," she replied.

 Chapter 25 Losing It

    ?Lazarus turned sharply only to see that Emma was standing dangerously close to him. When did she pad her way here? "And what do you have in mind?"

    Her lips parted and she blushed heavily. It was as if she was hesitant in speaking her thoughts aloud. She looked so enticing, blushing heavily that he stopped the urge to trace the line of her blush.

    "What is it?" he goaded her, but his thoughts went awry with her proximity. He wanted to run his hands on her body. He wanted her to touch him so that the burn he felt inside him, soothed.

    "I have a suggestion for you," she said with difficulty.

    After the trial, when she had left Lazarus and gone back to her room, all she could think of was him and his deal with Maeve. What if she somehow created a fracture in their rtionship? If she seeded, she wouldn''t be giving up her soul and continue to live. If she didn''t, then she already knew what was in for her.

    Emma analyzed the whole scenario carefully. She thought of ways to seduce him, but he was so arrogant and stubborn that every way she thought of was not fitting. She talked to Ginger about it and came to know that Lord Lazarus had never been with any woman other than Maeve. Interestingly, Maeve hadn''t offered herself to him even though she was his betrothed. And that gave Emma an idea.

    The only thing that he was interested in was her body. He cherished it. He said that he would protect it forever. Emma wondered what would happen if she offered him her body willingly. She had seen the lust in his eyes when he was with her. There was no harm in trying. If she was able to seduce him with her body, then surely, he would leave Maeve. Emma would then find a way of escaping.

    "I am waiting," Lazarus said, closing his fists tightly. Her eyes had grown wide and they rounded at the corners making her even more beautiful than she was. The way she was blushing, it was as if she was flowering. It was the sort of blush that reminded him of wine, of hues of roses in spring. The ringlets of her golden hair fell around her creamy skin. But that wasn''t even the best thing about her.

    He wouldn''t be surprised if Emma had the genes of a siren. She had everything in her to entice him and she was using it all. Or probably it was the mate bond giving him hallucinations. He hadn''t felt this attracted to her earlier.

    "I¡ª" she hesitated again. She just didn''t know how to frame the words that she was interested in offering him her body. She was just too embarrassed. Her face heated up and her heart thundered. The shy part of her soul warred with her adventurous part. She was trying to negotiate her own predicament internally. She was battling on the inside trying to look at every angle and every monster that she was going to face.

    She had never ever been close to a man, which meant that she had no experience. She had to seduce him so strongly that he had to go against Maeve, who was a goddess. She let out a whimper thinking that herpetition was against a goddess who was skilled in every art. Seduction must be a game for Maeve, but for Emma it would be a gargantuan effort.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Lazarus was so focused on Maeve that even if he used her body, would he be with her mentally? Even though she was contemting so many points, most of which went against her, she was¡­ excited. And that part of her adventurous spirit confounded her.

    Finally, she took a deep breath and blurted. "What if I offer myself to you?"

    His brows furrowed so deeply that they became straight. The effect of her words went down to his shaft which tented in his pants. "What did you say?" he asked her, as if not believing his ears. He was already losing control of himself and she was offering herself. In what way?

    Emma bit her bottom lip. She grabbed her gown on the sides so tight that her palms started sweating. She wanted to run away from there but now she was neck deep into her own n. If she backed away, he would never cease to make jokes out of her. A shudder of embarrassment passed through her. She mustered more courage and said, "I know I don''t have time, but I wanted to propose to you something. I wanted to offer my body to you and¡ª"

    "Remember this mortal. I will never forsake Maeve," he said, cutting her off. "And how old are you?"

    "I will turn eighteen the day after."

    He narrowed his eyes on her. Grabbing her wrist, he dragged her all the way to the door and shoved her outside. "Get out!" he hissed. "And don''t show your face!" He closed the door on her face. As Emma stood there dumbfounded and embarrassed as hell, the door opened again. He walked out muttering that this wasn''t his bedroom. She watched him with wide eyes as he strode to his room, opened its door and closed it behind him with a loud bang.

    Lazarus went to his bed and crashed on it. He pulled a pillow to cover his head to stop the thoughts that invaded his mind. She was going to turn eighteen in two days and she intended to offer him her body when he was struggling to stay away from her? "Maeevvveeee!" he let out a muffled shout. He was surely going to turn insane. He needed her now more than ever and regretted sending her to Vilinski.

    After a long time, he decided that Emma was just too low for him and that he was going to focus on his work.

    So for the next two days, he focused heavily on his work even though he would go hard thinking about her "offer". He avoided her for those two days, and in that time his tolerance and anger grew thinner, his sanity was on the verge of breaking. Finally, when he couldn''t take it any longer, he traced to her room at midday.

 Chapter 26 Teach Her A Lesson

    ?Lazarus found her¡­ sleeping. He let out an explosive sign and murmured, "Fuck!" He kneeled down beside her bed, his fists clenched on his sides. It was her birthday today and he wondered if she would feel the mate bond just as strongly as he felt. If that happened, then to stay away from her was going to be the biggest problem he had ever faced in his life.

    Lazarus had fought numerous battles for his father. He had easily fought with demons and never backed down from a dangerous situation. He even went to Sgi¨¢th Bio to find Maeve against all the odds. But this¡ª how was he going to fight the mate bond if she became aware of it? This was one problem that was the most dangerous. He didn''t want to betray Maeve but he didn''t know how to resist the temptation called Emma.

    As he watched her breathing with her lips parted, her breasts going up and down softly, he had this sudden urge to trace them. Her quilt had moved to the side, exposing one leg till her thigh as her gown had shifted up. He swallowed thickly wondering what it would be to drink from her thighs.

    He shook his head toe out of the daze, contemting reasons to nevere back to her and here she was, sleeping like some angel fallen from the stars. He stabbed his fingers in his hair and stopped himself from lifting her and taking her to his room. Instead, he traced back alone to his room.

    It was midafternoon and he should have been sleeping like a true vampire, but he began to pace his room. Every now and then he would look at the door that connected their room, and then continue to pace more. He was increasingly growing antsy thinking what her reaction would be when she woke up and looked into his eyes on her eighteenth birthday. Would their mate bond snap?

    He came to the door and leaned against it, smelling her scent to calm down. He closed his eyes and thought about Maeve. He reminded himself that she was a goddess, fit for him, fit for a kingdom like Wilyra. Maeve would be able to fight against his brothers and sisters, while Emma¡ªshe was nothing.

    He took a deep breath in when the thought brought back semnce of sanity. Now he was going to teach a lesson to Emma for suggesting she offer her body to him. No. He was only going to have sex with his betrothed and no one else.

    All at once, he heard movement in the adjoining room. She must have woken up. With firm determination, he went to the bathroom and readied himself. He wore a ck leather trousers and ck silk shirt that was one of his most expensive possessions. He was going to look lethal and charming and he was going to show her that he didn''t need her.

    Lazarus traced to the chamber of royal concubines. There were about twenty concubines that were only meant for the royals. They stayed in the pce and never went anywhere.

    The concubines were surprised to see him. While they had serviced all the royal men, Lazarus was the only vampire they had never. They were too scared of him and shivered under his scrutinizing gaze. Since it was midafternoon, most of them were sleeping while a few were roaming around and talking amongst themselves.

    He pointed at the most beautiful one, Rina, and said, "Get ready." Rina''s eyes flew wide open with surprise. She couldn''t believe that the most ruthless and cruel vampire in the lore desired her. She bowed to him and without a question rushed to get ready. When Rina came out, Lazarus was satisfied to see her. She was wearing a long skirt that was sped just above her hips and a bandeau. Her long dark hair fell over her shoulders. With all the makeup, she looked¡­ devastating, sinful.<novelnext></novelnext>

    He traced her to his room. "Stay here," he said.

    Like a good concubine, Rina knelt on the rug of his bedroom, waiting for his next movement. She must have waited for over an hour, but all she saw was that the lord was pacing his room. He would asionally nce at the door, furrow his eyebrows, smirk and then begin pacing. She grew bored of it and wondered if she had to make the first move. So in a husky voice said, "Would you like me to help you, m''lord?" When he stopped, she looked at his burgeoning erection. She pursed her lips, satisfied that her presence affected him so much.

    "Quiet!" he growled, giving her a dangerous look.

    Rina trembled under his severe gaze and snapped shut. She was now utterly confused.

    He was still restless when the sun began to go down. He would sit or lie down for a while and then again start pacing. He would trace away somewhere and thene back even more agitated. By evening when it was beginning to be darker, she saw him leaning against the door and minutester, he eximed, "Ah!" The next moment, he came to her. "Get up!" he ordered.

    Rina was so tired kneeling there all day. When she got up, he traced her to a cabin where there were soldiers with some women in the pce grounds. She had been there earlier on a number of asions.

    The soldiers and women were surprised to see him. They all got up but Lazarus ordered them, "Keep doing what you are doing!" He pulled Rina in hisp and opened his legs wide.

    She thought that he wanted to tend to his erection, so she cupped it and started stroking it. He stopped her. Lazarus was looking at the door. He murmured, "Three, two, one!" The door opened and Emma came giggling in. A smile yed on his lips. "Now, stroke me," he ordered Rina.

    He was going to show her that he didn''t need her body because he had plenty at his disposal.

    Their gazes met.

 Chapter 27 Something Snapped

    ?Emma woke up feeling depressed. She was having this kind of a feeling from the past two days. He had rejected her proposal and that part stung. She didn''t know why that feeling had multiplied by a hundred times today when it should have ebbed. What was happening to her? She felt like she should rather die.

    She realized that now she had no chance to escape. Lazarus was going to cast her soul out and he would stop at nothing.

    It was her birthday today. Nothing really happened on her previous birthdays. Her parents never celebrated it. Avice would rather make her work in the kitchen the whole day while her father was least interested.

    Emma was hoping that by offering herself to Lazarus, she would move forward in her life, for she would begin plotting on how to escape, but now her life came to a standstill. She was numbed. She lost interest in her appetite. Ginger woulde and go in her room and she would talk about several things, but Emma was hardly listening to them. All her focus was on the adjoining room where Lazarus was.

    She couldn''t help thinking how he could love Maeve so much that he didn''t see the signs that she was not interested in him. Or maybe it was that she loved him and had promised him a lot of thingster. She pulled her knees up against her chest and curled her arms around them. Resting her head over them, she looked at the door and started thinking of ways to escape the pce.

    Ginger came and informed her that if she liked, she could visit the small garden that the humans had grown in the pce. She helped him taking her clothes off.

    "Ginger," Emma asked when she was in the bathtub as an idea struck her. "The soldiers of the pce¡ªwhere do they all meet? I saw them in a cabin a few days back. Do they all meet there?"

    "Which cabin, mdy?" Ginger asked as she poured water over her shoulders. "There are several in the pce premises where the guards at night often rest. Sometimes, they are visited by their mistresses over there."

    "I visited one on the north side. It was near the wall of the pce. I could smell apple orchards there." She didn''t tell her that she had gone to test Maeve magic once again. She had thrown a stick at the wall. It fell through without rebounding. The magic only worked on her. So she had gone slightly ahead and tried touching the invisible wall, but withdrew immediately, scared of the consequences.

    "Oh, that one!" Ginger chuckled. "That one is near the garden that the humans have grown. We can go there. But the soldierse only during the night."

    "Great!" Emma said. She was going to convince a few soldiers to help her escape. For the whole day, she was nning on how to convince the soldiers. All she needed was a kind of a body wrap that masked her and covered her sopletely that Maeve''s magic couldn''t detect her. "Can we go there? I am feeling all cooped up inside."

    "Yes, sure, mdy. I will take you there."

    It was evening when Ginger took her to the garden that was maintained by the humans. Emma was impressed by it. The air was pungent with the fragrance of roses. Buttercups lined the walls and green grass, a dream of meadows, spread in the middle. There was a small pond in the center that had various hued fish in it.

    "Emma!" Magnus''s voice surprised her.

    "Magnus?" she smiled. "What are you doing here?" she asked as she looked at the man with him.

    "Admiring the beauty of the garden," he replied, looking at her intensely.<novelnext></novelnext>

    A pale blush formed on her cheeks under his intense stare. He was the youngest brother of Lord Lazarus but he was just as handsome as him with many matching features.

    "This is Yul," he said, introducing her to the man he was standing with. "Yul, this is Emma."

    "I have heard a lot about you, mdy," Yul said as he lifted her hand and ced a kiss on her knuckles. "You are just as beautiful as others said and then some more."

    Emma blushed deeper as she thanked him, but Magnus had raised an eyebrow at Yul''s appreciation. His friend had been very reserved in his opinions or admiration.

    "So did you like the garden?" Magnus asked.

    "Yes!" Emma bobbed her head. "However, I would have added a small cage for birds also, and a few butterflies here and there." She couldn''t help grinning at the thought of butterflies. "Butterflies symbolize¡­ freedom."

    "That''s a lovely idea!" Yul replied. "I will order them as soon as possible."

    Emmaughed softly. The two men stared at her. They walked with Emma around the garden. Emma ended up picking a bunch of flowers from there. At the end of it, Ginger also inserted some roses in her braid at intervals and said, "You look breathtaking, mdy!" The two vampires let out a ragged breath seeing her beauty.

    Emmaughed. She turned to the men and said, "We are nning to visit a cabin of guards nearby. Would you like to apany me?"

    "Of course!" They both said in unison.

    Emma was taken aback. She smiled gingerly at them. Yul and Magnus walked behind her as they went to the cabin. As they were walking across the cobbled path that was dusted with snow, Magnus joked about something and Emma couldn''t help giggling. She opened the door of the cabin, giggling at another joke with Magnus and Yul behind her, and saw Lazarus sitting right in the front, next to the fire hearth.

    A very beautiful, scantily d woman was sprawled across hisp and she was stroking him over his pants. Seeing her, he spread his legs further for the woman to stroke him.

    Their gazes met. Something snapped inside her.

    Her eyes went to the woman and her heart began beating wildly. She felt¡­ terrible. Depression returned but anger and jealousy also red. She grabbed Yul''s arm and said, "Come, let''s sit there!"

 Chapter 28 Your Gift

    ?Over the years, some of the cabins that the guards used for some rest while changing duties had turned into ces of rxation. They would gather, have fun, talk about things, information and messages were exchanged and then they went about their ways.

    This cabin was also one such ce. Men and women would talk to each other and drink wine. However, those who were on guard or those who had to go for their duties were strictly prohibited from drinking. If they were found in an inebriated state, they were punished severely.

    When their gazes met, the mate bond which he felt with her became a thousand times stronger. His breath became ragged and cold sweat broke on his temple because all he wanted was to take her away from here and sink himself so deeply inside her that he wouldn''t know where he began or where she ended.

    He couldn''t believe that he was getting repulsed by Rina. He didn''t like her hand on his as he stared at Emma like a predator. "Mine!" he growled so low and so dangerously that even he was surprised by himself.

    She was giggling when she came inside. He hated the fact that she was so happy while he spent his whole day thinking of ways to teach her a lesson. He opened his legs wider for Rina to stroke him so that she was affected by it. He would show her that he didn''t need her body to be satiated. He could pick up anyone and that anyone would be more than obliged to service him.

    However, Lazarus seethed with rage when he saw that Magnus and Yul came behind her. Were they with her all this while he was working on his n? Jealousy red like burningva. They looked like they had eyes only for her.

    Emma was looking¡­ gorgeous. With a bouquet of flowers in her hand and roses inserted across her braid that fell over her shoulder to her right bosom, she was simple the most stunning woman he had ever seen. And she was his. And she had curled her hand across that of Yul. Wait. What? If Lazarus was burning with jealousy, his expressions darkened to the point of murdering Magnus and Yul.

    He had nned and plotted for the entire day and came up with a way of making her feel miserable but why was it that he was feeling miserable instead?

    "Hmph!" Emma jerked her neck sharply and pulled Yul along with her to sit on a vacant couch. She could feel Lazarus''s eyes boring in her back. "Come, let''s sit here, Yul," she said to him softly, ignoring Lazarus.

    Both Yul and Magnus were¡­ jolted. They were so shocked to see Lazarus in the cabin and that too with the most sought-after royal concubine, Rina, who never ever was spare for them. Cold sweat broke on their temples because they both were aware that Emma was his mate. It was different that he had brought her for Maeve and that he treated her like scum.

    They both sat with Emma in stunned silence, hoping that Lazarus didn''t react and that Rina did her job nicely. However, when did things go as desired?

    "Do you know it is my eighteenth birthday?" she said to them with a huge smile. "And today I haven''t received any gift."

    "You should have said that to us before, Emma," Magnus said. "I would have bought you the finest ne of Wilyra."

    "And I would have taken you out to the best viewpoint in our kingdom," Yul added.<novelnext></novelnext>

    She giggled again as she nced at Lazarus who was now throwing daggers at the men. "Now that you know, you can give me my gifts." She was particrly interested in Yul''s gift. If he took her to the best viewpoint in the kingdom, she was going to escape from there.

    Lazarus''s jaws clenched. How dare his brother and his friend offer gifts to his mate? They were inviting his wrath like nothing.

    "You know, I have a better idea!" Yul pped the table with excitement. "Why don''t we go to the market tomorrow and buy you a gift? I will buy anything that you will ce your hand on."

    Possessiveness sted like a volcano in his chest. Lazarus grabbed Rina''s hand and shoved it aside. "M''lord?" she said in a low voice, wondering if she had done something wrong.

    He bared his fangs to scare her off. She whimpered in response as she winced. "I am sorry¡­"

    "That would be wonderful!" Emma said as she sped her hands. Then suddenly her lips downturned. "But I can''t go¡­" she took a deep sigh. "The pce walls are sealed with magic¡­"

    "Oh, that''s a pity," Magnus said and narrowed his eyes. "But I have a fae friend who can help."

    The next moment Lazarus jumped out of his chair. Rina was thrown across the floor. She shrieked as others stood up and scurried out. He strode to their table. He red at Magnus and Yul. His lips peeled back to show his fangs, he hissed, "You dare to remove Maeve''s magic without my consent?"

    Magnus and Yul jerked their heads back as Emma rolled her eyes. "It''s Emma''s birthday today, brother," Magnus remarked. "She deserves a gift. Don''t you think so?"

    Lazarus''s gaze slid to her. He grabbed her wrist and yanked her up. He couldn''t let her sit here even for a second more. "You want a gift?" When she craned her neck up to look at him, her eyes rounded at the corners and emotions crashed inside him like waves against a rocky cliff.

    Not caring as to what others thought, he grabbed her waist and traced her to his room. She was still dangling by her waist against his body, his arm wrapped around her tightly and his chest heaving. "Then you got me as your gift. Happy birthday."

    He couldn''t evenst an evening. He had to get rid of her from his system and the only way was to ept her offer.

 Chapter 29 Accepted My Offer?

    ?Emma was¡­ mesmerized. Her mind had stuttered to a stop with her in his arms. Her feet were dangling above the ground and her face was barely an inch away from him. She should have felt dizzy or even afraid of him, but she wasn''t. She bit her bottom lip to stop them from trembling in anticipation. How could she desire a man so badly? She hated him a lot just till a day back but now she felt like she was bound to him with a strong invisible chain. Or was she just too emotionally deprived of love?

    Lazarus was staggeringly handsome and he looked like he had climbed a mountain peak for the way he was heaving his chest against hers. He was dressed in an expensive outfit that covered his body like a second skin. Every muscle beneath the fabric rippled under her fingers.

    She ced her hand on his chest over his heart and her lips parted.

    He stood tense, looking lustily at her. "You dared to be with different men? I am on the verge of fury and right now I could kill you so easily for defying my orders of thinking of going out of this pce!"

    She moved her fingers to his neck and rubbed his skin there. "So do you take my offer?" she asked him. She wondered if he was epting her offer. She was three weeks short of a month before the soul casting ritual took ce. If he allowed her, she was going to make every day count.

    "I take up your offer only because I want to get rid of you," he said, reveling in her touch. After days of unrest and mental torture, he felt¡­ calmed. But he reminded himself that this was just temporary. "If you think that you are close to Maeve in your seduction skills, then you are highly mistaken. She is a goddess and every skill of her is a million times better!"

    She brought her fingers to his jaws and lightly brushed them as if on instinct. "I think my seduction skills are better than her." Because he was already thinking of her offer while it wasn''t the same with Maeve. She didn''tplete her sentence because she didn''t want to hurt his ego.

    "Then I wish you luck! I challenge you to make me like you more than I like Maeve. And know this¡ª"

    She pressed her finger on his lips, silencing him. "Put me down," she said in a husky voice.

    Reluctantly, he slid her down his body but making sure that her body pressed against his hardness. When she was on her feet, she looked confidently at him even though on the inside she was shaking. He held her hand and began leading her to his bed. She pulled him back. "Wait."

    He spun sharply, his red eyes showing his restlessness. "What?"

    "Since you have epted my offer, I would like to ask you one more thing." She had to use this chance to her maximum benefit.

    "And that is?" he asked warily.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "When Maeve returns, you have to continue this with me, and by the end of the month if you start liking it, you have to consider leaving me." She paused. "I want to live¡­"

    "I might continue with you when Maeve returns, but leave you? Stop even thinking about it."

    She gritted her teeth. At least he agreed to one condition. It was important that Maeve saw her rtionship with Lord Lazarus. That would definitely fracture her love for him.

    When he started to pull her again, she stopped him. "I need to take a bath." She wanted to buy time to think about what she was going to do. She was so inexperienced. She would ask Ginger what to do. Oh never! Ginger shouldn''t know about it. Well, she was going to take it as ites.

    He drew his brows together, wondering if she was trying to get away from her promise. In order to make sure that she came back, he said, "Okay, when youe back, I want you to be naked and kneeling before me. I will open that door between our rooms for you toe directly inside."

    Emma nodded once. Naked? She blushed so heavily at the thought that she immediately turned away to leave. But Lazarus was faster than her. He pulled her to the door in between their rooms and opened it. "You will use this from now on."

    Feeling a thousand shades embarrassed, she hurried to her room. With her heart thundering wildly and threatening to leap out of its ribcage, she sat down on her bed. She put her head in her hands, thinking as to what she had got herself in. If she was able to seduce him in three weeks, she was going to coax him to let her live. She would find him someone else to cast her soul out, someone willing.

    Naked. Her cheeks heated at the sheer thought. How could she sit naked in front of him? What the hell did he think she was?

    After a quick bath, Emma draped herself in a towel and then sat in front of the dresser. She contemted whether to go naked in front of him or not. In the end, she decided she would wear a gown with no undergarments. That would make her look sexy but not desperate. She swallowed thickly as she fluffed her hair a little and brought them in front over her puckered nipples.

    Her pink gown entuated her curves and she hoped that his eyes went there, but the thought made her blush all over again. Gathering courage, she walked to his room and found that he wasn''t there. She knelt on the rug beside his bed and waited for him. Her blood thrummed in her ears out of nervousness.

    She heard a rustle behind her and her spine straightened. He hade.

    "You are not naked," he said as he circled her and came to stand right in front of her. His eyes dipped to her breasts.

 Chapter 30 Blue Balls

    ?When Emma had gone to her room to take a bath, Lazarus had traced back to the cabin to find Yul and Magnus. The two of them were not there. He saw Rina who was already picked up by the guards. Having the most cherished concubine of the royal court was one of the rare feats for them. Disregarding her, he traced to Yul''s bedchamber that was in the south wing of the pce instead of going to Magnus''s room.

    Both Yul and Magnus were conversing about something and got up the moment they saw him.

    "How dare you suggest that you take her to the market without my permission?" Lazarus growled as he charged towards Yul and punched him on his face.

    "Lazarus!" Magnus shouted as Yul was now groveling on the floor with a bruise on his cheek. He rushed to grab Lazarus from behind to prevent him from attacking Yul again.

    Shocked as hell, Yul got up and just as fiercely as Lazarus, he punched him back on his face. A bruise slicing his cheek appeared. "How were we supposed to know that it was her eighteenth birthday?" Yul spat.

    "Exactly!" Magnus supported him. "We were just trying to have a conversation with her. Moreover, you hate her so much. What is the harm in giving some reprieve from the madness surrounding her?"

    Lazarus became all the more jealous of his brother and Yul. He felt extremely possessive about Emma and didn''t like the way they were thinking about her. "You don''t have to think of her well-being."

    "Well, you are not thinking about it. We all know that she is doomed. This was the least we could do!"

    "Shut the fuck up!" Lazarus roared and then attacked both of them. Emma was his to deal with. His to love or hate or have sex or even to think about. He wanted to control the air around her and no one was allowed to impinge the space. After fifteen minutes of fighting with them, when he got another bruise on his neck, and they suffered plenty more, the three vampires were on the floor, panting heavily.

    "This is all stupid!" Magnus said with a rough exhale. "If you don''t like her Lazarus, maybe you should leave her be for a few days. She deserves to¡ª"

    "Hold that thought, Magnus!" Lazarus hissed. He didn''t want to hear anything about Emma from them. He traced back to his room, hoping that she had returned because he wanted to see her. And when he found her kneeling on the ground, his anger subsided.

    He walked to her and circled to stand in front of her. Curling his fingers beneath her chin, he tipped her head up and said, "You are not naked."

    Emma was surprised to see that he had bruises on his cheek and neck. Where did he go in the short time when she was taking a bath and how did he end up having that bruise? She wanted to reach out and care for him. "I am not naked because we are not intimate yet."<novelnext></novelnext>

    His eyes went to her breasts, the nipples of which were taut against the fabric. She wasn''t wearing her undergarments. The thought put him in a wild frenzy. His eyes went droopy as a thousand fantasies haunted him. He took a step back from her and then another. He sat on his bed and spread his legs wider for her to see how hard he was. For her to see his burgeoning erection. In a throaty voice he didn''t recognize was his own, he said, "Service me."

    Emma looked at his face and her eyes rounded like that of an owl. Now, she didn''t know what he meant by that. How should she service him? With a shaky breath, she hoped that he didn''t see through her inexperience. So she did what she thought ''service me'' meant. She looked around and spotting what she needed she got up. She went to the long table at the corner of the room. From there she picked up a tray of food and came back to him with a nervous smile.

    "What are you doing?" he grated.

    She took out portions of food on the te and served it to him. With a soft smile, she said, "I am servicing you." That was what she did back at home. This is how she serviced her parents and others. Honestly, she didn''t know how this service would add to her charm.

    Lazarus stared at her nkly for a moment. Was she acting innocent or was she really innocent? "Service my cock," he said bluntly, pointing at his erection that was tenting in his pants. He took the te from her and ced it back. If she was ying games with him, then he knew how to bring her back on line. "And don''t waste my time!"

    Emma was bbergasted. She blushed so deeply that her body heated. How was she going to service his cock? She had never seen one in her life and this one looked¡­ huge. She wondered if it ate. Taking a deep, shaky breath in, she picked up cold stew in a spoon from a bowl in the te and "fed" the cock. She poured it over it.

    Lazarus jumped up in pure shock. "Emmaaa!" he shouted as he red at her and then at his trousers

    Emma was stunned. Wasn''t this, right? Scared that she did it all wrong, she seized the bedsheet and started rubbing it on his erection to remove the stew from there. "I am so sorry!" she cried. "I thought I was serving you so well!" She rubbed it harder.

    Lazarus was dumbfounded and breathless. Her hand on his member? He knew that he would explode any moment. His eyes rolled back in his head and he lost all sense of the world. "Emm..rrrr¡­mmaaa¡­rrrr¡­st¡­rrr¡­op¡­rrrr¡­"

    But Emma won''t stop. She continued to remove the dirt from his trousers. "Let me rush to the bathroom and get water!" she said and ran to the bathroom.

    Lazarus watched her leave him in the midst of stroking him just when he was about toe hard. His balls had squeezed tight. Did she intend to give him blue balls?

 Chapter 31 Chasing Her Pleasure

    ?Emma returned with a towel dabbed with cold water. "I am so sorry!" she said looking at the mess she had created.

    She lunged at his trousers to wipe the mess. But before she could grab his cock, he caught her hand and in an angry breathless voice said, "Gahhh! Leave it. I will manage." He was on the brink ofing and if she touched him even once, he was sure that he would spill inside his pants.

    "How can I leave it?" she said, nervous about her attempt to seduce him by ''servicing'' him. Surely, it all went wrong. She swatted his hand away and grabbed his cock to wipe it but the minute she did that, he came all over inside his trousers with an agonized roar. Emma didn''t know whether to watch his face or his trousers. It was getting wet by the second. She looked at its growing wetness while she ced a hand on his chest. In the end when he was breathless and sweating and heaving, she remarked, "Damn! Your cock has thrown up and I couldn''t even service it well." What she meant by service it well was that she couldn''t even feed it well.

    Through his half-mast eyes, he looked at her, while panting. He couldn''t believe that he was like a randy teenager around a girl like Emma. He had nevere this bad and this desperately in front of anyone. And he had so many women at his disposal. Though he was feeling a thousand times better, he had hoped for a better sexual encounter with her.

    When Emma tried to wipe the mess with her shaky hands, he just grabbed her wrists and yanked her towards him.

    "You are going to lie down on this bed," he growled, pointing at the bed. "And do not touch me. Is that clear?"

    Emma nodded, feeling terrible about her wasted efforts. She had to makeup somehow. He snatched the wet towel from her and pointed at the bed for her to lie down. Reluctantly, she went to lie down on the bed while he strode to the bathroom to clean himself and change.

    The night was young, perfect for vampires to go out and do their daily jobs, but Lazarus wanted to¡­ sleep. He took a quick hot bath and couldn''t help but rx. He didn''t know that releasing was going to be such a therapy. But his mate was dangerous. A touch of hers would burn him.

    When he returned after wearing his night pajamas, she was lying down with her eyes closed at the far end of the bed. She was curled up in a ball, feeling cold. He stroked the fire in the hearth and went to bed.

    Emma was cursing herself repeatedly for wasting so much time. She barely had three weeks to seduce him and she didn''t know what she did. When she heard the door opening, she closed her eyes tightly, pretending to sleep. Momentster, the bed dipped and she heard rustle of fabric. He covered her with a thick quilt before settling on the pillows.

    "Have you ever pleasured yourself?" he asked.

    "Yes!" she responded immediately, turning to look at him.

    He turned his face and raised an eyebrow. "You have?"

    "Yes!" Emma was happy that she was going to get another chance. She saw him reclining on the pillows with nothing but silk pajamas. It was difficult for her not to see his pure masculine charm.

    "How have you pleasured yourself?" he asked.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Oh, for that I would need a butterfly!"

    "A butterfly?" he repeated.

    She got up and nodded vehemently.

    He narrowed his eyes, hundreds of fantasies bouncing in his head about whether she would pleasure herself with a butterfly. Suddenly he traced to the gardens maintained by the humans in the pce. From there he caught a golden butterfly and traced back to his room. He handed it to her. "Now show me how you pleasure yourself."

    Emma squealed when she felt the wings of the butterfly fluttering in her hands. And then she opened her hands. The butterfly sat with its dainty legs on her palm, fluttered its gossamer wings and flew away. Immediately, Emma ran after her to catch it.

    For the next half an hour, a very angry Lazarus watched her chasing it, trying to catch the butterfly as she squealed and shrieked andughed and ran everywhere in his room. He realized that this was how she was pleasuring herself. When she couldn''t catch the butterfly, he traced to it and caught it. He wanted to tear its wings for taking away his precious time from her.

    "Give it to me!" Emma said excitedly. Strands of hair had escaped her braid and her cheeks were pink.

    She looked... refreshing. The scent of violets of her blood was mixed with intoxicating spices. "Give!"

    Instead, he walked to the window, opened the ss and let the butterfly fly away. He closed it and walked back to the bed giving her a pointed look. "Enough of pleasuring yourself," he growled. Emma''s lips downturned. She dragged her feet after him to the bed like a baby.

    That night they slept on his bed. She was so tired that she went off to sleep immediately, but Lazarus couldn''t wink an eye. He found himself moving towards her warmth and before he could give meaning to his actions, he had curled an arm around her tightly, pulled her towards him and spooned her. Her warmth and steady heartbeat lulled him to sleep.

    Lazarus woke up the next evening and saw that she was still sleeping. He slipped out of the bed without disturbing her, his mind rxed a lot and got dressed. He went about his work, but returned to his room quicker than usual. Emma wasn''t there. Panicked, he was about to shout her name, when she appeared on the door wearing his silk ck shirt, her golden hair cascading over her shoulders. She leaned against the door with a seductive smile.

    All his senses were tossed out of the window. What happened to her?

    After studying her for a moment, he walked to the bed, reclined against the pillows and stretched his long legs in front of him. He looked at her cockily.

 Chapter 32 Not Going To Happen

    ?The way she looked at him, full of lust, he was sure that Emma was up to something¡­ sexy.

    sping his hands behind his head, in a snide tone Lazarus said, "I am ready to be pleasured." Again. "How are you going to seduce me away from Maeve''s enchanting clutches?" He beckoned her with his finger and patted his thighs. "Come sit here and try. I highly doubt you will seed though."

    Looking at his thighs, her cheeks heated till her ears.

    ? "I knew you didn''t have it," he scoffed as if throwing the gauntlet towards her. "I highly doubt you had any section charms that you could use on me. I am going tough at you along with Maeve after this."

    His facial expressions were so mocking that she had to ept the challenge. Moreover, she had only one chance at living and it all depended on how much she could seduce him. Out of the twenty-one days, she had lost one day and she only had twenty days with her before the soul casting ritual.

    When Lazarus wasn''t there, Emma had talked to Ginger about¡­ seduction. About how to seduce a man in twenty days. Ginger was surprised. "Why are you asking about seduction, mdy?" Ginger asked warily. "Don''t y any dangerous games. Lord Lazarus is going to hate it if you try to seduce other men."

    "Should I seduce him then?" she said, ncing at her to see her expressions.

    Ginger chuckled. "Lord Lazarus can''t be seduced. He has eyes only for goddess Maeve. I heard that he is waiting for her to enter you so that he can im her."

    Emma gritted her teeth. She was going to fracture their rtionship and save herself. "Well then, tell me how to seduce men. I don''t have many days to live. So I might as well enjoy my life." She couldn''t tell her that she was out to seduce the mighty Lord Lazarus. The idea of Maeve being with Lazarus was¡­ abhorrent. And she didn''t know why. She shouldn''t have cared, but all she wanted was to pull him out of her clutches.

    Ginger gave her another suspicious look. "I can tell you, but I am scared that if anything untoward happens, Lord Lazarus won''t hesitate in killing me."

    Emma rolled her eyes. "Nothing will happen. I promise I won''t tell him a thing."

    On her promise, Ginger yielded. "Okay, the best person to know about seduction techniques is asking Rina, the royal concubine. It is said that she had been sessful all the time except with Lord Lazarus. Like I said, he has eyes for Goddess Maeve."

    "Enough of Maeve!" Emma muttered out of pure irritation and jealousy. "Take me to Rina." Emma remembered who Rina was. She was the woman who was sitting on Lazarus''sp and who she wanted to pull out of hisp. But desperate times called for desperate measures. So she was going to eat the bitter pill of learning the seduction techniques from Rina.

    When Emma went to the chamber of the concubines, she was aghast. All of them were scantily dressed and were roaming around like pure sin. Rina narrowed her eyes on Emma but soon she became friendly with her and told her a few things. None of them registered Emma''s brain perfectly. But Emma was going to try them all in her way.

    With a few pointers in her mind, Emma was now standing on the door with his shirt on. Rina had mentioned that men like when women wore their clothes. Emma seemed to drown in his shirt, but she couldn''t help feeling cozy in it. She decided that she was going to make every encounter with Lazarus life-changing. And she was going to make sure that her skills were more than he could imagine.<novelnext></novelnext>

    She removed herself from the door''s frame and ambled towards him, enticingly, swaying her hips excessively. She noticed that his gaze was on her breasts that were jiggling as she walked. So she jiggled them more. She paused for a moment only to see his reaction and he growled. Perfect. She continued to walk to him and after a momentary hesitation, she climbed on the bed to straddle his thighs.

    Her heart elerated like a horse gone wild, but she bit her bottom lip to control her nerves.

    "Ah! I can hear your heartbeat. You are already nervous, aren''t you, pet?"

    "I am not your pet," she said.

    "You are. I provide for all your needs, so you are my pet."

    "You can give me a nickname if you like," she said and started to open the buttons of his shirt. "And I have a condition."

    Lazarus''s chest was heaving under her touch. As she opened his buttons, he wondered what she was going to do. "What condition?" he asked, his voice growing hoarse.

    "You won''t touch me while I¡­ mmm¡­ pleasure you." Emma''s cheeks heated again. This time she knew the meaning of pleasure because Rina had taught her many ways to "pleasure" men.

    Lazarus''s hands were alreadying to her thighs. He could smell her sex and the violets of her blood. The mixture of these scents was so heady and potent. How could he not touch her? "That''s not going to happen." He dismissed her condition. He took his hands to her thighs and ced them on them. While Emma stilled for a moment and then continued to open his buttons, her touch burned him, branded him.

    "I am scared that you will hurt me," she said in a soft voice as she lifted her eyshes to gaze into his red eyes. She took her hands to his and removed them from her thighs gently and ced them on his sides.

    His fangs grew in anticipation. "I would like to see how you will take the lead Emma," he said. ''And once you do that, I will pin you and drive inside you,'' he thought.

    Emma gave him her seductive half smile as taught by her mentor.

    Now Lazarus was¡­ enthralled. He was sure that Emma had the genes of a siren.

 Chapter 33 Ruined For Everyone Else

    ?The notion that he was going to get swayed by a mortal like Emma was never going to take shape. A mortal over a goddess? Ludicrous. But Lazarus couldn''t help thinking what Emma would do for him, to him. He swallowed as a ragged breath left him.

    Also the fact that she was wearing his shirt, her pebbled nipples grazing the fabric, was doing things to him. His shaft was slowly swelling. He wanted to reach out to her breasts and knead them. They had been teasing him for so long. He wondered how they would feel under his touch. The thought that he would be doing it for the first time, made him hard as rock.

    She reached to thest button and then opened his shirt wide to reveal his chest. Emma licked her lips and Lazarus wondered what she was going to do. Would she kiss him? Just as he was looking at her plump lips, she leaned forward and pressed a kiss right on the center of his chest. His muscles leapt towards her for more. Everything about her was enticing, enthralling.

    She remembered what the concubine said about the kiss. Emma gave him another kiss and then trailed her path to the middle of his neck and then down again. She could feel the tension in his muscles.

    His thighs clenched as he controlled himself for not reaching out to her. When she paused over his nipple and looked at it, he was afraid that he woulde again in his trousers.

    Emma lowered her lips to taste him over there and liquid heat pooled in the bottom of her belly. She was surprised at what she was feeling at the apex of her thighs. It was a strange yet pleasurable feeling.

    He hissed curses under his breath. Did he keep himself so sexually deprived that even her lick over his nipples was so sexy? When she started to suck them lightly, his body went taut. She removed herself from there and trailed a path to his other nipple and did the same over there.

    Lazarus''s member swelled badly and his muscles rippled in tension beneath her. He wanted to grab her, pin her beneath him and sink his fangs and cock so deep in her that he was having a hard time thinking of not doing so.

    She gave it one more lick and then pulled away, her cheeks red. Rina had taught her so many other things but she was doing one thing at a time. Was it going to dy her seduction process? She asked, "Did you like it?"

    "Take off your shirt and let me suck you."

    He liked it even though he wouldn''t admit it. She smiled. "I just might, but then remember our condition? You won''t touch me."

    He grabbed her hair from the back and yanked her head. Her long neck was exposed and he had this strong urge to bite her. "I didn''t promise you that!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Emma should have felt scared, but oddly, this turned her on. Something inside her panties made her wet. His nostrils red and his chest vibrated with a delicious rumble.

    "Then I believe I won''t be seducing you," she said, challenging him to do what he wanted to.

    He clenched his teeth. He was so interested in knowing what she was going to do to him that he left her hair. He had to threaten her to do it fast. "I will get bored of you, Emma," he hissed. He said that in a way that it wasn''t a lie because vampires couldn''t lie. However, his throat burned like acid. "So you better hurry up!"

    Emma dragged her teeth on her lower lip. She lifted her shirt up till her waist and he stifled a shocked cough when he saw her wet panties. And the next moment, Emma didn''t know what got over her that she reached for the buttons of her shirt and opened them all baring her breasts.

    Lazarus stopped breathing. This was the first time he had seen her breasts and they were the most beautiful he had ever seen. They were supple, with creamy skin. Her blush had reached her neck and now it was dusted over her breasts. His fangs grew just thinking what it would be to sink it in them and draw blood out. He had never grown so lusty and this was just the beginning.

    Emma flicked her hair to one side of her neck, revealing her pulse point. Her mentor had said that vampires loved to drink from the neck. Although the idea sent shivers down her line, this was meant to be seductive. That was why she had asked him not to touch her. But she had to seduce him and she was going to use all the tools in her arsenal. In her frenzy to do something, she moved nearer to him and that made her go over his hard as a rock shaft that was beneath his trousers. She gasped at the heat. It was like a brand to her and he let out a groan. It throbbed beneath her.

    He waited as to what she would do now, but Emma was so transfixed at his length that she had stopped moving. He brought his hand to her hips and grabbed them, biting a curse. They were so round and supple. Perfect for his fingers. He began to move her on his shaft.

    Emma gasped at the friction, but she tipped her head back and closed her eyes as he began to move her slowly at first and then faster. As he moved her, he could feel her wetness that seeped in his trousers. Her arousal hit his nostrils and his eyes dropped to a half mast. He clenched his jaws hard and moved her faster and faster.

    Emma had thought that she was going to stay in control and rule over him with her seduction technique but she was soon going out of control. The way he gazed at her face, at her breasts, as her belly, everything was predatory and sexy as hell.

    Till yesterday she didn''t know what pleasure was all about, and today she was chasing it. She knew that after tonight, she was going to be ruined for everyone else.

 Chapter 34 Chasing Something

    ?The idea that he would drink from her breasts made them go so heavy and hard that her nipples pebbled harder. Her bottom was rubbing against him in a wicked rhythm.

    Her scent had be tantalizing. Her need to kiss his lips rose and she leaned to seize them but he moved his head back. He groaned. He was losing control. Fast.

    "Goddess!" he roared. He wanted to kiss her badly but he realized that he would end up hurting her.

    However, Emma was entranced by him. Her eyes on his lips, she wanted to taste them. The new feeling inside her, tightened the coil of heat inside her belly. There was an ache in her lower belly that was threatening to unleash. She was losing control of herself and she didn''t know what she was chasing. But she wanted something and something so badly that she needed it desperately. She wrapped her arms around his neck and in a frenzy, she seized his lips.

    Lazarus''s fangs had grown. They were throbbing with pain. Venom had pooled inside and in this kind of a situation a vampire would end up sinking his fangs in his mate. But Lazarus was controlling himself with every kernel of will he had in his body. When Emma''s lips crashed on his, he moaned.

    This was his first kiss with her. She licked his lips and forced him to open them. He resisted but he couldn''t control his emotions. He opened them partially and she ended up licking his fangs. He groaned. This was divine. But he immediately closed his lips. With one hand, he cupped his neck and pulled her face in the crook of his neck while with the other he continued to make her move over his shaft.

    "You are so hot, Emma!" he grated. "I want to tear those panties off!"

    He was thinking that Emma would be scared of his fangs and would never attempt to kiss him, but he was wrong. She had no fear. Instead he remembered how her eyes were heavy-lidded and the emerald green had flecks of gold shining in them.

    "Then tear them off!" she replied in a hoarse voice, licking the skin of his neck.

    She was licking and suckling and flicking his neck so lovingly that Lazarus was losing it. Usually if she would have been his vampire mate, she would have already pierced her fangs in his neck and drawn blood, but whatever she was doing was akin to that only. This enraged him but his fury was mixed with his need to make here and thene below her.

    "Don''t you y with my fury, Emma!"

    Emma pulled herself away from him and ced one hand on his chest while with the other, she pulled her hair on the side. Her scent washed over him.

    Goddess! She looked like sin personified. She moaned as he made her rub his shaft. She was so excited that her blood dusted her cheeks, she was panting heavily and her juices were flowing freely over his pants. His eyes went to her breasts, the nipples of which were stiffened. He had been dreaming of drawing blood from there, but he realized that he would never be able to drink from her. The thought left him crazy.

    And the reason why he couldn''t drink from her in this condition was that his venom had pooled in his fangs. The venom pooled in the fangs of a vampire when he or she was with their mate. It was only for their mate and that was the reason why blood vassals were never injected with the vampire''s venom.<novelnext></novelnext>

    If he pierced her skin with his fangs at this moment, he was sure that his venom would intermingle in her blood. And those had consequences. Emma would be his blood ve forever. She would be tethered to his emotions, his needs in a way that there would be no return.

    When she kissed him and licked his fangs, he thanked the goddess that they weren''t coated with his venom yet. But the thought was enough and he licked his fangs. They were now coated with his venom. If he drank from her now, there would be no return for her.

    "You are looking at my breasts," she said as she lowered her hand to them and squeezed them.

    Fuck. Yes. He couldn''t help himself. He lowered his head and licked them. His fangs throbbed with pain to take one drop of blood from her and taste her, but he controlled his frenzy.

    Her nipples were so hard. For him. Her juices were flowing. For him. That blush coated her cheeks. For him. He was surprised that she was so aroused. For him. Her arousal was mixed with the scent of her blood and it created a drug-like effect on him.

    He looked at her with heavy lidded eyes. Like a predator. He wanted to take everything of hers. His thoughts went awry as he imagined pinning her beneath him, forcing her to spread her thighs and tasting her honey. Gods above! He had not thought of this with Maeve also.

    Suddenly, Emma held his hand that was now on her breast, and kneading it with abandon. She took his finger in her mouth and began to suck it. She didn''t know what she was doing but she wanted to suck it.

    This girl was going to be his death. If this was how she was in their first encounter, what would she be in the next ones? He watched her sucking it and imagined her lips wrapped around his cock.

    On her own, she started to move faster, not for him, but for herself.

    Damn! He was slumming against a mortal and damn! He was enjoying it. How could hee out of the situation?

    Suddenly, she groaned. She took his finger to her navel and was about to go below, when she screamed as orgasm hit her. Hard.

    Lazarus couldn''t believe that she orgasmed before him, but seeing her in this state, he spilled his seeds with a roar, grabbing her waist with both his arms.

 Chapter 35 Regret His Decision

    ?For a long time, Lazarus''s mind was¡­ nk. All he could think of was her scent and how their chest met. Her heart was racing just as wildly as his just as his shaft pulsated with seeds spilling over and over again.

    She had screamed liquid heat inside her belly that had coiled tightly crashed. Emma had never experienced something like this. Pain mixed with pleasure. The experience was out of the world. The intensity of it, crazy. She clung to him for her dear life as waves of pleasure hit her one after the other. She buried her face in his chest, hoping for some relief but her core throbbed and she could feel his cock throbbing against hers.

    When the waves in her stopped crashing, she slumped against him. His chest was sweat slicked and so was she. Yet, the heady mix of their scent and arousals was surreal. How could she want a man so bad when all he did was to torment her, challenge her and look down upon her. And above all, he was going to cast her soul out.

    She could hear his heartbeat against her and she slowly slid her hand to his heart. Suddenly a thought struck her. What if this heart belonged to her?

    As soon as the thought came, she shoved it out of her mind. She was thinking this only because she was emotionally deprived of love all her life. The vampire had refused to kiss her. Yet another clue from nature that no one liked her. Emma tried to convince herself that she was using her body to seduce the vampire for letting her live. So a kiss was nothing.

    Lazarus rested his chin on her head as he tried to catch up his breath. He had never in his life orgasmed so hard. Umm.. no. Yesterday he came and he came this badly. No. He came this hard today. After a while he gave up on this thought. Suddenly, he realized that was he acting like he loved her? He removed his chin from her head. "Next time I won''t be wearing my trousers," he said in a husky voice.

    She chuckled. Lifting her head, she gave him a proud smile. Slowly she took her hand to his shaft and pressed it softly. "I know you loved it, didn''t you?"

    Lazarus narrowed his eyes. He knew that she wanted him to tell her that she was better than Maeve. He swatted her hands away and said, "You are nothingpared to Maeve. If you think that at one time, you have swayed my decision for you, then you have failed miserably!"

    Emma was so shocked that she felt extremely miserable. She stopped the urge to cry at his rude statement. With a ragged breath she got up from him and stood on the rug. As red at her and without a word, traced away. The next she heard was water flowing in the bathroom. Her lips trembled at the way he spoke to her. Anger warred with woe over this encounter.<novelnext></novelnext>

    She had known her share of miseries, but this one topped all. He ridiculed her passion and dared topare her with a goddess who was above her in all senses.

    ---

    Lazarus had never lost control of himself like this. He had always been in control and even on his own he had nevere this desperately. But thinking that he came this hard for a mortal¡ªit made him furious. In that moment he wanted to pierce his fangs in her but thankfully he curbed his intentions at the nick of time. She was his mate and he marveled himself for not iming her. Of course, he won''t im her. He would only im the goddess.

    He was sure that he was not going toe back to her for this again. But the orgasm that he got was¡­ surreal. The feeling washed over him. He grabbed the edges of the tub and resting his head back on the tub''s edge, he closed his eyes. His mate had given him so much pleasure, he pondered. But then immediately he corrected himself. It wasn''t Emma who did it. It was his want for Maeve. If Maeve had been here, she would have been the woman giving him pleasure. However, as much as he convinced himself, thoughts of Emma bounced around his head. The way she looked at him, the way she wanted to kiss him, and the way she liked it. Strange. Even though their arrangement was temporary, she chased her orgasm as if she was dying for it. Lusty little piece.

    Now he wondered if she had any experience in this. And that thought was enough for him to sp his hands tightly round the tub''s edges which cracked under the impact. But he was keeping an eye on her all the time. He knew that she wasn''t into having boys, curtsy him. Yet who knew she went to them when he wasn''t there. And that made him regret his decision. He should have brought her to the pce earlier.

    Lazarus was known for his ruthlessness. He had killed so many in his frenzy. All he wanted to do now was to kill all the boys who had even dared to touch her. The small punishments that he gave them was nothing.

    All at once, he heard the door open with a bang. Seeing her standing in his shirt made his chest filled with satisfaction. With one breast still popping out of it, his erection hardened again. His earlier anger gone, he smirked. Lusty little mortal. His voice going throaty, he said, "If you think you would wrench another orgasm from me, then you are mistaken. Leave me alone. I am thinking about Maeve and what she would have done."

    Emma''s chest was heaving hard. Her teeth were clenched and there was a storm in her eyes. What was she thinking? She surely wanted another session with him. His muscles bulged at the idea. Well, why not? He was the best specimen of his race and women wanted him all the time. But what Emma did next was beyond his imagination.

    asionally missing content, please report errors in time.

 Chapter 36 Respect Maeve?

    ?Emma was so angered after what he did to her that she stormed in the bathroom. She took off the panties she was wearing and walked to him with it in her hand. When she reached a few paces near him, she spun the panties on her little finger as she watched his red eyes that were staring at her intensely with a smirk.

    "When you and Maeve talk about this encounter andugh, don''t forget to tell her how you squeezed my breasts and hips as you made me move over your cock and roared. And oh! Don''t forget to show her the panties I was wearing!" She threw the panties on his head. "It contains several juices¡ªmostly yours!" Saying that she strode of the bathroom just as fiercely as she came in.

    Lazarus was stunned. With the panties still on his head, he watched her going back and couldn''t help thinking about her naked bottom beneath the shirt.

    A rumble vibrated his chest. Didn''t she think twice that she would court his wrath by this behavior?

    But as much as he wanted to get angry, his lips curved up in a smile. She was feisty. He took the panties from his head and inhaled them. Momentster those panties were wrapped around his cock as he chased yet another release.

    ---

    Emma was so emotionally irritated that she went to her room to take a bath. She called Ginger to bring hot water for her.

    "Why are you taking a bath in the middle of the night, mdy?" Ginger asked, bewildered. "You smell like you climbed a mountain. You are sweating heavily!"

    Emma did climb a mountain. She sighed. "You can go, Ginger," she said. "I want to take the bath alone. I exercised a little."

    Ginger gave her a wary look, but left without questioning her. She wondered if she should talk to Lazarus about Emma. The girl was showing signs of going astray.

    Emma took a long and a nice bath and then came out dressed in a silk midnight blue robe. The shirt that she was wearing was lying discarded in the bathroom. She couldn''t help thinking about what happened with her and Lazarus. She had never felt like this for anyone. What she discovered about her feminineness, it was so beautiful and it was all because of Lazarus. "No!" she said aloud. That vampire was pathetic. She walked to her bed and sat down with her head in her hand.

    Just as she was about to slip in her bed under the quilt, a sudden motion disturbed her. He had traced right next to her and was now lying down beside her. "What are you doing here?" she asked with irritationced in her voice. She couldn''t help notice that he was again only wearing pajamas and no shirt. Why was he so handsome? Why was it that she was getting entranced in his vicinity? Like he was the center of earth and everything gravitated towards him. Especially her life. "What do you want?" she said with a pout as she covered herself till her chest. "Maybe, you should call Maeve for your next session!"

    "The night is young and just like any vampire, it is equivalent to a human''s day of human. I can''t sleep. Since you are in my pce, you have to sleep like the vampire do. Sleep in the day and stay awake in the night," he said as he crossed his arms beneath his head and cradled it.

    She took a deep breath trying to take in his arrogance. Why couldn''t he leave her alone? "We humans sleep during the day too!" she snapped. "What is it that you want?"

    "I don''t care," he said, closing his eyes. "But you can''t sleep. Talk to me."

    She narrowed her eyes. "You know what, I do have things to tell you."

    "Good," he replied with a smirk. "Go ahead." He rxed on the pillow, feeling sleepy, hearing her heartbeat.

    "Your brother Magnus, and your friend Yul¡ª," she said.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "What about them?" he snapped open his eyes as anger mmed in his chest.

    "They are really¡­ handsome inside and out."

    "What the fuck!" he roared. His fists clenched on his sides, he stared at her. "Do you want me to kill them?"

    "Why?" she asked,pletely calm.

    "The only person who should be handsome for you is me!"

    That was the case. He was stunning. Too beautiful. "I didn''t say you aren''t handsome, but you are ugly on the inside. They aren''t."

    "How do you know?"

    "I have interacted with them and in that short interaction, I have found that they are so¡­ considerate."

    He grabbed her, lifted her in hisp and traced her to his room. She felt dizzy and she clutched his chest hard to stop the room from spinning around him. "You will sleep here!" he grated and pushed her out of hisp.

    Emma shook her head as she covered herself with his quilt and settled. "But I do have questions to ask you," she said as she turned towards him. He was still ring at her.

    "Ask."

    "Why is it that your rtionship with Maeve is so restricted? Clearly from what I have heard, you are saving yourself for your bride. If she will be your bride, them whatever body she is in, she should be pleasuring you. But the way you were with me, it seems like she hasn''t done anything with you."

    "Shut up!" he growled. "Maeve has higher ns. She is a goddess and you wouldn''t know a damn thing about her. And you better respect her!"

    "Respect Maeve?" she scoffed. "Hah! You respect those who deserve it."

    "Count yourself lucky that I am keeping you alive till the ritual," he hissed.

    "What if I jump to my death?" she countered. "And deprive you and Maeve of the only thing you''ve been yearning for?" She turned to the other side and closed her eyes.

    At that Lazarus became deathly quiet. Blood drained from his face, not because she would be unavable for the ritual, but for something he couldn''t put his finger on.

 Chapter 37 Gladys

    ?Lazarus clenched his jaws so hard that his teeth hurt. "You will not harm that body of yours!" he growled. "Or do you wish to spend the rest of your life chained to my bed?"

    Emma choked on herughter seeing his serious demeanor. Did he really think that she would give up her life for him or for Maeve? No way. She was going to fight for it until thest day. She had to change the topic and the best she could think about was to know more about herpetitor. "So, what is Maeve like?" she asked. She turned to face him and rested her head on her elbow that she propped up.

    He stared into her emerald green eyes, grabbed the quilt she was in and covered himself with it. Emma naturally scooted towards him. Her warmth, her scent surrounded him and unbeknownst, he felt¡­ calmer. Once again, he crossed his arms beneath his head and looked at the canopy above. He had never brought a woman to his bedchamber, let alone slept in the same bed as his. Even Maeve hadn''t earned this chance. But it was partly because she was saving it for their marriage. He didn''t really like that about her but he could wait.

    He said, "Maeve is a goddess so powerful that she can walk through realms. She is ruthless, valiant and she is honest. Her hierarchy in goddesses is pretty high."

    "She is ruthless and valiant?" Emma remarked.

    "Yes," came a boring answer followed by a yawn.

    "So a ruthless yet honest woman¡ª sorry, goddess¡ª doesn''t mind the fact that you are spending so much time with another woman?" She raised her eyebrow. "That is hard to believe. And she has left you all alone even though she knows that you are one of the most sought-after vampires of Wilyra. After all, you are the heir of your father."

    "Maeve is saving herself for me for the marriage, unlike someone who has thrown herself at me," he said sarcastically.

    Emma narrowed her eyes and if looks could kill, she would have stabbed him a thousand times. "Then maybe you shouldn''t have epted my offer. Why did you ept my offer?"

    "Are you reneging on your offer?" he mocked, doubting she would. His muscles tensed.

    She didn''t answer him but instead asked, "Talking about heirs. Is Maeve open to having children with you?"

    "Of course!" he replied, but then he didn''t recall a moment in which she mentioned having children. "That goes without saying." He convinced himself that Maeve would never deny him that. "It''s me who is dying the process. She is not really that strong and if I im her, her weak body won''t be able to hold it."

    "So you are so strong that you would harm her if you try to have babies with her?" she chuckled. "And how long have you known her in this body?"

    "Yes, I am very strong!" he grated. "I can pulverize you if I try to im you also, Emma. You are no match for my strength. And Maeve? Her current body is weak. It can''t sustain her magic for long." He was going to cast her soul out, get Maeve''s soul in and then sink his fangs inside her, making Maeve his blood ve for life.

    "With Maeve by your side, what will you do after that?"

    "I will ascend to the throne and be the king of Wilyra."<novelnext></novelnext>

    "And after that?"

    "What do you ''after that''?" he shot back. "After that I will start conquering other kingdoms along with Maeve." Maeve had ns. She nned on defeating the wizard king of Draoidh, Vikra and also taking control of the Silver Vales where the werewolf packs were not unified.

    "And after that?"

    He scoffed. "Your little brain would not understand the deals of a kingdom."

    "Maybe, it won''t," she said and turned her face away from him. "But I do understand one thing. Even if you conquer the entire Lore, what will you do after that? What is your purpose to conquer it all?" She yawned and closed her eyes. "The happiness that you are seeking¡­ When will you find it? Or do you have another goal other than being happy?"

    "Maybe you should sleep," he rumbled. "It won''t get into your tiny brain." He was angered by her constant questioning.

    "Hmm¡­" she mumbled.

    Lazarus waited for her to reply back to him but she went off to sleep. Her breathing became rhythmic just like her heartbeat. He peered over her and saw that her lips had parted. How could she fall asleep so soon when he was still awake? This was the second time she did that. He covered himself with the quilt properly, covered her as well, turned on his side to face her back and watched her¡­ sleeping. Soon he curled his arm around her, pulling her against his chest and spooned her. The sun woulde up in a few hours and he should have been doing his duties, but here he was¡ª sleeping at the same time as the human was.

    Next day when Emma woke up, she found herself in her room, covered with furs. The fire was burning in the hearth and thest of the log just caved in, sending a plume of ambers in the air. She stretched her limbs out.

    "Emma?"

    A soft voice made her snap her head in that direction and she immediately got up. A woman with red eyes was sitting on the couch, sipping something steamy hot. She remembered her seeing at the royal dinner when she had gone to meet the king.

    The woman chuckled and said, "I am dys, Lazarus''s fourth sister."

    "Oh!" Emma removed her furs and got up. She was surprised by her visit. "Have you been waiting long? You should have woken me up!"

    "Don''t be so surprised. I didn''t want to disturb your sleep," dys said with a softugh. "I came here to talk to you."

    "About?" Emma asked, tilting her head, her eyes rounding at the corners.

 Chapter 38 Queen Adara

    ?Emma removed the furs covering her and she got out of the bed. There was a shawl on the couch, neatly folded for her which she picked up and wrapped around her tightly.

    dys was¡­ beautiful. Her sandy brown hair fell below her shoulders. A few gold pins shimmered here and there in her tresses. None of her features matched that of Lazarus''s apart from the red eyes that were typical to the vampires. She was wearing a silk yellow gown that pooled at her ankles and had a fur cape wrapped around her shoulders. Overall, she gave a very suave impression.

    Emma was curious to know as to why Lazarus''s sister came to meet him. Tilting her head, she asked, "About?"

    dys chuckled again, her face morphing into a softer expression. "About this and that," she said. "Actually that day when you hade for dinner, we couldn''t be introduced. Father was a little¡­ serious. So I thought of introducing myself to you."

    Emma immediately warmed up. She liked dys''s friendly demeanor. "Can you wait for a minute? I need to go to the bathroom. I will be right back," she said, excited. This would be her first friendship in the pce and she didn''t want to rush it.

    "Of course," dys said politely.

    Emma ran to the bathroom to finish off her morning activities. When she came back, she saw dys pouring a cup of hot tea for her that smelled of spices. "Come, have it with me."

    Emma sat on the same couch as dys and took the mug that she offered to her. She smelled the tea and couldn''t help sighing. It was perfect.

    Seeing her sipping it with a smile, dy said, "How are you enjoying here, Emmalyn? I heard that Lazarus is very strict with you."

    Emma bit her bottom lip as a blush formed on her cheeks. "He is¡­ but nothing that I can''t handle."

    dys jerked her head back and barked augh. "You are brave!"

    Emma shrugged and said, "When you don''t have much time to live, you be brave."

    dys nodded. "I am so sorry for this situation. I wish it was different."

    "Different as in?" Emma asked casually and then sipped more tea. She made a mental note to ask Ginger to make more of such tea for her.

    "Well, different as in he would have married you?" dys replied with a shrug.

    Emma couldn''t help but feel miserable again and she couldn''t even point out why she would feel so sad when she didn''t like him. Or did she?

    When dys saw that she went quiet, she said, "Why don''t youe out with me and I can give you rounds of the pce? The Wilyra Pce is beautiful, built over centuries and every king who has built it has added some or the other structure or contributed to it."

    "I would love to!" Emma sat straight with excitement.

    "Then if you like, we can roam around in an hour?" dys offered.

    Emma blinked her eyes with surprise. "But don''t you sleep during the day? Sunlight isn''t good for you."<novelnext></novelnext>

    "We will stay indoors. Don''t worry."

    "Oh, okay then! I will meet you in an hour."

    "Great. Ask Ginger to apany you to my room and from there we will start the grand tour of the pce."

    As soon as dys left, Emma jumped up and hurried to take a bath. She couldn''t believe that Lazarus had a sister who was so much warmer than him. Did he have the ckest heart of all the siblings? In less than an hour, she was standing with Ginger in front of dys''s room.

    "Please stay indoors, mdy," Ginger whispered to her a warning. "Princess dys can''t tolerate sunshine."

    "Yes, of course!"

    dys took Emma to the corridor that was beside the apartments of other princesses. Emma noticed arge number of paintings adorning the walls. "These are beautiful!" She said she walked past them and couldn''t help but stand and admire them. When she reached thest painting in the corridor, she stopped, her heart racing fast. "This is¡ª" she pointed at the woman in the painting who was wearing a crimson gown and had pale blond hair just like that of Lazarus. She was wearing a beautiful ne that Emma saw in the neck of the king. "She is¡ª"

    "She is Lazarus''s mother, Queen Adara," dyspleted her sentence.

    Emma swallowed audibly. She was so beautiful that she forgot to breathe for a moment. Lazarus resembled his mother a lot, only having more masculine features.

    "Queen Adara was the first wife of our father, but she died when Lazarus was barely eight years old. The nannies brought him up after that."

    Emma couldn''t help imagining an eight-year-old Lazarus clinging to the nannies. Her heart squeezed at the thought.

    "He had a very bright nanny called Florence. She taught him how to be a king. Since he was the eldest, she was supposed to teach him all that," dys informed her. "When Lazarus was bullied, his nanny taught him how to never ept being bullied and made sure that he was obeyed because the kings are obeyed and never obey."

    Emma''s heart felt heavy. No wonder Lazarus was so arrogant.

    "H¡ªhow did she die?" asked Emma, looking at the ne she was wearing.

    "That''s a sad story," dys said with a sigh. "You see, Queen Adara was a pure-blooded vampire, born to vampire parents, which is very rare in the kingdom."

    She turned to look at dys over her shoulder with wide eyes. "Oh you mean¡ª" Emma couldn''tplete her sentence, flushing heavily.

    dysughed. "Well some of us are pure-blooded but some aren''t. I am pure-blooded because my mother was also a pure vampire and so is Anton. But all others are half vampire-half humans. Not all of my father''s wives were vampires."

    Emma pursed her lips as she began to walk. dys walked with her in silence. Emma was still thinking of all the information when she asked again, "How did she die?"

 Chapter 39 I Am Surprised

    ?dys nced at Queen Adara''s painting, tilting her head to the side. Casually, she brought her fingers on her ne and yed with it. "I don''t know much, but I heard that she betrayed him. She had a lover¡­" dys stopped, pursing her lips.

    Emma snapped her head in her direction. "She cheated on her husband?"

    "Honestly, I don''t know much about it, Emma," dys said, shrugging. "I was too young when she died, but her death wasn''t a good one. When my father found out about it, he couldn''t believe it. He loved her a lot. Unable to bear the deceit, he locked her up in a tower for many years. And in the end, he just sent her to the blood forest¡­"

    "Blood forest?" A shudder passed through her giving way to dread.

    "Blood forest is where the trees only suck blood," dys said with a deep sigh. "She was buried alive over there."

    "Goddess!" Emma''s knees shook as pure shock jolted her. "This is ruthless!"

    "It is¡­" dys remarked. "But that''s how the kings are. They have to set an example for others."

    Emma''s throat choked with emotions. Lazarus''s mother was buried alive because she had fallen in love with someone else? Her blood drained from her face. She nced at the painting once again. Her painting was hanging at the end of the corridor, and surely it would have been a sad reminder to King Viktor. Her gaze drifted to the ne she was wearing and she remembered that she saw the same in King Victor''s neck. "That ne?" she asked, pointing towards it.

    "My father wears it as a reminder of what his first wife did to him."

    Emma let out a rough exhale. She didn''t know what to say after it. It was such a sad story that her heart went out for King Viktor. How could his wife betray him after they had a child together?

    "Why don''t we go to the main hall. I can take you to the throne hall after that and if you like you can dine with all of us again?" dys suggested.

    Though she nodded and walked with dys in the rest of the pce, her heart was heavy.

    When they were in the throne hall which was empty, dys said with a chuckle, "That is the most coveted chair, pointing to the throne. "My father wants to give it to the most eligible and wise heir." She let out a smallugh. "Oh, we all know that you are his mate."

    "Mate?" Emma asked, her eyes going wide. "What is a mate? I¡ª I haven''t mated with him." A blush appeared on her cheeks.

    dys frowned. "Really? Lazarus hasn''t even mentioned this to you?"

    "No¡­"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Strange," dys remarked. "Why does Lazarus do what he does?" she mused. "He should have told you this fact. You are his mate."

    "And what is a mate?" she asked, bewildered as to why this is so important to know.

    dys walked towards the dais on which the throne was. "A mate is rare in the Lore. It''s like you both share a very deep bond with each other. The mate bond is revered over normal marriages. When the mates havee of age and look at each other, something inside them snaps. It''s like all the puzzle pieces have snapped in ce. The attraction is so severe that even if you want, you can''t deny it. If one dies, the other follows to the Fade."

    Emma was¡­ stunned. She was feeling like that towards him for some time and then some more. There was an unexined attraction for him. It was as if she couldn''t resist herself. Her lips parted in a shaky breath as realization crashed on her. But even as dys continued to speak about mates, Emma remained quiet. If the mates were so strongly attracted, wasn''t Lazarus feeling the bond and if he was feeling it, then why was he denying it and so interested in Maeve? So many emotions swirled in her mind that she blinked back a sting of tears.

    They came out of the throne hall and dys said, "Would you like to tour the north wing corridors? That''s where the king lives."

    "N¡ªno," Emma said. She couldn''t after all that dys had told her. She wanted to stay alone. Why did dys mention this to her? Her misery only increased. "I want to go back," she said in a hoarse voice. "I am not feeling well¡­"

    "I can understand," dys said, cing a hand on her arm. "It is too much for you Emma, but if my brother is being so difficult, it''s not because he wants to be. He just is¡­" She cupped her cheek with one palm. "But I know that as his mate, you can help him. You are the light to his darkness and for him to be the king of Wilyra, you have to bring forth that light. He needs you."

    "But I am not going to stay forever. He is¡ª" her throat choked. "He will cast my soul out."

    dys pursed her lips and looked away. "That is the hard part. At the risk of sounding selfish, I would still ask you to help him. The soul casting ritual is not in my control."

    Emma nodded in resignation. She couldn''t agree more. They walked back to her room in silence. Emma thanked her and then dys left. "I shall see you tomorrow, if you like."

    Emma''s lips lifted in a semnce of a smile. "I am tired, but I will surely like to meet you again."

    dys ced a kiss on Emma''s forehead and went away. With a very heavy heart, Emma came back to sit on her bed. It was almost evening and a headache had started forming. She crashed on the bed and before she knew, she had gone off to sleep.

    It was night, when she woke up. She was covered with furs. Fire crackled in the room, making it warm and cozy.

    She saw Lazarus on her side, watching her intently. He was sitting cross legs and there was a ss in his hands. His eyes were a bright red. She had a thousand questions for him. "I have questions for you," she said, rubbing her eyes.

    "I am surprised," he said with a smirk. She always had questions. "Ask," he said as she removed the fur from her, exposing her thighs. His gaze locked on them.

 Chapter 40 So Closeâ€¦

    ?The door opened and Ginger entered with a tray of food. She bowed to Lazarus and ced the table on a small table next to the bed. As soon as she left, Emma asked, "What interests do you share with Maeve?"

    Lazarus frowned as he snapped his gaze to her face. He sipped his wine and scoffed, "Why do you want to know? Leave her out."

    Emma took the food tray and took a healthy serving of broth. "Why should I leave her out of this? I should know everything about mypetitor." Emma had thought a lot about whether she should talk to him about being his mate, but she decided not to. If she seeded in her game, he would confess it to her himself.

    "Maeve and I like to rule. We are both made to rule people. She loves to have intelligent arguments about kingdoms and politics. And like you she likes to talk to others."

    "Oh please!" Emma retorted, ring at him. "I have barely seen her speaking with people around. She is nothing like me and never would be. She is so disrespectful and full of herself."

    He chuckled. "It seems I have touched your nerve."

    "Do notpare that snooty goddess with me!"

    "Yes, I shouldn''t. You are¡ª"

    "Kindly save those words Lord Lorza!" she spat, giving him a nickname she didn''t realize. "I know what you will say. That I am inferior to her and h h."

    Lazarus''s lips curved in a half smile. Lorza was better thanzy. "Maeve and I are going to have lots of children together. We are going to rule Wilyra together."

    "They won''t be her children!" she shot back, irritated. "They will be my children, which you both are going to enjoy. She would practically be their stepmother. But¡ª" she calmed herself. "I wonder what the two of you are going to teach my children. Killing and politics and kingdom?" She flicked her hair after she had retorted. "But wait¡ª there would be nothing of the sort to teach. Because you would have already fulfilled it by then."

    He narrowed his eyes at her. "If you think you are going to sow dissent between Maeve and me, thatst try was¡­ weak."

    She lifted the bowl and started having broth. Some of it escaped her mouth and ran down her chin. His finger shot towards her chin and he wiped it from there and took that finger in his mouth.

    As if not noticing what he did, she said, "This wasn''t a try to sow dissent between you and her. These are my serious observations." Then she murmured, "The apple doesn''t fall far from the tree!"

    His brows bunched up. "What do you mean?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Nothing!" she continued to have the broth. She wanted to say that he was like his mother who cheated on her husband, but perhaps this was not the time.

    Lazarus shifted the tray towards him and began eating from it. Once they were done, she said, "I want to sleep. This mortal needs some privacy." She wanted him to go.

    "I can''t," he turned to look at her. "You will sleep with me and in my room from now onwards."

    "But¡ª"

    Before she could say another thing, he grabbed her and traced her to his bed. She closed her eyes and felt like yelling at him. Instead, she pulled a pillow and a fur and covered herself till her head. "Don''t touch me when I am sleeping," she warned him.

    Lazarus watched her with gritted teeth. He was hoping that she would pleasure him but she went to sleep. He tugged the fur, covered himself and pulled her to his chest. These days he was sleeping when she was. And the only reason was that he slept better.

    However, coldness gripped him soon and his nightmares returned. He was the eight-year-old self, and was kneeling in the blood forest that was now covered with snow everywhere. The trunks of the trees were red as they sucked blood from those who were buried beneath them. He hated that ce. "Mother!" he shouted. "Where are you?" He got up to run to find his mother. He had somehow jumped over the walls of the pce toe here. "Mother!" he shouted,ing to a halt. His breath was turning to mist. A sob wrecked his body. They had buried his mother alive somewhere here.

    She hadmitted no crime, except to save him. The king had whipped her again and before sending her here, he had snatched her ne. His mother had cried and screamed in pain when the ne was snatched from her. It came out with her skin and flesh. The ne was an integral part of her being.

    She had said that it gave her the power and was infused with magic. It was so powerful that people of the Lore were after it forever. Adara nned on giving the ne to him when he ascended the throne.

    "Motherrrr!" he cried again. Little Lazarus hated this forest. Cold wind gushed through it, tousling his hair. No one knew where she was buried. He sank his knees on the snow and cried, calling for her, trying to find a lead, trying to find her body so that he could dig her out.

    All at once he heard a noise.

    "Lazarus!" Someone shook his shoulders. "Lazarus!"

    He jerked open his eyes. He had broken into cold sweat. It was dim in front of him. Slowly when the vision cleared, he saw Emma. His hand went to her cheek. She was so soft and warm. So far removed from the torture he had seen. He curled his fingers behind her neck and pulled her to his chest. Shey there, her hands wrapped around his chest. As theyy together on his bed, his mental agony began to fade.

    "You should stay away from all that¡­" he murmured, stroking her hair softly. "Always¡­" He had to protect his mate from everyone and every danger. "So close¡­ so close¡­" His arms tightened around her in a protective hold. He pulled her over his body and soon went off to sleep. This time it was free from nightmares.

 Chapter 41 Longer Than Cucumber

    ?Emma had woken up to go to the bathroom and when she returned, she saw that he was shivering and grunting iprehensible words in his sleep. Worried by his condition, she went near him. He had broken into cold sweat. His jaws were clenched and the only word that she could understand was¡­ mother.

    She shook his shoulders to wake him up. His eyes opened with a jerk. He saw her and the next thing she knew was that he had pulled her over him and then went off to sleep muttering, "So close¡­ so close¡­"

    When Emma woke up again, she found herself still on him. She lifted her head and his face into view. Lazarus was¡­ stunning.

    The tips of his fangs were showing and she wondered what it would be to be pierced by them. She should have felt afraid of him, but she wanted to lick them, run her tongue over them. Surely, she was getting enthralled by the vampire just as the elders in the vige had mentioned.

    She had this sudden urge to steal a kiss from him. She moved up slightly and ced a gentle kiss on his lips. His eyes opened wide and now Emma found herself staring in his red eyes. Her face burned. "I¡ª I¡ª" she fumbled. Their faces were merely a few inches apart.

    A smile appeared on his lips. A genuine smile. And Emma was¡­ mesmerized. He was certainly the most beautiful man she had ever seen in her life. Unable to stop herself, she opened her mouth and leaned forward for another kiss but Lazarus tipped his head up and shended up biting his chin.

    "Emma¡­" he said as his chest vibrated with a rumble.

    She just didn''t want to stop because she suddenly wanted to chase something that had pooled in her belly. She lowered her lips to his neck and peppered kisses till his chest.

    Lazarus''s member became hard. He watched her showering kisses on him. She went to his nipple and sucked it hard. "Uhnn¡­" he grunted, his hips bucking up to meet her. She went further down to his stomach where she sucked and flicked and licked his skin. She was dangerously close to his shaft which was tenting his pajamas.

    Emma couldn''t hold herself longer and she ended up kissing it on top of his pajamas. "Ahhh!" Lazarus lifted his knees. His mate was kissing his cock. He couldn''t believe it.

    "Ca¡ª can I see it?" she said, her face burning radioactive red.

    "In time," he growled and the next he turned her over and pinned her beneath him. The night gown she was wearing was ripped off and was tossed to the floor. When her naked body came into view, Lazarus''s logic was tossed out of his mind. Emma had such a beautiful body. She had beautiful, curvy breasts that were made for his hands. They tapered into a thin waist which red at her hips. The apex of her thighs was where he wanted to get to.

    He took a ragged breath as he took his hands to her breasts. He started kneading them and then lowered himself to kiss them, to suckle them. It was a challenge to not pierce them and draw out blood. Lazarus was mating and that was why every time he was in this situation, his venom pooled in his mouth. If by mistake, he pierced his fangs in her, his venom would enter her blood stream and make her his blood ve.

    He didn''t want her to be his blood ve. He wanted to cast her soul out and get Maeve''s soul in her body. And then he would pierce his fangs in her. That would make Maeve his blood ve. If he pierced his fangs in her now, the mate bond would snap and she would be his blood ve and tethered to him. After her soul would be cast out, he was going to suffer a lot. And then when Maeve would enter her body, she would not be tethered to him because she would be a different soul in a borrowed body.<novelnext></novelnext>

    He came near her taut nipples that were begging for his attention and darted his tongue to flick them. "So beautiful!" he hissed. She fisted his hair when he flicked her nipples. He loved the tension.

    Her hips bucked up to meet his cock. He restrained himself greatly and carefully ced kisses on her body. He reached her navel and flicked it with his tongue. Her arousal hit his nostrils and he growled. He wanted to give in to the beast inside him and im his mate. But if he tried to get inside her, he was afraid that he was so strong that he would tear her up. The Lore had yed a game with him by giving him a human mate. Little did he know that Lore never yed games.

    He went lower and kissed the apex of her thighs. Her hips bucked at him again. He chuckled. Lusty little mortal. Her sex was wet with juices. When he parted her pink folds with his finger and blew warm air, she screamed, "God!"

    "Yes, I am your God!" he growled and thenpped up her juices, taking care that his fangs got nowhere near that creamy skin. Her knees tightened around his head. "Let me see it," he demanded.

    She shook her head, her hair streaming around on the pillow. Her body was shaking with anticipation. Her cheeks were dusted with a blush so hard that it made his fangs throb. He parted her knees and bared her. "Mine!" he growled and delved his face into her sex. He licked her andpped her juices. ''Come for me,'' he urged her in his mind. ''Come for me, Emma and show me how much you want me.''

    As if on his cue, she screamed when liquid heat in her bellyshed out, making here hard. She continued to scream until the waves of her orgasm subsided. She saw him looking at her intently with heavy lidded eyes.

    She looked so beautiful when she came. And his chest filled with pride that all her orgasms belonged to him.

    Emma was overwhelmed. She wanted to return the favor. She extended her hands to him. He caught them and straddled her thighs. "Now watch me," he said.

    He took his pajamas down and his erection came out. She gasped at its sheer size. It had a thick head and was longer than the longest cucumber she had seen. "This is long¡­" she mumbled.

    The velvety skin was stretched over the hardness. She had this urge to wrap her mouth around it, to taste it, feel it.

    Lazarus said, "Don''t close your eyes, because I am going to spill my seeds on you." He had been dying to mark her, brand her skin with his seeds. He began stroking himself as she watched him.

    "I want to hold it," she murmured. Her hands shot to him. He grabbed them and made her wrap them around it. He guided her on how to stroke him and in three measured strokes, he came all over her belly with a roar.

    Spent like he had run up and down the tallest peak in Wilyra, he slumped beside her. ''This girl would be the death of me.''

 Chapter 42 Maeves Mate

    ?Emma was feeling¡­ happy. She hummed the tune she knew as always as Ginger gave her a bath. Lazarus had left in the wee hours of the morning.

    He had curled up against her all night and slept like a baby. She wanted to put her clothes on but he didn''t allow it. She should have been ashamed of sleeping naked with a man for the first time, but she only felt¡­ natural.

    "Lady dys wants to see you mdy," Ginger said as she scrubbed her shoulders. Where the hell did she get these bruises from? "You have bruises, mdy. Should I call the healer?" Ginger was getting seriously suspicious about her. Emma wasn''t the right girl for Lord Lazarus.

    "No!" Emma said, wondering when she got them. Maybe when he had straddled her or when he was licking her all up down there. Her face burned and her ears too. A smile curved her lips up and she tried to bite it to not show her emotions to the maid, but her body gave away.

    Ginger was now very suspicious. She was going to speak about it to Lord Lazarus, but she was scared that he might scold her back. She was going to speak about it to Maeve. Surely the goddess would stop her. Maeve wasing back in a few days.

    "Is Lady dys sitting out in my bedchamber?" Emma asked to divert the topic.

    "No, she is in her chamber and she has called you there," Ginger replied dryly.

    "Okay¡­"

    Emma was in front of dys''s bedchamber an hourter. She liked her, but she didn''t tell Lazarus about her, afraid that he would stop her from meeting her.

    "Emmalyn," dy said with a smile. "How have you been?"

    "I am very well, Lady dys," Emma replied politely. "How have you been?"

    "I am also well," dys said and held her hand. "Come, let''s sit in my room today. It is pretty cold outside. A snow blizzard is on its way."

    "Don''t you have to sleep?" Emma asked as she walked in dys''s room. This was the first time she hade there. It was beautiful. Red and gold fabric lined the walls and her bed. There was a gold canopy over her bed. The rug was a crimson and so soft that Emma''s feet sank in it. A man was sitting on a chair and Emma noticed that his head was lolled to the right, blood dripping from it. He was unconscious. There were two punctures on his neck.

    A shudder passed through Emma and she hesitated ining inside.

    "He is a blood vassal," dys exined. "You don''t have to worry. He is here because he wanted to be here. We don''t drink from those who are unwilling."

    But Emma couldn''t remove her eyes from the man. He was looking pale like a ghost as if all his blood was sucked out. She remembered seeing him in the vige. He was a lord out there and a local merchant.

    dys motioned her maids to help the men out. Two maids came instantly beside the man. They lifted him and took him out.

    "He will be fine in a day," dys said with another smile as she tugged Emma further in her room.

    Emma took a deep breath in as she tried toe to terms with it. "What was his name?" she asked in a shaky voice.

    "Amaedus." dys took her to the couch that was near the fire hearth. She sat on it and patted the empty space next to her. "Sit."

    Emma sat, trying her best to think of anything but Amaedus.

    "So, how was your day, Emma? Or rather night?" she chuckled.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Emma instantly remembered the passionate night with Lazarus and her cheeks burned so hot that she thought of removing her cape. "It was¡­ good."

    dysughed. "Emma, you don''t have to hide from me. You are smelling of him."

    "But I took a bath!" she sputtered.

    dysughed again. "So what? We are vampires and our smells are enhanced."

    That made her cheeks burn all the more. She didn''t know where to look now. She bunched up her gown in herp.

    "I believe you had a sleepless night," dys winked as she gave her tea.

    She bit her lip as she epted the tea. It was the same and Emma loved its spicy smell. Her gaze fell on dys and she noticed that dys was looking at her nape.

    "Didn''t he pierce his fangs in you yet?" she asked, looking over the rim of her cup.

    Emma shook her head. "No¡­"

    "That''s strange," dys said. "He is in his mating phase and he hasn''t even pierced his fangs in you?"

    Emma shrugged. "I don''t think we have reached that level." Though the idea of him sinking fangs in her seemed¡­ enticing.

    "Well then you should coax him into it."

    ? "Why?" she asked. "I won''t force him into doing something he doesn''t want to."

    dys put her tea cup on the table and smiled at Emma. "I understand. You shouldn''t force him into doing anything. But you are his mate. I would love to see his mark on you. And more than me, he would love to see his mark on you." She ced her hand on Emma''s and gently rubbed her knuckles. "Lazarus is confused right now. If he ims you and marks you, he is afraid that you will be injured and be his blood ve."

    "What is a blood ve?" Emma asked, her panic returning.

    "It is natural between mates. You will be tethered to him by soul and then no matter what, he won''t be able to cast your soul out because that would hurt him greatly."

    Emma gasped. Her eyes became wide. That was why Lazarus wasn''t iming her? She had to increase her efforts to attract him.

    ---

    Maeve was in Sgi¨¢th Bio. She had left the moment she received the message from her lover Ailill. Ailill was a fae but he wasn''t living in Vilinski. He was living in a different realm, in a world called Araniea in the Hydra Kingdom. He was an outcast, a rogue.

    Lazarus or any of the royals didn''t know about him.

    And he was Maeve''s mate.

 Chapter 43 Ailill

    ?Ailill wasn''t a rogue earlier. He was a fae who King Ian trusted. But after the war between the faes and the winged demons, the demons were defeated and they were chased by King Ian to their Kingdom, Kingdom of Zor''gan. And the fae who helped the demons was Ailill. It wasn''t Ailill''s fault, ording to Maeve. She was also interested in ruling over Vilinski. However, she had fought with Ian''s father in the battle of Sgi¨¢th Bio and had lost. Terribly. And she was killed.

    Ever since she had lost, the goddess was living in borrowed bodies of humans only because of Ailill. She was the one who had encouraged Ailill to be an ally of the demons. However, the n failed and Ailill was banished.

    Ailill was dered a rogue fae and chased to the point that he had to go and hide himself in the Hydra Kingdom of Araniea. Often, he woulde to Vilinski to meet his mate, goddess Maeve.

    Maeve wanted him toe back to Vilinski forever but that was not possible. So when she met Lazarus, she devised her n. She was going to get Ailill to rule over Wilyra. And she would be his queen.

    There was no human who was able to contain the soul of goddess Maeve.

    She had visited a fae hag in Vilinski long back and the hag had prophesied about a girl called Emmalyn who could be her permanent vessel. At that time, she didn''t know who Emmalyn was.

    But when Lazarus came to find her in Sgi¨¢th Bio and spoke to her about finding his mate, Emmalyn, she connected all the dots. She knew that his mate would be able to sustain her magical powers after he imed her. The only reason was that Lazarus was the most powerful vampire of the Lore. His venom was powerful enough to make Emma so strong that her body would be able to contain her soul forever.

    Maeve had lied to Lazarus that it was difficult for her to live so long, at a stretch in Wilyra and that she needed the same environment as she belonged to. But in reality, she wanted to meet Ailill who had alsoe from Araniea to meet her.

    With the help of some rogues, she had bought a small cabin to stay with him. The gold coins she used to buy the cabin were obtained after she sold all the jewelry she made Lazarus buy for her. Lazarus trusted her blindly. And so he spent a lot on her. He loved buying things for her.

    Maeve scoffed. The vampire wanted to marry her like yesterday. Little did he know that she had nned all the moves beforehand. This whole thing was like a game of chess for her, and till now everything was going ording to her ns. Lazarus didn''t know that she would ultimately ditch him.

    Ailill came to wrap his arms around her waist as she stood by the window of the cabin and rested his chin on her head. "What are you thinking, Maeve?" he asked.

    She was looking at the blizzard outside which had be one of the prominent features of Sgi¨¢th Bio. She leaned against his chest and said, "I can''t wait to marry you and put you on the throne of Wilyra. I am waiting for the right time. As soon as Lazarus marks and ims his mate, I will cast her soul out and upy her body. And then¡ª" she turned to look into her mate''s winter blue eyes. A sigh escaped her. He was too handsome and perfect for a goddess.

    "And then?" he asked her, his eyes fixed on her lips.

    "And then I will marry you."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Ailill pressed a kiss on her lips. "You know how much I hate that bastard! The way you walk on eggshells around him to keep him satisfied is annoying as hell!"

    "I have to. But now he has finally found his mate, Emmalyn," Maeve said with a smile.

    Ailill jerked his head back in surprise. "Really?"

    "Yes!" Maeve chuckled, feeling his excitement. "The best part is that Lazarus doesn''t like her at all. Why will he? She is nothing in front of me. I am a goddess and she is a human. He wants to rule Wilyra and that he can do only with me. And that is why he wants to keep her alive until the ritual. I had thwarted all his advancement towards me. Now that he has found his mate, I have encouraged him to use her. It will keep both of them busy and¡ª"

    She sped her hands at her back and walked to the fire burning in the hearth. "And I have my people working in the pce who will goad Emmalyn to be imed by Lazarus."

    Ailill was stunned by the sudden change in situation. He was feeling low that he was again going to meet Maeve without any solutioning to the light and this time he was sure that he had to bring another human or a fae for Maeve. Her current body was deteriorating fast. He came to stand by her and asked, "Who do you trust so much Maeve? You know that the whole pce is full of vipers. I detest Anton. I hope not him!"

    Maeve grinned. She brought her wrinkly hand on his cheeks and cupped them. "Not Anton. But someone else."

    Ailill''s mouth fell to the floor. "Who?" Maeve was brilliant.

    "Someone who I can''t name right now. But I trust that someone."

    He narrowed his eyes. "Have you promised this someone anything?"

    "Of course. Without an incentive, no one works," she shrugged. Her spy was going to help her and keep her informed at every step. She had promised a piece ofnd in Wilyra to the spy.

    "You make me want you all the more, Maeve!" he rasped. His hands reached her hips and he squeezed them. "That is a perfect n! Now no one can stop us froming back." He picked her up and took her to the small bed in the cabin. He removed her clothes and thenunched himself on her breasts. He suckled them with abandon and then went down to her core. "I want you so badly!" he growled and entered her.

 Chapter 44 Need You

    ?To Lazarus she always said that she wasn''t able to have sex with him, but how could she deny her mate. With Ailill, she enjoyed sex. The body she was in was capable of taking her mate fully. It was painful initially butter on it was only pleasure. Maeve had to go through this process every time she changed a body but Ailill was a patient man.

    After sex, theyy together beneath the fur. "It is difficult for me to enter Sgi¨¢th Bio. Do you know how many people I have to bribe in order to get into this realm? Other than that, I am at the risk of being discovered."

    "I know," she said. "But wait only for three weeks and then everything will be right. The moment her soul is cast out, Lazarus is going to die a miserable death and I will enter her body. I will call you from here to be with me in Wilyra."

    "What about King Viktor and others?"

    She chuckled. "I have ns for them as well. They will all die. King Viktor and his children."

    "Come here," he said and pulled her to him for a kiss. After he had kissed her to his satisfaction, he closed his eyes. "I don''t want to go back now."

    "You don''t have to. Stay in this cabin. I will be casting my magic to keep it invisible." She had bought it only because this cabin was on the borders of Sgi¨¢th Bio. Her magical abilities lessened in Sgi¨¢th Bio, but here they were better.

    ---

    When Lazarus returned that night, Emma was waiting for him in her nightgown. Their gazes locked. Her breath became ragged and her cheeks burned. While looking at her intensely, he came near to her on the bed. She was so overwhelmed by his proximity that every n she had made to seduce him, jumped out of her mind.

    She was looking so beautiful that Lazarus stopped breathing. As if attracted like a moth to a me, he closed the gap between them slowly. He crawled towards her. She bent backwards while still gazing at him. He came further over her and then picked up a ss of water from the bedside table. "Were you waiting for me?" he asked, his voice grown husky.

    Emma wanted to say no. "Yes!" she said, her breath shaky. She swallowed thickly as his face hovered over hers. The tension between them was so high that it could be cut by a knife. Gathering her wits, she said, "I wanted to ask you questions¡­"

    He drank water as he stared at her. After keeping the ss back on the table, he moved his leg over her and then sat down beside her. "You have questions?" He mocked the surprise. "I am utterly shocked."

    Emma bit her lip. There were a hundred questions in her mind but only a few dominated.

    "Do you really intend to take me to the ritual? Are you so wicked?"

    He turned to her and lifted her golden hair in his hand. Her silky hair slipped through his fingers. "Yes, in neen days from now, when the blood moon rises."

    "Don''t you like me even a bit? You can choose not to do that."<novelnext></novelnext>

    As if in a daze, he said, "Choose to leave you? Have mercy on whom my entire life is depending?" He gave her a feral smile. "My father buried my mother alive in the blood forest because she didn''t want him to have the ne that rightfully belonged to me. She traded her life with mine and also had to give the ne to him. Don''t expect mercy from me."

    Her body tensed. So this was his reality. Were those his nightmares? He was a victim of hatred and torture. That was why he needed Maeve to be with him. "And you father? How did he treat you after that?"

    He scoffed. "He wanted to bury me alive too, but he had vowed to the Lore that he would keep me¡­ alive." As ifing out of his daze, he pinched her chin. "Why are you asking me all this?"

    "I¡ª I¡ª" she was shaking not because she was afraid of him, but because of his father''s cruelty to him. "You suffered a lot."

    "That is none of your business," he growled. His trance brokepletely. "You are asking me questions to use the information against me?

    "What? No!" She sat straight, curling her legs beneath her hips. Her nightgown shot up, revealing her creamy thighs. And his gaze dropped to them.

    All at once he brought his lips to her cheeks. He kissed her there and then trailed a line of kisses down her jawline. He marveled at himself for keeping his fangs in control. His lids grew heavy and he pulled her towards him. He went lower to her breasts and suckled her taut nipples over her nightgown.

    Emma wanted him to close his mouth around her nipples and suck her hard. Her belly got a familiar ache and before she knew it, her panties were wet.

    All of a sudden, he sat in front of her and grabbed her supple thighs. He said, "I need you. Now." He looked at her as if he was asking her permission. Needing it badly.

    How could Emma deny when she needed him just as much as he needed her? He pinched her nipples and she groaned.

    His cock swelled painfully in his trousers. "Do you need me?" he asked, his voice grown hoarse with need.

    Her heart thundered in her ears. She nodded and that was all the confirmation he required.

    He lifted her nightgown up slowly, slowly, slowly¡­ until her sex showed, then her waist, the lower swells of her breasts and then her breasts. He pulled it out of her and she sat naked in front of him. "Need you¡­" he murmured and lowered his lips to her breasts. His venom pooled in his mouth and his fangs elongated.

    Emma bunched up her hair and pulled them to a side, revealing her neck for him. Lazarus stopped, his gaze locked at her pulse point.

 Chapter 45 Losing My Control

    ?Lazarus wanted to m his cock inside her and sink his fangs in her pulse point. His fangs throbbed hard at the sight of his mate''s nape.

    Finding a mate in the Lore was rare and he had a mate who he couldn''t im. His control was slowly receding. He wanted her so badly every time of the day and night that he was keeping himself away from her as much as possible. But the attraction was so severe that he would get pulled towards her even if he was at the other end of the pce to maintain distance.

    Bit by bit, Emma opened her thighs, enticing him, attracting him. She saw his fangs and her urge to feel them inside her neck overpowered her senses. Her face gone red, she let out a deep moan.

    Distracted by her moan, he snapped his eyes to look at her. "You are ying a dangerous game¡ª" His words trailed off when his eyes dropped to her sex and he saw the wet, glistening mons, partially revealing those lips. "Fuck!" His chest vibrated with a delicious rumble which affected Emma and her core throbbed with the familiar ache.

    Lazarus hated her but the sight of his mate, so wanton and opening for him, affected him, aroused him and his control started to fade. His mate wanted an orgasm and he had this urgent need to satiate her. With shaky fingers, he inched towards her sex, to feel it, to coat his fingers with her juices.

    As soon as his fingers reached her sex, she snapped closed her thighs, caging his hand in between.

    "Open up," he growled.

    She was shaking in anticipation. "No," she said, feeling hesitant.

    He parted her thighs with his other hand and grasped her sex. "This is mine, Emma!"

    His possessiveness was so hot and wild that a groan escaped her lips. Her control faded and her thighs parted. His muscles bulged and now his cock was aching. He tried his best to avoid her nape. With one hand he pushed her down on the bed to lick her juices. When she went down, he licked her. The need to sink his fangs there was so serious that he immediately removed his lips.

    She was whimpering, mewling and looking at him as if begging him to help her release. Lazarus was getting enthralled by his mate. Who the hell in the Lore denied their mate? He was insane and he knew it. He got up and removed his trousers. He crawled over her, his cock springing free and his balls loaded.

    "Turn your face to the other side," he growled. When she turned the other side, she seemed to be offering him all that he had to give her. Her breath wasbored. Her chest was rising and falling. He lowered himself over her body, pressing her into the mattress. He clenched his lips tightly and buried his face in the crook of her neck. He aligned his cock with her sex and started to rub himself over her.<novelnext></novelnext>

    He caught her hair and yanked her head back to get full exposure of her neck. He pressed his face in it and began moving her sex and her belly. He grunted as she shivered and closed her legs over his hips, drawing him further in her. He muttered curses against her nape, keeping his nose pressed against her skin. He needed this control so badly. She was squirming beneath him.

    ''Losing my control.'' He thought. "Come for me, Emma," he growled. He needed her toe so that he could also reach his release.

    Emma was feeling hot. His shaft was hard against her sex and belly. It was so hot that it felt like a brand on her naked skin. She didn''t know why she wanted it to be inside of her. "Ohh!" she rasped. She closed her eyes as she started to chase her orgasm and soon, she screamed his name.

    "Fuck!" Lazarus said, sensing her sex throbbing against his cock and he came with a bellow to the ceiling all over her sex and belly.

    Later when they slept together, with her against his chest, he couldn''t help thanking the god for making him control during this session. He was nning on going to the healer to give him a potion that would keep him in control and lower his libido. And then he was going to go away from her to attend the Samhain that his friend had invited him to. That would make him stay away from her. No. He was going to stay away from her for the next two days and then go to his friend''s ce immediately after. That would make him stay away from her for five days in a row. Brilliant n.

    Emma turned towards him and snuggled in his chest. He closed his eyes and rested his chin over her head. He was sure that n was going to work. Out of sight, out of mind.

    However, against her luscious hips, his shaft twitched and he groaned. He really had to get away from her. Yet, he was lying beside her with one arm over her waist and other beneath her, curling up to cover one breast. His leg was thrown over her and he found himself pulling her closer. And suddenly a thought came to him. They both fit each other so well. Like puzzle pieces.

    Fire was burning in the hearth throwing soft red light over her skin. He couldn''t help but run his fingers over her. All this would be his and he would enjoy it more when Maeve would enter her.

    She blinked her eyes open when she felt his fingers over her. "Do you like me more?" she said in a low voice with azy smile. She was sure that she had impacted him tonight. She saw him losing control. Next time she would make him mark her for sure.

    He removed himself from her and his face twisted with anger. "Don''t youpare yourself to Maeve! Prepare for the ritual!"

    Emma gasped.

 Chapter 46 Burn In His Throat

    ?Emma looked at him incredulously. She stared at him with tears in her eyes. "You used me," she whimpered. Saying that she got up, wrapped a sheet around her and stepped out of the bed.

    "Where are you going?" he growled.

    "To my room!" she snapped. Picking up the sheet, she spun and dashed to her room. Emma felt like she hade back to square one. She curled on her bed and cried for hours. She went off to sleep just before morning. When she woke up, she found herself wrapped in a fur with the room heated up because of a live fire hearth. With a deep sigh, she dragged herself out of her bed thanking Ginger in mind.

    "Mdy!" Ginger''s voice came from the side.

    Emma found her cleaning the room and arranging things. "Ginger¡­"

    "Mdy," Ginger came next to her, looking excited. "Do you know that Goddess Maeve has returned?"

    Emma felt pain stabbing her heart. She thought she would burst into a fresh bout of tears, but she controlled herself. But for the first time in her life, Emma wanted him to meet Maeve. Like she didn''t want him to deny the opportunity to meet the woman he found above her in all ways. "Good!" she said in a thick voice. "Let him have fun!"

    ---

    Maeve entered Lazarus''s room and found that he was sleeping naked with the sheet covering hisher region. The smell of their sex mingled in the room. The bed was covered with crinkled sheets and furs. He looked¡­ rxed.

    She felt¡­ repulsed. She wanted to go out and let him take a bath, but he opened his eyes and got up.

    "Maeve!" he rasped, feeling happy. He was sure that he felt good because he saw Maeve again and not because he had had a mind-blowing orgasmst night. "So the Goddess Maeve has returned back for me?" he smirked as he got up. He crossed his hands behind his head and rested them over the headboard.

    "It looks like you are pretty satisfied, Lazarus," she said, ambling to a couch opposite him. "The human keeps you busy?"

    Ignoring her question, he said, "When did youe?"

    "I came in the morning," she said with a smile, "but it looks like you came and came throughout the night."

    Heughed. "Yes, that girl has it in her. She can attract anyone towards her." At that sentence, jealousy reared its head in his heart, but he shoved it down.

    "I believe she must have learnt the art of attracting males around her. She is talented, isn''t she?" Maeve smirked. She had to keep his hatred going on for her and that was why she had to project her as a promiscuous woman.

    Lazarus stared at her and his jaws clenched in anger. He said, "Well, I want you Maeve. Come over here and pleasure me. Why did that promiscuous woman pleasure me? Even though I haven''t imed her, she pleasures me. I haven''t imed her so far. It is you who I want to im."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Lazarus was hoping to see Emma in front of him when he woke up. He was going to enjoy her wrath over him, but he saw Maeve. "I am not happy that you do not pleasure me." But he was furious that it was Emma who was so attractive that she was irresistible. His cock began to harden when he remembered how she moaned and squirmed beneath him. Her body¡­

    "I told you that I can''t. My body isn''t ready," Maeve replied.

    Lazarus understood when people spoke lies. Earlier he was ignoring her lies, but now he saw through them. This made him wonder about the trust between them.

    "Then I believe you and I need to go to the healer. I am sure he would have a potion for both of us."

    "Oh!" Maeve''s spine became ramrod straight. "The healer can''t do anything for this body. But let me enter Emma''s body and then I will be strong!"

    "You look scared," he smirked. How was it possible that Goddess Maeve was scared to go to the healer?

    Maeve had to divert the topic. "Have you marked her as yet?"

    Lazarus smiled and shook his head. "I will im and mark you only, Maeve. No one else." That seemed to tense her. Lazarus was no fool. He understood her tension. She wanted him to im Emma before entering her body, so that she would not be tethered to him. He licked his fangs.

    He got up from the bed and wrapped a sheet around his hips, ones with which he cleaned Emma and himself. He walked to her, yanked her up and traced her to the healer''s room. The healer was surprised to see them but he bowed to them immediately. Without looking away from her shocked face, Lazarus said to the healer, "Make us a potion. We both need it."

    "Wh¡ª what potion?" Maeve asked, trembling in his grasp. Her weak body was betraying her. If she didn''t use magic now, she was going to regret it. Damn the bloody body.

    "It''s nothing, Maeve," Lazarus said. "It is going to make you want me."

    Maeve''s face nched. She snapped her fingers and disappeared from there.

    Lazarus was left alone in the healer''s room. The healer looked like he had seen a ghost. Why wasn''t he surprised? He should have felt angry, but he felt like this was normal. Maeve always ran away from him when he talked about pleasure. Lazarus walked to sit on a chair and said, "Make me a potion to lessen my sexual urges." With Maeve in the pce, he obviously couldn''t go to Emma.

    The healer gave him the little bottle of potion within a few minutes. "You have to drink one spoon in a day," he advised.

    Lazarus drank the whole bottle and wiped his face with his hand. This was going to take care of a few days. He traced back to his room and heard Emma taking a bath. He clenched his fists, digging his ws into his flesh. "Maeve. Is. My. Bride." He felt the burn in his throat.

 Chapter 47 So Much Prettier

    ?For the next day, Emma busied herself. She decided she wouldn''t even look at what the two of them were doing even though her curiosity was very high. She was seriously jealous of Maeve and hated that she hade back so soon. That made her wonder. Why did Maevee back so soon when she had said that she was going for a week or ten days?

    An exasperated sigh left her as she walked with Ginger towards the small garden again. "What is the name of the garden?" she asked her as she plucked a buttercup.

    "You can give it a name." a voice startled Emma. She turned sharply to see that it was Magnus.

    "Magnus!" she chuckled and saw that Yul was also there with him, but Yul was looking pretty serious. "How are you, Yul?" she asked in an excited voice.

    He grunted. "I am well, Emma. And you?"

    "Bored!" she scrunched her nose. "Only a few days are left for the ritual and I want to live my life to the fullest!"

    Yul''s heart squeezed. "I am so sorry for you, Emma¡­" he said in a soft voice, forgetting what Lazarus did to him.

    Magnus said, "How about we go to the vige and celebrate your eighteenth birthday?"

    "That would be wonderful!" she squealed with excitement.

    "But Lord Lazarus won''t like it!" Ginger reminded us grumpily like a loyal maid. "Moreover, you can''t go because of Goddess Maeve''s magic. She has that invisible wall around the pce for you."

    "That wall seems like it is crumbling," Magnus replied, brushing his nails. He leaned over to me and whispered, "I can feel that Maeve''s magic is¡­ crumbling. She is not as strong as she was earlier."

    At that, Emma stifled a chuckle. "Do you think I can walk through the wall?"

    "Most likely, you can," Yul said in a low voice.

    "Then how about we experiment?" Emma was over-excited. She was yearning to go to the vige and breathe some free air.

    Ginger gasped¡­ audibly. "What if the goddesses to know? And what if Lord Lazaruses to know? He will bury me alive!"

    "Yes, it could be dangerous," Yul added with a sigh. "Experimenting with her magic, I mean. Not going to the vige."

    "Then I will ask Maeve to lower the magic for you." A soft voice from the entrance startled them. dys was standing on the door with her arms crossed against her chest.

    Emma spun to look at her and her eyes widened with surprise. "dys!"

    As dys walked to them, both Magnus and Yul tensed. "What are you doing here, sister?" Magnus asked with a brow raised.

    "I came to know that Emma is here and so I came to talk to her. What about you, Magnus?" She looked at Yul and immediately disregarded him.

    "We both came here to stroll and chanced upon Emma" Magnus replied with an air of caution. He tried to mask his surprise that dys knew Emma well.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I see," dys gave him a tight nod.

    "But you know Maeve well?" Emma asked, jerking her head back.

    "Only as much as the rest of my brothers and sisters know," she said with a smile. "Though I can surely ask her to remove the magic wall."

    "That won''t be necessary," Magnus chuckled. "Her magic is too weak now. Any day now and it will crumblepletely. If she tries to do more, her body would suffer greatly."

    At this dys became silent. She looked at Emma and gave her a sheepish smile. "How about we all go to the vige at midnight?" she suggested after a moment of awkward silence.

    "You also want to go?" Magnus narrowed his eyes.

    "Well, why not?" dys said with a smile.

    He took a deep breath in as if trying to suppress his surprise and then turned to Yul. "Then let us go at midnight?"

    "Yes, that would be okay with me."

    Magnus and Yul left the garden, leaving Emma with dys. Ginger hurried out of the garden. When dys was alone with Emma, she grasped her hand and said, "Emma, did he mark you yet?"

    Emma pursed her lips and sighed. "No, he didn''t!" She didn''t know why she was so keen on him marking her. In fact, she was looking forward to it. "But why are you so interested?" she asked, slouching a little. "As such his betrothed is here. He won''t have time for me anyway." The thought left her miserable.

    dys bit her bottom lip. "You should make him mark you as soon as possible, Emma. This is very important if you want to live."

    Emma closed her eyes and tipped her head up. She wanted to live. She wanted to enjoy her life and not lend her body to a goddess. "What do I do?" she let out an exasperated exhale.

    "Come, let''s talk about it," dys said politely.

    dys gave her many ideas on what to do if you wanted your mate to mark you. She took her to her room and then even gave her books that showed many erotic positions. Emma blushed hard, but she didn''t stop reading them. "Can I take one with me?" she asked demurely.

    "Of course!" dys said and then gave her two more.

    ---

    Sitting in Maeve''s room, Lazarus was sipping blood from a crystal tumbler. "I should have been drinking from my mate, you know." He was staring at her reflection in the mirror.

    "Then who is stopping you?" Maeve replied as she looked in the mirror to apply more makeup. She had applied a lot of gold dust on her cheeks after stering her skin with some y-based foundation that she brought from Vilinski. It tightened her skin. After that, she applied a heavy dose of kohl that stretched like wings on the side of her eyes.

    And suddenly, his lips stilled on the tumbler. Emma was so much prettier than her. The two of them were not the same. While Maeve loved to cake her face with makeup and often made him spend huge amounts of gold coins to purchase cosmetics that were avable in other kingdoms, Emma didn''t wear any makeup over her creamy soft skin.

 Chapter 48 Its Not There!

    ?The goddess was in a borrowed body but she didn''t have the sway of hips that Emma had. Emma walked enticingly. He remembered when she walked naked in front of him and he wondered if she was exaggerating her hip sway. But she was always like that.

    Emma wasn''t as serious as Maeve or conniving endlessly. She was chirpy.

    Maeve applied more makeup, wore jewelry from top to bottom and then got up. As she walked, her jewelry jingled like that of cattle. Lazarus stifled a chuckle. She came to sit opposite to him, out of his reach. He realized that she actually liked to avoid him. He sipped more blood from his tumbler and said, "How was your stay in Sgi¨¢th Bio?"

    "Wonderful!" she said excitedly, remembering Ailill.

    "I hope you won''t be going back now."

    Maeve crossed her legs and sighed. "I have to," she said. She turned her arms for him to see. "Look how wrinkly they have be. This body is unable to contain me. I am afraid that it is breaking slowly."

    "Hold on till the ritual," he said, and suddenly he felt the pang of losing Emma. "You wille with me to attend Samhain in two days." Her presence would make him forget Emma.

    No. No. Maeve was a goddess. He needed her in his ultimate n. He had to take the kingdom from his father, who killed his mother, his mate. He was never going to let anyone snatch his kingdom. He was so close. "Talk something else," he said harshly.

    "You know what, Lazarus. You are being too stubborn. I don''t think I can carry on like this if you don''t mark Emma. She is going to be strong only if you mark her. There is no point in taking over her body without your mark. She won''t be able to sustain my powers as a normal human but with your mark, she would be strong enough."

    Lazarus was above these tricks. "That won''t happen. I will im only my bride."

    Maeve gritted her teeth. She flicked her hair back. She had to meet the king and Anton and tell them about her progress. In which she was clearlygging.

    "Is there anything else you would like to say?" he asked in his usual serious tone.

    "I need more jewelry." She looked at the one she was wearing. "I am tired of these."

    "Okay, I will send the jeweler to you." Emma was never wearing any jewelry or demanded anything. Silence followed. "And is there anything else you wish to say?" Why was he sounding so strict?

    "What can I say?" Maeve replied with a scoff. "I only think of whether you really like me or not. Most of my mind is upied by the ritual!"

    Heavy silence followed because Lazarus didn''t want to speak about it. Momentster he opened his mouth. "What do you we will do once I be the king of Wilyra?"

    "Like I said already¡ªwe will conquer more." And she would kill him and get Ailill. "But why do you ask?"

    "Just like that?"

    He shrugged. Emma had talked about happiness. Where was that? "And how many children would you like to have with me?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    At that, Maeve flinched. "I won''t be having children, Lazarus!" she said as if despising the very thought. "It would destroy my body and what good would the children be to the goddess. I will be living forever!"

    Lazarus stopped drinking as his chest tightened with dread. Emma wanted to have children with him. Lots of them. And that was why she was averse to the idea that he would be using her body to have children with Maeve. "You will have my children," he said coldly and seriously.

    She barked augh. "Are you serious Lazarus? Children are of no consequence to a goddess like me!" She never nned on having offspring with Ailill either.

    A growl emanated from his chest. "That is my order." How could Emma ask all those questions when none of them entered his? How could he miss such details about Maeve? Emma had slowly nted seeds of doubt in him and even though he berated himself for doubting Maeve, he couldn''t help it.

    Maeve became quiet as she red at him. "It looks like you are swaying from your endgame, Lazarus. Need I remind you about it?" She turned her face away. "I don''t want to talk to you."

    Lazarus was stunned at his own thinking. What was he going to do with Maeve without children in the future? What did he have to look forward to?

    He decided that he had to charm her to convince her to have children. "What would you like us to do, my lovely fae?"

    "I am a little busy," she said, "But we can go to the vige together if you like. There is something I would like to buy."

    Lazarus got up. "I wille to pick you up at midnight." When he returned to his chamber, there wasplete silence on the other side. It bothered him.

    ---

    Emma was on the horse with Ginger, waiting with thrill, as Magnus and Yul crossed the magic wall. "Should I try?" she asked in a loud voice.

    "Yes, you can," Yul replied. "The magic is very weak. You can cross it."

    "Go Ginger!" she urged her maid who was shaking with fear.

    "What if¡ª"

    "Ohe on!" Emma didn''t know how to ride on a horse, but she kicked the back of her horse. It neighed and crossed the little gap between her and Yul. She got a creepy feeling on her body, as if hundreds of ants were crawling, but after that the magic subsided. She squawked, "It''s not there!"

    Yulughed. "I told you so." He really liked the girl. He was thinking of asking Lazarus to let her be with him till Maeve was here or till her soul was cast out.

    Together they rode to the vige. Emma was thrilled with her adventure. As they rode, the snow forest was a blur. The waxing moon shining brightly over the dark, naked trees. She grabbed her cape tightly.

    They reached the alehouse of the vige in an hour. It was midnight.

 Chapter 49 You Arenâ€™t Jealous Of Her

    ?"Why hasn''t Lady dyse with us?" asked Emma as she dismounted the horse with the help of Ginger.

    "She said that she was very busy. She had a meeting with her father and other courtiers," Ginger replied as she brushed the grass des off Emma''s skirt. Then she muttered, "I hope Lord Lazarus''s spies don''t see us."

    Emma sighed. "Stop being so paranoid, Ginger. Lord Lazarus is busy with his betrothed, Goddess Maeve!" She blew a strand of hair in front of her face as anger surged in her chest.

    Yul grasped the reins of their horses and took them to the corral at the back of the alehouse while Magnus took Emma inside. Ginger bowed to him and didn''t go inside. She stayed out and walked into a small room that was especially made for the maids in waiting.

    Magnus took Emma to a table that was right in the center of the alehouse.

    "It''s beautiful!" Emma said as she admired the interiors of the alehouse. She had never even known that this kind of a ce existed in the vige. The chairs were cushioned and there was heavy drapery on the windows and doors. Dim light from the fire hearth that burned on either side, spread in therge room. The floor was covered with a red carpet. All around the room were small cubicles in front of which were dark gauzy curtains, hiding those who sat behind them. Arge stage was set up in front of them.

    Emma let out an excited exhale as along with Magnus she sat down at the round table that could seat five people. Every other man or woman in the room was dressed in velvets and silks. Very few red eyed were there.

    "It is," Magnus remarked. "This alehouse caters to the rich and royal." He pointed at the cubicles. "Those are reserved for the wealthy and the owner charges heavily for them. Their waiting is more than a year! Everything debauched happens behind those curtains."

    "But you are a royal. Why aren''t you there?" she asked as her gaze scanned the cubicles.

    He chuckled. "Why Emma? Do you have ns for debauchery?"

    "What? Oh hush!" she blushed heavily.

    A scantily dressed woman came and served them with wine. She smiled at Emma and bowed to Magnus and without asking questions, left. Yul joined them ten minutester.

    As Emma sipped her wine, she asked, "What''s so special about this ce?"

    "It gives you all the privacy. Whatever happens in the alehouse, remains here," Yul gave her the answer as she shifted his chair beside her. "And¡­" he drawled. "There will be a lovely show here in about half an hour."

    "What kind of a show?" Emma asked, curious.

    "There will be many nude women dancing on the stage d in nothing but pearls."

    Emma snapped her head at him as her blush deepened to her neck. Yulughed at her and shook his head. "I¡ªI can''t sit with you while watching them," she said innocently.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Why Emma?" Yul asked, raising his eyebrow as Magnus seemed disinterested in their talk.

    "Goddess!" she rubbed the back of her neck, feeling a thousand shades embarrassed.

    ---

    Lazarus rode with Maeve to the alehouse with a few soldiers. The owner came to receive him. He bowed to him and immediately guided them to the cubicle. Maeve sat opposite to him, not wanting him to even touch her. She picked up her wine ss and sipped wine from it, her rosy lips leaving a stain on the ss.

    "I like it when you are with me," Lazarus said, his lips curling up. "And I like it when you are here with me in this show."

    She tilted her face, studying him. "When I be your queen, you will find me even more interesting. I am waiting for the soul casting ritual." She paused to see his reaction and there was interest on his face. She quickly added, "Until then, you can thoroughly enjoy Emma. The two of you seem to be enjoying each other''s touch a lot."

    "Enjoy each other''s touch?" She squirmed beneath him and he hade for the whole Lore on her belly. "Yes, I think we both are doing¡ª" And suddenly he heard a chirpyugh he so well recognized. He whipped his head to the room beneath and saw¡­ Emma. She was sitting with Magnus and Yul. Yul was sitting very close to her. He gripped his ss hard as his jaws clenched. What was she doing here? And howe Maeve''s magic didn''t work on her? And why was Yul sitting so close to her? And she wasughing? Without him?

    Maeve followed the direction of his gaze and she chuckled. "You were saying¡­?" she goaded him to speak further.

    Lazarus''s breathing wasbored as fury sted in his chest. Yul just touched a curl of her hair. How dare he? Yul was about to get killed!

    "Lazarus?" Maeve called him.

    He snapped out of his reverie. "What?" he asked through his clenched teeth.

    "You were saying something about enjoying her touch?"

    His gaze went back to Emma. "Yes, we both are getting along well in that field." Then he narrowed his eyes and turned his face to study Maeve''s expressions. "But it''s nice that you aren''t jealous of her. Because the two of us are really debauched. We are totally grinding against each other. Hard." He wanted to see if she was jealous or not. He wanted to see one hint that would show that she was not happy. One expression that would show that she was worried about how he mentioned their debauchery.

    Instead, Maeve justughed. "You mean that you didn''t even have to suggest or force her to have sex? She is just happy to do it?"

    Lazarus scoffed. "I am a fine specimen. Emma is attracted to me to the extent that when I enter the room, she gets aroused."

    "That is surprising," Maeve murmured. "She knows that you are betrothed to me and still she has no reservations?"

 Chapter 50 Debauched

    ?"It is you who want me to use her services, isn''t it?" The way she was speaking it was as if she didn''t feel an iota of attraction towards him. So he added, "Emma wants to sow the seed of discord between us. She wants to take me out of your clutches. She feels that she can make me fall in love with her."

    Maeve kept her ss on the table and started tough. "That is so surprising!" Then her voice dropped. "It seems that you are also getting attracted to her, aren''t you? You have started liking her over me? I am a goddess!"

    "Emma!" Yul''s voice came out loud and Lazarus''s attention went back to her. Now Yul had his hand over the back of her chair. He had leaned over her and was whispering something in her ear. Lazarus noticed that other men also started looking in her direction. It was as if they were fucking her with their eyes. He didn''t know that jealousy had so many levels.

    "Surely, Lord Lazarus isn''t swayed by a stupid mortal!" Maeve scoffed. "Or are you getting attached to her?"

    "Attached to her? How about we get attached? Over here. Come and sit on myp." Was he liking Emma over Maeve?

    "Lazarus!" she retorted. "I told you that I can''t!"

    The music began to rise softly. It was time for the show.

    He sipped his wine and as he stared at her over the rim of the ss. He remembered how he called Emma to sit on hisp and she came¡­ without reservations. He remembered her creamy thighs. The apex of her thighs was coated in her juices. Only for him. His gaze went back to her and jealousy reared its head.

    Yul wasughing and she was blushing. Magnus joined them in some kind of a joke and Lazarus¡ª he felt like he wanted to kill them both. Slowly. Painfully. As much as he tried to keep his focus back on Maeve, it was getting difficult. He was going to punish Emma. He was going to chain her to his bed. If she resisted, he was going to tie her up on his bed.

    The lights went out and the music picked up.

    In order to divert his attention, he said, "I will be going to attend Samhain at cousin brother Cain''s castle. We will start tonight. You wille with me."

    Suddenly, Yul held Emma''s hand and looked right into her eyes. That was it! Lazarus smashed the ss on the floor and the next instant, he traced to stand right between Emma and Yul without hearing what Maeve said.

    Yul and Emma were so startled that they leaned back as their eyes became wide when they saw a very angry Lazarus standing right between them.

    "How did you manage to get out of the pce?" he growled as he looked at Emma.

    Emma was stunned to see him. He was looking¡­ beyond handsome in ck trousers, red shirt and a red and gold cape. Her breath hitched when their gazes locked. She swallowed her saliva down as a shiver of fear passed through her. She took a deep breath to gather her wits. "I wanted toe out and test the magic. It was¡­ weak." She picked up her wine ss calmly and said, "Maybe you should ask your betrothed to make a stronger wall."<novelnext></novelnext>

    "The gall!" he snapped and whipped his head to look at Yul. Yul moved back, flinching a little. Lazarus peeled his lips back and showed his fangs to Yul. "I will see you back in the pce."

    The music picked up and the curtains on the show rose. Yul left his chair, shaking his head and Lazarus sat down on it. He wanted to take Emma out of this ce and keep her for himself but he didn''t want to create anymotion. Already people were gasping out of fear with his presence.

    He shifted his chair next to her and in a low voice said, "You are going to¡ª"

    She cut him off. "¡ªget punished and all that h h!" She rolled her eyes.

    "Why don''t you go and attend to your betrothed? I am not going anywhere since these two are keeping an eye on me."

    "You are going toe with me to attend Samhain tonight!" hepleted his sentence. He just couldn''t leave Emma alone. Every time he did that, she had a line of suitors around her. Moreover, he was going to take Yul with him so that he could keep an eye on him. He was getting cozy with Emma and that was infuriating. Maybe he would gauge his eyes and maim his limbs and then throw him to the animals.

    "I am not going anywhere with you and Maeve!" she replied in a stubborn manner. "Please enjoy with her."

    "You are¡ª"

    The curtains rose and his voice was washed off in the loud music. The stage was beginning to get filled by women who were only d in pearls. There were strings of pearls covering theirher regions and long nes draping their chest. As the music picked up, the women started dancing. Yul and Magnus were now totally focused on the women.

    Emma was¡­ shocked. Her cheeks heated and then some more. The show was¡­ outrageous. She had never seen so many nude women in her life. Inadvertently, her hand reached Lazarus''s and she clutched it hard. She gasped every time a woman jumped up and all their sex showed. It was so dark that no one could see anything other than the dancers on the stage.

    "Are you liking it?" Lazarus said, leaning towards her. He slid his hand over her thigh and then squeezed it lightly, beneath the table.

    When did his hand enter inside her gown? She bit her bottom lip and clenched her thighs, trapping his hand right in between her legs. Lazarus parted her thighs a little and slid his fingers towards her core. He was enjoying watching Emma''s expressions. Maeve was forgotten.

    Emma caught his wrist to stop him, but her efforts were weak just like her will. His fingers glided to her sex and a growl rose in his chest when he found her wet. He had never been aroused in a bloody show. He wanted to give her an orgasm right here and then seize her mouth with his as she screamed. The thought was thrilling! Next¡ª

 Chapter 51 I Am Talking To You

    ?Lazarus was growing rock hard as his fingers slid up and up. She was so wet for him that once again his control was slipping. As for Emma, even though she was looking at the women on the stage, her entire mind was focused on his long fingers. As if on an instinct, her hips bucked to him and he growled.

    He opened her thighs apart and slid his fingers in her wet sex. Parting her folds, he went straight to her clit and started rubbing it slowly at first and then increased his pace.

    Emma did everything she could to stop moaning. She bit her bottom lip, widened her eyes to focus on the women, but how could she? She caught his wrist and, in her frenzy, she dug her nails in his flesh, drawing blood.

    Lazarus''s cock became painfully hard. He needed her to be on hisp. He wanted her sex beneath his mouth. And he wanted to get inside her.

    He rubbed her harder and she bucked her hips. The heat had coiled and coiled in her belly. She was trying hard not to scream, and because of that she ended up biting her lip so hard that blood oozed out. Lazarus''s eyes darted to her lips and his nostrils red. He was sure that every vampire out there must have got disturbed with the scent of hot blood.

    Immediately, he grabbed her face and licked the blood from her lips. "Fuck!" Her blood tasted like elixir. Like an aphrodisiac. Like life. His eyes became droopy by that one drop of blood on his tongue. He pressed her face against his chest and pinched her clit. She screamed loudly but it was muffled against his chest and the loud music. The next moment, he traced her outside, in his carriage where he embraced her hard against his body till the waves of orgasm ebbed. She was panting heavily as she looked up at him as she sat in hisp.

    The look in her eyes was so sexy that he could get drunk in it. The taste of her blood still lingered on his lips. He held her like his most valued possession in hisp and tapped the carriage man to take them back to the pce. Throughout his journey back to the pce, he didn''t speak with her. Nor did she.

    She was so starved of his touch for the past two days that she reveled in it. She had pressed her face against his chest and stayed there, feeling protected by the man who wanted to cast her soul out. His erection was burning against her thighs and side like heated iron.

    Lazarus wanted to do something. Something with himself, something with his hard shaft and when he remembered her plump lips that she had bitten, he couldn''t help imagining them wrapped around his cock. The moment he sensed that the pce was near, he traced her to his bedchamber from the carriage.

    She removed her face from his chest and saw that she was in his bedroom. He slid her down his body making sure that she felt his hardness. As he ced her on her feet, their gazes locked. Emma didn''t stop to stand on her feet. Instead she went lower and lower until she was on her knees. "What are you doing, Emma?" he asked in a guttural voice. was he going to be so lucky that she would take him in?

    She looked at his shaft that was tenting the trousers and then slowly began to open his buttons. His fists clenched into tight balls. His neck tendons corded as he watched her undoing him.<novelnext></novelnext>

    When his cock sprang free, Emma let out a rough exhale. But she had been imagining it in her mouth for so long that she didn''t know. She ced her hand on it and then leaned forward, stroking it lightly. Her tongue darted out and she licked the crown. He muttered curses and oaths at the first feel of her tongue on him.

    She opened her mouth and the next he saw was that she had wrapped her lips around his cock. "Fuck! Emma!" Her mouth was so hot that he knew he wouldn''tst long. She began moving in and out, her cheeks going hollow as she sucked him. She licked him and sucked him. Her hot tongue was all over.

    His hands shot forth and he grabbed her hair at the back. He started guiding her mouth in and out. In and out. He wondered what would it be to drive inside her when she was so hot in her mouth. Suddenly, he wanted to get inside every hole she had. He wanted to possess herpletely.

    A groan escaped his chest and as in his frenzy he hit the back of her throat. He was surprised that she could take it but she was his mate and her body was made for him. The moment he hit the back of her throat, he knew that he wouldn''tst long. With a guttural roar, he came inside her mouth. He should have pulled out of her, but he didn''t.

    When she pulled out, he hated the feel of cool air over his cock. She got up and turned to leave for her room. He shot towards her, grabbed her waist and pulled her back against his chest. Resting his chin over her head he said, "Wait." He should have allowed her to go, but why did he ask her to stop?

    "Lazarus!" Maeve''s voice reached them and he snapped out of his trance.

    "No!" he grunted and traced Emma back to her room. "Stay here," he ordered her and then traced back to his room.

    Maeve was looking extremely furious. "You had the audacity to leave me and go to that fucking mortal? I had toe back along with Yul and Magnus!"

    ? Lazarus scoffed. He ambled to his bed andy down on the mattress, feeling totally spent and good after two days.

    "I am talking to you, Lazarus!" she yelled.

 Chapter 52 [Bonus ] Insulting A Goddess

    ?Maeve wanted him to get close to Emma and fuck her, but she didn''t want him to start liking her to the level that he would forget her. She was not only feeling jealous of Emma but she felt like killing her. If Emma would have been any other girl, she would have killed her already.

    Lazarus patted next to him on the bed and said, "Come, sit here."

    Maeve was in no mood to do that, but she had to. If she didn''t, she was afraid that he would get swayed towards her and may even consider not having the ritual. She sauntered to the bed and sat beside him with a pout. "You shouldn''t have done that, Lazarus. How could you leave me? I thought you woulde back after punishing her for getting out of the pce."

    He turned his face towards her. He propped his elbows up and rested his head on them. "How is it that your magic has weakened so much?"

    She shrugged. "If I use any more magic, I am afraid that my body is going to be so weak that it would give up. So you have to threaten her with consequences if she dares to leave the pce. She is extremely important for both of us. I need her body to stay permanently in this world!"

    He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her towards him. Though she didn''t say a word, she was extremely tense. Lazarus realized that when Emma was in hisp, she clutched his tunic as if she never wanted to leave him. The way her body fitted into his. Like puzzle pieces snapping together.

    In contrast, with Maeve he felt like he was forcing himself to put the two puzzle pieces together which never matched. "Don''t you want to ever know me? Don''t you want to feel my body or kiss me?" Emma was always wanting to kiss him. She even stole a kiss from him the other day.

    "But you are so strong Lazarus!" shemented. "I am afraid that you will harm my weak body. Emma doesn''t know that you are so strong that you can actually harm her. But I know."

    "And yet she throws herself at me all the time. I have never ever injured her," he stated. "Don''t worry, I am going to be very careful with you. After all, I wouldn''t want to harm my bride." And once again his throat burned. "Come, kiss me." He knew that she was going to cringe. Her body would be cold and she would retort. Just as he thought, Maeve retorted.

    "Lazarus, what is wrong with you? I am afraid of you!" Her face twisted in disgust. "Do you not realize the situation at all? That mortal is really trying to sow discord between us. And you are beginning to get swayed. I am afraid if this goes on, I will have to leave. Kiss your kingdom goodbye!"

    Maeve had a point. He was getting swayed. But so easily? No. No. "Are you not bothered that I will get infatuated by her?" But he already knew what she was going to say.

    "When I will get inside her body which you have imed already, can you imagine how powerful I will be. I will be all yours then. But until then you have to be patient." She got up from the bed after removing his hand roughly from herp. She turned to look at him and crossed her arms across her chest. "I am going back to my room. I have to prepare to go to Samhain with you."

    And he couldn''t help wondering if he had learnt a valuable lesson here. She started to get out of the room when he called her, "Maeve, I am taking Emma with me to attend the Samhain."

    Startled, she spun to re at him. "What?" she barked. "What did you say?"

    He got up with a smirk on his face and rested his back against the headboard. Memories of her lips wrapped around his cock flooded his mind. She was a mortal and if he was so strong, why wasn''t she ever harmed? Maeve was always afraid that she was going to be hurt by him. "I said that Emma would be apanying me to the Samhain to Upper North Jupan."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Fury exploded in her chest. "How dare you insult me, Lazarus? How can you think of taking her to Upper North Jupan? I should be going there with you if you have to show who is going to be your queen. You can''t take Emma with you. People will get wrong impressions!"

    He too crossed his arms across his chest. the queen''s crown on Emma''s head would look¡­ beautiful.

    "Or are you nning on having those blood vassals as your inws when you will have a goddess at your beck and call?" Maeve scolded him.

    The mention of blood vassals made him think about a fresh rebellion that they had started. Some vigers had gone missing and his spies were supposed to get him the information about the missing vigers.

    When he didn''t reply, Maeve turned back and started to leave. "I am going to go to my room and pack. I will go to Upper North Jupan with you!"

    He chuckled. "No, that is not possible. Emma will be going with me. So stay in the pce till Ie back."

    Maeve''s face contorted into a terrible expression. "You are insulting a goddess, Lazarus!" If she had had her magic, she would have turned him into a toad right now.

    Lazarus was aware that Maeve was so arrogant that she would burst. "I don''t care, but you may leave."

    This was the first time he had asked her to leave. "Lazarus!" she growled.

    "Leave!" he said, his voice dropping a few degrees down. Not waiting for her reaction, he traced to Magnus and Yul''s apartment.

    Angered as hell, Maeve stormed out of his room. She strode out and was going to her room when she turned and entered Emma''s room. She had curled her knees against her chest and wrapped her arms around them. Emma was crying.

    "Aren''t you a piece of art?" Maeve growled as she walked to her.

    Surprised to see her, Emma frowned. "What do you want?" she growled back.

 Chapter 53 Defeated By A Mortal?

    ?Maeve looked at Emma with clenched teeth. She closed the gap between her in slow and angry strides. "What have you said to Lazarus that he is taking you to Upper North Jupan for Samhain and not me? What kind of stories are you feeding him?" She came to stand a few feet away from her and crossed her arms across her chest.

    Emma narrowed her eyes, wiping her tears away. From what she knew it was Maeve who was going to Samhain with Lazarus and not her. When did this development take ce?

    "Remember one thing, Emma!" Maeve said in a low menacing voice. "You are here only for this body of yours. Lazarus doesn''t like you and he has no interest in you. I will be his queen and not you. If you have somehow got that idea in your head, it would be better that you discard it right now. You cannot sow seeds of dissent between us!"

    Emma shifted back and rested herself against the headboard. She stretched her legs in front of her and tilted her head. Surely there was something going on between them. "Sow seeds of dissent?" she scoffed. "If you are so afraid of me then why have you left him with me? Why don''t you stay with him?"

    Maeve was already peeved by Lazarus''s behavior and now this mortal was showing her attitude? Enraged, her magic came out of her in thick ck smoke and coiled around her hands. "Don''t you go ahead of yourself, mortal!" she hissed. "You are here only to entertain Lord Lazarus. To offer your body for his pleasure and that too only for two more weeks. After that I will personally cast your soul out of your body and enter! Till then think of yourself as a concubine. If you are so keen on elevating your ranks, then think of yourself as a royal concubine like Rina! She can also take care of Lazarus!"

    Emma should have been scared of Maeve''s magic but she didn''t feel any fear and the main reason was that Maeve wouldn''t use her magic on her. If she did, her body would weaken further. She shook her head lightly while watching Maeve. "I heard that Lord Lazarus hasn''t ever had sex with anyone because he is saving himself for his bride. If you are his bride, then why is he having sex with me? You should have been avable for him, rather than shoving me in front of him!"

    "You¡ª" Maeve clenched her fists as her magic leapt towards Emma, but it couldn''t reach more than a foot from her and she started coughing and wheezing.

    Emma moved her feet down and stood on the rug. She leaned forward a little and said, "You should take care of yourself Goddess Maeve. Maybe, go back to Vilinski. It will be better for your health. As for Lazarus, it is possible that he is not interested in you."

    "Quiet!" Maeve roared but the roar came out as a purr. Blood came in her mouth as the magic harmed her body. She tasted metal and coughed it out. "I am not concerned that he will be infatuated by you. But Lazarus will never choose you over me. And the only reason is that if he does that, he would have to kiss his dreams of ruling Wilyra goodbye. He is extremely intelligent. I am extremely sure that he will see through your maniptions."

    Emma looked at the blood on the rug and watched Maeve wiping it from her mouth. She chuckled and then walked away from her feeling disgusted. "So what you are saying is that you both are pawns in the hands of this simple, submissive mortal?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Maeve stifled a shudder. Sheshed, "A goddess would be a pawn in the hands of a lowly mortal like you? A girl who has just turned eighteen and hasn''t seen the world as against a five thousand years old goddess? Are you dreaming?"

    Emma couldn''t help butugh at it. "I didn''t say that you both are pawns in my hands. That is going to be good though. But¡ª" she ambled towards her and tilted her head right and left. "It seems that you are unable to understand a normal conversation. It isn''t your fault I believe. It is the fault of your body that is decaying slowly and painfully. I said that you are thinking that you are pawns in my hands." She giggled. "How can I, a lowly mortal, use you like pawns?"

    Maeve''s eyes widened. She couldn''t believe that Emma was giving it back to her. She was a goddess. And in her times, people worshiped her. Young girls like Emma would sink on their knees and ask for forgiveness or offer flowers and prayers. "I am warning you Emma," she said, baring her teeth. "Do not think yourself to even take my ce. The throne of Wilyra belongs to me! Do you understand?"

    Emma put her hands up in the air in front of her. "Ooo, I am scared!"

    Maeve clenched her fists. She was itching to snap this girl''s neck, but she took a deep breath in. She opened her mouth to say something but Emma cut her off.

    "Now get out of my room, Goddess Maeve. I have to prepare my trunk for Samhain!"

    A look of shock was etched on her face. A momentter she gathered herself and said, "You aren''t going anywhere. Trust me. It is me who is going to Upper North Jupan. No one likes you. They are all waiting for me. So stay put and stop dreaming!"

    Emma shrugged her shoulders. She waved at the door. "That''s fine with me too, but kindly leave Goddess Maeve. I am having a headache because of you."

    Maeve red at her and then spun on her heels to walk out of the room. She closed the door with a bang as she headed out to find Lazarus. He was an imbecile who was getting swayed by a mortal. Earlier he was in her hands. She decided to pack her bags before going to find him. She was a goddess and she would be defeated by a mortal? Never.

    asionally missing content, please report errors in time.

 Chapter 54 Solution

    ?Maeve stormed to her and ordered her maid to pack her clothes for Samhain. She wasn''t going to let Emma go with Lazarus to Upper North Jupan.

    "What else would you like me to put in the trunk for you?" her maid asked her meekly, almost trembling with fear. Maeve was known to get angry very fast and sometimes used magic to punish her maids seriously. There was not a single maid who wasn''t bruised or cut when working for her. And for that reason, most of them would run away or find excuses to not work for her.

    She sneered. "Don''t you know by now what all I take?"

    Shivering under her harsh gaze, the maid replied, "I have kept everything you would need, mdy."

    "Then why are you asking me?" She came close to the maid and pped her tight.

    The maid stifled her scream, holding her right cheek that stung. Tears flooded her eyes. "I¡ªI am sorry, mdy."

    "Get out!" she growled.

    The maid scurried out of the room and closed the door softly behind her. Maeve began to pace the room. She had to confront Lazarus but she didn''t know what she was going to say to him because he had already decided that he would take Emma with him. That wretched girl was going to have fun on her behalf? Never. But where was she going to find him?

    Suddenly she remembered that Magnus and Yul were also sitting at the alehouse. And both of them were with Emma. Lazarus traced right in front of her while they were in the midst of a conversation about an oracle that he was suggesting to see. A smile came to her lips. She was sure that he wanted to see the oracle to see his future with her. This meant that Lazarus was very interested in making her his queen.

    She was also sure that he would be with Magnus or Yul. Probably punching them like pulp. Good. They were both an eyesore to her. She hated them and was going to get rid of both of them as soon as she ascended the throne because they were both too loyal to him.

    Confidently, she was about to walk out of her room to find him, when the door opened. "dys?" Maeve jerked her head back. "What are you doing over here?" She went to the door and quickly shut it behind her. "Haven''t I told you not to meet me like this?"

    dys took a deep breath as she walked inside and sat at the table in the far corner. She looked particrly disturbed. She lowered her head and fidgeted with her fingers.

    Not able to understand her predicament, Maeve asked her carefully, "What is it? You look worried."

    dys turned her chin up and looked at the ceiling. "Things are getting tooplicated, Maeve." She looked at Maeve. "Lazarus is not marking Emma. She is unable to attract him enough for marking her."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Maeve gritted her teeth. She had juste out of Emma''s room feeling bitter that Lazarus had chosen the mortal over her for the first time. She was still feeling insulted. She wanted him to mark Emma but at the same time wanted him to hate her enough to cast her soul out. While Lazarus was like that in the beginning, she felt that her control on him was slipping.

    "I have asked you to goad Emma to attract him. It seems that you are failing in one job I gave you!" Maeve said, sarcasm dripping from her voice. She continued, "Princess dys, who is supposed to be so cunning, is failing in a small task? Unimaginable." Maeve had promised dys that after the soul casting ritual, she was going to make her queen of half of Wilyra. Wasn''t it interesting? Maeveughed on the inside whenever she saw the brothers and sisters fighting for the throne. Most of them were already fighting. She joined the race muchter and she joined it with Lazarus. Ultimately, the crown of Wilyra would be on her head. And Ailill.

    "You don''t understand!" dys said exasperatedly. "They are mates. Their bond is too strong. I am coaxing Emma to attract him, but whatever she does, he is not getting that attracted to her. Not enough to mark her!"

    "And you know that marking her is so important for me!"

    "I know!" dys replied. "I know that after soul casting ritual you will marry him." She also knew that after marrying him, she would kill Lazarus. And after that, Maeve would give half of Wilyra to her. She had the deed signed by her. It was kept in her room in a locker. "The problem is that only two weeks are left. If he doesn''t mark her by then, then you would be in trouble!"

    "I know, dys!" Maeve eximed. "If you are looking for solutions, then I am not the right person to give them. I am battling with my own problem. Lazarus is taking Emma to Samhain to Upper North Jupan instead of taking me. That is going to be a direct insult to me. Do you realize what that would mean? I am so irritated by that mortal!"

    dys'' eyes beamed. A momentter she chuckled. "Then our n will work."

    "How?" Maeve asked her, feeling a headache forming. "I can''t let that bitch show up with him alone!"

    "Let him go with her. And you also go with him."

    "But he isn''t taking me! He has decided that he will take Emma!"

    "Hmm." dys walked back to the door slowly but confidently. "Cousin Cain sends invite to very few and I am one of them. It is a different thing that I rarely go to attend Samhain. I find it a waste of time. So¡­" her voice drawled. "Why don''t youe with me?"

    Maeve''s mouth dropped to the floor. The solution to ''Emma'' problem was standing in front of her. "Won''t Lazarus be suspicious if I go with you?"

    "I will take care of it," dys replied with a smile. "Prepare yourself for Samhain."

 Chapter 55 See It With My Eyes

    ?When Lazarus traced to Magnus''s room, he found Yul also over there as usual. The two were talking about something and the first thing that Lazarus did was to punch Yul once again.

    "What the fuck!" Yul growled and he got up to punch Lazarus back, but he stopped him by grabbing his fist and then punching him in his torso. Yul hurled across the room but before he could crash on the couch behind him, Lazarus traced there and punched him on his ass.

    Yul hurled to the other side but Lazarus traced to the other side and punched him on his chest. At the end of it, Yul resembled a football, tossing around the room from one side to the other. Magnus had to intervene in between them to stop the fight.

    Yul stood there panting with his hands on his waist as he looked at Lazarus who too had gotten a cut on his lip. Magnus was standing right between them with his hands on their chests. "Will you two stop behaving like teenagers?" he growled.

    "Ask him!" Yul spat blood on the floor. "Emma and I were in the midst of a great conversation and he came right in between and then traced her away!"

    "If you get Emma''s name on your lips even once more, I will make sure that you are buried in the blood forest!" Lazarus wiped his blood from his mouth.

    "You don''t like her! Then what is your problem!" Yul shot back. "She is a beautiful girl with a boisterous spirit. Two weekster you won''t even have the same Emma, then why are you so possessive?"

    Lazarus didn''t have the answer to his question, but he raised his punch again and was about to lunge when Magnus shouted, "Enough!" Lazarus gritted his teeth and snarled at Yul with his punch still in the air. He took it down after much willpower. With a grunt he turned away from them and went to the bed where he jumped and sprawled across it.

    Yul too walked away from there and sat on the opposite couch. He looked up, trying to catch his breath. He had never felt so much for a girl. "I so wish that she wasn''t your mate, Lazarus," he said. "If I had discovered her, I would have treasured her. But¡ª"

    "Don''t make me wring your neck right now, Yul!" Lazarus said as a fresh bout of jealousy red in his chest.

    Magnus chuckled and shook his head. Emma was something. She didn''t even know but these two were fighting for her. He went to the bar and poured wine for the three of them and said, "I have an idea, Lazarus. You are going to Samhain with Maeve and not Emma. Why don''t you let her stay here with Yul and enjoy thest few days that she has left? That girl deserves at least that much." He gave the wine ss to him and raised his eyebrow.

    Lazarus shot him a re saying, ''Et tu Brute?'' Magnus shrugged and gave the next wine ss to Yul. He winked at him and smiled. Yul shook his head and epted the wine ss. He raised it to Magnus for supporting him.

    Lazarus gulped the entire wine down his throat. "Emma is going with me to Samhain, not Maeve."

    "What?" the two eximed in unison, shocked at his change of ns.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Don''t look so shocked," Lazarus replied coldly. "I don''t trust you with her Yul, and that is I will take you as well with me." The main reason why he wanted to take Yul with him was that he was going to stay close to Emma and teach him a lesson by showing who she belonged to. No, he wasn''t jealous at all. And certainly a big no to the fact that Yul was making advances towards her which gave him strange murderous vibes. He wanted to save Yul by doing that from his violence. Yes, he was a benevolent vampire.

    Yul stared at him. No, he red at him. And then he narrowed his eyes. He gulped his wine down and then wiped his mouth. "Then I am ready to go with you, Lazarus and I will see what you are going to do to lure her. She hates you and you hate her."

    Lazarus''s jaws clenched. "You really have a death wish, Yul. If you think that she doesn''t like me, then let me inform you¡ªEmma can barely keep her hands off me. The moment she sees me, she is aroused."

    Yul raised his eyebrow at Lazarus and then as if he had just cracked a joke, he startedughing. Heughed so much that there was water in his eyes. "Oh sure!" he said in betweenughing. "Then I have toe to Samhain with you and see it with my eyes."

    "If you two are over with your childish attempts, can I say something?" Magnus interrupted, peeved at his brother and their friend. He really liked Yul a lot and didn''t want him dead before Lazarus took over as the King of Wilyra. It would be a great loss.

    "Sure!" Lazarus grunted, signing off Yul.

    "Richard came back with the report on the sorcerers and witches. The Queen of Ixoviya, Mabel, is ready to forge an alliance with you, but she wants to meet with you."

    Lazarus sprang up to sit down, as surprise flickered down his spine. Mabel had been reluctant all these years and he had left all hope that she would help. This sudden change in her ns surprised the wits out of him. "We can meet her wherever she wants," he said immediately.

    "Then how about we meet her after you return from Upper North Jupan?" Magnus suggested.

    Lazarus didn''t want others to know about his alliance with Mabel. "No, I have an idea."

    "And that is?" Magnus asked.

    "I will be meeting the Oracle of Zeph while visiting Cain. I will go to her because Zeph is only a few miles away from Jupan. I can meet Mabel in Zeph."

 Chapter 56 Glorious

    ?Lazarus had met the Oracle of Zeph long back when he was unsure about his future. The oracle was a seer and it was said that she was thousands of years old. He wanted to take Maeve with him to visit her.

    "Fine then," Magnus said. "I will ask Richard to send her a message to meet us in Zeph."

    "You also have toe there, Magnus," Lazarus said. "Both of you are going to be present over there along with Richard."

    "But I am not invited to Samhain," Magnus grunted. His cousin, Cain, didn''t like him. At all. And it was an open secret. The main reason was Olya, sister of Lord Cain''s wife, Naomi.

    "You areing with me and that''s it!" Lazarus growled. "I don''t think that Cain would raise a finger on you if you are with me."

    "I don''t trust that man," Magnus said, exhaling a rough breath. "And I am not afraid for myself."

    There was an awkward silence in the room. Yul patted his shoulder and said, "I am going to make sure that things stay in control."

    "Yes, Yul you better watch Magnus and Cain," Lazarus said instantly. This was the best thing that Yul would do. He was going to watch Emma and him getting close while babysitting Magnus. Great idea. "We will be going two hours before the sunrise. So be ready by then and meet me outside the pce." Saying that he traced back to his room.

    His servant had packed everything for him. Satisfied, he traced to Emma''s room to inform her that she was going to Samhain with him in two hours. He found her¡­ sleeping soundly. On an instinct, he picked her up and brought her to his room where he made her lie on his bed. Her long blond hair fell on her cheeks.

    Once again, he found himself entranced by her. He picked up her hair as his brows bunched up. He yed with her silky tresses, wrapping them around his fist, his fingers. When his gaze went to her lips, memories of them wrapped around his shaft made him hard. Before he would do something that would wake her up, he covered her with furs. Then he went out softly padding across his room to order Ginger to pack for her.

    "Oh, I have already packed for mdy," she said with excitement. "And for myself," she added.

    When he gave her a questioning look, she said, "Goddess Maeve had informed Lady Emma that she was going to Samhain with you."

    As surprise flickered through him, he nodded once. Why would Maeve go and inform her when she was against her going to Samhain? Something didn''t add up. He waved Ginger off. He went inside and slipped beside Emma, covering himself with the same fur. He turned to look at her sleeping so peacefully that it calmed him. As if on instinct, her hand stirred and reached him. She clutched his tunic and pulled him towards her. Her strength was so weak that it was a butterfly pulling him. He chuckled and moved towards her. The moment he did that, Emma climbed on top of him. She snuggled in his chest and went off to sleep.

    Lazarus coiled his arms around her, covered them both with furs and closed his eyes. He would wake her up in two hours. He couldn''t help thinking that they were like two puzzle pieces, fitting so well in each other. His hands slid to her hips which he squeezed a little.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Two hourster, they were standing in the carriageway. Servants with torches in their hands were directing other servants to load the wagons. It was already snowing and there was a possibility of a blizzard. Magnus and Yul too were taking carriages instead of riding on the horses.

    Emma was wearing a deep purple gown over which she was wearing a cloak. It was so cold outside that she was shivering and finding it difficult to button up her cloak. Lazarus came to stand in front of her and then with concentration, buttoned up her cloak. He buttoned her up till her neck and then pulled her hood over her head. "It is cold and you need to stay warm."

    Emma blushed. Memories of how she woke up flooded her mind. Something hard and hot was poking her belly and she inadvertently took her hand to it to grab it when she heard a painful grunt. She was loving the heat of it. She began caressing it with her hand over her belly when another grunt forced her to open her eyes.

    "That is my shaft," he said when she pushed herself up and gazed into his deep red eyes.

    "I¡ªI am sorry," she babbled and tried to get down, but he tightened his embrace around her.

    "I couldn''t sleep the whole night," he said, as his chest vibrated with a delicious rumble.

    Emma bit her lip and out of curiosity slid down his body. She lowered his trousers and his erection sprang free. The size of his shaft was¡­ glorious. It was inviting and her belly clenched with liquid heat. She kissed it and then wrapped her tongue around it. Lazarus bucked his hips towards her, wanting to get inside her throat, wanting to possess her. He couldn''tst long and came inside her with a guttural roar, his legs mping around her face lightly.

    "Lazarus!" Maeve''s voice broke their trance.

    He snapped his head towards her. The next instant, he urged Emma to get inside the carriage and shut the door close. Maeve came to him with a scowl. "You should take me to Upper North Jupan. You are doing it wrong."

    He tilted his head and said, "Meet me at Zeph tomorrow." And then he sat in the carriage, shutting the door on her face.

    She clenched her fists at his rudeness. She wasn''t going to meet him at Zeph, but she would meet him at Jupan. She watched the whole caravan leave in front of her. The moment they left she saw dys from the corner of her eye. "When are we leaving?" she asked impatiently.

    "In an hour."

 Chapter 57 His Past (1)

    ?The carriage was dark. Covered in ck fabric, it was dimly lit by an oilmp that hung on the inside. The curtains of the window were open during the, letting the moon rays filter in. Emma was once again mesmerized by the beautiful scenery that went past her.

    She was glued to the ss window as she watched soft snow falling. She had perched her legs up and rolled into a corner, watching the darkness on the outside. It was the snow that caught her attention. The way it flew past the window, shining in the dim light of amp that dangled from the ceiling.

    While she watched outside, Lazarus was watching her. When she shivered a little, he picked up fur from the side and covered her with it.

    She blushed and murmured a soft "Thank you." Her gaze drifted back to the snow but soon her eyes became droopy as sleep beckoned her. Her eyes drifted to Lazarus and her blush became deeper. She stared at him with all his muscles and stern harshness, with something lurking in the depths of his red eyes. It was bleak like a small wound right in front of her, but it was only for a second and then he shut it away entirely.

    Her eyes shut close and she slumbered off. She curled up further, feeling cold. Perhaps the blizzard had started. She jerked her eyes open sensing the carriage had stopped, but she was swiftly pulled in his embrace. He curled his arms around her as he tucked her in the fur and lifted his legs up to put them on the seat in the front for her to sprawl if she liked. She let out a moan at his warmth and closed her eyes. She inhaled his scent and wondered why he cared for her so much when he was going to cast her soul out.

    "Why did you take me to Samhain instead of Maeve?" she asked softly in a sleepy voice, not wanting to know the answer of the question but to have a conversation with him.

    "Why do you care?" he said, sensing there was more to this than he was letting on.

    "I do feel that Maeve is¡­" she saidzily. "She is up to something¡­ dangerous, and it is not rted to you."

    "Are you trying to protect me from the clutches of Goddess Maeve?" His jaw became tight as his voice dropped to iciness that suggested that her words offended him.

    "No," she shrugged. "It''s just my observation. Why would I care when I already know that my efforts to sway you in my direction are piss poor?" She looked out, ignoring himpletely. "But I feel that she kind of stands in the shadows, always watching you and¡­ me."

    A long silence stretched between them as the carriage started to roll on the dirt road. She heard the hooves of horses on the wet ground and wondered what it would be to ride on a horse. She had never ridden on one.

    When her gaze drifted back to his protective arms, she said, "I wanted to ask a question."

    He smirked. "That''s a surprise."

    She shot him a re and asked, ignoring his sarcasm. "Why did your father send your mother to the blood forest?" She wanted to know his past wondering if she could manipte him using it.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Lazarus stiffened as a muscle ticked in his jaw. He hesitated for a moment before he spoke. "My mother was my father''s mate." He took a ragged breath as if a fresh wound was opened.

    Something inside her told her that he needed to vent it out. Like he needed his escape as much as she needed it. But he had way too many burdens on his shoulders. His fingers roamed inside the fur and came to her thighs. Slowly the skirt came up and they grazed the lower swells of her breasts. She found herself arching in the desire if the vampire as lust pounded in her veins.

    She was unable to think straight when his hands caressed the shape of her breasts and grazed past over her nipples. There was no one in the carriage beside them and she felt like she was free at this moment. The irony wasn''t wasted on her. She took a shaky breath when his finger carved a line between her breasts as they set fire in her blood.

    "Then why did he kill her?" she asked, ncing up at his chin to meet his red gaze. Every aggression that was built between them, faded. He tipped his head so low that if she licked her lips, she would have brushed his. Instead of his kiss, it was his words that brushed against her mouth.

    "His lust for power was greater than his want for his mate."

    "Well, the apple doesn''t fall far from the tree," shemented, her voiceced with bitterness. "Aren''t you doing the same thing?"

    "Stop it," he growled as his finger dug in her breast. She shot him a re.

    He hesitated again before speaking up. "My father tortured his mate, Queen Adara after I was born. He wasn''t expecting her to give an heir because he wanted to be the king of Wilyra forever. My mother was a pure-blooded vampire and giving birth among pure-blooded vampires is¡­ rare. So, when she conceived me, she hid her pregnancy." His voice seemed toe from a distance.

    Emma''s attention was rapt. She didn''t even dare to breathe, lest the rhythm broke. This was the first time he was opening to her.

    He continued to speak in the same manner. "She ran to Vilinski when her bump started showing on the pretext that she was not feeling well. The weather of Vilinski suits us. When she returned, she had a baby boy in her arms. She thought that her husband would melt after seeing his son, but Viktor became angry. He became so angry that he snatched the one-month-old child from my mother and threw her in the dungeons."

    "My mother cried and cried her heart out because she was still milking."

    Emma stifled a gasp as misery surged through her.

 Chapter 58 His Past (2)

    ?Lazarus''s fingers came to her thighs and caressed themnguidly. "The little babe was fed by a wet nurse instead of his mother''s milk. A monthter, she was released and when she came out, her health was down. As the years went by, my father''s torture on my mother increased. She was at the receiving end all the time. He used his fists, his whip, his legs and everything that came in his hand."

    Emma shuddered at the thought of how cruel one could be. A tear rolled out of her eyes for Queen Adara.

    "With constant beatings, she became even more fragile than ever, but in her heart festered hatred towards her mate. Mates were supposed to love each other, but he only showed his cruelty to her."

    "But why?" Emma asked, her breath hitched, her heart lunging in her throat.

    "Because my mother possessed what he wanted. The ne of magic and power. It was always there on her neck. It gave her life and power to sustain Viktor''s brutality. She had kept it for me because she wanted me to inherit the kingdom of Wilyra after me. But my father wanted it for him. The problem was that it was impossible to snatch the ne from my mother. It was etched on her body."

    He took a deep long breath and his fingers roamed up again. Sun began to rise and Emma was afraid that the rays woulde inside the carriage through the window. She drew the curtains in to stop the sunlight.

    "Viktor used the powers of witches to extract the ne out. He would give Adara foodced with potions that was concocted by the witches to remove the ne. He would add poison to her food or wine so that she died one day. But none of it was working. It was at the end that a wizard called Vikra helped my father. He gave him a potion that started to slowly remove the ne from her skin. And every time it pulled out, my mother would shout in extreme pain."

    "At the end of it, she couldn''t bear it. She called me on herst day to her chamber." Lazarus remembered that she was lying pale on the bed, her body so light that a wind could shake it. Her eyes had sunk deep in the holes. She caught his hand. "She said to me that you must take my revenge, Lazarus. You must protect this ne. Shemanded me that I should kill King Viktor and im the throne. That would be her revenge!"

    Emma''s tears came out unbridled. Her lips began to shake but she stifled her sniffles to hear more of his story.

    "She was about to give me the ne when my father stormed in the room. He grabbed the ne on her and pulled it. It was hanging with thest vestiges of her skin and flesh. I didn''t know why my father was so keen on that ne but Iter realized its importance."

    "Did your father snatch it from her?" Emma asked, a shudder passing through her body. He grabbed her tight.

    "He couldn''t. But my mother was on her deathbed. She knew that she was going to die anyway. She made him vow to the Lore that she would give him the ne only if he vowed to the Lore that he wouldn''t harm me. Viktor gritted his teeth and hissed at me, but he made a vow. Out of fury, he snatched the ne from my mother as she shrieked in pain, as blood and skin came out of her neck."<novelnext></novelnext>

    He remembered the look of shock on Viktor''s face at that instant as if his vow had gone for a waste. "The next instant, he ordered his guards to bury her in the blood forest. Amidst her shrieks, she was taken away. I ran after the guards, trying to fight them to release my mother, but they pushed me aside. They buried my mother in the blood forest."

    "I wasn''t allowed out of the pce for two days and when I was, I ran straight to the blood forest. I tried to find her but I couldn''t." He let out a rough exhale. "I would go to find her every other day and then one day my father ordered me to be buried alive in the blood forest."

    "What?" Emma squeaked. "He took a vow to the Lore that he wouldn''t kill you."

    "That wasn''t killing¡­ practically. But when I was fourteen the guards took me to the blood forest and buried me alive. For a week I was inside, crying, thrashing and kicking through the coffin. The roots of the trees crawled towards me andtched onto my hands. They sucked my blood."

    Emma curled her arms around him and hugged him tightly. She hid her face in his shirt as her body trembled. Such cruelty was unknown.

    "It was then that a soft voice came to me. Your bride is going to help you gain your kingdom back. It was as if I was deluding or what? But the soft voice goaded me toe out of my grave. With whatever energy I could muster, I wed my way out of the grave. I saw my nanny trying to break theyers of ice with an ax. As soon as she saw me, she hugged me tightly, crying out loud, thanking the goddess. She took me back to the pce and informed the king that I was back."

    "For many days I couldn''t speak because of the trauma built inside me. I didn''t allow myself to interact with anyone, didn''t meet anyone. Yearster, when I did, I was a grown-up man. I vowed that I will avenge my mother because she was dishonored, because Viktor snatched my birthright. I will take my kingdom back."

    He looked down at her and found that she was snuggling in him, sniffling. He curled his fingers beneath his chin and gave her an ominous smile. "Now you know why I need you?"

    Her lips parted at the dangerous look in his eyes.

    "So be a good girl, and behave. Will you?"

    She didn''t say anything because she felt miserable for her captor. But¡ª

 Chapter 59 Red Eyes Staring At Her

    ?But Emma wasn''t the type who would¡­ behave. She pulled away from his fingers that were pinching her chin. She was going to continue in her efforts to woo Lazarus.

    Their caravan stopped only for a few hours in the afternoon to give rest to the horses and to have lunch. When the carriage stopped, Emma got out to stretch her limbs and breathe in fresh air. Her body was sore from constant rolling of the carriage on the dirt road that was pretty bumpy in some stretches.

    Ginger came rushing to Emma with a trencher. "Would you like to eat something, mdy?" she said as she gave her the te that had fish sticks wrapped in a cloth.

    Emma''s stomach growled with hunger. She devoured the fish with a loaf of bread that Ginger produced for her.

    "Where are the other men, and where are Magnus and Yul?" Emma asked as she chewed her food, leaning against the carriage.

    Ginger said, "Oh they are¡ª"

    "Come in soon," Lazarus growled, cutting off Ginger. He didn''te out because the sun was bright and he didn''t like that she was asking about them. Did she want to go to them and ride the rest of the journey with them? The thought left him¡­ rattled.

    Ignoring hismand, she asked Ginger again, "Where are they? I don''t see them."

    Ginger pointed at another carriage. "They are in that carriage. In fact, they were asking about you. Would you like toe and see them?"

    "I would!" Emma replied with a gleam in her eyes.

    Jealousy red like a demon in his chest. He opened the door despite the strong rays of sun falling over his skin, burning him where they fell. "You would dare to go to them?" he growled and yanked her inside.

    Emma squealed as she was picked up and seated on her bench inside the carriage. Lazarus was kneeling in front of her on the floor, his chest falling up and down as he took ragged breaths. Scared that she was going to meet Yul all over again, he ordered her, "Now you won''t get out of the carriage till we reach Upper North Jupan." Saying that he shut the door on the gaping face of Ginger.

    There was so much tension in the carriage that Emma could feel it crawling over her. He took a piece of fish stick and made her eat it. His fingers grazed her chin and electricity charged in the air around her. She chewed the fish stick and realized that he had put his thumb inside her mouth. On an instinct she began to suck it and he sucked in a sharp breath.

    Her cheeks pinkened till her ears and his thumb came out of her mouth and traced her blush. He smelled the air around her sharply. The scent of violets was mixed with spice and lemon. What would it be to draw blood from her at this moment? Suddenly, he pulled away, restraining his vampire-ish thoughts. Cool breeze coated her body at theck of his proximity. She lowered her head and focused on eating.<novelnext></novelnext>

    They reached Upper North Jupan by the next evening. When they alighted the carriage, Lazarus saw his brother, Cain, standing at the front stairs of the castle. "Brother Lazarus!" he said as the two sped their hands on each other''s forearms. "I had given up all hope that you woulde to attend Samhain!"

    Lazarus shrugged. "I made an exception this time," he said with arrogant air.

    Cain''s lips lifted, seeing his brother''s familiar attitude. "Where is Maeve?" he asked, looking behind her, hoping to find her. Instead he saw a beautiful, young girl with hair the color of sun rays, sitting and peaking at him over Lazarus''s shoulder. His breath hitched. "And who is this beautiful mortal?" He thought that she was his concubine. "I am sure you would love to share her, won''t you?"

    A feral snarl escaped his lips and he was short of lunging at Cain and killing him when Emma cut his thoughts. "I am Lord Lazarus''s mate." She got out of the carriage and bowed to Cain who was looking utterly surprised with his eyes wide like that of a saucer.

    Lazarus''s mood lifted immediately. "No one can dream of sharing her," he snarled and then walked past Cain, budging him with his shoulder.

    Cain stumbled back but when he regained his bnce, he barked augh. He looked at Emma with amusement and said, "Let''s see how she bells the cat." Then he turned over his shoulder to look at Lazarus and muttered, "In this case, a bull."

    Emma stifled augh. She bowed to him again. Magnus and Yul came to her side. They bowed to Cain. Cain''s wife, Naomi came over and after exchanging pleasantries, she ordered the servants to take the guests to their rooms and take the luggage after them.

    "I hope your journey was good," Naomi said politely to Emma.

    "It was¡­ bumpy," she replied innocently, wrenching anotherugh from Cain and others.

    Naomi''s younger sister Olya joined them as Naomi escorted them to their rooms. Suddenly, Magnus fell absolutely quiet. He stole nces at her which didn''t go unnoticed by Emma.

    "Tomorrow we will be celebrating Samhain," Naomi informed. "The celebrations would be held in the main gardens of the castle. I would suggest that you all sleep well throughout the day, because the night is going to be a long one!"

    Naomi wasn''t prepared for having Emma, and so she directed her servants to make arrangements for her in Lazarus''s room. When Emma went inside, she saw that Lazarus was sprawled on the bed. She tiptoed her way to her trunk, took out a nightgown and then tiptoed to the bathroom. She needed a hot bath and Naomi had suggested that the servants had filled the bath for the guests already.

    Emma stripped and stepped in the copper bathtub, moaning as hot water hit her skin. She closed her eyes as she submerged beneath the surface of the water. She stayed there for long and when she came up, she smoothed her wet hair back and saw red eyes staring at her. "Lazarus!" she squeaked. He was standing naked, gazing at her.

 Chapter 60 A Tradition

    ?Immediately, Emma covered her breasts with her hand, blushing deeper than crimson.

    Emma had never seen him fully naked. And goddess! His hair was a mess of golden curls over his head that fell over his red eyes. Her heart jolted out of her ribcage. His jaw was in need of a shave and as he closed the gap between them, she found herself staring at his mountain of muscles and that perfectly chiseled body. The way he walked to her it was as if he gave no fucks to the attention, he was drawing in.

    Emma was so taken aback that she froze in her ce when he stepped in the same bathtub. Her gaze dropped to his massive shaft that was at a half mast. She tried not to stare at it for long and peeled her gaze off it. "What are you doing here?"

    He moved to sit in front of her. Then he moved her and made her sit in front of her with her back facing him. "I am taking a bath, just like you."

    "But you can''t just sit here and take a bath with me!" she protested.

    He raised an eyebrow and said, "Why not?"

    She locked her teeth tight and picked up a loofah and fixed her attention to scrubbing herself. But his cock kept grazing her ass and she could swear that every time it did, it was bigger, harder.

    Lazarus took the loofah from her and began scrubbing her slowly on the back. This was the first time she bathed with a man and she was¡­ ashamed. Her blush spread to her neck and the water seemed like it was boiling. As he slowly circled her back, a moan passed her lips. His hands went to her front to her belly when liquid het was coiling tighter and tighter. His hands grazed her breasts and then raked her puckered nipples. She stifled a gasp. The loofah went further down to her thighs and then to the apex of her thighs and she trembled beneath his fingers when they raked her swollen bud.

    She stopped him with her hands. "I can do it."

    "Don''t deny me what is mine," he growled. Her wrists were nothing as he continued to scrub her.

    She felt like she was being strummed like strings of a harp. She wanted to sing the music he was ying on her and when he pressed his finger at her core, she came hard. She clenched her thighs, trapping his hand inside them. She caught his forearms as she screamed through her orgasm.

    "Now it''s my turn," he said after she was totally spent. He handed her the loofah, silently ordering her to clean him. She scrubbed the loofah over him and wondered if he needed his release, but he continued to stare at her intensely.

    They slept on the same bed. He made her turn the other side and spooned her. Emma couldn''t understand why he wasn''t being selfish this time, but she was too tired and spent to think more. Her eyes closed and she went into deep slumber.

    When she woke up next, he wasn''t there. It was evening and she realized that she had slept through the whole day. She felt a pang of pain in her heart, seeing the empty bed next to her. She was growing attached to the man she should be despising.

    "Mdy," Ginger''s soft voice came to her. "You must get ready. Lord Cain and Lady Naomi are receiving guests."

    An hourter, Emma walked out of her room with Ginger. She was wearing a light pink gown that was cinched at the waist and had a skirt that hadyers andyers of tulle. Ginger had braided one part of her hair and curled it over her head. Rest of her hair was cascading down to her hips. She hadn''t applied any makeup but Ginger insisted that she wear a light color of her lips.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Where are Magnus and Yul?" Emma asked, feeling lonely.

    "They will be joining you shortly," Ginger said.

    As they walked towards the gardens, suddenly Emma saw dys. She waved at her. "Emma!" Surprised flickered through her as dys came rushing to her.

    "You were alsoing?" Emma said. "You should havee with us!"

    dysughed. "I decided at thest minute."

    "I see," Emma replied chirpily and curled her arm around dys''s. They walked to the venue and entered into a ce soaked with fun. There were fun wheels, tents that held various contests, card games, and a lot of dancing and singing.

    They walked to the tent where Lord Cain was standing with his wife. "dys," Naomi said coldly as she embraced her. "It''s a pleasure to have you amongst us."

    dys bowed to them. "It''s my pleasure too." She nced at Olya and dipped her chin arrogantly. Olya let out a rough exhale as she dipped her chin too.

    Magnus and Yul too joined them. "Magnus!" Yul!" She peeped beside them, hoping to see Lazarus but he wasn''t there. Her mood plummeted.

    After they bowed to the Lord Cain and Naomi, Yul came to stand beside her, ring at dys. Magnus went to stand beside Olya who seemed to bepletely shaken by his presence.

    "Do you know there is a tradition in Jupan where all the single men and women, boys and girls stand inside a tent blindfolded?" said Naomi with a smile. "Then they start walking towards each other. You will kiss the first person who reaches you first. Legend says that whoever you end up kissing ends up being your spouse. But¡ª" she threw a suspicious nce at Emma. "Only eighteen-years-olds and above are eligible for this tradition."

    "Oh I turned eighteen a week back!" Emma blurted.

    There was a stunned silence in the tent and then suddenly everyoneughed at her innocence.

    "It seems you are pretty eager!" Yul chortled. He was imagining a whole lot of things.

    Naomi chuckled. She said, "Emma, why don''t you go with Olya to look around while we talk to dys. It''s been ages since we have caught up."

 Chapter 61 Mirror

    ?Magnus''s head turned to Olya as she walked out with Emma. His breath lodged in his throat, captivated by her. When she was around it was difficult for him to do anything else, see anyone or even breathe. Olya nced back at him as if inviting him to join her, and inadvertently he took a step towards her.

    "Where are you going?" Naomi said, giving him a pointed look.

    Magnus stopped in his tracks as he pursed his lips in a thin line. Olya wasn''t Magnus''s mate but he felt a strong attraction to her. He had fallen in love with her when he saw her the first time. She was barely thirteen. He hade to attend Samhain along with Lazarus and other vampires of his house. She was so chirpy and running around like a child, like a butterfly, like a flower in the wind that he had fallen head over heels for her. And since then the passion only grew harder.

    "I was nning on joining Emma," he said and his throat burned with the lie.

    "We have to catch up, cousin!" Cain stopped him. "There is a lot you and I have to talk about. dys is also here. It is going to be one long night!"

    "Where is Lazarus?" Naomi asked. "I haven''t seen him ever since he came here."

    dys shrugged while Magnus remained quiet. Lazarus had gone to meet the Oracle of Zeph.

    "He wille back in a few hours," Magnus filled them in.

    "But where has he gone?" Naomi asked, walking towards the tent''s exit and directing the servant to drop the p down.

    "I don''t know," Magnus said. Lazarus had asked him to keep it a secret.

    Cain sat on the couch that was at the corner of the tent near the table over whichvish food was spread. He picked upmb steak and chewed it. "Howe Lazarus hasn''te with Maeve?" he asked. "And when did Emmae into his life? Is she Maeve''s new vessel? Don''t tell me that please!" He shook his head.

    dys exhaled a long breath as she too went to sit on the soft rugs that were spread in the center of the tent. "She is the new vessel for Maeve and she knows about it."

    Naomi was surprised. "And she has agreed?"

    "Does she have a choice?" Magnus scoffed.

    Along with Yul and Olya, Emma walked around the garden. She loved how vibrant the whole ce was.

    "Would you like toe to my favorite ce?" Olya said with a smile to Emma.

    "Sure!" Emma chirped. "You are Naomi''s sister?"

    "Yes!" Olya nodded with a smile. "I am her younger sister."

    Emma wanted to ask her about Magnus, but she hesitated. Instead she asked, "Do you live here with them?"

    "I do¡­" she said in a low voice. "Our parents died when I was a babe. Naomi is like my mother. She took me under her wings and Lord Cain had been very benevolent towards me."

    "You live with them?" Emma repeated, one brow arching.

    She chuckled. "Yes. And they treat me like their child, not like Naomi''s sister."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Emmaughed at that as Yul grinned. "I have known Olya for a long time."

    "But you haven''te here that often," Olyained. "You should have!" They both used to y together when they were younger.

    He shrugged. "I am too busy with Lord Lazarus. It''s just impossible to find time." His gazended on Emma who was now looking ahead towards a tent.

    "Here we are!" Olya said excitedly. "A witches here every Samhain. She is so good and she kind of creates so many illusions that you would be astonished. We call this ce a horror house!"

    Emma''s blood drained. "Horror house?"

    "Yes!" Olya grabbed her hand andughed. "Don''t be afraid. It''s all an illusion."

    "Yes, don''t be afraid Emma," Yul said as he came to stand behind her. "I am there with you!"

    Olya tugged Emma in the horror house. They walked through a dark tunnel. Emma grabbed Olya''s hand tightly as if her life depended on it. She hadn''t been this afraid of Lazarus''s fangs. In fact, thinking of them only made her throat dry.

    "Don''t be scared, okay?" Olya repeated. "These are just illusions and can''t harm you."

    With her breath lodged in her throat, she walked further down when all at once, a very tall man with a skull instead of head pounced on them. Emma shrieked as she bent down while Olyaughed. "It is nothing, Emma!" Yul assured her. When she got up, it wasn''t there.

    Next, they entered a room full of mirrors and Emma was aghast when she saw her reflection in the mirrors. Her skin was pale and her eyes were red. There was a crown on her head which had red rubies and diamonds. She stopped there, frozen to the spot.

    "Don''t stop, Emma," said Olya. "This is a room of pure imagination. The mirrors show you something you are not." Saying that Olya walked ahead while Yul stood a few feet away from her, mesmerized at his reflection.

    But Emma couldn''t pull herself away from the mirror. As she gazed at it, the surface of the mirror rippled like water and a hand appeared from inside it, holding an apple. "Emma¡­" a woman''s voice sounded from inside it.

    Emma clenched her jaw to stop her teeth from chattering as she shivered with fear.

    "This is for you," the voice said.

    Emma whipped her head to see if anyone else was having the same experience like her. But Yul was fixed in his ce, while Olya was still roaming around unaffected.

    "Who are you?" Emma asked.

    She chuckled. "I am Shira," she said. "Don''t worry. This is a small secret between us and will remain like that. Won''t you eat the apple?"

    With shaky hands she took the apple. "How do you know me?"

    The surface of the mirror rippled again and it became in and hard. Instead of her reflection, Emma now saw a beautiful woman standing inside it. She was wearing a silvery dress that sparkled like it had stars all over. Her lips were painted red and she had golden eyes.

 Chapter 62 The Kissing Tent (1)

    ?Emma couldn''t avert her gaze from the woman inside the mirror. She felt like she was getting pulled towards her. She had a strong urge to get inside the mirror and see her. "How do you know me?" she asked, entranced.

    Shira''s lips curved up. "That is not the right question Emma. The right question is what do you n to choose from here on."

    "I¡ª" she rasped, wondering what Shira was asking her.

    "Do you want to choose darkness or do you want eternal light?"

    Emma''s stomach twisted in a thousand knots. "I don''t understand¡­" she murmured.

    "Emma!" A sharp voice came from the background.

    The surface of the mirror started rippling. The image of the woman started to be hazy. She said, "You will understand it, but make a conscious choice. I know you will."

    "Emma!" The sharp voice was nearer.

    The mirror''s surface rippled more. The woman disappeared and then suddenly it was all in hard surface. Emma found staring at her reflection. She had paled and she was shivering. The apple was still in her hand.

    "Emma!" Olya shook her shoulders. "Are you okay?"

    "I¡ª I¡ª" she stammered. "Th¡ªthere was a woman¡ª" she pointed at the mirror.

    Olya turned her eyes to the mirror and her brows bunched. "Woman? What woman? There is no one there. I told you this is all an illusion."

    "But how did I get this?" she asked, lifting her hand and showing the apple.

    Olya jerked her head back. She peered behind the mirror into the darkness. "Oh, there are few lying over here!" She pointed at a basket full of apples. "You must have picked up one from here."

    Emma gaped. "No, she gave it to me!"

    Olya held her upper arm and chortled. "Emma, this is all a very refined illusion. I told you earlier that a witches here every Samhain and creates the horror house."

    "Can I meet the witch?"

    "Umm¡­ I don''t think so." Olya tugged her out of the mirror room. "Not many have seen her. She has beening here for a long time."

    Emma didn''t say a word as she still couldn''t shake off the feeling of fear and panic. "Let''s get out," she said finally, feeling very ufortable. On her way out, she grabbed Yul''s hand who scowled at her when being dragged out. Once they were out of the horror house, Emma took a deep breath in. It was surely an illusion. She shook her head to shove that memory away. "What next?" she asked.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "The kissing tent!" Olya replied with a grin. "That is the most exciting ce, one I have been avoiding for a long time."

    "Well now is your chance to go to it," Emma said as she looked forward to the kiss. She knew that it was all just for fun, but then she wanted to have all the fun in the world.

    Olya giggled. "We have to spend some time in the line as all the boys and girls must have made a beeline to it." They increased their pace. "Usually those who end up kissing each other, marry each other."

    "But that is so strange," Emma remarked. "Is it that the mates kiss each other? Or is it that some magic happens and they fall in love?"

    "I don''t know. But I am sure there is magic out there," Olya said. "I have been avoiding it though."

    Yul was extremely excited. "So how do they end up kissing? Like how would they know? What if two lovers are sent there by force and end up kissing someone else?"

    "Why don''t you try your luck Yul?" Olya smirked. "Who knows you will find your wife there?"

    A gush of adrenaline pumped in his blood. His lips parted as he let out a rough exhale and looked at Emma. "I would love to try my luck!"

    They reached the kissing tent in the next fifteen minutes and true to what Olya had said, there was a long line of potential kissers.

    "You are a royal," Yul grunted, feeling impatient. "You should go there first." He wanted to go there first. His excitement was barely contained.

    "Lord Cain has made it amply clear that even the royals are going to stand in the line," Olya exined as a few boys bowed to her. They also gave flirtatious nces at Emma and dipped their chin in curtsey. Yul bared his fangs at them as he tried to shield Emma from their vision.

    They reached the main entry of the tent in almost an hour. By that time, Olya chatted away like a bird. She talked to Emma and came to know about her past. The two girls bonded over the one hour and Emma felt that she really found a good friend in Olya. Too bad that she was living so far away. She wondered if she would invite her to Wilyra, but her thoughts doused when she remembered her impending doom.

    "The girls will go to the left behind that curtain." The woman who was handling the show said loudly, making them quiet instantly. "And the boys will go to the right behind that one." She was a burly woman with a tall frame. Her dark hair was tied in a loose bun at the base of her head. She wore a lot of makeup and her clothes were garish.

    The tent was pretty huge. It could amodate at least fifty people at a time easily.

    Yul watched Emma going behind the curtain and focused on her steps. He remembered where and how far she went and stopped. He followed other men and made his way exactly opposite Emma behind the curtain, but soon realized that other men wereing in his direction. They kind of bunched up there. He gritted his teeth and pushed his way to the front. A woman came and she started tying blindfolds over their eyes.

    "No cheating!" she warned them. "If you cheat, then you won''t get the girl."

    And Yul''s muscles strained with tension.

 Chapter 63 The Kissing Tent (2)

    ?Yul became very serious and allowed the woman to tie the blindfold on his eyes properly. He was going to have to rely on Emma''s scent now. So he inhaled a deep breath and segregated her scent from the rest.

    However a momentter the woman who was putting blindfolds on every man, announced, "We know that the vampires have an uncanny sense of smell. Since the humans and vampires are mixed here, we are going to spray sandalwood scent liberally inside the tent so that you can''t detect who you are going to kiss!" She tied the blindfold to another boy. "Remember, you are not allowed to speak. If you do that, you will be disqualified! And then we won''t let youe back till another year."

    "Nooo!" Yul squealed. And everyone stifled augh.

    "Yeeeesss!" The woman replied with smirk. "We will! We know that even though you all are blindfolded, you will detect your favorite with her scent. But that is not our goal. If you want to go to your favorite one and kiss her, why have youe in this tent?"

    Yul gritted his teeth. Bloody hell. He has wasted his chance. He shouldn''t havee to the tent to kiss her. He should have kissed her before all this fiasco. Now he wanted to get out, but how could he? Emma was right there on the other side and must be standing blindfolded. "Damn!" he blurted impatiently, feeling like punching something or someone.

    The woman came close to him and whispered. "I know it is hard, but focus on your breathing and then open the eyes of your mind. You will surely detect the one who is made for you."

    He sucked in a sharp breath and did what she asked him. The tent filled with a sharp smell of sandalwood scent and now he was clueless as to where she was. So he concentrated on the direction where she was standing. But even thatst chance was snatched from him when the woman shuffled them all. Now he didn''t know where he was even standing. He waspletely clueless.

    The curtains opened with a swoosh and cold sweat broke on his face. He didn''t want to just kiss anyone. He mped the side of his trousers as he tried his best to get a whiff of Emma''s scent. Someone pushed him in a frenzy and Yul spun. He let out a set of expletives as he did his best to orient himself back in the same direction he was. He strode in the direction of the women hastily, afraid that someone else would find Emma, but five stepster, he found himself colliding with the tent''s fabric.

    More curses came out as he turned back to where all other men were going. With his jaw clenched, he strode in the right direction. But as his luck would have it, he banged into a man who tumbled and fell down and he fell over him. Yul wanted to grab the boy and thrash him, and then curse him loud but he couldn''t. Because if he did the woman in-charge of it was going to throw him out.

    So Yul took a deep breath all over again and got up. He focused on the steps of all the women in the tent. He heard the soft steps of someone on the right. A smile came to his lips. Only Emma walked that softly. With his chin up, he walked to the right. The noise of the steps was strange. Was she walking on the snow? Did it mean that she had gone out?

    Feeling panicky, he increased his pace and a few meterster, a cold breeze hit his face. Was he out of the tent? But the steps were closer and the scent of sandalwood was stronger. He brought his hands forward and a few meterster he sensed something velvety. That was her dress. "Emma!" he eximed and the thing whinnied softly. Shocked, he removed the blindfold from his eyes and found himself staring in the eyes of a white spotted mare. She whinnied again softly. He noticed that her saddlebag was loaded and as she swayed her buttocks, the sandalwood scent bottles rattled inside mimicking his own emotional state.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Nooo!" he bellowed and sharply spun back to enter the kissing tent, but the woman came to stand there with her hands across her chest.

    She shook her head. "You can''t enter now." She narrowed her eyes and then asked, "Did you kiss my mare?" As if she didn''t trust him with her mare. She hade out to guard the tent as soon as the curtains were drawn.

    Yul felt like puking. He stomped his feet like a teenager in heat and then stormed out of there.

    ---

    Emma was¡­ excited. As terrifying as the Kissing Tent sounded, it was thrilling. She touched her lips, wondering who was the poor soul who would kiss her. Well, it was all for fun. She shrugged and then felt better. Why was it that her heart was rebelling against the idea of someone else other than Lazarus kissing her? In her heart she wanted him, but she knew that he had gone to Zeph.

    The woman who had introduced herself as Zelda, spoke the rules of the game and then blindfolded all the girls. Olya was right next to her, feeling jittery.

    "This is all in the hands of the Goddess now!" Zelda said harshly. "So no cheating!"

    Emma''s stomach twisted into knots. The scent of sandalwood assaulted her nostrils.

    "Youngdies," Zelda announced, "walk forward and kiss the first person you will touch."

    As soon as the curtain drew back, the girls started with their arms stretched out. Emma''s ears filled with the sounds of scrambling feet as all the girls started to walk out. With a ragged breath she moved a few steps further. Suddenly, she heard someone being bumped and some expletives being hurled in a muffled voice. And before she knew, she had bumped into someone. His arms came around her waist to steady her. Her breath lodged in her throat.

 Chapter 64 [Bonus ] The Kissing Tent (3)

    ?The scent of sandalwood was so strong that she couldn''t understand who he was. Her heart was hammering against her chest threatening to leap out of her throat. This was it. This would be her kiss in this tent. She prayed to God silently.

    Whoever held her strongly against him, pulled her somewhere. Her fingers trailed to his chest and she realized that it was heaving. Her fingers trailed further up to find his face. And the moment she did that his body froze under her soft touch. She became nervous. Her fingers went to the soft fabric of his tunic until she reached his neck. She halted in her movements, afraid and feeling thrilled at the same time.

    His hands remained at her lower back and then slipped to her hips. He squeezed them and then lowered his face to her side. His warm breath fell over her skin and her lips parted. Her fingers trailed further up and she found herself caressing the jawline.

    "Who were you thinking you would kiss, Emma?" Lazarus''s deep baritone voice came as a whisper in her ears.

    A lump formed in her throat as a thousand butterflies fluttered in her stomach. She swallowed down the lump. She was intoxicated in his presence. She felt she would lose herselfpletely in his embrace. Her fingers traveled to his chin and she grazed his stubble and traced his jawline that could cut a ss. "Lazarus¡­" she murmured.

    "Yes, that''s me or were you expecting someone else?" His grip on her hips and waist tightened as he pressed her against his body hard.

    She should have felt afraid, but she felt a thrill rushing down her body. She wanted to say something but before she could say anything, his lips were on hers. Electricity jolted her body as her skin prickled with goosebumps. Heat gushed to her core and she leaned forward, deepening the kiss and thanking god that it was him.

    His lips were harsh, unyielding, as if full of rage. He opened her mouth and slid his tongue inside, colliding with hers. A small moan escaped her mouth which he absorbed in his mouth. Her world spun as her head became dizzy with the want of air. His hands on her hips kneaded her as his tongue devoured her hungrily. It was as if he couldn''t get enough of her.

    Her stomach coiled with a growing and burning need as the butterflies in her belly came to her chest making her heart thump faster.

    When he pulled away, she was gasping for air. She copsed against his chest and rested her face there for a while. "I was¡ª" she said.

    He had rested his chin over her head, panting hard. "Shhh¡­"

    "Alright!" Zelda''s voice sounded loud. "You can take out your blindfolds and see who you have kissed!"

    All at once, his hands slipped away from her. He took a step back and Emma whimpered in the loss of warmth and heat as a cool breeze hit her face. Even the butterflies in her chest stopped fluttering. It was as if someone had thrown a bucket full of ice. She reached up her blindfold and frantically took it down to see him but she found herself looking at the boys and girls who were giggling orughing.

    He had traced away.

    Emma''s eyes became moist as her chest squeezed with an ache. Emotions swirled in her and she couldn''t even speak. She felt that she was left¡­ alone.

    "Emma!" Olya''s excited voice fell on her ears. She came to grab both her hands and said, "You know what?"

    Emma tightened her lips in a thin line as she put on her best smile. "What happened? Who kissed you?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Olya sped her hands and looked up dreamily. "I don''t know! But whoever kissed me was gone the next moment! I¡ª" she was breathless. "I was shaking in his kiss. And he was so good!"

    Emma furrowed her eyebrows. "Who could that be?" she asked.

    Olya became stiff. "I¡ªI don''t know¡­" she said in a soft voice.

    ? When they came out, they found Yul standing and waiting for them looking extra peeved, with his arms crossed across his chest. He narrowed his gaze on Emma and studied her face. She was flushed and her lips were swollen. His nostrils red in anger. He didn''t even look at Olya who was boisterous. All around them were happy couples who were mingling with each other and talking andughing.

    "Foolish young lovebirds!" he snorted.

    "Why?" Emma said. She chuckled. "Did you find your lover there?"

    Yul remembered the mare he saw and a shudder passed through him. "No!" he snapped arrogantly. "I didn''t kiss anyone. It was a useless exercise, simply a waste of time!"

    "Really?" Olya was surprised. "But you were too eager to get inside. You spent one hour with us in the line to get in!"

    Yul''s face turned red but he had to hide his disappointment. "That was just to apany you girls." When he recalled how he bumped into someone and then spun in a totally different direction, he wanted to get hold of that man and rip his throat. And he got bumped twice. Giving Emma a suspicious look, he asked, "Did someone¡ª" he coughed. "Ahem¡ª kiss you?"

    Emma blushed a deep pink. "Yes¡­" she muttered under her breath.

    Yul stopped, going stiffer than a rod. "Who the fuck kissed you?" he spat.

    How could she reveal? She lowered her head and walked past him.

    ---

    Lazarus was too uneasy in Zeph. Even though he was in the midst of consultation with the oracle, he could feel that something was about to happen. His heart was thrumming so fast that he couldn''t concentrate. He just traced back to his room in the castle and found that Emma wasn''t there. He traced to the tent where Cain and the rest were there. He was there only for a split second in which only Magnus was able to see him. But Lazarus traced from there too with Magnus following him and leaving everyone wondering as to what just happened.

    "Where is she?" he growled at him.

    "In the Kissing Tent!" he replied.

 Chapter 65 The Oracle

    ?The moment Magnus said it, Lazarus wanted to roar her name as fury surged through him. He traced to the tent just in time to see that Yul was going closer to Emma. Enraged, he bumped his shoulder into his and Yul spun. Confused as hell, Yul turned back to orient himself but by then he had taken Emma to the side and imed her lips. How dare she came to the kissing tent? As he kissed her, his nerves smoothed. He kissed her so hard that he sucked air out of her, feeling this urgent need to merge with her.

    In the meanwhile, Yul again stumbled against someone and the two fell down. This time he had bumped against Magnus.

    Magnus saw him going towards Olya. He was very near her and so he quickly came in between them and they collided, falling over the ground. When Yul managed to get up, Magnus had caught Olya and took her to the side while Yul found himself out of the tent.

    ---

    Maeve was supposed to meet Lazarus at Zeph. She wanted to go to Upper North Jupan first in order to keep an eye on Emma and Lazarus, but Lazarus was adamant that shee to Zeph first. The oracle lived in a small cottage on the peak of a hill just outside Zeph. Surrounded by frozenkes on three sides, the cottage was essible by a steep winding road only through one side. Magic crawled all around the hill making it impossible for people to go there easily.

    Lazarus waited for Maeve at the foothill in his carriage. She was an hourte and one look at her, he knew that she had spent hours in front of the mirror.

    Maeve was waiting for this opportunity to talk lovey-dovey with him. She knew that Lazarus was emotionally challenged. He was starved of love and it was because his mother had died so early. She knew how to wrap this man around her little finger. "I wanted to be at Jupan," sheined.

    Lazarus ignored her and looked out of the window, his thoughts filled with Emma and how she had curled up on one side, watching the snowfall for a long time. Though he had pretended to sleep, he was watching her all the time. She looked so fresh and ethereal that when he couldn''t help it, he simply shifted to her side and pulled her in hisp. She had slept like a baby on him.

    When he didn''t reply to her, she snapped, "It seems you are thinking about the mortal again."

    He scoffed, "How do you know?"

    "It is written all over your face!" she said with irritation. "Why are you getting so swayed by that foolish girl? What will you achieve with her? Have you ever thought of it? The vigers are rebelling against you. There have been more victims. It seems that someone in your kingdom is sucking them dry. He or she is using them as blood bags without giving a thought that it would only lead to more trouble."

    Lazarus sucked in a sharp breath as tension knotted in his stomach. This was bad for him. The blood vassals were going to rebel all the more. He was doing everything to contain the rebellion but someone was doing his or her best to catapult it. He was sure that it was Anton.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Maeve continued, "The blood vassals are gearing up a battle against the vampires. And the only way to stop them would be to have me on the throne. So stop getting entranced by the mortal. She can''t do a thing. Only I will be able to control them all with my magic!"

    "Why do you want to control them with your magic? I want to have a peaceful solution with them."

    "There can''t be any peaceful solution. The only way to control these mortals is by magic and harsh magic. Once I am in Emma''s body, I am going to be so much more powerful and then I will rule them all!" she said, her eyes glinting like a maniac.

    Lazarus didn''t like the idea. So he closed his eyes and rested his back against the carriage. His thoughts once again went to his favorite toy these days, Emma. For the entire journey, he didn''t speak to Maeve while she continued to bber about God-knows-what.

    They reached the cottage soon. The oracle already knew that he wasing and so they didn''t encounter any magic. Lazarus heaved opened the heavy oak door which had a brass rose handle. When they entered inside, there wasplete darkness. Maeve wanted to use her magic, but restrained. Her body was going so weak after thest magic she used in anger because of Emma.

    All at once, soft light fell upon them from the ceiling. As they walked, Maeve noticed light yellow orbs pulsating with soft light. The ceiling of the room had roots and leaves twined around the orbs. They crossed the room to enter a small chamber and as soon as they got it, the oracle said to Maeve, "Oh, it''s you."

    Maeve gritted her teeth. "What do you mean it is I even before I spoke to you?"

    The oracle sighed and circled the table where she was working. Unlike what Maeve had thought she was a beautiful woman with golden eyes and bright red lips that looked like if someone pinched them, they would instantly bleed. She looked so young even though Lazarus had mentioned that she was thousands of years old and no one knew from where she came.

    "Because of the look on Lazarus''s face and because of all the makeup you are wearing. Layers andyers of it."

    Maeve narrowed her eyes and very coldly said, "You have made sure that you will die. As soon as your usefulness is over, I am going to sever your head and decorate my bedchamber with it."

    The oracle''s golden eyes turned fiery with rage. "This could be your future, not mine!"

 Chapter 66 The Future

    ?"She is going to be my bride, Shira!" Lazarus had to intervene, puzzled as to why Shira was so hostile. He had started to feel uneasy and wanted to go back to Emma. He didn''t know why he was experiencing this irritating ache in his chest.

    Shira tore her eyes off from Maeve after their ring contest. "Very well then." But her fists were still curled up in anger.

    Maeve didn''t want to waste her time. She flicked her hair back and said, "I want to know my future."

    "Your future?" Shira scoffed. She sized her up from top to bottom. "

    "Look in that globe of yours and see when will I ascend to the throne of Wilyra."

    Shira let out a rough exhale and took them both to an even smaller room. It was darker. She pointed at the two chairs in front of the table over which a globe that was swirling with smoke inside was ced. "This works only once in a month, so whatever you will see is going to cost you a lot."

    "Lazarus will pay whatever you demand!" Maeve shot at her.

    "The globe demands blood," Shira said with a humorless chuckle.

    Maeve cringed. "Lazarus, please give her what she demands!"

    "I need blood from both of you!"

    Maeve gritted her teeth. She didn''t want to lose her blood. When Shira extended her hand for them to give their palms, Lazarus gave it to her. She caught it over the globe. She sliced his wrist and the blood oozed out his wrist and dropped right over the globe. The globe started to absorb it as if starved of it. "The more blood you give, the more in the future you can see," she informed. "And I want equal blood from both of you."

    Maeve flinched. "Enough!" Shemanded Lazarus. "I don''t want to see more in the future," she said, afraid that so much of her blood would be lost. It was precious for her for the time being. Lazarus gave her a wary look and retracted his hand.

    Shira extended her hand towards her and Maeve gave her hand reluctantly. Shira sliced her wrist over the globe. The blood dropped over it and it was as if the globe was hungrily demanding it. Maeve''s teeth chattered. The gash on her wrist started sealing back and she was able to retract her hand.

    The oracle ced her hands over the globe. The smoke inside it swirled and twirled until it was blood red. Her eyes turned charcoal ck and as if the words were pulled out of her, she said, "The kingdom of Wilyra will ept you only by your bride''s side. Only she has to make a choice between darkness and eternal light. She will be a vampire. The blood vassals will yield to you and swear their fealty to you."

    Lazarus''s eyes grew hooded. He imagined himself on the throne of the kingdom.

    The globe turned back to its smoky gray and Shira''s eyes turned golden.

    "See Lazarus?" Maeve said, "I told you. I will be the one ruling beside you. You are going to be the king of Wilyra. Once I am with you, we will control the vassals also.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Lazarus was dying to hear those words. He would rule. He was going to get the revenge he wanted so hard.

    "Lazarus, now that you know the real thing, can you have some jewelers attend to me? I need to buy a few more diamonds and emeralds and¡ª"

    However, amidst all that thinking, his heart ached with an unknown emotion. Suddenly, he wanted to see Emma. There was something very wrong about to happen. His breathbored, he clenched his teeth. His gaze snapped to Shira who was watching him intensely.

    "Is anything wrong, Lazarus?" she said mysteriously, tilting her head.

    And suddenly he traced away from there, leaving a very bewildered Maeve.

    "Where has he gone?" Maeve asked, shocked, looking around everywhere in the room.

    Shira got up from the chair and walked out of the room. "I don''t know," she shrugged. "Ask him."

    Peeved as hell with his behavior, she followed Shira out of the room. When they came out, Shira said, "You may leave now."

    "What?" Maeve snapped. "How do you expect me to leave without him? I will wait for him."

    Shira raised her eyebrow as she turned to look at her. "If you think I am going to babysit a goddess, then you haven''t judged me well." She snapped her fingers and with a loud groan, the cottage started copsing.

    "What the hell are you doing?" Maeve shouted at her as winds whirled around her at a rapid speed. Every and each stone of the cottage whirled with it like it was struck in some form of typhoon. The stones disintegrated and dissolved in the wind. "Stop!" she yelled.

    Shira watched her with her amber eyes as momentster she too disappeared. Maeve was left stunned with her eyes wide, disheveled hair and a lot of dust on her clothes and face beneath an apple tree. She whipped her head around and found that she was on top of the hill under an apple tree as the moon shone above her.

    Her mouth fell to the floor. The oracle was really powerful. Shivering as a cool breeze blew around her, Maeve clutched her arms. She wasn''t even wearing a cloak because she was wearing a beautiful gown to entice Lazarus. Even that purpose wasn''t served. "Lazarus!" she shouted but only howling winds answered her back. She stomped her foot and then walked to the carriage that was still waiting for her.

    "Take me to Upper North Jupan!" she hissed at the carriage man as she sat inside.

    She couldn''t understand as to how did Lazarus trace away so easily when the hill wasced with so much magic that even she could feel it against her skin. Did the oracle allow him? Also where did he go? When they were near the foothill, Lazarus traced back in the carriage. "Where were you?" she growled.

    "With Emma," he growled back.

 Chapter 67 A Proposition

    ?"What the hell!" Maeve shouted at him. "Have you gone mad? How could you go to meet Emma in the midst of something so important? What will others think about us? Did you not hear the oracle?"

    Lazarus clenched his teeth and ignored her.

    "Why did you go to meet her?" she asked, growing frustrated.

    He gave her a cold look. "She was in the kissing tent at Samhain! I had to stop her from kissing anyone else other than me."

    Maeve''s mouth dropped to the floor. She gaped at him. "So you kissed her and that too in front of so many onlookers?"

    "Yes," he replied dryly. He didn''t know why he said that. He had kissed her when everyone else was blindfolded. But he didn''t want to reveal it to Maeve. In fact, he didn''t know why he liked the idea of kissing her in public. Wouldn''t that be like she belonged to him?

    "Lazarus!" Maeve shouted. "This is getting out of hand now. I am not liking it at all!" Maeve was feeling threatened. If he had kissed her in public, then chances were that he was really thinking in favor of her. If that happened, she could kiss goodbye to ruling Wilyra along with Ailill. Her heart thundered at the thought that she was so close to getting it all and that she would lose it in a heartbeat.

    The vampire needed a tight leash or better¡ªshe had to threaten him with serious repercussions if he continued to do so. At first, she wanted him to be near Emma, but now she wanted just the opposite. As for him marking her, she already had an idea. But first she had to sow the seeds of discord by threatening him. She narrowed her eyes on him and with a toneced with a threat, she said, "This is yourst chance Lazarus. I am extremely peeved!

    Lazarus''s fangs grew. "No one threatens me," he growled, his muscles bulging. "Not even you!"

    But Maeve kept her demeanor just as threatening. "If I see you spending your time with Emma again, I will leave you. You and your kingdom can go to hell. I don''t care whether you want to rule or not. But I will not have a mortal trampling all over me. Do you get that?"

    Lazarus frowned. "What did you just say?"

    "I said, I will leave you the next time I see you with Emma in public."

    Lazarus paled. He never thought that Maeve would threaten him to leave him when they were so close to having it all. His mind snapped. He had worked so hard to get his kingdom, to get his revenge and it would all go in a minute? What was he doing? Emma had really influenced him to the extent that his main focus was wavering. He clenched his teeth so hard that his jaw hurt. His heart started to race wildly. shes of his kingdom, his crown, his mother and everything else associated with them, bounced in his head at a maddening rate. And all of it left him¡­ panicky. How could he get so affected?

    They returned to Upper North Jupan in an hour. None of them spoke a word about it. Lazarus got out of the carriage and before stepping out, he said, "Things will be better now." He strode away from her and Maeve''s lips curved up in a smile. Her threat worked. As if she was going to leave.

    He walked to the tent where Lord Cain and Naomi were along with dys and Magnus. As he entered, he saw that Olya, Emma and Yul had also entered together. The girls were giggling about something while Yul appeared to be annoyed. When his gaze locked up with hers, she bit her lip and blushed. Lazarus ignored Emma and sat on the cushion next to Cain.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Brother!" Cain said and offered him wine and blue cheese. "I have a proposition for you. I have to say it out now because I don''t know when you will trace away. You are avable very less these days."

    Lazarus was in a bad mood. Emma''s blush had made her scent mixed with honey and rose and he was reminded of the drop of her blood that he tasted on his lips. "What is it?" he asked with a scowl. Also he didn''t like that Yul was sitting next to her.

    "This was about my wife''s sister, Olya," Cain continued as he looked at him intensely.

    Olya was slouching earlier as she had attacked food along with Emma. The grape that was between her teeth popped and her gaze flitted to Magnus and back to Cain. Her heart thundered in her chest and she was sure that they could hear it.

    Naomi smiled at her sister affectionately.

    Lazarus looked at Magnus who too was looking like he was about to explode with excitement which he was trying best to contain.

    "Go on," Lazarus replied, sipping his wine. He really needed distraction.

    "I would like to offer Olya''s hand to Lord¡­" he looked at Olya who had stopped breathing.

    "To?" Lazarus''s lips went up as he sensed Magnus''s eagerness. He knew that Magnus had a huge crush over Olya and he even dressed some concubines like her.

    "To Lord Lazarus," Cainpleted his sentence.

    A stunned silence followed. Lazarus gaped at Cain as if he had grown two horns. He already had Maeve and Emma in his hands who were proving to be the most difficult women of his life and Cain was proposing his sister''s hand? His eyes slid to Magnus whose face had morphed into anger. Hell no. He didn''t want to make Magnus his enemy. And suddenly the idea of marrying anyone other than Emma seemed¡­ abhorrent.

    "But Cain¡ª"

    Cain lifted his hand. "Let meplete," he said, cutting him off. "You are the prince of Wilyra and a prince can have as many wives as he wants. It''s not umon. Why are you so surprised?"

 Chapter 68 Clash Of Interest

    ?Naomi chuckled. "Yes Lord Lazarus," she said, ignoring the pin drop silence around them. "I would love it if you marry Olya. We know that Maeve will be your queen." Her gaze slid to Emma who was now pale. Her mind was overwhelmed with so many emotions that she looked like she had stopped breathing. But Naomi was not affected. "But let Maeve be your queen, Olya will be your second wife."

    Emma snapped her gaze at Olya as the two of them stood there stunned. A re of jealousy rose in her chest and Emma felt like she could kill Olya if she even thought of bing Lazarus''s wife.

    Cain scoffed. "Though I do wish that you don''t marry Maeve!" He shook his head as his hatred for the goddess was all over him. He nced at dys who had a bewildered expression on her face, but she groomed herself soon. She had picked up chicken wings and was biting slowly.

    "Well, what do you have to say, Lord Lazarus?" Naomi said with her chin up. She looked at Magnus for a second. He was appearing as if he would w the tent down in his blood rage, but she internally scoffed at him and ignored himpletely. "Olya will be a good wife for you."

    "I think it is¡ª" Lazarus began.

    "You don''t have to make a decision right now," Naomi stopped him. "You can take your time. We know that you have a very important ritualing in two weeks." Just as she finished her sentence, Maeve entered the tent.

    "You?" Lazarus growled.

    Maeve smiled at Naomi and then bowed to Lord Cain, avoiding Lazaruspletely. "When I wasing, I heard that you wanted Olya to be Lazarus''s wife." She said to Lord Cain. She crossed the distance between her and dys and sat beside her as she gauged everyone''s reaction. She was especially looking at Emma. And seeing her face, Maeve felt satisfied. Emma''s blood had drained from her face. Tears were brimming her eyes. She added, "It is a good idea. Olya would be a nice wife to him. I am a goddess and I know what royalty is all about. Having three of four wives is verymon and I am very fine with Olya." Internally she knew that if Lazarus also married Olya, she would simply kill her too.

    "Who asked your opinion?" Lazarus snapped.

    Maeve red at him. "I am going to be your future wife. The one who will rule the kingdom with you. Obviously, my permission is necessary."

    Emma was feeling so insulted and terrible that she rushed out of the tent. Her chest had tightened and she wanted to breathe fresh air. Her vision had be blurry. Her body was shaking with anger and trepidation. She ran through the crowd of people who were celebrating Samhain. She couldn''t help thinking that they were celebrating her doom.

    "Emma! Emma! Stop!" Someone called her, but her tears came out unbridled as her chest ached with an unknown emotion. She didn''t look back. "Emma, please stop!" Someone grabbed her hand and pulled her to a stop. It was Olya.

    "I don''t want to talk, Olya," Emma said. "I can''t tell you, but¡ª"

    Olya squeezed her hand and then suddenly pulled her in a tight hug. "I know¡­" she said softly. Even she was crying. "Come with me." Olya tugged her all the way to the castle. When they were both in her room, she closed the door and then made Emma sit on the couch in front of the firece.

    "I really don''t want to talk," Emma said with quivering lips as tears just didn''t stop.

    Olya gave her a small towel and took one for herself. "Emma," she murmured as she sat down beside her. "I don''t want to get married to Lord Lazarus."

    Emma jerked her head back. "Who am I to say anything in this matter, Olya? I will be dead in a few days."

    "But you are my dear friend and you are the mate of Lord Lazarus. I know how it feels when someone speaks like that in front of a mate." She shook her head as she too couldn''t control her tears. "Do you know who kissed me in the tent?"

    Emma''s brows scrunched up as she waited for her to speak.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "It was Lord Magnus."

    Emma jolted back as her hands pped over her mouth.

    Olya chuckled and nodded. "Yes, it was Lord Magnus."

    "He traced there?" Emma was surprised that Magnus too could trace to the kissing tent.

    "Some powerful vampires have this special ability to trace. But the ability to cover the distance depends on how strong they are. Undoubtedly, it is Lord Lazarus who is the most powerful amongst them all."

    "Oh!"

    "Well, the point is that I want to marry Lord Magnus. I love him. I have told this to Naomi a number of times, but she just doesn''t listen to me."

    Emma blinked her eyes. "So Lord Magnus loves you?" That made her feel a hundred times better.

    "We both love each other a lot."

    "Are you mates?"

    "No!" Olya whimpered, feeling horrible. "I wish we were."

    "What is the problem in marrying him?"

    Olya pursed her lips and looked away. "I am seventeen Emma. My father was Lord of Brinefall, which is a small district about twenty miles from here. When he died, I was very young and Naomi took me under her."

    "Yes, you told me¡­"

    "We are the only two daughters. When I turn eighteen, ording to the Brinefallws, I will have equal share in the wealth of my father. If I am given in marriage to Lord Lazarus, I will have no im on it and Naomi will get hold of all my father''s property being the elder daughter. But Naomi feels that I shouldn''t get a bad deal in the end and so, she has suggested this marriage to Lord Lazarus."

    "This is¡­ horrible!" Emma blurted. "Why not marry Lord Magnus then? Won''t it be the same and definitely better?"

    Olya''s chin trembled as she cried. "If I marry Lord Magnus, Brinefall will be his because I intend to marry him after I am eighteen and that would sh with Naomi''s interest."

 Chapter 69 Run Away

    ?Emma wiped the tears off her face. If she wasn''t going to get Lazarus, then she was going to make sure that Olya got Magnus. She grabbed Olya''s hands and said, "Why don''t you run away with Lord Magnus?"

    Olya looked scandalously at Emma. "What?" she squealed. "That would be so outrageous! How can I run away with him when I intend to marry him after I am eighteen?"

    Emma frowned. "When is your birthday?" she asked as if her mind was already concocting ns.

    "In two months."

    "Oh, then you have made it easier!" Emma''s lips quirked up.

    "How?" Olya asked, wondering what Emma was up to. And she could sense that Emma was up to something really mischievous.

    Suddenly, the door of her room opened with a loud bang and they snapped their heads in its direction.

    "Olya!" Magnus came inside, his expressions panicky. He closed the door behind him and leaned over it as he looked at Olya and tried to calm his nerves. His throat was dry. Slowly, he closed the gap between them and kneeled right in front of her. "I¡ª I won''t let that happen. Trust me," he said as he gently ced his hands over her thighs. The whole world including Emma faded around him.

    Olya bit her lip and cupped his beautiful face. "I don''t want to marry anyone other than you Lord Magnus," she said softly, her lips trembling.

    "I don''t want to marry anyone either," Magnus let out a love confession so beautiful that Olya melted.

    From the corner of her eye, Emma saw that Lazarus too had traced in the room. He leaned against the door with his hands sped behind him as he watched the two love birds with their gazes locked.

    "Then why didn''t you protest over there?" Emma intervened. She huffed in anger as Lazarus pushed himself from the door and walked towards them.

    Magnus snapped his head to look at her and then turned to Lazarus. His fangs snapped out and his fists balled tightly. "Lazarus," he said as he got up. "If you think I am going to leave you alive to marry Olya, then let me tell you one thing clearly¡ª"

    Lazarus lifted his hand up. "Magnus, I don''t want to marry Olya!" His eyes drifted to Emma who was blowing a strand out of her face with a fierce look in her eyes. If looks could kill, Emma was already throwing daggersced with poison at him.

    "Then why didn''t you deny it straightaway!" Magnus snapped, doubting his elder brother. He took a menacing step towards him and then another as if he wanted to rip him limb by limb.

    "If I denied it that time, Olya would have been in grave danger."

    Magnus''s eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

    "This is not the time to exin what I mean, but the thought of marrying anyone other than Em¡ª" his jaws clenched. "I mean Maeve, is abhorrent."

    Emma''s mouth fell to the floor. She rose from her ce, stomped to him and hissed, "That''s right. The two of you are a match made in hell. I wouldn''t have married you if you were a donkey!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Lazarus shot her a re. He was going to kill every donkey now. He willed himself to turn his attention back at Magnus. "My n is to¡ª"

    "Of please!" Emma interjected. "No one needs to know your n. Goddess Maeve is sitting in the tent, missing you," she said, fluttering her eyes in sarcasm. As Lazarus red at her again for being so impudent, she turned her attention to Magnus. "I have a n."

    Magnus narrowed his eyes on her. "What n?"

    Emma crossed the floor between her and Olya and sat down beside her. Magnus came to sit in front of Olya again and knelt. He wiped her tears and ced a chaste kiss on her cheeks as if to rx her. She grasped his hands in hers and then her eyes slid to Emma.

    "Why don''t you run away?" Emma said, shrugging. "It''s so simple."

    Magnus rolled his eyes as Olya said, "I told you that''s not an option!"

    "I know, but I am not asking him to run away. I am asking you to do that."

    "Are you freaking insane?" Lazarus growled.

    Emma shot him a re and he became quiet. "Look, Olya, you are upset with this whole marriage thing. Why don''t you run to Wilyra with Magnus? But no one should know that you have run to him. Everyone will find you everywhere else and Magnus too will have to show that he is finding her. But in fact you will be living in the pce all the time!"

    Lazarus''s lips curled up for a short moment but he wiped it off with his signature death nce.

    Magnus, in the meantime, was all ears. "I can hide her in the pce and it won''t be very difficult."

    "Yes, you have to hide her from Maeve''s magic for two months!" Lazarus scoffed.

    Emma crossed her hands across her chest and in a low voice said, "If I were alive, I would have helped you for those two months, but¡ª" her voice drifted away. Her throat burned with an unknown emotion. She shoved it soon and resumed her confidence. "Once she is eighteen, she can marry you in a private ceremony."

    Olya and Magnus couldn''t help but suddenly feel excited. "Well, this can be done. Fuck with Naomi and her vile ns!" Magnus said with excitement,cing his voice. He looked at Olya and gave her a reassuring look.

    Lazarus liked Emma''s n and he didn''t know why his chest was swelling with pride. "I have a cabin nestled somewhere nestled in the harsh icy snow mountains of Wilyra. We can keep Olya safe there," he added his contribution.

    Olya chuckled. "Oh, Emma! Thank you so much!" she jumped at her and squeezed her tight in her hug. "You are brilliant!"

    Emma flicked her hair back. "Of course, I am!"

    "Now that this matter is nearly resolved, let me go and ept Cain''s marriage proposal," Lazarus said, giving Emma another long look. But she ignored him. "Only then Olya''s running away would look legit!"

 Chapter 70 Small Revenge

    ?When Lazarus traced back to the tent, he found Maeve talking to Naomi and Cain over wine and they were allughing at something.

    "Where did you go, Lazarus?" Maeve asked as she got up from the mattress. She had to put up the act of showing that the two of them were a couple. So she walked to stand beside him. Even though she hated it, she curled her arms around his and purred, "Did you go after Olya?"

    Lazarus was genuinely surprised that she was standing with him with her arms over his. And somehow, he felt¡­ repulsed. But he shoved the emotion down immediately. "No," he replied dryly.

    Cain twisted his lips when he saw Maeve with Lazarus but as long as his ambition of getting Brinefall under his control, fulfilled, who was he? "Well, what do you have to say about Olya? Would you want to marry her? She will be a good wife."

    Lazarus looked over his shoulder at Maeve and found her regarding him with suspicion as if he would not ept it. His lips curling up, he said, "If Maeve wants it, then I will ept your offer."

    Naomi got up with excitement. "Oh this is wonderful!" she said, sping her hands. "I can''t believe that you have epted Olya. She is a wonderful girl and trust me she would be a lovely wife." Then she looked at Maeve. "She will never evere in your way Maeve. Olya is a very shy and meek girl."

    Maeveughed softly. "I know that and I like Olya very much." She hated all of them. She was just waiting for the ritual and then she would show them their power.

    "Let me go and tell this to Olya!" Naomi said as she looked at Cain who was grinning. He winked at her and lifted his ss in a silent toast to their ns.

    dys watched Naomi rushing out of the tent. She got up, gave a knowing look to Maeve. Maeve gave her a tight nod and then dys left.

    Along with Lazarus, Maeve walked to the couch that was empty. He spread on it and Maeve settled right beside him. "I have a small proposition for you, Lazarus," she said. She had to threaten him again if she had to go ahead with her ns. But she had to threaten him in a subtle way. "It is going to be beneficial for both of us."

    He closed his eyes, his thoughts still with Emma. She was intelligent and¡­ interesting. The way her lips had swollen up after she cried like that of a baby¡ªhe felt like capturing them.

    "I think I should go and be with Emma," Yul''s voice snapped him out of his musings.

    A low growl rumbled out of his chest. "She is fine," he said in a cold voice.

    "I don''t think so," Yul replied. "She rushed out crying and I am sure she needs someone to soothe her."

    Fury built in his chest. "She doesn''t¡ª" But he was cut off by Maeve who ced her hand on his thigh.

    "Let him go," she said. She wanted Yul to be out of this tent because she had to sow the seeds of discord between the three friends. By epting Olya as Lazarus''s bride, she had sessfully created a rift between the brothers. Now it was Yul''s turn. She continued, "Emma is not your business. And Yul can always take care of her in times of need." She looked at Yul and smiled. "You must be with her, Yul. You are a good friend. I am sure she needs a good friend at this time."

    Yul''s jaw clenched tightly. He didn''t acknowledge Maeve and strode out of the tent in anger.

    Maeve chuckled. "If Emma wasn''t your mate, I am sure that Yul would have married her."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Lazarus wanted to trace to Yul and snap his neck. "That would have been better," he said finally. At least Emma would have not got into this mess.

    His answer didn''t bore well with Maeve. She narrowed her eyes on him and said, "It seems that you are falling in love with your prey, Lazarus."

    He kept quiet, his emotions going all over. "What was your proposition?" He had to contain himself if he wanted the kingdom.

    Maeve suggested, "How about we let Emma stay in Upper North Jupan along with Olya for a few days? You can always take a break from her. She is a source of constant tension to you and she is also very unhappy at Wilyra."

    "Never!" Lazarus growled.

    "But Lazarus, you need to focus on your endgame. And she is distracting you. You must talk to the sorcerer queen, Mabel. You haven''t gone to the viges where the blood vassals live. With Emma staying here under the keen watch of Lord Cain, you can do all that. Besides, you have to prepare for the ritual." She gave him a wary look. "Or if you want to waste your time with her, then I think we should call it all off."

    His breath became ragged when she said to call off the deal. He stabbed his fingers in his hair and clenched his teeth to stop them from chattering.

    ---

    "Lazarus just¡­ left me," Emma muttered. She was sitting with Olya in the hot spring that was in a cave behind the pce. A few guards were standing at the mouth of the cave to keep an eye on the two young girls.

    He had left her three days before as if she was a brat who needed to be tamed and also taught a lesson while he had gone back to Wilyra saying that he had much to do and prepare for the ritual with a firm determination in his eyes that he would soon cast her soul out.

    It was almost afternoon. The little rays of sun falling from the roof of the cave fell right over the center of the water and all the way to the opposite side. Emma was sitting with a widece tied across her breasts and panties while Olya was at the edge of the pool, her head resting on her hands that were crossed over the ground. She managed to stay in the shade and away from sun rays.

    "I am so sorry for you, Emma," Olya said. She handed her the wine she was having. Emma gulped it all down. This was her third ss.

    "What do I do?" Emma whined.

    The two had be thick friends in the past three days. Olya couldn''t run away with Magnus because of Emma. However, their n was intact. Soon.

    "Why are you brooding over him?" Olya said. "While you are here with me, let us enjoy ourselves. I am running away tomorrow!"

    She nodded. "Yes, I have about ten days to live. I better enjoy it and get tanned." She drank another ss. She was going to get so tanned that this was the body that she would give to the goddess. Emma knew that the goddess loved to look whiter than usual. Thinking of her small revenge, she took the bottle of oil and rubbed it all over her body. Then she sprawled her body to get maximum sunrays. Moreover, Lazarus had asked her to eat and be curvy for him. She was going to do just the opposite. She was only eating fruits and drinking wine.

 Chapter 71 Was This A Portal?

    ?"He was so fine till we came to Samhain. I don''t know what Maeve told him that he got so influenced by her." When he had left her, he gave her the look like she was responsible for everything wrong in his life. It was as if along with her he would lose the Kingdom of Wilyra forever.

    Emma wondered if Maeve actually proved to be the seductress. She didn''t allow Lazarus to have sex with her. Did she allow him now? But Lazarus had told her that Maeve was an extremely delicate woman and they couldn''t have it.

    "I would havee to you over there and squeezed you hard if I weren''t a vampire," Olya said, feeling very sorry for Emma.

    For the past three days, the two girls had been together all the time. They would eat together and would be in each other''spany tillte in the night, till one of them would call it a night out. They had talked about Lore, witches, rogues and everything else in between. Emma even came to know about dragons. Dragons were mostly found in the Kingdom of Aztec and there were not many alive at this time. ording to Olya, there were some who could summon dragons while there were some who were bound to it by soul. The King of Aztec, Brantley Frazier, was one who was bonded to a dragon.

    "It''s fine¡­" Emma muttered and then gulped some wine with blue cheese.

    "But guess what?" Olya said excitedly. "I will be running away today!"

    Emma gave her a sad look. The only friend she had in all this world was also leaving. "Be safe, okay?" she said in a patronizing tone. "Don''t even think of sleeping in the same room as Magnus."

    Olya chuckled. "Never!" Her deep brown eyes sparkled when she spoke of him.

    "But I wanted to know that you are just seventeen. What if you turn eighteen and find your mate?"

    Olya shook her head. "I refuse to believe that I will find my mate. I am so much in love with Magnus that I am sure Lore wouldn''t bring forth my mate or his."

    "You both are so sweet," Emma muttered. Suddenly, an ominous thought ran through her mind. "Is it possible that Lazarus is¡­ killed?" The thought made her feel miserable as hell. Maybe that was the reason why he wasn''ting to get her.

    "Emma," Olya said in a very soft voice. "Lord Lazarus is a very powerful vampire. No one can kill him and that is one of the reasons why his brothers and sisters are so scared of him."

    Emma took a deep breath and went back to her brooding mode. "I am sure that Maeve had spun her web of seduction around him. He won''te back."

    The night when he left her, she had fluttered open her eyes in the morning hours only to find him kneeling beside her and stroking her cheeks. She thought that she was dreaming. She had closed her eyes back and heard him murmuring, "Can''t live like this¡­"

    Two nights back, when she had cried and cried and had curled in a fetal position on her bed, she woke up to someone stroking her hair and kissing her hands. Once again, she imagined that he was there, murmuring in anguage she didn''t understand. Was that faenguage?<novelnext></novelnext>

    Andst night, she thought that he had slept beside her because she could feel his warmth when she nuzzled into somethingfortable. "Don''te after me¡­"

    Too many hallucinations. Emma lifted the wine ss and wondered if it was drugged. She sighed when Olya said, "It isn''t drugged."

    "I can''t understand as to why is it that Maeve has never ever been attracted to him even though he is the most eligible bachelor of the Kingdom of Wilyra, there are thousands of girls who would want to seduce him."

    Olya tilted her head and narrowed her eyes. "Are you in love with Lord Lazarus?"

    "What?"

    "Well that''s understandable," Olya added. "You are his mate."

    "I am not in love with him!" Emma snapped. "Which idiot would love someone who will execute them soon?" She picked up the bottle of wine and chugged a lot of it. "I was hoping to seduce him to free me." Her cheeks were flushed red. She was too drunk. She cocked her head and said, "Can I be the bride of Lord Lazarus?"

    Olya sighed. "Maeve is the woman for him, Emma. He is too fixed, but when Ipare the two of you, I can''t help but feel sad. I hope that you get him and not Maeve. Somehow, I just don''t trust that goddess!"

    ? All at once, there was a ripple in the surface of the water. Both Emma and Olya shrieked, scared that some monster woulde out. But both were stunned when it was Lord Magnus who emerged from the pool. He smoothed his hair back as he stared at Olya. He was wearing ck tunic and pants.

    "Magnus!" Olya squeaked and jumped in the pool to swim towards him.

    Magnus nced at Emma and dipped his chin to acknowledge her. His focus went on Olya entirely. When she reached him, he grabbed her by her waist and she flung her legs over his hips. Their gazes locked and for a moment there was silence in the air charged with electricity. And then as if the two couldn''t wait, Olya threaded her fingers in his hair and kissed him. Magnus held her tightly against his body with one hand on her waist and the other behind her head. And just like that in front of Emma, he lowered himself in water.

    Shocked, Emma bent over water to see what was happening. She saw the two slowly disappearing in the depths of water and a few minutester the water rippled back to its original form. "Goddess!" she rasped. "They have run away?" She touched the surface of the water. "Was this a portal?" She gulped at all the magic that happened in Lore. "Bye Olya!" She shouted just in case Olya heard her.

    With more sadness, shey back on the soft towel. She swallowed thickly as her thoughts went back to Lazarus. The hair on her nape rose when a cool wind blew her hair in this cave with a hot spring.

 Chapter 72 Sounding Desperate?

    ?He hated her but his want for her overpowered. For thest three days, he had tried everything under his power to keep his distance from Emma. He had left her at Upper North Jupan, ording to Maeve''s advice. The three days without her made him need her all the more.

    He had driven every rogue that was around the grounds of Jupan so that the area was free from them. No, he was not doing it for Emma. He was doing it to keep Jupan safe. Once during his hunt, he chanced upon a werewolf rogue couple during their fierce encounter of sex and he found himself looking at them from a distance. They were rogues and he had to kill them, but he couldn''t. That instant, he traced back to the room where Emma was sleeping, lusting after her. He stroked her cheeks and murmured in faenguage. "Ne mogu da tebe Kaersta." Can''t stay away from you, dear.

    Maeve had demanded him another bag full of gold coins because she wanted to buy more jewels. He had given her the bag to keep her happy and quiet. But he wasn''t as happy and quiet as she was. While she went to purchase more of her favorite things, he hade back to Upper North Jupan instantly, tracing all the way back.

    Staying away from Emma was affecting him to the point that he was going insane. He had be a voyeur, which he never was. Instead of thinking about getting his kingdom back, he thought of Emma''s sinful body. And just yesterday, he found her touching herself. The scene made him clench his jaw so hard because all he did was lie beside her while she touched herself in sleep. Lusty female.

    At the moment, the thought made him snap out his fangs which punctured his lips, drawing blood. He licked his lips imagining himself spending time between her thighs. His hips bucked forward on their own ord and his expressions darkened when he thought that she must be touching herself again without him.

    He had to go back to her and stop her from doing that. Instead he was going to make her wrap her mouth around his raging cock and let her suck it. The idea was to only be sane. To stop thinking about her and then return to Wilyra without her. Convincing himself, he shoved his raging cock inside his pants and then traced to her room. She wasn''t there.

    Furious as to where she would go, he traced everywhere and when he heard from servants that she was in the cave of hot springs, he traced over there.

    He found her lying on the soft towel in the spot where the sunrays fell over her. She had one hand over her eyes while with the other she held the bottle of red wine. She was wearing a widece around her breasts which barely did a job to contain them well and panties. Her beautiful skin wasthered with oil, the aroma of which mixed with the scent of hers making her appear like eroticism wrapped in beauty. His mouth fell to the floor. He had never thought that he would see Emma in such scanty clothes. The vapor from hot springs rose and clouded around her feet. They condensed over her skin, every drop of water glistening on her and making him just want to keep seeing her¡­ uninterrupted.

    A sound on the outside made him snap his head. Guards wereing inside to see her and she was scantily dressed. With a snarl he traced to the guards and in his frenzy, snapped their necks. He tossed them out of the cave. How dare they see what belonged to him?

    He traced back to the cave, captivated by his mate. She had lifted herself a little, her damp golden hair sticking to her shoulders. Herce slipped down a little to reveal her breasts which she immediately tucked up. And then Lazarus realized that she had tanned. His mouth went dry. Not able toe to her under the sun, he sat on a boulder in the shade and said, "I want to see those breasts."

    Emma whipped her head in his direction and gulped.

    He raised his eyebrow and repeated. "Take thatce off ande to me."

    "Get lost, Lazarus," she shot back, her surprise soon getting reced by anger. "Why have youe? You should have stayed with your Goddess!"

    "So that''s why you are angry?"

    "Of course. Because I don''t have other reasons to be angry."

    "It seems that you really missed me, Emma," he smirked.

    Emma lowered her eyes to his pants where his pants were tenting and said, "It looks like you are missing me." He looked¡­ tired. There were dark circles beneath his eyes and his hair was disheveled. His cheeks were sunken and skin pale. Even his bright red eyes were a dull red.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Lazarus narrowed his eyes on her. "Nowe here to me. Don''t you want to seduce me?" When she didn''t move an inch, he said, "I asked you to remove thatce."

    Emma bit her bottom lip to the point that it was red. She brought her hand to her left breast and slowly started slipping it down, down, down¡­ Lazarus''s eyes widened, his focus entirely on them, as his cock twitched. And then suddenly she pulled up thece. "No," she replied coolly. "I won''t."

    He shot forward to the edge of sunlight as he tensed. "Wait till you are possessed by Maeve. I am going to keep you naked around me!"

    She chuckled and lifted her bottle to have more wine. Because her eyes were on him, the wine spilled and was now sluicing over her neck and then the middle of her breasts, soaking herce.

    "Why are you drinking so much?" he growled. "Nowe here. I don''t have time." He was burning with his need to wedge himself inside her. im her. Mark her.

    Sheughed at him. "You are running out of time." She tsked him. "I am the one who is running out of time. I have ten days left before I die!"

    He knew that she was trying to put him down. But he didn''t budge from his topic. "Shut up and take thatce off."

    She clenched her teeth hard. "Go jump in the pool!" She ate cheese and grapes.

    "Don''t you want to seduce me, Emma? What about your challenge to seduce me and sow seeds of discord between me and Maeve?"

    "Nah!" she said casually. "I have decided I don''t want to do it anymore. I would rather spend my life¡­" she looked at the pool. "Taking a nice swim." And saying that, she jumped in the pool.

    He clenched his teeth hard. "If it was anyone else defying my orders, I would have snapped their heads now!"

    She sshed water around her disregarding his threats.

    "And from what I remember, you enjoy my touch. A lot," he said, when she didn''t reply. Was he sounding desperate?

    "Umm¡­ about that. No, I didn''t. A mutt would be better than you."

    "Oh really?" Why did he hunt rogues? He should have killed all the mutts. And donkeys.

 Chapter 73 Slapped

    ?Emma swam aroundzily in the pool and she also kept to the side that was bathed in sunlight. She was so angry with him that she didn''t want to give him a chance toe near her even in the pool. She supported herself straight with her elbows at the edge. "Yes. And as far as I remember it was you who wanted toe to me all the time. You are attracted to me. In fact, every boy in the vige was attracted to me."

    Lazarus¡ª he was watching every movement of hers like a predator. His eyes narrowed on her. "Every boy in your vige was attracted to you because they were lowly life. They didn''t have much of a choice. I am Lord Lazarus and I have a lot of choices over a vige be. Having said that, it doesn''t mean that I can''t be attracted to you or your charms don''t work on me. Soe here right now." When she tilted her head and shrugged, he became furious. "I am telling you Emma I am going to punish you for this."

    "Umm¡­ pass," she said and then dove in the pool.

    "Emma!" he yelled.

    She emerged, popping just her head over the surface of water, but still under the sunrays. "Where were you all this time?"

    He was desperate to touch her, but as long as she was talking to him, he was going to entice her toe to him. "I was hunting the rogues and overseeing the ritual preparations.

    She lifted herself a little more, showing her shoulders. He gulped when rays of sun scattered the light caught by droplets on her neck and shoulders and illuminated.

    "Hunting the rogues? I thought you were with Maeve."

    "I was with her too." Only the first few hours. But he couldn''t admit that. He couldn''t also admit that he had been stalking her at night, barely able to go back. He was trying to keep himself away from her and failed. Miserably. But would he admit it? Never.

    She emerged a little more and now the upper swells of her breasts were visible. She tugged thece slightly lower and if not for his willpower, he would havee right there and then, seeing the wicked tan line.

    "I have more questions," she said.

    "Go ahead," he said. He was dying for her to finish her questions and swim towards him. He had to be patient like the predator of the night.

    "How much did you think about me when you were away?"

    All the time. His throat bobbed. He couldn''t lie so he had to circumvent the truth, bend it to fit his deception. "I do think about you and what a fine body you would be for Maeve."<novelnext></novelnext>

    She emerged higher and now he could see that herce was nearing her nipples which were straining against the fabric. Just one more question and then she would be out. He was going to grab her and trace her away.

    "I don''t like you!" she snapped.

    "The feeling is mutual," he growled but then why was his throat burning? He surely hated her. "Nowe here! I want you."

    Emma gritted her teeth. "I have changed my mind," she said and then dived back inside the pool and reached where she was sitting earlier. ring at him, she picked up the bottle of wine and instead of drinking it, ran the wine down her cleavage. She tilted her head and teased him, "I know that you are longing to cup these. Isn''t it?"

    "I have spent the past three days imagining how it would be to suckle and draw blood from them. Now I will do exactly that." Before Emma could speak a word, he traced to her, grabbed her and then traced to her the forest outside Upper North Jupan. He didn''t know where he had taken her, but he didn''t stay there. His destination was the cabin that he had built for himself, that was hiding somewhere in the topmost peaks of the mountains in the north.

    "Let me go!" she squealed, but he continued to press her face in his chest and traced her one more time.

    When he was inside the log cabin, slowly he made her slide down his body, all the while smelling the sun on her and that tan that made his sanity toss out of the window. How could one be so beautiful, have such golden skin and yet be so attractive? He had always imagined Maeve''s beauty when she would enter Emma, but he would have never imagined her to possess golden skin and this tan.

    "Where am I?" she snapped as she pushed against his very hard muscles and an equally hard shaft. "Why did you get me here? You don''t even want me!"

    "You are bing braver, dove. Let me show you what I am! I can snap your neck in a second and you wouldn''t know that you are dead."

    "Do it!" she screamed. "Do it now and end this agony!"

    "I am growing tired, Emma. So just stop it and let me see what''s mine." He traced his fingers over her arms, dying to get her out of clothes, dying to see those curves. He was imagining this for the past three days and now he felt better. Her scent of violets calmed him.

    "Get Maeve for yourself!" she shouted and then spun away from him.

    He yanked her against his chest, grabbing her waist and traced her to the bedroom. Before she knew, he was crawling above her. With her chest heaving, she watched him crawl over her and trap her. His hands were beside her head and his muscles were so strained that she could see veins popping out of them. His chest rumbled with a low growl. She ced her hand over his chest and her thighs clenched in anticipation. She was so starved of him the past three days. He had left her and the anger inside her chest built to the point that she lifted her hand and pped him.

 Chapter 74 I Want This

    ?A muscle feathered in his jaw as the sting of her p burned in his cheek. But he looked back at her and their gazes locked. He curled his finger and thumb below her chin and tipped it up. With a ragged breath, he crashed his lips on hers moaning her name. The world faded around him. He lowered his body and pressed her on the mattress. As if she was seeking it, she squirmed beneath him and felt heat coiling tightly in her belly.

    He shoved his tongue inside her mouth and explored her. She tasted like sun, she tasted like wine and she smelled like violets. The perfectbination. He was intoxicated. His hand climbed to her breast and cupped it. "You are made for me," he groaned. She bucked her hips in his, moaning, needing something.

    Emma pulled away from him. Her chest heaved against his and his eyes dropped to a half mast. "Can you leave me, Lazarus?" she said as her fingers trailed to his soft pale blond hair. "I want to marry someone in the vige. I will have his babies and I will travel the world with him. Please, I want to have a normal life."

    He peppered kisses on her jawline and then went further to her neck where he nibbled her and grazed her skin at her pulse point, making her yelp with need. "No, I can''t leave you," he said in between the kisses. "It isn''t an option." He went lower to her breasts and removed herce. Her breasts sprung free. And this time even though his fangs had grown, he wrapped his lips around her pebbled nipples. He moaned at the pleasure that he had been denying himself for so long. He did his best not to puncture her skin. She was too delicate. Like a flower.

    She tightened her grasp in her hair as she moaned when he sucked her. He went to the other breast and kneaded it, and when he couldn''t resist, he lowered his mouth to it. How could one be so good? He sucked her with abandon, never wanting to stop. He grinded his cock on her belly as he sucked her. He went lower to her belly where he kissed and nibbled her. "Fuck, you are so hot!" He lowered his mouth to her panties and with his teeth, he tore them. When he saw her sex, his breath lodged in his throat. She was wet and her juices glistened her sex.

    He dropped his mouth to suck her over there, parting her lips and then wrapping his mouth around her swollen bud. She was wet for him. She belonged to him and this was where he belonged. He sucked her hard and she screamed with pain and pleasure mixed. "Oh Lord Lorza!" she rasped.

    He chuckled against her clit, listening to the nick name she gave to him and then went back to his favorite thing.

    Emma knew that she was crazy, but she didn''t know that she was this crazy. She was dying for the man who had left her for three days only to prepare for the ritual. She needed to be saved. But how? When he grazed his teeth on her sex, she yelped like a wanton. She thrust her hips at him wanting for more. He pressed her thighs apart and pressed them in the mattress to stop her from jerking while he devoured her.

    He went lower and lower and he kissed her core before he started sucking there too. The heat that had built in her was about to explode. "I am about toe, Lorza!" she shouted.

    "Thene for me, dove," he growled. And with a scream, she came for him, her body detonating into thousands of shards wrapped in silk with his name on her lips.

    He sucked her as she came and then looked at her. She looked¡­ beautiful. Flushed and glowing and panting. He was craving to see her like this, craving to taste her juices and he didn''t want to leave her ever. He crawled over her and nudged his erection near her entrance.

    Her throat dry from her orgasm, she looked at his hard shaft. "Come in me, Lorza," she said in that seductive voice.<novelnext></novelnext>

    His muscles bulged and his neck tendons corded. "Don''t say that to me, Emmalyn. I can tear you into two."

    "Then so be it," she said, arching her body to get more of what he wanted to give her.

    A shudder passed through him. He shook his head and was about to leave, when she grabbed his cock. "No, I think I can take you. Try me."

    "You don''t know what you are asking," he rasped, his teeth chattering in need.

    "I know what I am asking for, Lord Lazarus," she said with firm determination. "The Lore doesn''t make mates just like that. I am sure we can do this."

    Lazarus wanted to growl in delight. He shook his head again, with difficulty. "Emma, this is not¡ª" But he was cut off. She had bucked her hips and his swollen crown was fitting right in her core.

    "Ah!" she gasped as painnced through her. She tipped her head back and scrunched close her eyes.

    "Emma!" Lazarus was shocked. He clenched his teeth hard as sweat broke on his forehead. He wanted toe out, but the need was growing stronger with each passing second. He didn''t imagine this. At all. The girl surprised him at every encounter. His gaze fixed on her face. "Emma, talk to me."

    She opened her eyes and released a rough breath. She nodded and said, "I want this." The pain came and went away.

    At her behest, he nudged himself a little further. "Fuck, you are so tight," he grated. He was controlling himself very hard because he really wanted to piston inside her. He waited for her to adjust and then nudged further in. At this point Lazarus was praying to every God in the universe.

 Chapter 75 [Bonus ] Mine!

    ?Lazarus watched Emma as he inched in. He waited for her with every muscle strained. His thighs began shaking and a shudder passed through his body. Sweat coated his chest and back and brows as he clenched his jaws.

    She squirmed a little beneath him and adjusted to his size. When she nodded, with a feral growl, he mmed home. She tipped her head up again, but the pinch of her virginyer was veiled by the feeling she had when he filled her fully. His shaft swelled inside and twitched. She cried out as her back arched.

    "Look at me, Emma," he rumbled. "I need to see you when I am in you." She opened her eyes with effort, so lost in herself and their gazes locked.

    "Yes," he groaned, his hips moving slowly. "I want to hear and see every pleasure that you get when your sheath flutters around my cock."

    The dirty words that he spoke to her in his signature low and throaty voice sent shudders of something way too pleasurable in her body.

    He began pistoning his hips in her. "Come around me, Emma. Come all over me. I want to feel your orgasm over my cock." The way his words bounced in her head, it was as if he had kissed her everywhere. And he moved his hips in the most sinful manner. He rolled them and then mmed them in her, trying to search for the spot. When he hit that spot, Emma detonated, her back lifting off the mattress as she clung to him, riding waves of ecstasy, falling from the cliff anding back. She hadn''t realized that she had dug her nails in his shoulders and drew blood.

    Lazarus was doing his best to dy his release. For the first time inside his mate. It was like his dreams hade true. It was like he was made for her. It was like he didn''t ever want toe out of her. When she came all around him and he felt her muscles gripping him in a vise like grip, his cock jerked and with a deep, pained groan, he held her close as he shuddered and shot his release inside her. Wave after hot wave. "Emma!" He bellowed her name to the mountains. "Mine!"

    Once he was done, he slumped on her, but he continued to thrust his hips in time. However, he wasn''t finished. After giving her a little bit of time, he got up and flipped her on her belly. He grabbed her by her waist and pulled her up so that now she was on her fours. He spread her ass cheeks and then mmed inside her. He began to frantically pound inside her until she saw stars.

    He came again, barking out "MINE!" His fangs had grown and his venom had pooled in his mouth. His eyes were dark and hungry for her. He wanted to mark her desperately, but could he? He closed his eyes to regain his control and then pulled out of her. She was feeling so ecstatic and tired at the same time that she dropped on the bed and he slumped right over her. His wet cock over her back was like a brand.

    "Are you okay, Emma?" he asked. He needed to know whether she was okay or not because the night had just started. And he tasted the most addictive drug of his life.

    "I am¡­" she muttered as her eyes closed out of pure need for sleep. She was so rxed and she didn''t know why.

    Lazarus closed his eyes, mentally rxed. She was exhausted and he let her sleep for a few minutes but he wasn''t finished. Three days of staying without her messed with his mind and body. He hadn''t slept nor had he eaten well. He hadn''t even had blood in three days and he was starving for it. But he wanted to taste his mate''s blood. Could he? That would mean that he had to pierce his fangs in her and drink it from her and that would mean marking her.

    Frustration rose inside him. He pulled her to him and rolled their bodies so that she was straddled across his hips.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Lazarus?" she frowned.

    "Take it from me, Emma," he said with a gravelly voice. "I want to give it all to you!" If she stayed like this on him, he would be able to control his urge to mark her. Right?

    She gasped. The way he was gazing in her eyes made her feel¡­ wanton. Hot and slick. He caught her by her hips and slowly slid her down his length. As soon as he was inside her, stretching her fully, she rolled her hips on him.

    "Yes!" he groaned, his fingers running up and down her legs and then finally resting on her clit. He started rubbing it. "Take it."

    A shudder passed through her when he rubbed her over there furiously. When she rolled again, he grunted, "Fuck Emma. You fit on me like a glove. So tight and warm. I think I could live buried inside you. Maybe that''s what I am going to do!"

    "Till when, Lorza?" she asked as she rotated her hips.

    "Till I can! Till the end of the world!"

    She chuckled. "Liar. You are going to kill me soon!"

    "Shut up and fuck me!"

    And Emma started to ride him. She pressed her hands in his chest, her golden hair falling like a curtain around his face. Her nails dug into his skin, drawing blood.

    He closed his eyes as his hips bucked inside her, trying to match her pace. With her nails inside his skin, he scoffed on the inside. ''As if I will leave you, Emma. Don''t be so territorial.'' But he enjoyed it immensely. He didn''tst long and with a guttural roar he came again inside her. Stars dotted her vision when she too came all around him. Her breath caught in her throat as she rode him even after he hade.

 Chapter 76 A Dragon

    ?Lazarus rolled them both on the bed with her back to him. He curled his arms around her, one beneath her and one above her. He cupped her breasts with one and grasped her sex with the other.

    "Mine!" he snarled against her skin as henguidly thrust himself inside her time and again.

    Emma was sore, but she drifted into deep slumber in his protective grasp. She didn''t want to leave his side and basked in the warmth. He had somehow covered them both in the furs and snuggled inside.

    When she woke up, he was still behind her, with his arms coiled tightly. It was morning and she could see the soft rays of sun peeping through the gaps of crimson curtains. His warm breath on her neck was making her shiver with yet another ache in her belly. Carefully, so as not to wake him up, she crawled out of the bed.

    "Emma¡­" he muttered but went back to sleep.

    She bit her bottom lip when she nced at him over her shoulder. He looked so vulnerable in his sleep that even if she murdered him, he wouldn''t know what happened to him. It was a good n, except she didn''t know where she was and she didn''t want to murder him. Maybe this was a great opportunity to escape. But first, where exactly was she?

    This certainly wasn''t a part of the pce. She hade here in nothing but panties andces. His shirt was lying on the floor. She picked it up and wore it. She walked out of the room to explore the ce. As she walked out of the cabin, she realized that it was small. There was a spiral staircase just after a small corridor. She climbed down and came to a small living room. The room was definitely brighter than the one upstairs. A small kitchen was attached to it. A smile crossed her face when she saw it.

    There was a door to the left which appeared like an exit. She opened it and immediately shivered as a cold breeze flew in and tousled her hair. A gasp left her mouth when she looked at the scenery outside. The whole ce was covered in snow and the cabin was located on the edge of a precipice. She crossed her arms across her chest and walked on the balcony. She reached the delicately carved woodenttice surrounding the balcony and leaned over it. a fresh cool breeze made her chatter but she couldn''t help loving to smell the misty air. Thickets of pines and firs with needles of ice that shone in the sun''s light could be seen in the front on a different hill.

    Her gaze went to the side and there was yet another cabin out there. When she closed the distance to see it, she heard soft moans. "Oh Olya!" a muffled voice reached her and she stifled a giggle. That was Magnus. So Magnus and Olya were in the next cabin.

    Emma was about to tiptoe back inside the room when a gush of air tousled her hair wildly. She ducked as her eyes widened. She stood straight and spun to see what it was, but there was nothing. A ragged breath left her. Maybe it was a bird. She looked up and she froze. A veryrge bird was flying above her. No, it wasn''t a bird. It was a dragon.

    A huge dragon with fierce purple wings and arge head pped away from her, ncing at her with its blue eyes. Its purple scales glinted in the sun''s light as its long tail slithered in the air. With powerful strokes of the wings, the dragon flew ahead andnded over the hill opposite to where she was. It sat grandly on the peak and turned its head to face her. A low screech came out of it as if acknowledging her presence.

    Emma stopped breathing as she stared at the dragon, mesmerized. She had only heard about them, but she had never seen one. And what a beautiful creature it was. Her heart was thundering wildly in her chest. She couldn''t take her eyes off the dragon. She didn''t know for how long she stood there, but a low growl broke her reverie.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Emma!" Lazarus''s voice reached her and she turned for a moment. But when she turned back, the dragon had gone. And suddenly, Emma felt¡­ a loss.

    She went inside and rushed upstairs to Lazarus. He had gotten up and had a frantic expression on his face. When he saw her, his face morphed into rxation but he furrowed his brows. "Where were you?"

    "I¡ª" she pressed her lips wondering if she should tell him. "I¡ª I saw a dragon!"

    He raised an eyebrow. "You must be dreaming Emma," he scoffed. "Nowe here." He patted his thighs. "Lord Lazarus needs you."

    She narrowed her eyes on him. "Lord Lazarus can go and fuck Maeve!" With that she flicked her hair and walked towards the bathroom and closed the door with a loud bang.

    "Emma!" he growled.

    She opened the door just enough to pop her head out and said, "Go and inform Magnus and Olya that they can have lunch with us." And the door closed all over again.

    Lazarus¡­ smiled. This looked like his little home. So much better than a pce. He slid back inside the fur and went off to sleep. He hadn''t slept in a long while and he had to catch up on it.

    When Emma came back, she saw Lazarus sprawled across the bed and snoring. The fur had covered only hisher regions. She shook her head and wore his shirt. Then she went downstairs to see if there was something she could prepare. She was famished. Thoughts of the dragon continued to bounce in her head. She wondered if she would see it again.

    ---

    Magnus had traced Olya to this cabin. This was the only ce where he could keep her safe. But his problem was how could he keep her safe from him. He was so fiercely attracted to her that every breath she took felt like she wanted him. Olya had gone to take a bath.

 Chapter 77 Shackled To The Chains

    ?Magnus couldn''t help but sit at the door of the bathroom as her scent filled his nose which was mixed with that of honey soap bar. When she came out, he hurried to sit on the bed. He picked up a book to read it but dropped it when he saw that she was wrapped in a towel.

    Olya blushed when she found him staring at her. "Lord Magnus, are there any clothes for me to wear?" she asked innocently.

    "You can wear me! I mean, you can wear mine."

    Olya blushed deeper. "Where can I find them?"

    "Over there," he said, pointing an armoire.

    Olya walked to the armoire and had to apply a little force in opening it and her towel snapped open and pooled on her ankles.

    "Oh Olya!" Magnus groaned as he instantly traced to her and stood behind her. Lust coated his mind like a thick fog and his fangs grew. A drop of water on her shoulder glistened in the warm light of the fire and he dared to lower his mouth and lick it. In the process his fangs grazed and Olya whimpered.

    Magnus''s breath became ragged. He closed his eyes and then willed himself not to get driven by his lust. So he bent down and picked up her towel. Wrapping her with it, he said, "Lazarus in the next cabin and he has called us for lunch."

    "Lord Lazarus?" Olya was both excited and happy. She clutched the towel tightly around her. "Is Emma also there?"

    ---

    Lazarus woke up with a jerk when suddenly he had this ominous feeling that there was something not right. Nightmares pounded his dreams of rogues hunting not very far from the cabin and Emma running away from them, trying to save her life.

    "Emma!" he bellowed. There was no answer. The mortal! She had run away? The thought made him stiffen. Tossing the fur away, he got up. He strained his ears to hear any sound, but there wasn''t any. He traced to the kitchen, remembering that she had said that he calls Olya and Lazarus, but she wasn''t there either. She had prepared food and it was still there in the pots and pans.

    Enraged with a deafening roar he punched a wall which cracked under impact and the debris flew around him. "Emma!" He traced outside but she wasn''t there either. It was evening and the sun had set behind the mountains long back.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Magnus and Olya came in a hurry. "What is the matter, Lazarus?" Magnus asked as he looked at him with pure terror. "Where is Emma?"

    "The kuepha has run away!" he grunted as he hurriedly put his shirt on him.

    "I wille with you!" Magnus said. "To search for her!"

    "No!" he snapped. "I will go alone. "She couldn''t have gone much further!" Once he was going to bring her back, he would punish her. He would chain her and leave her in this cabin and return only at the time of ritual. He would ever trust a mortal again. "You stay with Olya!" Saying that Lazarus traced to the nearest cave that was to the cabin.

    There was nothing. The cave was as empty as it had been all these years. His worry went a notch higher and he became anxious. "Emmma!" he roared and then traced to another cave. She wasn''t there either. Where could she have gone? The whole mountain was covered with snow and it was possible that she was running in the open. That thought made him so nervous that all his years of training as a warrior flooded in panic. She must be exposed to the rogues and wild boars. After that he traced throughout the snow-covered slopes, hoping he would see her. And as soon as he saw her, he was going to grab her and get her back.

    Lazarus''s panic turned into fear when he still didn''t find her. His teeth chattered as he stood in the open under the moonlight. Mist spread all around him rapidly as the tendrils curled around his legs and then enveloped him. The mist was so thick that despite his enhanced vision, he could see nothing. Nothing but the thick, choking, milky white mist. Dread bubbled up in him.

    "Uhnnn¡­" a small, thin voice came from somewhere. He snapped his head in that direction and strained his ears to listen to that thin thread of a voice. "Uhnnn¡­" the voice came again and this time it was all the more strained.

    "Emma!" he rasped and traced in the direction. The thick white mist still enveloped him. He stabbed his fingers in his hair, sniffing the air for her smell or hoping she made that sound again. "Emma!" he called her.

    "Uhmmm¡­" The sound made hair rise at the back of his nape. It seemed like she was tortured.

    ? Clenching his jaw, he traced to the exact ce where Emma was. He was going to make everyone pay for their insolence. How dare they capture his mate? Didn''t they know who she belonged to? He was going to rip their limbs and drink their blood from their skulls!

    This time he found himself standing in front of a cave from where he heard her painful whimpers. He entered the cave with his fists clenched. He could scent the musty earth and rot and also hear the insects buzzing. With caution, he padded inside with his back against the cool stone of the wall. Voices trailed from the inner side amidstughter and nking of metal. "Uhnnn¡­" he heard Emma whimper again. He controlled himself to not go there and kill every and each rogue unless he saw that she was safe.

    When he reached closer, he saw that she was¡­ shackled. His chest rumbled with a dangerous growl. Emma was shackled to the chains in a cave and there were four rogue shifters sitting around her, drinking wine and eating raw meat. There were bruises on her body and blood on her wrists. She was gagged, sitting on the ground that was littered with bones and blood. Blood rage filled his vision.

 Chapter 78 You Have To Go!

    ?With a deafening roar, Lazarus came out and before any shifter could even react, he had already decapitated one who was near him. Others got up, screaming at him, unsheathing their swords. They charged at him but he traced behind one of them and snapped his head. He was about to kill the third one when he shifted into his wolf. But Lazarus was faster. He grabbed the wolf by its snout and mmed it on the ground, breaking his skull. Thest one was so terrified by this sudden attack that he began to run, but Lazarus traced in front of him. His hand went to his throat and he squeezed it tight, lifting the rogue up in the air. He bared his fangs and his eyes glimmered redder. "How dare you take my mate?" he snarled.

    He was about to kill him when the rogue whimpered a word that he thought that he misheard. "Can''t be!" he snarled and then snapped his head. He dropped his body on the floor of the cave. Stepping over it, he rushed to Emma and broke all the chains that shackled her. After removing the gag, he lifted her in his arms and then traced away back to his cabin.

    Magnus and Olya were aghast to see her. He took her to the room, climbing each stair cautiously, tucking her tight against his chest. All he wanted was to hear her heartbeat close to his. She was so weak that her heartbeat was faint.

    "What happened to her?" asked Olya as she rushed to sit by her side and Magnus rushed to light more fire.

    "She was abducted by the rogues," he said through his teeth.

    "Can you give her a bath with warm water?" she asked, rubbing Emma''s hands in hers.

    "Her body is cold. In the meantime I will go and prepare hot stew for her."

    "I will," he said, unable to stop himself from trembling at the thought that she was unwell. He felt like his whole world was about to fall apart. He felt like he was going to go where she went. And this feeling was so strong even though he hadn''t mated with her.

    Magnus had lit the fire. He came to Lazarus and ced his hand on his shoulder. "We hade for lunch but you were sleeping. The three of us had lunch and then Olya and I left. Had I known¡­" he couldn''t finish his sentence. "But I don''t know how she manages to get in the clutches of the rogues."

    "It''s fine," Lazarus replied dryly. "I will give her a hot bath."

    Magnus squeezed his shoulder and then walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. Lazarus ripped Emma''s clothes and picked her up in his arms. "You can''t leave me, Emmalyn," he muttered as he took her to the bathtub. He ran hot water in it and when it was full, he submerged in it with her in hisp. "Wake up¡­" he would murmur every time he would rub the soap bar on her skin.

    There were many bruises. Her wrists were bloodied and there were angry marks on her skin. His heart ached with a strange emotion. He clenched his teeth to stop himself from breaking down. Never in his life had he felt so vulnerable. At least not after his mother had died.

    Once he had cleaned her nicely, he took her back to the room and made her lie. He stroked her hair as he sat beside her. "Emma¡­" he called her. Willed her to listen to him.

    She fluttered open her eyes. "Lazarus¡­" she murmured.

    And Lazarus felt like he had conquered the world. He caught her hand. "I am here," was all he managed to say. He didn''t know whether he was happy or angry to see her awake.

    "You look like¡­"

    He ced his finger on her lips. "We can talkter."

    A faint smile came to her lips and she closed her eyes again.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Olya came back with rabbit stew with Magnus behind her.

    Lazarus got up. "I have to go somewhere. Can you look after her in the meanwhile?"

    Magnus nodded. "I will. When will you be back?"

    "Soon," Lazarus said menacingly and then traced away.

    ---

    Maeve was sitting with her maid and checking out all the new jewelry she had bought with the gold coins Lazarus had given her. She chuckled at him. Soon she was going to kill him and give all this wealth to her mate, Ailill. All at once, she heard wings pping. She whipped her head to look outside. The moon shone brightly and, in a few days, it would be blood moon. She dismissed her maid instantly and opened the door of her room cautiously. As soon as she opened it, Ailill rushed in.

    "Ailill!" she stifled a shriek. "What the hell are you doing?" She closed the door behind her and pulled the curtains. "How did you get past all the guards in the pce?"

    Ailill tucked his wings and grabbed her by her waist. "I need to fuck you. Now!"

    "Are you mad?" she said, feeling tense as hell.

    "If theye to know that you are here, they are going to kill you!"

    "I don''t care!" he said. He hade after her from Vilinski. "Why didn''t youe back? You said you would be back in a few days." He lowered his head to kiss her jaws.

    "Things have been different. I have to manage!"

    He pushed her to the wall and turned her so that her chest was pressed against it. He grabbed her hands and pinned them up with one hand while with the other, he lifted her dress. He lowered his trousers and mmed his cock inside her. She moaned and he mmed harder. "What can be more important than me, Maeve?" he said through his teeth.

    "Ah!" she hissed. "There was a situation with Emma!" He mmed harder. "You need to leave!"

    "I won''t!" he groaned and then came inside her. His body slumped against hers. "You are my mate, Maeve."

    "I am doing everything to get you here, but you have to go!"

    Suddenly her magic hummed. Lazarus was in the pce.

 Chapter 79 Have You Found Emma?

    ?Anton was shocked to see that Lazarus had traced in his room. He had a lethal aura and a murderous look into his eyes. Anton was sitting with two councilors and they were discussing the treasury.

    "What are you doing here?" Anton growled as his fists clenched tightly.

    Lazarus gave a furious yell. Papers were sent flying. Chairs were rendered broken and the table cracked when Lazarus traced to him, creating a storm of ruckus behind him. Anton too traced away from there and had gone to the other side of the room. But Lazarus let out a roar and lunged at him with his ws and fangs that had snapped out. The two councilors ran out of the room for their life.

    Anton dodged Lazarus and traced to the bed but Lazarus had anticipated the move and he lunged at Anton over the bed, breaking it into two and pulling all the curtains down. Within a second, he was behind Anton, his arm curled around his neck. Anton grabbed his arm and tried to remove it with all his power. But Lazarus was too powerful. His face became red with theck of air.

    "What the fuck are you doing?" he said in a thick voice.

    "You ordered rogues to kill Emma!" Lazarus growled, squeezing him further.

    "Are you fucking mad?" Anton replied, his face bing purple. "Why would I do that when I know how important she is to Maeve?"

    "You lie!" Lazarus roared and shoved him down on the bed.

    Anton crawled away from Lazarus, coughing and wheezing and trying to gain as much distance as possible from Lazarus. He had never seen him getting so mad and when he was mad because of Emma, his power was beyond control. He rested against a broken chair and in a gravelly voice said, "I am not lying." He gulped air hungrily. "You know that vampires can''t lie. And as for Emma, I don''t know what you are talking about." He swallowed his saliva. "All I know is that she is still in Upper North Jupan and we heard the news that Olya ran away taking Emma with her!"

    Lazarus narrowed his eyes on Anton and realized that he wasn''t lying.

    Anton wiped his brows. "You are assuming that they are killed by the rogues? Or have you seen with your eyes that Emma is killed?" He was panting, still feeling short of breath. "And if that is the case, you should order the guards to hunt for the two girls!"

    Lazarus didn''t reply to Anton, lest he would reveal where Olya and Emma were. "I am assuming," he growled. That was a partial truth because he heard one of the rogues giving Anton''s name and that was why his throat didn''t burn. Seeing Anton, Lazarus was sure that he didn''t order the rogues to kill Emma. Then who could it be? Surely, Maeve wasn''t a fool to do that.

    ---

    "Go Ailill!" Maeve rasped. "If Lazarus sees you here, all our efforts are going to drown away."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Ailill buckled up his pants as his gaze went to all the jewelry that was lying on bed. "I am in need of coins. I have to give it to the ck portals."

    ? "You can take it all away," she said as she hurried to the bed. She wrapped it all in the bedsheet and handed it to him. "This is for you!"

    He chuckled as he grabbed the bundle of jewelry. Then with one arm, he grabbed the back of her head and seized her lips. When he pulled away, he asked, "How many days are left?"

    "Ten!" She looked at the door and repeated, "Go Ailill! I can feel Lazarusing back."

    Ailill gritted his teeth. He snapped his fingers and the room got filled with a lemony aroma. He snapped his fingers again. Shadows and mist burst around him and the next moment he was gone.

    Maeve was trembling so badly by this time that she let out a breath of relief. She ran into the bathroom and jumped in the water to remove any scent of Ailill that lingered on her but in her heart thanked him for the lemony aroma. Within minutes, she heard her door opening with a bang. Lazarus hade and she knew that he was angry.

    Maeve wrapped a towel around her and donned a nightgown before entering the room. She was sure that there would be some bruises on her body because Ailill was very demanding this time.

    "Lazarus?" she mocked a surprise. "What is wrong with you?" He looked¡­ menacing. Even murderous. "There is a bruise on your cheek. Did you get into a fight?"

    He wanted to grab her throat and ask her questions. But first he needed to control himself. Maybe he was wrong. He went towards the bar and poured him a healthy ss of wine. He gulped it all down and then poured more.

    "I heard that Emma has run away along with Olya. You can''t even handle your mate?" she growled. "We need her. Instead of wasting time over here, it is better that you go and find her!" Maeve walked to her dresser where she gave herself a long look. "It seems that you are unable to control a human girl." She gazed at his reflection in the mirror as she applied oil on her body to mask the scent. Suddenly, she felt that he yanked her waist and the next she was surrounded by thick mist. She screamed, but before she knew, she was being traced by him. Hended over a thick mossy log. She was about to slip when he grasped her tightly and traced her again. And this time theynded in a cave.

    Maeve looked around at the decapitated hands and legs of the shifters and her eyes gleamed. "Is this your doing?" she said without an iota of remorse. "Why this massacre? Have you done it for me?" She kicked a severed arm that was in her way.

    Slowly, he walked to a protruded rock and sat down on it, studying her.

    "Why are there chains here? Who did you torture?" Suddenly her eyes glinted with more happiness. "But why have you brought me here? Have you found Emma?"

 Chapter 80 Cant Be Better

    ?Lazarus tilted his head preferring not to answer that question because he had found her and he couldn''t speak a lie.

    Maeve scowled at him. "Your silence says that you haven''t found Emma and you brought me here to show this carnage to impress me? To tell me that you did all this for me to find that brat?" She kicked a rolled head on the floor and as her foot connected with it, she grunted in pain. "How selfish you can be, Lazarus? You have disturbed me in so many ways. Not only have you lost Emma, you have brought me here in this pathetic cave when I was about to sleep!"

    "Selfish?" he said coldly. "I was always selfish."

    "This mortal is proving to be troublesome!" she spat as she wrapped her nightgown tightly around her to stop herself from chattering. She looked at Lazarus for him to give his cape, but he continued to sit there and watch her coldly. This annoyed her all the more. "I feel like going to Emma''s home and killing her parents and that little brother of hers!"

    "You can demand all that but I won''t let you do that," he replied coldly.

    Maeve crossed her arms against her chest and raised an eyebrow. "Are you feeling bad for the mortal, Lazarus? Do I see a possible sway? Like again? How many times have I said that her worth is only till the ritual?" When he didn''t reply again, she got aggravated. "I think you don''t need me anymore. I will go back to Vilinski ande back only when the ritual begins!"

    "If you leave for Vilinski, I will make sure that I kill this body of yours," he replied so coldly that Maeve felt shivers down her spine.

    She corrected herself and sucked in a sharp breath. "Why have you brought me here?"

    He got up from his ce and reached her. He started circling her. "I need answers."

    "Really? Not again! I should be the one who should be asking questions and not you."

    He ignored her words. "Do you still want to rule with me on the Kingdom of Wilyra?"

    "Of course! What kind of a question is this? Why are you doubting me?"

    "You have always said with conviction that you want to rule Wilyra with me, but what are you going to do about the two of us?" he asked. Circling. Circling.

    "What the hell do you mean?" She was beginning to get a headache with his constant wariness.

    "When we both will sit on the throne of Wilyra, after that?"

    "This is getting so tiring, Lazarus. I already told you that we will conquer other kingdoms. We will be invincible. I will be the goddess all over again in Emma''s body. And that reminds me, have you marked her as yet?" She wondered if she should tell him how she would deal with his father, but she realized he didn''t need to know those fine details. "Just focus on the ritual. This is myst chance. If you don''t mark her, then the whole process would be of no use."

    His jaws clenched and he closed his eyes. "What after that?" he growled. "I want to know what happens after that!"

    Growing irritated, she walked towards the mouth of the cave. "I am tired, Lazarus. Take me back."<novelnext></novelnext>

    He grabbed her upper arm and yanked her back. "Did you order the rogues to attack Emma?"

    "Oh my, my!" Maeve''s voice dripped with sarcasm. "It seems you have actually developed feelings for her, haven''t you? She isn''t your bride, I am." She pulled her hand out of his grasp and failed. "I didn''t. Won''t that be in stupid?" Her body writhed in pain.

    Lazarus earlier believed that it was Maeve who was his bride because she insisted on it, but he believed that she no longer was. To fall for the mortal? For the very human whom he considered lowly. If she was his bride, what could he do? He left Maeve''s hand and stabbed his fingers in his hair.

    He had rolled the ball in motion. He had brought Maeve to cast Emma''s soul out.

    It was Emma who made him feel protective about her. When she was attacked, he felt like he would lose his life. When he looked at her, he felt his body and soule to life. No. No. She was nothing but a¡­ lusty¡­ beautiful¡­ girl¡­ whose blood tasted like an aphrodisiac¡­ like elixir. His throat bobbed. How could Lore do this to him? Pair him against a vige girl?

    Seeing him doubting himself, Maeve added, "Imagine Emma, the daughter of a rebel blood vassal sitting on the throne with you?" She chuckled. "The world willugh. The most powerful vampire with a viger?"

    No, Emma couldn''t be his bride. But the moment he thought that, his chest burned. His agitation increased. And his anxiety went so high that he felt like tracing back to Emma and losing himself in her to calm down his nerves. This strong feeling wasn''t because she was his true bride but because she was the only person who made him feel¡­plete.

    He took a step towards Maeve.

    "What are you doing?" Maeve asked, doubting his lethal demeanor and stepping back.

    "I am going to take you back to Wilyra."

    The way he said it coldly, she went stiff. "Are you trying to dismiss me, Lazarus?"

    "Yes."

    Sparks of disbelief and confusion thudded in her. He yanked her by her waist and traced her back to her room where he simply left her and stepped back. She stumbled on her feet. "Lazarus, why are you behaving so strangely?" Maeve couldn''t believe that he wasn''t even trying to seduce her, a thing that he used to always do when he saw her. "Don''t you desire me now?"

    "Desire you who has hardly ever desired me?" He scoffed. "I am finished seducing you, Maeve. I will seduce the mortal who desires me."

    "Lazarus, you are making a mistake!" she shouted. "Once I am in her body, I will make sure that you arepletely satisfied! I am better than her in every way."

    "You just can''t be better than her. And I can''t do it better with anyone other than her." He was shocked that he didn''t feel the burn in his throat.

 Chapter 81 A Threat

    ?Maeve''s mouth fell to the floor. "You can''t be speaking the truth. Isn''t your throat burning with that lie. Just because that human gives up herself to you and sucks you, you are seduced by her? She is ying games with you. Can''t you understand that much?" She shouted, irritated as hell. "She is adept in the art of seduction. She will make you believe that she needs you."

    He narrowed his eyes on her and with a dangerous growl vibrating in his chest, he said, "She doesn''t make me believe it, Maeve. She needs me like I am the air she breathes."

    A growl emanated from Maeve''s chest as she clenched her fists in fury. "If you want, then I will spread my legs for you and make you feel the same lust as you feel around her! I can work it up with a little bit of practice with you."

    "Stop deceiving me, Maeve!" he growled back as he took a step towards her. "You will have to practice with me? Huh? How insulting! Because Emma doesn''t have to practice. Attraction towards me is natural for her. You never ever had the intention of having sex with me Maeve. So I am now beginning to wonder if you are actually a virgin as you im or you have a lover."

    She gulped as blood drained from her face. When he took a step closer, she took a step back.

    "You were always lying to me," he said, his expression murderous.

    She knew that he had seen through her lie. "You can think all you want, Lazarus. That mortal has blinded you. But get this straight¡ªI am a goddess and my want is not sexual. I want people to pray to me. I want kingdoms beneath my feet. Sex? Well, why do kings have a harem? I never stopped you from having one. I never stopped you from tasting Emma because she was a fine candidate for being a concubine. But then she is special. She should be my vessel. Why don''t you recruit women like Emma¡ªthe vigers in your personal harem? Maybe, then you won''t miss her so much."

    He scoffed. "You think I can''t maintain a harem? I can have a new woman in my bed every day and night. But what is the point of having a wife, a queen who would rule Wilyra with me?"

    Maeve hissed and then she lunged at him to p him. He caught her hand and shoved it down so harshly that she shrieked in pain. "Your bones are fragile Maeve. I have decapitated people for less than that."

    She narrowed her eyes on him as she caught her sprained wrist. "I know that you are speaking like this because all this¡ª" she waved a hand in a circle at him, "¡ªis for her!"

    Lazarus couldn''t say a word. That was the truth.

    "You are falling in love with Emma, but Lazarus, you forget," she sneered. "Emma will be taken to the temple for the ritual. I will cast her soul out and enter her body."

    "You don''t have the power to threaten me, Maeve," he said coldly.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "In fact I do," she snarled, angered as hell. "If I don''t get Emma''s body, I am going to get out of this body and enter the body of another girl. I will destroy that body and then enter another. And another. You won''t be able to do a thing. I will create havoc on your vige. No one will be safe. So better think about it properly. Without me, you have no chance of getting the throne of Wilyra and without me seeds of sedition would grow."

    Lazarus red at her, not able to believe that she would go so far. "It seems you are lusting for the crown more than I. Now that I don''t think I need you, you can leave for Vilinski."

    Maeve tilted her head and then suddenly startedughing. Sheughed as she carried herself to the bed. "Go to Vilinski?" she said in an amused voice. "I will stay here and never leave. Yes, I want to rule Wilyra but only because you showed me the dreams of ruling it beside you!"

    Lazarus''s breath became ragged as he realized that she was a monster that he had grown in his backyard. He narrowed his eyes. "Then I have a proposition. You can take anyone else as your vessel and rule with me while I keep Emma." He needed her so badly now. More than ever. He wanted to trace away her just to feel better, just to feel that she was safe.

    "That is not an option, Lord Lazarus. I will only take Emma''s body and that too after you have marked her."

    He raised an eyebrow. "You have be bolder Maeve. What if I kill you now?" He walked to the mantle above fire and caught its edge, his body shaking with fury.

    "Do that and I will possess the body of any of your maids or sisters. Without the power of a full moon, their body would wither away in a few days because of my magic. Trust me¡ª" she hissed, "¡ªI won''t stop there!"

    He smashed the marble mantle with a furious punch. "Maeve!" he yelled at her.

    "Lazarus, you will have to get rid of Emma''s soul if you don''t want to see my massacre, my revenge. I am a goddess and you can''t even imagine what I am going to do." Her lips curled up when she saw how helpless he was. She chuckled, jutting her chin out. "Don''t worry Lord Lazarus. If you will do exactly as things were supposed to take ce, you will have a goddess as a queen."

    He red at her, but did speak a word.

    "So?" she said. "How about you go and find dear little Emma and get her back while I get ready for the night. Tomorrow is another day and I need more makeup. My body is getting wrinkly."

 Chapter 82 Stop Dreaming

    ?Lazarus traced away from her room and Maeve let out a ragged breath. Without changing, she went to the bed and closed her eyes. She had sent orders to the rogues to find Emma and bring her back. She had asked them to instill fear in her to the extent that dared not think of running away. Maeve had given orders and used Lazarus''s money to give to a rogue group. That group sent the information throughout their web. And only one group could find Emma.

    Lazarus had traced her to that cave and she felt a jolt of happiness seeing Emma''s blood over there. But Lazarus had killed all the rogues. That was scary. She wished she knew the location of the cave.

    ---

    When Emma opened her eyes, she found herself in the bed with Lazarus. He was tracing his fingers up and down her body, his face focused on something so hard that it was like a stone. She could feel the electricity in that touch.

    After having lunch with Magnus and Olya, she had gone outside to look for the dragon. She was so mesmerized by it that she felt a longing for it. In her frenzy, she had gone pretty far. The cabin was like a brown dot over the vast snowscape. Even though she was dressed in furs and boots, the cold was biting through her skin. Since the sun had begun to set, she started going back to the cabin, hoping to reach there as soon as possible.

    She must have walked only about a hundred meters when she heard the ground shaking. Snow began to slide and she was afraid that there was an avnche. But to her utter surprise, she saw four gray wolves running in her direction. Rogues. She shrieked and started to run towards the cabin as fast as possible, but the rogues were faster. She couldn''t even go fifty meters when the rogues shifted and blocked her way. One of them pped her hard while another booted her. Wind gushed out of her lungs. Yet another one punched her and she cked out. When Emma woke up next, she found herself shackled by chains to a cold wall.

    "So you are finally awake?" said one of the werewolves, chewing a bone. He spat the bone on the ground and got up from his ce to walk to her.

    She scrambled back in order to put as much distance as possible between him and her, but she hit the cold wall. He towered over her, grabbed her hair and yanked her head back. She screamed. "Leave me!" The shifter pped her hard on one cheek and then on the other. He punched her on the head and she became dizzy. Blood oozed out of her mouth and nose. "What do you want?" she asked in a low hoarse voice.

    He kicked her in her stomach. "You. We want you." And then Emma was surrounded by darkness.

    "Lazarus?" she said, her throat still dry.

    He snapped his head to look at her. "I have been waiting for you," he said. He jumped out of the bed and after helping her up by propping pillows behind her back, gave her a ss of water.

    She drank it hungrily. "Waiting for me. Why?"

    He took the ss from her and ced it at the bedside table. There were bruises on her cheeks and blood had caked over the bandage that Olya had tied on her head. He caressed her hair away from her neck. "Do you know why shifters kidnapped you? Were they asking for a ransom?"

    She shook her head and winced in pain. "No¡­"<novelnext></novelnext>

    His heart squeezed. He had done a lot of thinking. The truth was finally out. Maeve never intended to bed him. She was only interested in his kingdom, his money and the throne. "Stay like this," he said and went to the bathroom to get hot water for her. He contemted marking her. He wondered if she would even like being his blood ve. There would be so much hatred in her eyes when he would drink from her. He won''t be able to take that hatred.

    When he came back, he removed the white linen from her head very slowly, very carefully. After cleaning her wound, he applied an herbal lotion to it which he had procured on his visit to the pce. She hissed as it burned her skin. "It will be fine in a few days," he assured her in his stern voice. She closed her eyes and he tied a fresh white linen on her head. Once done, he took the wooden basin with dirty bandages back to the bathroom.

    He came back and sat with her. "Hungry?"

    She nodded. There was immense change in him but she couldn''t point her fingers on it. He got up and went to the kitchen from where he brought warm rabbit stew for her.

    "Why are you still here, Lazarus?" she asked as she ate her stew. "Where are Magnus and Olya? Why aren''t you with Maeve?"

    He stared at her and said, "Aren''t you tired of asking questions?"

    "You don''t answer any," she shrugged.

    "I am with you because I want to be with you. I don''t want to be with the fae goddess."

    "Why? What has she done to invite your wrath, Lord Lorza?" she said. "You can''t just treat me like trash. Youe and go at your wish without thinking about my feelings." She had a spoonful of the stew. "You did that thest time. Do you remember? And how long have I been unconscious?"

    "You''ve been unconscious for two days."

    She gasped. "So only eight days are left for me?" She looked at him with pleading eyes. "Can you please let me go? I really want to meet the man I would love." And he took care of her?

    He red at her, but she continued. "My man and I are going to work together, have babies and he will provide me with all the support. I want to have a nice family. So please Lord Lazarus, leave me."

    Jealousy red in his chest at her imaginary man. "The only man you would ever know is me. So stop dreaming." He took the empty bowl from her hand and kept it on the bedside table.

 Chapter 83 A Wicked Plan

    ?"You?" Emma scoffed. "What have you done for me, except torturing me? You don''t deserve a girl like me!"

    "Really?" he couldn''t believe that this mortal was saying it. "As far as I remember, you screamed my name on your lips when you came all over my mouth and then around my cock."

    She blushed heavily and got restless. She did love it and her thighs clenched as dull ache began to build in her belly at the thought of it.

    "If I will sink my fangs in you and drink your blood, trust me you will never be able to get away from me," he said, his voice growing husky with need.

    She took a deep breath, contemting it. Their gazes locked and she felt like she was helpless. Why was it that he attracted her to the extent that she lost her senses? Her breasts felt heavy and she shifted in her ce.

    The next moment, Lazarus was on the bed, lying beside her. His fingers went back to tracing her skin. "Now tell me everything about the shifters and how you managed to be kidnapped."

    She pursed her lips, but she settled against his broad chest. It was veryforting. His thighs curled over hers in a move of propriety and she loved the weight of them. She narrated how she was kidnapped and, in the end, said, "If I go there again, I will kill them!"

    "Already done that," he said amused by her fervor.

    She whipped her head to look at him. "You killed them?" she asked with wide eyes. "Ah!" She winced. She shouldn''t have whipped her head.

    "Yes, I have," he replied and then slowly, turned her head back to make her rest on the pillowfortably. "So you saw a dragon?" he asked, still not believing her.

    "Yes, it was purple, and so majestic!" she said excitedly.

    Her excitement was contagious. His lips curled up slightly. "You are not going to go out of the cabin from now on." He tucked the fur higher up.

    "For how long though," she said, her shoulders slouching a little. "In eight days, you will cast my soul out." She threw her arm over her eyes and burst into tears.

    Horrified, he tried to remove her arm and asked, "Emma, are you still hurting?"

    "N¡ªno," she said between her sobs. "I don''t want to die. Do you really want Maeve in my body?

    Lazarus swallowed thickly. After what Maeve had told him, he was shaky on the inside. He watched her tears streaming down her cheeks and wiped them.

    She nced at him and said through her tears, "Don''t you feel anything for me, Lazarus? I mean why is it that I feel this crazy, strong attraction for you, while you don''t?"

    He closed his eyes and slumped on the pillow beside her.

    "Please don''t make me feel used and throw. I will make you happier than Maeve."

    He turned towards her, and then slowly made her turn towards him. He cupped the back of her hips gently and pressed her against his chest. He started stroking her to calm her down.

    "Why is it that things are so bad between us?" She let out a hup and he pressed a kiss on her head. "Why couldn''t we meet in a normal way?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Shh¡­" he said and rocked her against him. Lazarus had never been this gentle with anyone but he had this sudden need tofort her. She continued to cry against him, making his tunic wet.

    "When I am gone, will you remember me?"

    The way she spoke, he felt like someone stabbed his heart with a sharp knife and then twisted it. "You aren''t going anywhere Emma." It was impossible to live without her. And he had to do something about Maeve.

    The next morning she woke up with a jerk as a loud bellow sounded. She found herself pressed beneath Lazarus as if he was trying to protect her. His eyes were closed and his face was twisted with pain. "Emmaaa!" he bellowed her name.

    She was caged in his arms and hisgs, his weight crushing her. Sweat coated her skin. "I am right here," she said. Was he having a nightmare? She shook him slightly, hoping that he got out of it. "Lazarus?"

    He seemed to have stopped breathing. "Emmalyn?" he said. "No. No. Father, don''t take her away."

    Emma''s chin trembled at the agony he was feeling. She shook him again. "Lord Lorza, I am right here. Please wake up."

    He somehow peeled open his eyes and lifted his head. With his red eyes gone wide, he stared at her as if he couldn''t believe that she was still with him. "Emma," he rasped in a low voice. Then he embraced her tightly. "You are here. Thank God. He hasn''t taken you to the blood forest."

    Emma closed her eyes and kissed his chest. "No, he hasn''t¡­" She knew that he was seeing his usual nightmare of the blood forest where his father buried his mother and then tried to bury him too.

    "It is a dangerous ce¡­" he murmured. "Don''t go anywhere without me, okay?"

    Gods, this vampire was so broken. She curled her arms up his neck. "I won''t."

    "Good," he said, seeming a little rxed. Then he slid beside her and closed his eyes again. "We will leave for Wilya in two days after you have healed well."

    Emma sighed. "Okay¡­"

    For the next two days, Lazarus didn''t go anywhere and stayed in the cabin, always looking out for rogues. Both Magnus and him had set duties for guarding the cabins.

    "When will you be leaving for Wilyra, Olya?" Emma asked as she bit into a juicy steak that Magnus had brought from the royal kitchen. He had traced to the kingdom and brought over rations for a month.

    "She won''t be going for the next one month at least," Magnus said for her. "Maybe two."

    Olya gave him a beatific smile and he reveled in it. She looked at Emma and said, "I will marry Lord Magnus as soon as I turn eighteen and will leave after that."

    Emma chuckled. "That is a wicked n."

    "Suggested by you," Olyaughed happily.

 Chapter 84 A Large Shadow

    ?Emma nodded lightly. Olya and Magnus looked so beautiful together and she wondered the same about her and Lazarus. If only things were different. She was supposed to leave with him for Wilyra today.

    She wasn''t feeling better and he was afraid that she would be dizzy if he traced her, so he got a horse for them to travel through the snow forest.

    Lazarus was putting food in his saddle bag. Olya had wrapped meat in a thin muslin cloth and rye bread along with few other things for their journey.

    "It is going to be severely cold, Lazarus," Magnus said, watching him pack. "I suggest that we alsoe with you and together we will be able to handle the cold well. I will carry tent supplies with me."

    "I don''t want you and Olya to be exposed, Magnus," he said in his signature throaty andmanding voice. "You should stay here."

    "But I want toe with you at least till the edge of the snow forest," Olya whined. "I am so bored holed up here for the past few days. Once we reach the edge, Lord Magnus can trace me back here."

    Lazarus took a deep breath in. "There are rogues out there. You shouldn''t take the risk."

    "I don''t think there would be a risk, Lazarus," Magnus said, seeing how eager Olya was. He didn''t want to sadden her. He loved it when her face beamed with tiniest of the pleasures. He was dying to sink his fangs and cock in her but he had promised her that she won''t until she turns eighteen. "Besides, with us two out there, no rogues would dare toe."

    "We have only one horse," Lazarus pointed out.

    "We can get one more," Magnus countered. "There are some wild horses running in the south slope."

    "You can''t tame a wild horse!" Emma said with excitement. "It would be dangerous."

    Magnusughed. "Watch me." He traced away from there as Lazarus shook his head. "That boy was like that from his childhood. Always wild and loved the challenges."

    Olya jumped out of her chair and squealed. "I am going to get my bags packed!" Saying that she rushed to her cabin enthusiastically.

    Emma sighed. She was going to miss all of them. And she was going to miss Lazarus the most. She was insane. She would miss her captor and her executor. She let out a smallugh.

    Lazarus''s brows furrowed. "What is it?"

    She shook her head. "Nothing." She got up and went to the bedroom to wear tunic and trousers. Lazarus followed her.

    He insisted that she wore a knitted sweater inside her tunic. Emma wore it over her tunic. Then he made her wear a thick cape with a hoodie. He buttoned it till her neck. "Keep this hoodie over you all the time, okay?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "How are we going to ride?" she asked. "Will you be walking beside me?"

    He narrowed his eyes, scowling at her. "Come down in ten minutes," he said. "We will start as soon as the sun sets. It was already evening and twilight.

    "What about Lord Magnus?" she asked, not knowing what peeved him this time. She just asked an innocent question.

    "He will join us," he replied gruffly and went down.

    An hourter, they were all on the dirt path that winded around the mountain peak towards the ins.

    "I didn''t know you would sit with me," Emma said with a pout. "You should be walking." Her eyes went to Magnus and Olya who were on a spotted gray stallion that seemed¡­ tame. Then her gaze drifted to the white mane of her horse. It was so tall that she had to be lifted by Lazarus to mount it.

    He yanked her against his chest. "This is my horse, Titan. He would throw you off his back without me." The horse whinnied his master''s approval. He covered her head with the hoodie. "Since we will be traveling by night, you better stay close to me for warmth." Saying that he covered her with his long ck cape as well. More than the path, Lazarus was worried that she would catch a cold or fever. Her wound had just healed and only a small patch of bandage was glued over there.

    Emma felt her face flushing to the level that she thanked it was so cold. Else she would have broken into sweat. Pressed against his hard chest muscles, it was impossible that she could also miss the hardness between his thighs. Heat furled inside her belly as butterflies fluttered in her chest.

    They traveled through the thick mist of the snow forest beneath the silvery moon, quietly for a few hours. "I am tired," she murmured and realized that her head was resting against the crook of his arm.

    "We are stopping!" Lazarus called Magnus who was talking with Olya and she was constantly giggling.

    Magnus nodded. He spotted a thicket of trees and they headed over there. Just as they were about to reach the thicket, somethingrge swooped down and for a moment they were covered by arge shadow. Lazarus and Magnus were both on high alert, ready to trace the moment they saw the rogues.

    "Who is there?" Lazarus growled as he tucked Emma against him, his muscles bulging at the threat, his fangs jutting out to kill the perpetrator. He whipped his head around to see who was there, but his hair tousled as another gush of cold breeze blew.

    Emma peeped over his shoulder at the sky and was extremely surprised when she saw arge dark bird with its wings outstretched, swooped down again. "That''s the dragon!" she pointed at it. "That''s the one I saw!"

    Lazarus and Magnus pulled the reins of their horses to a stop inplete shock. They had heard about dragons but had never seen one. The dragon pped its massive purple wings and came to stand in front of them. All four of them froze.

    The dragon lowered its head and gazed at Emma. It lowered its head and craned its neck to reach Emma. Shock sted through her when on an instinct she felt like touching itsrge snout.

 Chapter 85 Nephie

    ?The horses neighed and reined back when the dragon craned its neck towards Emma. While Magnus took his horse a little back as Olya started shivering out of fear, Lazarus had to calm Titan to stay in ce. With one hand he grabbed Emma''s waist tightly as he controlled Titan.

    The dragon''srge triangr head came in front of Emma as itsrge arctic blue eyes stared at her. Emma was¡­ mesmerized. With her breath lodged in her throat, she couldn''t help but stare back in its beautiful blue eyes. After a moment of assessing the dragon, she whispered to Lazarus, "Can you put me down?"

    "No," he growled. His heart thundered in his chest. He watched the dragon warily.

    "Please," she requested, cing her palm over his forearm.

    Her touch soothed him a little. He gave a hard stare to the dragon. And just as he did that the dragon started to re its massive wings with a snort.

    "Please Lazarus," she begged.

    Lazarus clenched his jaw debating what he should do. When the dragon didn''t budge and Emma insisted again, he jumped down from Titan and helped here down as well. However, the moment she was down, he yanked her against his chest with left arm while his right arm went to the hilt of his sword.

    The dragon snorted again and tucked its wings back. It craned its neck for Emma and she reached out for it. Under the silvery moonlight, its purple scales were glistening like emeralds. It was so beautiful that Emma felt surreal.

    As she reached for the dragon, it stretched its neck further for her. Emma''s palm was only a few inches away when she halted. But she gathered courage and ced her hand on its snout. The moment she did that, a st of energy left her shocked. The ce of contact burned bright red and Emma felt as if her mind channel had opened up. Something slithered inside with the speed of an asp.

    "Emma¡­" the dragon''s deep voice sounded in her mind.

    Emma gasped. Her skin lined with goosebumps and her stomach twisted into knots.

    "I am Nephie. Brantley Frazier is my mate''s rider."

    Emma let out a rough exhale. Brantley Frazier was the king of Aztec. She couldn''t understand the connection. In her excitement and confusion, she said, "I am Emma!" Howe she wasn''t speaking through her mouth? Was this conversation taking ce in her mind?

    Nephie snorted which was like a chuckle. She said, "I know."

    "B¡ª but how do you know me?"

    Nephie rubbed her snout against her hand gently. "A dragon recognizes his or her rider. Usually the dragon is born after the rider''s birth, but in my case, it was different."

    Surprise exploded in her tiny chest. "I¡ª I am your rider?" her words came out with an incredulous expression.

    Nephie snorted again. She shook her head slightly. "Your mother is my rider."

    Emma''s surprise turned into shock. "My mother?" All her life she had known that her mother had died, but this came as pure blow. "She is alive?"

    "She is, but she can''te here. She is in the dragon realm of Yizinia. She is a dragon keeper."<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Gods above!" Emma rasped. Her mother was alive. "Can you¡­ take me to her?" Her eyes became moist thinking that she had a chance to meet her mother. "What is her name? Does she look like me? Oh, do I look like her? Will you be my rider too?"

    Nephie opened her mouth and let out a sound that Emma thought was like she wasughing. But the horses reined back again as they red at the dragon.

    "You ask too many questions, Emma," Nephie replied. "I will answer them all in time. Right now you need rest and I need a good feast." She stepped back, severing the connection between them and Emma suddenly felt at a loss.

    "Nephie!" she called her. "Please stay!"

    The dragon nodded once before ring its wings. It turned back and then shot to the sky with powerful strokes of her wings.

    "That dragon''s name is Nephie?" Lazarus asked as his hands loosened around her.

    "Yes," Emma replied.

    Olya and Magnus jumped from their horse and rushed to her.

    "Are you okay?" Olya asked as she picked up her hand with which she had touched the dragon. "And that was a beautiful dragon!"

    Emma was stunned by what just happened with her. Her mind was so numb with all the information Nephie gave her that she swallowed thickly.

    "Why are you crying, Emma?" Lazarus asked, not liking her tears at all. He wiped them and cupped her cheeks. "Tell me you are okay."

    "I am¡­ okay¡­" she said in a low voice filled with emotions.

    Lazarus studied her. He picked her up in his arms and motioned Magnus to get the horses to the thicket. Soon Magnus built two tents and all that time Lazarus didn''t let Emma step down. She had wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in his chest. Olya busied herself in warming the food while Magnus took the horses to a nearby brook.

    Once he settled her in the tent, he made her lie on the furs and covered her. Stroking her hair back, he asked gently, "What did the dragon say?"

    "How do you know wemunicated?" she asked.

    "I know because you came to know her name. Dragons do not share their names or show themselves to the world unless the person whom they are bonded to is extremely important."

    Emma blinked. "Nephie rider is my mother. She hase to meet her mate who is Brantley''s dragon. I don''t know why she hase, but I am so d that she has met me. She hase from Yizinia."

    Lazarus tilted his head and a momentter said, "Maybe she is on heats. It is natural to seek your mate when you are on heats. Yizinia is very far away though¡­"

    "What are heats?" she asked him innocently.

 Chapter 86 Is Your Mother Alive?

    ?Lazarus poked his tongue in his cheek and looked away. Emma realized that the pale skin of the vampire was slightly flushed. She wondered if he was blushing but went against the idea.

    When he didn''t reply to her, she goaded, "Well, what are heats? Why would a matee flying all the way from Yizinia just because of heats?" The only sound that came from Lazarus was a low grunt. He busied himself with removing his boots.

    Emma decided to ask him again, wondering why he was ignoring her, when she heard Olya, "Food is ready!""That was fast," she murmured. She got up from her fur and instantly she caught her head for being dizzy.

    Lazarus was by her side, holding her. "Lie down. I will go and get the food in here." His breath caught in his throat, he held her by her shoulders. He was saved by Olya.

    "No," she replied in a weak voice. Why was she feeling dizzy? It was absurd. It was as if all her energy was drained and she couldn''t even move. "I think I can walk out."

    "You just connected with a dragon, listened to her thoughts, and that means that you have drained a lot of energy. I am surprised that you haven''t lost your consciousness," he said. "So you stay in here while I get food for you."

    Emma tilted her head and blinked. "Why would my energy drain by connecting with Nephie?" The connection seemed¡­ natural. "I can walk¡­" she said stubbornly. In her heart she was hoping to see Nephie once again.

    Lazarus sighed. "Okay¡­" He got up and helped her get up.

    Once again, she felt dizzy. Maybe, Lazarus was right. She bnced herself against his body as he grabbed her hand in hisrge hand and then made her lean against him. He unbuttoned her cloak and tossed it aside after helping her to get out of it.

    She made out of the tent and it seemed like it was a tremendous effort.

    Once they were out, Emma saw that Olya was sitting next to a fire pit over which there was a thick b of stone. The orange fire was casting a beautiful glow over the snow beneath it. The logs crackled, sending flumes in the air.

    "Emma!" Olya said excitedly as she ttened pieces of meat on the stone b. "Come here! You look so pale that you need all the food in the world!"

    Lazarus took her to Olya. There was a stump next to Olya where Magnus was sitting. He got up to make space for Emma.

    "Olya," Emma said in a low voice and chuckled. "I could use all the food you have."

    Lazarus walked to the side where his water canteen was. He picked it up, warmed it slightly over the fire and gave it to Emma. "Have some warm water," he said, his gaze fixed on herpletely. Ever since she had touched the dragon, she was wobbling on her feet. He didn''t like it at all and he wanted her to be okay as soon as possible.

    Both Magnus and Olya shared a knowing nce while Emma chugged down warm water greedily. A little water escaped her mouth and trailed down and Lazarus couldn''t help noticing how the drop of water perfectly trailed down the length of her neck and vanished beneath her sweater.<novelnext></novelnext>

    When Emma gave the canteen back to him, she was about to wipe her mouth. Lazarus was faster in wiping that drop of water and licking it off his finger. While Emma raised her eyebrow, he turned his face to the other side. Why were his ears heating so much?

    "Emma, that was amazing!" Olya said, turning the meat pieces again. "Weren''t you scared of the dragon?"

    "No!" Emma replied excitedly. She went on to narrate her experience with Nephie.

    "Your mother is a dragon rider?" Olya said as her mouth dropped to the floor.

    Emma nodded vehemently. "That''s what Nephie is saying."

    "Oh my God!" Olya was stunned along with the rest of them. The sizzling sound of meat made her squeal in frustration. She flipped it again. "I think it is done! I have to remove the b from the fire." Just as she was about to remove it, Magnus came and helped her.

    "Don''t touch it, Olya," he said, chiding her softly. "Your fingers will burn."

    "If I don''t remove it, your fingers will burn," she replied, batting her eyshes at him.

    And Magnus was sold. Yet again. He bent down and kissed her lips. "I think I have fallen in love with you again."

    Sheughed, beaming under his touch. And Emma''s heart burned with a longing. If only Lazarus would do the same with her. But¡­

    Olya took the roasted meat, sprinkled salt over them and served them to everyone.

    Lazarus narrowed his eyes. "Is your mother alive?" he asked, not realizing that he hade to sit right next to her on a fallen log. He tore the meat into two and took it in front of her lips. She opened her mouth and ate it.

    Chewing it, she said, "Yes, I think so. Nephie said that my mother is a dragon rider, but she didn''t say anything about the fact that she is alive or not."

    Lazarus wiped the corners of her lips and gave her another piece. "If the dragon is alive, then the dragon rider is also alive," he said. "The dragon usually lives as long as the rider lives or until the rider has severed the bond. However, I have also heard of dragon riders whose dragons have died and they still live. And¡ª" he gave her another piece and saw how she was listening to him with rapt attention. "¡ªthere are dragons whose riders have died before them. They live in constant agony¡­"

    Emma sucked in a sharp breath. She couldn''t even think of Nephie dying. The thought was¡­ painful. "How do you know so much?" she asked, as her heart ached to meet her mother. She wondered if she could go to Yizinia, even if it was for one time.

 Chapter 87 Your Eternal Light

    ?Lazarus gave her more meat without realizing that he was loving that she was eating. No, he was loving that he was feeding her. He wiped the corner of her lips again and unknowingly ate those crumbs.

    "I have read about them," he replied. "And the King of Aztec is a dragon rider."

    Emma savored the juicy piece of meat and sighed. "If only I could visit Yizinia once in my remaining life¡­"

    Lazarus hated the way she said, ''remaining life''. He gave her water as his jaw clenched. Without another word, he continued to feed her.

    "I can''t eat more," she said.

    "You have to!" he insisted. "You are too weak."

    She huffed. "What''s the point in over-eating when I will be gone after a few days?"

    "Why do you keep talking about dying all the time?" Lazarus snapped. "Can''t you live in the present?"

    Emma jerked her head back in pure surprise. Even Magnus and Olya went quiet and other than the sound of crackling fire, there was no other sound.

    Emma gulped the food down her gut and bit her lip as her cheeks heated a little. "I am¡ª" Suddenly from the corner of her eye, she saw a movement. Soft snow dropped from a pine needle. Perhaps a rabbit. She chewed her bottom lip and lowered her head. "I am trying to, but it is hard¡­" And then she heard a grunt. She was sure that it was a rabbit or two.

    "Let''s take you inside," Lazarus said and kept the trencher on the side. He looked at Olya. "I wille out to help you in a while after I settle her. She is too weak."

    Olya managed to nod.

    He picked up Emma in his arms and took her back to the tent. When he made her lie down, he couldn''t help stopping to smooth her hair from her face. As if pulled by her, he leaned in and kissed her lips. He pulled away and when they were merely a few inches apart, he said, "If your mother is alive, we will go to meet her in Yizinia. Ask your dragon if she can take us there."

    Emma froze as yet again another surprise bolted through her. What was wrong with Lord Lazarus? Why was he going soft on her?

    "I will ask," she said, blinking her eyes once.

    He pressed another kiss on her forehead. Before going out of the tent, he tucked her in the furs. "Sleep," he breathed. "You need to recover."

    She nodded and watched him leaving their small tent. A smile came to her lips and heat coiled in her belly. She hadn''t felt this good in a long time. Was he taking care of her because he wanted to take her in a good condition for Maeve or he was genuinely concerned about her? Many thoughts swirled in her mind and the most important one was that of Nephie. She didn''t know when but she drifted off to the fringes of the sleep.

    ---

    She opened her eyes with a jerk when her body seized in the recognition of the same voice, one she had heard in the mirror.

    Her eyes opened to the misty darkness as the voice called her. She got up as mist swirled all around her as she walked in the pitch-ck night towards the voice that sounded very distant from her. Her chest squeezed as a familiar dull ache formed inside.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Emmalyn¡­e here¡­" The mist around her pulsed and thickened as if trying to take a shape, but they dissipated before they could. The shadows swirled away from her. Emma began to tremble as knots twisted in her stomach.

    She whipped her head as she ran to her left. But all she met was with more mist. Confused, she ran back to where she was. Where was Lazarus? Where were Olya and Mgnus?

    "They are fine, Emma¡­" the voice said as if reading her thoughts. A soft light began to grow in the distance.

    "Who are you?" Emma rasped, sping her hands on her sides. She started to walk towards the light. "What do you want from me?"

    "I told you already, Emma. You must choose between darkness and eternal light. I am that eternal light." The mist morphed into fingers. It beckoned her towards the light. "Come, join me¡­"

    Captivated by the light, she started moving. When she hesitated once, the cold fingers of the mistnded on her shoulders and pulled her further towards the light. Another voice sounded from the dark, "Why are you leaving her with me?" It was that of her father. "Take her back. I can''t handle her or nurse her. Take her back!"

    "I can''t take her with me, Drogo," a sweet voice replied. "She will be hunted¡­"

    Emma flinched. The cold hands of mist touched her and Emma realized that she was crying.

    "Is this her?" another strange voice asked from somewhere in the dark mist. And this voice was not familiar to her.

    "This is Emma, mine and Kara''s daughter," her father said.

    Karsha¡­ Emma''s tears choked her emotions when she heard her mother''s name for the first time. But why did she abandon her?

    "Mother," she called her but her voice was like that of a baby. "Mommy!" she squealed.

    "Yes baby."

    Shouts from outside drew her.

    "There she is!"

    The mist in front of her rippled and shadows started reshaping. Mist grabbed onto her waist to pull her away from those voices.

    "Come to me, Emma," the sweet voice sounded again. The light that was only a few meters ahead pulsed. "I am your eternal light."

    ? Emma nodded. "I aming¡­" she said in a baby''s voice.

    Suddenly, there was a loud shriek and Emma jerked open her eyes. She was in her tent, but it had copsed over her head. Feeling trapped, she became panicky. The remnants of her nightmare didn''t make sense but what was happening didn''t make any sense either. "Lazarus!" she shouted. She struggled her way out and her eyes widened.

 Chapter 88 Rogue Attack

    ?Emma was surrounded by two rogues. She looked to her left and then right. Magnus and Lazarus weren''t there whereas Olya was lying unconscious. There was blood on her arms and head and it trickled down on the snow making it crimson. The fire had reduced to embers. Thest log caved in and sent a flurry of fiery plumes in the air.

    The two rogues were shifters. They hissed as they came near her from the shadows beneath the trees. So these weren''t rabbits. Her heart thundered in her chest as she saw their elongated fangs and ws. All of a sudden, another rogue jumped in between them. A vampire. He sniffed the air and then sharply turned his head to look at Olya.

    "I think you are here for me," Emma spat.

    The vampire turned his head. His maniac gaze settled over her and he licked his lips. "That''s right. We havee for you," he said in a gravelly voice. "You are wanted by someone very important."

    Suddenly, Emma turned back and bolted in the opposite direction. She jumped over the tent and rushed outside the thicket. She had to draw them away from Olya. She was injured and Emma was scared that if the vampire scented her blood, he wouldtch onto her. Where the hell were Magnus and Lazarus?

    The vampire leapt in the air as the shifters shifted and turned into gray wolves. They leapt high in the air and came tond right in front of Emma. Emma looked to her right and dizziness swamped her head. She tumbled a little but shook her head. Her vision became blurry and that was thest thing she needed. Somehow, she managed to get up and bolted in another direction when a heavy hand came on her cheeks and sent her flying in the snow.

    Emma shrieked. "Lazarus!" She had gone tond some ten feet away.

    The vampire was standing right in front of her the next moment. He grasped her hair and yanked her hair back. "If you don''te with us nicely," he hissed. "I am going to drag you all the way to my leader."

    Emma cried. "Leave me!"

    He licked his lips. "Never. You have a heavy bounty on you. We would be rich by a trunk of gold coins and so¡ª" he yanked her up. "We can''t ever leave you, Emma."

    Panic slithered down her spine in a cold icy wave. How did they know her name? her gaze drifted to Olya who was still unconscious. In the distance, she heard more screams.

    One of the wolves shifted back. "Let us go!" he snapped. "We don''t have time for this, Gerr!"

    Gerr snapped his fangs. "It''s been long since I have tasted blood like hers."

    Emma frowned. What did he mean by blood like hers?

    Gerr brought his neck near her nape and she stiffened. "There is no harm in drinking a little, is there?" he said greedily. "Her blood is so¡­ intoxicating. It is like¡­ elixir."

    "Don''t be mad Gerr," the shifter said in irritation. "We don''t have the time. The Lords are busy battling others. This is the time we betterl take her!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    But Gerr was in a different ce. He took a long sniff of her. "You don''t understand, ass!" he growled. "She is¡ª elixir."

    "P-please¡­" she cried.

    He was about to sink his fangs in her to draw her blood when a loud thud made him snap his head behind him.

    The shifter was lying dead and the other wolf had run away.

    "L-Lazarus¡­" Emma''s weak voice called him.

    "Leave the girl," he growled menacingly.

    Gerr pushed her down and now she was on her hands and knees, trying to crawl towards him.

    A muscle in his jaw feathered when he saw how pale she was and her expressions were stricken.

    "Emma!" he called her as if to assure her that he was here.

    After he had tucked Emma in the fur and made sure that she was well covered so that she didn''t feel cold, he had gone out to have his dinner. Both he and Magnus had gone to hunt for deer for fresh blood. When they returned, they gave some to Olya as well. They all were about to go to sleep, when he heard grunts on the side. The next instant, about six rogues jumped out and attacked them.

    Magnus hurried Olya inside the tent and asked her to remain inside while Lazarus tackled the rogues. He would trace behind them and pierce his de. Or he would lift them up and rip them to pieces with a roar. He was getting furious about the rogue problem. He knew that they would attack in numbers if they had to take him down, but they didn''t know what he was.

    He ripped two of them with his bare hands with a bellow to the sky. Suddenly, he saw one of them going towards Emma''s tent. He traced to him and caught him by his neck. The shifter tried to shift but Lazarus snapped his neck before he could. He dropped him on the ground and spun to face other rogues. A few more had joined in and Magnus hade out to fight with his brother.

    It was odd to notice that most of them were fighting with Lazarus. In his frenzy, he fought with them furiously, chasing them away about a hundred meters away from Emma, but little did he know that these shifters were just a decoy.

    As soon as he had chased them, more came out. Both he and Magnus were shocked to see the sheer number that had attacked them. He must have killed at least ten of them when he heard Emma''s cry. "Lazarus!"

    The next instant, Lazarus traced to where she was and found her in the grasp of a vampire. His vision turned red. The vampire was bathed in crimson. "Leave her or I am going to make sure that you are mutted to the extent that every rogue in this world trembles."

 Chapter 89 A Large Bird

    ?The vampire in front of him let out a humorlessugh. "You must be insane to think that I will leave her, Lord Lazarus," he said through his yellow teeth. "She has a huge bounty of her head and¡ª" he looked at her with a sickening smile. "Her blood is special. It''s not like that of mortals."

    Cold wind gushed around them and snow started falling in soft flurries. "T-too cold," she murmured as she tried to crawl to him but was pulled back by her hair.

    "Your men are dead," Lazarus snarled. "Leave her and I will give you a better death. Harm her and I will make your death as painful as it gets for a vampire. I will personally dig your grave in the blood forest!"

    But as he said it, four shifters came to stand by her side. One of them put a sword on her throat and it made him stop cold.

    His muscles tensed. Everyone was keen on taking her away from him.

    Gerrughed. "It seems we have something very precious that belongs to you. If you try any of your stints, we will take her away and you won''t ever see her again."

    Two vampires traced behind him and they whaled blows to his head and his chest. He wanted to turn back and kill them, but if he did that, he wouldn''t be able to see Emma and he was sure that they would take her away. So Lazarus bore it. Blood pooled in his feet. His blood. Even though through the blows that he was constantly receiving, he kept his gaze fixed on her. Dizziness started to take over.

    From the corner of his vision, he saw Magnus hade back. He motioned him with his eyes to take Olya away. Magnus lifted Olya and traced away.

    Gerr seemed to enjoy the beating he got. He gripped Emma''s hair tightly and she cried more.

    Lazarus had never felt this desperate. Her soft cries tore his heart. The fact that he couldn''t go to her, terrified him. And that was when everything became clear. Realization sank through him like blood thrumming in his veins.

    Emma was his bride. No one, but only Emma. His jaw clenched to the point that his fangs hurt. He didn''t know whether it was veryte to realize it, but now that he had, he was never going to leave her. He was going to walk with her through the Fade.

    Gerrughed at his helplessness. "You see, Lord Lazarus, we are many. You can''t beat us." He yanked Emma higher and her neck twisted back. She cried. "This mortal is not worth you. I will drink from her and then give her to the highest bidder."

    "If you harm her," Lazarus snarled. "I will make sure that I will not only kill you, I will kill all those you love and all those who are with you. Remember, this is the only woman I live for!" Lazarus could feel a very strong primal instinct to save his woman, his mate. He wasn''t going to leave her.

    Emma looked at him, her eyes going soft with emotions.

    "So tell me how much have you been offered? I am going to double that amount!"

    Gerr raised an eyebrow. "You don''t get it, do you?" he said. "Though your offer is tempting, I can''t part with this mortal. I will keep this beautiful mortal and every night after I have drunk from her core, I will share her with my men." A bellow ofughter came from all sides.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "You won''t fucking do that!"

    Gerr yanked her up to her feet and licked her all the way from her neck to her cheeks and temple.

    "Noooo!" Panic exploded inside him.

    Gerr looked at him with his eyes that gleamed with mad desire. "Look around you. You are outnumbered. I am going to kill you and then take her away. We will take your body and bury it in the blood forest.

    A shudder ran down his body. "I will give you five trunks of gold coins," he said menacingly. "And if that is not enough, I am going to give you another five, but for that I need the name of the person who ordered you this hunt."

    Gerr tipped his head back and let out a loudugh. "You think that I am going to tell the name. Are you hallucinating?"

    All at once, wind gushed and arge shadow covered them all. Gerr and the other rogues looked down at the snow. Then their heads snapped up when they heard powerful strokes of wings. A tail was seen slithering in the dark sky as the moon becamepletely blurred from vision.

    "Who is there?" Gerr shouted as an ominous aura surrounded them.

    Other rogues crouched a little, looking around for the mysterious thing that was above them.

    All at once a loud screech sounded and a veryrge bird swooped down. "Dragon!" one of the rogues muttered, but he couldn''t live to speak any further. Nephie picked him up and gnashed his torso in her mouth.

    Other rogues were so stunned that they froze in their spots for having seen a dragon for the first time in their lives.

    "Nephie¡­" Emma muttered.

    Nephie made another screeching sound as she swooped down on Gerr who had left Emma and was running away. She clutched him in her ws and squashed him into a bundle of flesh. Other rogues began to scream and run away, but this time Nephie swooped down to grab Emma. Emma clung to her foot and Nephie red her wings wide to take her away.

    Seeing that Emma was safe, Lazarus traced behind every damn rogue that was there and killed him or ripped his limbs apart. With a roar to the sky, he swore that he was going to kill every rogue around his kingdom and give them a death so horrible that other rogues would think twice beforeing. At the back of his mind, he wondered where Nephie had taken Emma and that thought made him tremble.

 Chapter 90 Find Emma

    ?Along with Magnus, Lazarus killed every shifter and vampire rogue out there, his anger getting doubled every time he struck them down. Even God wouldn''t have stopped him if he came down in front of him.

    With blood sttered all over his tunic and face and arms, he roared to the sky challenging everybody out there. Seven more jumped out of the shadows and attacked him and Magnus. He slew two of them while Magnus slew the remaining one. The two brothers stood back-to-back with their fangs snapping and swords in their hands. The remaining four surrounded them. They circled, throwing their swords every now and then towards them.

    "If you think that your mate has gone with the dragon, then we are going to find her and this will never stop," said one of them, his dark hair falling on his face. "Her blood is going to give us power. It would unite all the rogues. She is the key to our strength. And I would suck her from her thighs, Lord Lazarus."

    Furyshed inside him like a whip. "You won''t touch her," he snarled. "And you won''t be able to take her name from that filthy tongue of yours again!" He charged at the rogue. "You have made a mistake, bastard. And now get to die." Lazarus traced to him, jolting him with a severe blow. He heard Magnus attacking the rest of the rogues. "You are going to drink from my bride? My mate?" Even Lazarus couldn''t believe that those words slipped out of his mouth, but they felt¡­ beautiful. "My Emma? You were going to drink from my Emma?"

    Pure rage shed across his mind and he traced behind the rogue vampire. Before the vampire could even understand what was going on, he had bludgeoned his head with his fists.

    "Lazarus," a voice called him and he whipped his head to look. Magnus was standing in his line of vision. Lazarus looked at the pulp that was in his hands. He dropped the rogue to the ground and through his bloodshot eyes saw that the rest were all down.

    "They are all dead," Magnus said to assure him, but Lazarus was getting insane with the bloodlust. He wanted to kill more and reach the person who had ordered Emma''s execution. He could understand that it was Maeve because she had gone berserk in the end, but she was keen on getting inside Emma''s body.

    Since Olya was unharmed, it was clear that they were only interested in Emma. What was it that made them seek only Emma. And suddenly, Lazarus realized that now that everyone knows she is his mate, she was in grave danger. His enemies would strike her in order to take revenge from him. And Lazarus had a truckload of enemies. If that wasn''t enough, now the rogues knew that Olya was with Magnus.

    He was shaking, trying to control his bloodlust. He snapped his head up to look for the dragon who had taken his Emma away. "Where is Nephie?" he growled, looking at Magnus.

    Olya peeped out of the tent and rushed to Magnus. She wrapped her arms around the middle of his waist and rested her head on his chest, weeping silently. His sword dropped to the ground and he began to stroke her hair. "Shh¡­ it''s fine¡­" he said and kissed the crown of her head.

    "I thought I would lose you," she said through her sobs, trembling with fear in his arms.

    "You would never lose me," Magnus assured her in a calm voice as he too held her tightly against him.

    The way they held each other made Lazarus feel jealous of his brother. He dropped his sword on the snow and walked to sit on the stump by the fire pit. He held his head in his hands and lowered his head. "Where are you, Emma?" he murmured, feeling empty. He felt like a husk. "Where are you¡­" All he could think of was Emma. He needed a little more time with her. Had he lost her? The thought sent shivers down his spine.

    "I saw Nephie flying in the west," Olya''s soft voice.<novelnext></novelnext>

    He turned to face Olya. "West?"

    Olya nodded. She had pulled away from Magnus. He walked inside to retrieve a fur for her. "When I heard the screech, I peered outside the tent and saw that she was taking Emma with her. She flew to the west. Olya pointed in the direction where Nephie went.

    Lazarus got up, his chest heaving in anticipation. He rushed to his horse.

    "Lazarus!" Magnus called him. "Where are you going?"

    Lazarus wiped his face with his sleeve. "To find Emma."

    "Wait, we areing with you."

    He shook his head. "No!" He pointed with his chin at Olya. "Now they know that you are with her. They will find her if you are with me. There''s a bounty on Emma''s head. You can''t risk her life by staying with us. Take her back to the cabin and be safe."

    Magnus never expected his brother to be so thoughtful about Olya. He blinked his eyes in surprise at him.

    "Emma likes Olya. It was her idea to take her to the cabin. And I will honor that idea," Lazarus said as he cupped his brother''s shoulders. "I am going to find her." He patted Magnus''s shoulder and turned around for Titan.

    "But Lazarus, it might be dangerous after this," Magnus warned.

    "They won''t attack me, Magnus. They are after Emma," Lazarus replied as he mounted Titan in one swift move. "Stay here!"

    He could have traced throughout this snow forest to find her, but he was going to take his horse because Emma wasn''t feeling right. She had survived the attack of rogues three days back and she was attacked again. When he found her, he was going to make her sit on his mount. He was going to take her to the pce and feed her, bathe her, care for her¡­ With these thoughts, he nudged Titan to a gallop.

 Chapter 91 Found You

    ?Olya had said that the dragon flew west. Lazarus had traveled the remaining night and waspelled to stay in a cave for the day. Even though he was dead tired, he couldn''t sleep. He had asked Magnus and Olya to go back to the cabin because he was sure that no one had discovered the cabin.

    The whole day inside the cave, he paced. Blood had caked over his tunic and trousers and face. Madness was taking over. In a frenzy, he punched the wall of the cave, sending debris flying around. He felt like he would lose himself if he didn''t find Emma.

    Lazarus was not the patient kind. He was not the unforgiving kind and her was certainly not the kind who liked if anyone took what belonged to him. As the time passed, his anger over Nephie grew to a mad rage. The dragon should have brought her back to him, instead it was nowhere to be seen.

    Lazarus traced and paced, his restlessness growing rapidly. What if Nephie took her to Yizinia. "Nooooo!" he bellowed, the thought like a sharp shard in his chest. He was going to tear the realms and get her back. He was so furious that he stepped out of the cave in bright sunlight and immediately his skin started burning like a leather strop slowly running over it. The burn was nothingpared to his insane state, to how he missed one person who he hade to¡­ love.

    Titan, who was nibbling on the scanty shrubs, came running to his master and pushed him inside the cave. "Titan¡­" Lazarus said as he leaned on his tall frame. "Do you know where Emma is? Take me to her¡­ Please." The horse let out a whinny in response and pushed him further inside.

    Lazarus lost his appetite. An antelope ran in front of the cave, yet he just sat there in the shadows and watched it running away, his mind full of Emma. As soon as the sun traveled down the horizon, he rushed out. Titan was waiting for him. In one swift move, he was on the horse. As if knowing what his master wanted, Titan started galloping to the west.

    They continued to run west until the stars were all up, until moonlight dazzled the white snow. Yet there was no sign of the dragon. "Emmaaaa!" Lazarus bellowed,ing to a standstill. He rubbed his hand over his face as fatigue caught up with him. His chest felt hollow and he felt like wing his ck heart and throwing it away. But what purpose would that be? His heart would regenerate. "Emmaaaa!" he bellowed again but his bellow echoed in the mountains, returning to him without an answer.

    Lazarus nudged Titan to run again. He wasn''t going to give up finding Emma even if it would take a lifetime. Vampires were known to live for thousands of years. And Lazarus was a pure-blooded vampire.

    At midnight, the moon traced its familiar path to the center of the sky. Lazarus turned his face up to feel its cool rays on his skin to calm down, as if to ask it where she was. His reverie broke when Titan let out a soft neigh and stopped in his tracks a few meterster. Lazarus looked in the direction where Titan was focused. It was a very dense cluster of trees. Lazarus got down from him, his nostrils picking up her scent.

    His chest flooded with crazy emotions and he had to purse his lips to stop making a sound. He heard a low growl and was sure that Nephie was around. Though he appreciated that she protected Emma, he was furious that she didn''t bring her back to him. At the same time, his fears ayed because the dragon didn''t take Emma away from him to her realm.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Slowly he started walking towards the trees. Another low growl alerted him that the dragon would attack him if he did anything wrong. With his hand on the hilt of his sword, he worried for Emma''s safety. He hoped that she was still with Nephie and that she was safe.

    He closed the gap cautiously and when he entered the cluster of trees, he found Nephie sitting over a pile of pine and fir needles, staring at him with her arctic blue eyes. Her wings are tucked to her side. She let out a growl of warning.

    "Where''s Emma?" Lazarus asked her in a calcted voice,ing to a stop a few meters away from him. His grip on the hilt of the sword tightened. If he had to fight a dragon for Emma, so be it.

    Nephie let out a sound that was akin to a snuff. Then slowly and very carefully she opened her right wing and right there, beneath it, tucked next to her body was Emma.

    So many emotions surged through him that Lazarus sank on the ground, his body buckling under relief. He continued to stare at his mate, whose heartbeat was like a luby to his agitated nerves. He clenched his jaw as he watched her sleep. He rubbed his chest and a chuckle left him. Lord Lazarus hade to his knees for his mate.

    Emma fluttered open her eyes when a cool gush of air brushed over her skin. She saw Lord Lazarus sitting on the ground and watching her. "Lorza!" she squealed. She got up from her ce by taking Nephie''s support and then rushed on her wobbly feet to him. He opened her arms for her and Emma hurled herself right in his arms. Lazarus closed her in his embrace, his heart beating wildly. "Found you." He buried his face in the crook of her neck as she buried hers in his chest.

    She was crying and he caught the back of her head as she made his tunic wet with her tears. He was never going to let her out of his sight again. The past few hours had been excruciatingly painful. Lazarus had never known this kind of a pain and he intended never to experience it again.

    After a few minutes, he picked her up in his arms.

    asionally missing content, please report errors in time.

 Chapter 92 Everything They Have

    ?Emma wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his jawline. The blood was caked all over his face and she should have felt repulsed, but all she wanted was to kiss him and make sure that he was fine. She saw him fighting against the rogues and her heart had twisted so much that her chest had tightened. Even though she was with Nephie, there was not a moment when she wanted to go back and be with him. He had saved her against those rogues, putting his life at risk. And all for Maeve¡­

    "Lorza¡­" she moaned his name as she peppered kisses all over his face. "I missed you."

    Lazarus closed his eyes, savoring the feel of his mate. He felt that he could die at the moment with her in his arms. She was thest thing he would see that would be his salvation. "How are you?" he asked, unable tomunicate his feelings. He was just terrible in that department.

    "I am well," she responded, tipping her head up. "And you?" There were too many bruises on his beautiful face and her heart ached seeing them. She traced one of them and he jerked at the pain. "Oh, I am so sorry!"

    "No, I am fine," he said in a deep throaty voice that made her melt.

    "You aren''t. We must go back to Wilyra to show you to a healer."

    He stroked her hair as he chuckled at her innocence. "My wound will be healed in a day."

    She took a ragged breath and rested her head against his chest. She murmured, "I don''t know whether to thank you or not, but I guess¡­ thank you¡­ I don''t want to bete in saying it because in a week, I won''t be there."

    He hated when she said that. He ced his finger on her lips. "Don''t say that again, okay?"

    Her lips curled up in a sad smile. She kissed his finger and said, "You know if things were different, we would have been excellent for each other. I wouldn''t mind having babies with you."

    His chest filled with so much warmth that it showed on his face. "My babies?" he rasped. With Emma? He wondered what they would look like. The thought instantly sent him into a whirlwind of emotions. But most of those emotions were gutter. He curled his fingers below her chin and lifted her face up. He nted a kiss on her lips and said, "Let''s go. The night is not young and we have to go a long way."

    She nodded sadly. "I have a small request, Lord Lorza," she said.

    "And that is?" he asked, loving the nickname she had given him.

    "Let us not fight for the week that I have."

    His face darkened as his brows furrowed. "I won''t."

    "Thanks," she murmured as her eyes locked with him for a long time. A small grunt from Nephie broke their reverie. They both got up feeling a little awkward. Something between them had changed and none could pinpoint what it was.

    Lazarus gave a tight nod to Nephie in acknowledgement. She got up on her feet and gave him a hard stare as if not pleased with him at all.

    She snuffed again as if in acknowledgement. ''Stay safe, little one,'' she conveyed to Emma. ''I will fly above you while you go to Wilyra.'' Saying that, she turned the opposite side and after running for a few meters, she opened her wings and shot in the air.

    Lazarus picked up Emma in his arms. "I can walk!" she insisted because even he was wounded.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "No, you are unwell," he said strictly and then took her to Titan. He looked up at Nephie who was circling above them. "Will she follow us?"

    "Yes," Emma said. "I don''t think she will leave me alone now."

    The way Lazarus helped her sit on the mount it was as if she was a rag doll. In one swift motion he was behind her on the saddle. "Where''s your cloak?" he asked.

    "Left behind in the tent."

    He opened the button of his cloak and wrapped her with it. "Button up," he ordered. Emma bit her lip as a blush rose to her cheeks, but she settled against his chest and buttoned up the cloak. The feeling was¡­ wonderful. He was so warm and she loved that she could rest against him. Lazarus nudged Titan into a gallop.

    "Where are Magnus and Olya?" she asked.

    "I have sent them back to the cabin."

    "Will they be there for the ritual? I would like to meet Olya onest time."

    "Stop talking about the ritual," he growled.

    Emma became quiet as she withdrew her head inside the cloak. Soon, her eyes became droopy and she went off to sleep. When she opened her eyes, she found herself being carried into an unfamiliar ce. "Where are we?" she asked in a sleepy voice.

    "In an inn on the outskirts of Wilyra."

    Emma opened her eyes and saw that the night had given way to the morning and the sun''s golden petals were slowly stretching the sky. Perhaps, that''s why Lazarus needed to rest. He couldn''t travel during the day.

    He carried her all the way upstairs. A server must have opened the door for him for he bowed to the prince and hurried away. Lazarus closed the door behind him and made her lie on the mattress. "Do you want to take a bath?" he asked.

    She saw how bright the room was as the sun''s rays filtered through the window. Before replying she hurried to draw the curtains and made sure that not a single ray of sun entered. "Yes, that would be wonderful," she replied, panting.

    Lazarus gave her the warmest look that his face could express. He nodded. "I am going downstairs to ask for hot water. What would you like to have?"

    Her stomach grumbled. "Everything they have!"

    His lips curved up for a fraction of a second. "Then I will order everything for you."

 Chapter 93 [Bonus ] Bathe You

    ?The servants at the inn brought in hot water and filled the copper bathtub that was in the corner of the room.

    The inn was located about a night''s journey from the main capital and wasn''t upscale. When Lazarus hade in with Emma, there were only two guests. He had paid the owner to book the entire inn and asked him to make the other two vacate.

    The owner was terrified when he saw Lord Lazarus as one of his customers. He had never had royals in his inn. When Lazarus offered him to book the entire inn, he was overwhelmed. He gave the best room to Lazarus.

    Right now, Emma was looking at the servants who were pouring hot water in the tub. Lazarus wasn''t there as he had gone to order food for her. She really needed a hot water bath because she was extremely tired. Suddenly, she heard a distant screech and her lips curled up. Nephie was somewhere around and suddenly, Emma wished that she knew a way tomunicate with her.

    The servants bowed to her after emptying their pails of hot water in the tub. Emma pursed her lips, wondering what she was going to wear after a bath.

    One of the servants pointed at the chair beside the tub and said, "Mdy, there''s fresh linen and soap bars for you. If you like we can arrange for a light gown for you. My father says that it will start snowing soon and you won''t be able to go out." She looked at the firece. "I will send a boy to light the fire. Please stay in, mdy," she requested, fluttering her eyshes over her warm honey eyes. "It is going to be very cold."

    Emma nodded with a smile. "I will." She liked the way the girl spoke with her out of pure concern. She was barely over thirteen. It seemed that the inn owner was her father.

    The girl bowed to her again and went away, the two servants with her following after her. Emma stripped her clothes. They pooled at her feet and she stepped out of them.

    When Lazarus came in, he was holding the saddlebag. However, the moment he stepped in, he froze. Emma was in the bathtub, naked. He could only see her bare shoulders over the rim of the bathtub. Her hair was spilled over one side. He clenched his teeth as his fangs threatened to grow. Using his willpower, he tore his gaze from her and turned to bolt the door so that no one else would see her naked. Then he walked to the bed to keep the saddlebag and sat down, keeping his eyes away from her and controlling his already wavering self-restraint.

    "Won''t you take a bath?" her soft voice was wrapped in hot iron and it sliced through his self-restraint as easily as it would slice butter.

    He turned to look at her. She had rested her hands over the edge of the tub and her head was over her hands. She was looking at him with her emerald green eyes which were full of invitation to join her.

    "I will¡­" he said in a shaky voice. "I will after you¡­"

    She took a deep breath in and slowly moved to the far edge of the tub. Waving her fingers at the other side, she said, "There is plenty of water and space for both of us over here."

    And whatever self-determination he had, cracked. He got up and walked to her. "Are you sure?" he asked as his chest vibrated with a delicious rumble.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I am," she nodded without breaking contact from his eyes.

    Lazarus peeled his clothes out slowly and let her watch him, let her watch his body. He could see her gaze raking him all over and a blush rose on her cheeks. This wasn''t like the time when he lusted for her. This was different. This felt like¡­ new. He sucked in a sharp breath before lifting his leg and getting in the bathtub. He sat right in front of her.

    "You shoulde here and sit, Lord Lorza," she said in a husky voice. "I can scrub you well."

    Lazarus had no words. Dumbfounded at her invitation, his heart thundered in chest and very carefully so as not to hurt her or spill water out, he slid towards her and sat in between her thighs. He grabbed the edge of the copper tub to stop himself from shivering at the contact of her naked skin. He knew that her sex was right behind his hips and the thought was making him crazy. His eyes became droopy as her scent of violets surrounded him, mixed with that of her sex. Self-control was important.

    Emma poured water over his back. "You have many bruises here," she said huskily as she rubbed the caked blood there.

    Her fingers were warm against his skin and he reveled in her touch. "Hmmm¡­" His shaft was semi hard, his muscles strained as her thighs pressed against his.

    It was sweet torture.

    She rubbed the soap bar on his back gently and removed every ke. Then she rubbed his shoulders and neck. Her breasts raked across his back as she did that and a groan escaped from his lips. "Emma¡­" her name came out like worship.

    Without replying, she took the bar in front of him and rubbed it on his chest as she pressed herself against himpletely. Lazarus''s cock became painfully hard. "Yes, Lord Lorza?" she said after a long time. Her fingers moved in circles as she tried to gatherther. "You should cut your hair. They are too long." Her fingers went further down at his navel and then touched the apex of his thighs.

    "Fuck!" he rasped as he caught her hand over there. His shaft pulsated. "What are you doing, Emma?"

    "Giving you a nice bath," she replied. "And then hoping you would give me too."

    His eyes flew wide open. And the next moment, arge amount of water spilled over the tub, as he pulled her right in front of her. She squealed andughed when she was seated right in the middle of his thighs. "Then let me bathe you first!"

    She bit her lip. A momentter, she rested against his chest and handed him the soap bar.

 Chapter 94 What Is Happening To Me

    ?Lazarus had never bathed anyone in his life, not even himself. He didn''t know how to bathe people. So he did what he could do best with her. He started with her breasts. He ran soap over there in circles, enjoying the feel of her plump breasts. He created a lot ofther over there and ran his hands while squeezing them and raking his fingers over her puckered nipples.

    Emma was getting aroused by the minute. She bit her bottom lip so hard that marks of her teeth appeared over there. She could feel his cock burning like a brand against her skin.

    When he was satisfied that he had given her breasts a bath, he went lower to her navel and then his fingers slid to her clit. The moment he touched it, his chest vibrated with a rumble. He rubbed her over there, his face buried in her neck as he watched what he was doing. Emma seemed to enjoy it because she was thrusting her hips in his hands. He grabbed her waist hard to stop her from thrusting her hips and that made her desperately needy. She tipped her head up and curled her arms around his neck.

    "Lord Lorza¡­" she said in a husky voice.

    "Hmm¡­" His eyes were at his fingers.

    "There are other ces to give me a bath as well," she teased and suddenly bit the tip of his ear.

    "You are right," he said and stopped his movement.

    She cried in protest. He chuckled and then washed her over there. "This is the ce I need to worship." Saying that he turned her to face him. She gasped when he lifted her like a bowl of wine to his mouth. "Hold the tub, Emma," he said looking in her eyes. "I am going to worship you like no one else." Her chest heaved up and down and she grabbed the sides of the tub.

    With a rumble, he pressed his lips on her clit and then sucked it hard. She cried and moaned as she pressed her belly to his head. He was relentless. He took his mouth further down and then sucked her core. In no time, her muscles clenched and she came hard all over his tongue. She screamed as waves after waves of pleasure crashed inside her. When she looked down at him, she saw that his lips were glistening with her juices and were a little swollen up.

    "Let me worship you too, Lord Lorza," she said throughbored breath.

    "No." He lowered her to his shaft. "I want you to ride me, Emma." He slid her down his body.

    She looked at his swollen cock and was about to glide it in when he stopped her. "Not here." She looked up at him in surprise but he just returned her look with his intense gaze, his brows pulled tightly in.

    He gave her a bath. When they were done, he dried her nicely with a towel. And for the first time he realized that caring for her was what gave him maximum pleasure. She helped him dry and, in the process, kissed the tip of his cock making it twitch with need. He grabbed her hair and yanked her face back. "You are ying with fire!"

    "Then I want to burn in that fire."<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Fuck!" Lusty little piece.

    A knock on the door sounded, disturbing them. "It is food." He wrapped her nicely in the towel and draped one around his hips. "Stay on the bed. I will get it."

    A servant tried toe in with the tray of food, but Lazarus growled, stopping them at the door. He took the tray in and bolted the door from inside. "I have ordered everything they had," he said as he ced the tray over the bed. He pulled her to hisp. "Eat as much as you can, Emma. After this, I am going to keep you busy for a long time."

    Her cheeks pinkened till her ears. She lifted the lids of every item out there and was pleasantly surprised to find fresh, smoked bacon, salted pheasant, roasted chicken, ginger ale, meat dumplings, fresh bread, fruits and pastries. And a jar of blood. "This is a lot!" she said as she stared at it with wide eyes.

    "All for you," he replied with a smug smile as he cut arge piece of bacon and put it in front of her mouth. She opened her mouth and ate it.

    "Mhmm¡­." She groaned. "This is so good!"

    He loved watching her eat as she told him about Nephie. "It is so wonderful to fly on her, Lord Lorza. You must try it!"

    "I will," he said, giving her fruits. In between he also ate but his gaze was entirely focused on her. He would drink blood from it time and again and search for her expression of feeling disgusted, but she didn''t.

    "You won''t feel her spiky scales. She told me exactly where to sit. And she even told me that, if possible, I should make a saddle made for her."

    "Interesting." He picked up the pastry and made her eat it.

    Emma suddenly started feeling more alert than usual. Her body temperature rose and she was flushed. Her breath became ragged. She turned her gaze to Lazarus and he too seemed like he was on a high dose of testosterone. She caught his hand and pressed it to her breast. "I don''t know what is happening to me, Lorza," she said.

    He clenched his jaws. "Neither do I!" He cupped her breast and squeezed it tight. With some difficulty, he managed to put the tray on the floor and the next moment he flipped her on her back and pressed her hard with his weight. She squirmed beneath him. "Take me," she said, her body growing desperate with need.

    "Fuck Emma. I am dying to take you!" He pinned her hands to the bars of the bed behind. His gaze raked her nape. He seized her lips. She parted her lips and let him enter her mouth. He groaned the moment his tongue slid inside.

 Chapter 95 [Bonus ] Claimed And Marked

    ?Emma opened up for him like a flower. When he slid his tongue inside, she moaned his name. Her body squirmed beneath her and she felt her senses going haywire. The pull towards her mate was stronger than ever. It was as if she had lost all control over herself. There was this crazy connection between them that made all the sense. She felt she was being pulled into something bigger than herself. The idea of both terrifying and exhrating at the same time.

    His swollen cock pressed against her thighs and belly. "I think I will go mad without you," he said in a husky voice that was loaded with lust. He crashed his lips on hers in a frenzy, the kiss going intense and hungry. It was as if he was the only source of oxygen for her. It was as if her whole life depended on this kiss. Her hands traveled down from his neck to his shoulders as she let his kiss so aggressively that it was almost painful but she didn''t want him to stop.

    His fingers entangled her hair and he pulled her closer with desperation. And the desire was so strong that just the sensation of it was painful. She had to have him and he had to have her. All of her.

    It was not because they wanted to, but because if they didn''t have each other, he was sure he would die.

    Little bursts of electricity sizzled everywhere. He took his hand to her buttock and grabbed one of them. She wrapped her thighs around him and yanked him closer.

    He had never felt so much out of control and it was impossible for him to stop now. There were so many questions in his mind because it wasn''t making sense. How could he lose control? Butter. "I want to get inside you, Emma. Can I?" he asked, his muscles bulging in anticipation, his brow slick with sweat. He stared into her eyes, demanding, begging, craving.

    "Yes," she said in a breathy voice. She could feel his chest vibrating. The shudder of his thighs was palpable.

    That was all the encouragement he needed. He positioned the crown of his cock at her core and without warning, he entered her. She gasped and stilled as he stretched her to the fullest. The feeling was¡­ surreal. How could this be? She closed her eyes.

    A growl emanated from his chest and he pushed deeper until his full length stretched her to the maximum. She felt his cock twitch inside her. He lifted himself over his elbows and looked at her face. "Look at me, Emma," he demanded. "I want to see you as I thrust inside you. She opened her eyes and a rumble came out of his chest seeing her lustful eyes. She wanted him just like he wanted her. Slowly he began thrusting inside her in order to prepare her for him.

    She shifted a little and moaned. Her nails dug in his shoulders and she drew blood. Lazarus groaned, reveling in the sensation. His mate had wed him in the throes of pleasure. He started pounding hard and fast, her body bouncing with every movement. Pleasure built with every thrust. She wed him on his back to hold him while he continued to thrust himself inside her, bury deep within her. It was so wild. It was so intense. Yet it was so right.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The heat in her lower body was coiling, coiling, coiling so tight that she began panting, she began chasing something.

    "Come for me, Emma," he growled.

    And on his cue, she came all around his cock. Ripples of pleasure crashed through her, each one slightlyrger than the one before. Her body arched as she screamed with the explosion of pleasure. Her head tipped back. She turned to the side, baring her neck for him.

    His fangs had grown long for the want of his mate. Venom pooled in his mouth and he resisted to pierce it in her pulse point. His gaze locked on her pulse point she screamed with pleasure. She was looking like she was the only world he wanted to spend his life in.

    He needed to control his need to mark her, so he pounded harder inside her. A shiver ran down his spine and through his buttocks right into his shaft. With a roar, in a frenzy, he struck her like an asp, piercing her pulse point with his fangs that were dripping with his venom. At the same time, he released inside her. Arc upon hot arc. Filling her as he pounded inside her and as he grabbed her with his hands to keep her still as he marked her.

    Emma screamed as waves of pain and pleasure crashed through her over and over again. He didn''t let her move until he had spent himselfpletely inside her. He wrapped his lips around her skin andpped up her blood. His eyes rolled back into his head when the first taste of warm blood coated his tongue. She tasted like the honey of spring flowers mixed with spice. She tasted like elixir, like life. And she tasted like¡­ sin.

    Lazarus could suck her dry and still not be satisfied. For the first time in his life, he had had sex with the only person he wanted to be with. His mate. And for the first time he allowed himself to go out of control to the point of no return. "Mine!" he snarled against her as he held her tightly against his body. "Only mine!" He had imed and marked her. It seemed like he had conquered the world.

    She tangled her fingers in his hair as her body writhed in a spasm and then everything went smooth. She felt¡­ ecstatic. As if she would have given him herst drop of blood if he needed it. All her anxieties melted. "Lorza¡­" she said, his name a caress on his skin. "I love you¡­"

    He was losing control over himself. He had to remove himself from her, else he didn''t know what he would end up doing. He disentangled himself from her and licked her over the ce where he had marked her. Lifting himself a little above her, he gazed into her eyes as he raked his finger through her hair. "Emma¡­" he didn''t know what to say. A sudden worry ran through him. Now she would be his blood ve.

    asionally missing content, please report errors in time.

 Chapter 96 She. Is. Mine!

    ?Lazarus was feeling so content that he didn''t want to go anywhere. If the feeling that he had a mate who he couldn''t im was keeping him at the edge every minute of the day, then the feeling of marking her and iming her was extremely satisfying and rxing. He was euphoric and he didn''t know what hade over him.

    Emma looked like she was flushed. Though he could see ecstasy in her eyes, she looked like she was not in¡­ control. And why was it that even he was feeling out of control. The temperature of his body had risen to an abnormal level and he again wanted to have sex with her. She looked the same. She lifted her mouth and ced a kiss on his lips, making him go wild. He seized her lips in a frenzy and she squirmed beneath him.

    His whole body heated up like me, and he wanted to im her again and again. Nothing made sense. He was getting blinded by his emotions. Before he knew what he was doing, he had entered her again. She moaned and groaned beneath him. He pounded her hard and shot his release soon. He was sweaty, his muscles bulged but he didn''t want to get out of her. At the back of his mind, he knew that she might get sore, yet why was it that he didn''t want to stop?

    He slumped on her, panting heavily, unable to understand anything or thinking coherently. With a lot of willpower, he controlled himself and pulled out of her. She cried a protest, but she closed her eyes, tired as hell. Her body temperature too was higher. Lazarus noticed that her body was turning red and she was sweating a lot. She murmured his name again and again and she looked¡­ delirious.

    Something was definitely wrong. His mind reeled heavily.

    He got up from the bed rather shakily. He picked her up in his arms, walked to the bathtub and sat down in the cold water with Emma in his arms. She squealed a little but the cold water against their body soothed them both.

    His mind was increasingly losing sanity. All he knew was that he had to keep her safe. He clutched her head in his strong arms against his chest to keep her above water and rested his head at the edge of the tub. Soon, he drifted off to deep slumber. Nightmares followed.

    "Mother!" Young Lazarus shouted. "Where are you?"

    The eight-year-old was running around in the blood forest. The crimson leaves of the trees susurrated as a cold wind blew. Bright rays of sun reflected their red against the stark white background.

    "Mother!" he ran frantically. Suddenly, from the corner of his eye, he saw a pool of blood at the base of a tree in a cluster. The young boy shudders. With his limbs trembling, slowly he closed the gap. When he reached the small puddle of blood, he sank to his knees and stared at it. His breath is clouded in front of him as his chest heaves with short breath. "Mother¡­" He bent down and was about to touch the blood when something dripped over his head. Lazarus looked up only to find that blood was dripping from a few leaves.

    "Lazarus!" A faint voice reached him. He looked at the blood again, a streak of blood forming on his face. Was his mother alive beneath the tree? Was this her grave? Was she calling him?

    The voice didn''te back again and he heard¡­ water sshing? Emma!

    Lazarus peeled open his eyes with a jerk and saw that Emma wasn''t in his arms. She had slipped down and was submerged in water. "Emmmaaa!" With a bellow he pulled her out, but she was unconscious. "Emma! Emma!" He shook her shoulders. His mind went numb with acute tension. Some water spilled from her mouth but she didn''t open her eyes. "Emma!" he rasped. When she didn''t open her eyes, with a brutal roar, he traced her away.

    "Shiraaaa!" Lazarus roared to the oracle as he traced Emma beneath the apple tree in Zeph.

    Gusts of wind eddied - swirled and ambient. Dense clouds, loaded with moisture covered the sky. The delicate branches of the apple tree waved raucously as the grass around it ttened in waves as if terrorized by what was about toe. All around him logs began toy one over the other and soon a small cottage stood.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "ce her over there!" Shira growled, pointing towards a t pallet as she wiped her hands with her apron that were stained green and red.

    "She is unconscious! She can''t even speak!"

    "I warned you, Lazarus!" sheshed at him. "People are not going to spare her. They would make sure that you mark her! And now look at her. She is on the verge of breaking!"

    He traced her Shira and in a lethal voice growled, "Then get her back!"

    "She''s a human. How do you think I can work on a human? She is too delicate!"

    "I don''t give a fuck. Just get her back!"

    Shira let out a desperate cry and with clenched teeth, walked to Emma. She touched her forehead. "She is having a fever!" "How the hell did this happen?" Rolling her eyes, she snapped her fingers and Lazarus was clothed now in ck tunic and trousers.

    "I have no idea. She and I had this uncontroble fever. Took her with me to the cold bath tub water." He began pacing as she assessed her. "Fix her witch! Fast!"

    Shira''s eyes went to the angry red mark on her pulse point. "And you have marked her?" She said with a raised eyebrow.

    "Yes, she is mine!" he growled menacingly, possessively. "She. Is. Mine!"

    "I know, but why are you so bothered whether she is awake or unconscious? You only want her body and Maeve would control her mind. Why are you so worried?"

    "Quiet!" He snarled, peeling his lips to bare his fangs. "If you can''t do it, I will take her somece else!"

    Shira rolled her eyes as she took a deep breath in. He grew restless.

 Chapter 97 Sleep, Love

    ?Even though he was impatient about Emma and was pacing through the cottage, his body was still flushed. He felt like he could have many more rounds of sex with his mate. There was something terribly wrong. He had marked her in a frenzy. Over the time, he had exercised a lot of control on his lust when he was around her and been extremely careful to not mark her, so how did he lose control now?

    He peeked at Shira who was grinding paste in a thistle as she looked at Emma. The room in which Emma was, smelled like a mix of yarrow, honey, sage, rotten flesh and violets. Her lips were smeared with a dull green paste that Shira said was seaweed she had acquired from The Jade Sea of a different realm called Araniea.

    "What is taking you so long, Shira?" he growled. "She hasn''t improved!"

    "It''s been only twenty minutes, Lazarus," Shira replied in a boring tone. "And why are you looking so flushed? Your face is red. She nced at his pants. "And that is constantly bulging."

    Lazarus growled again. He leaned against the door, still feeling feverish. He watched Emma as his chest raced wildly, as his blood thrummed in his ears, anxiety surging through him in waves. He rested his head on the door. "I don''t know what has gone wrong. Both Emma and I had food and after that we ended up¡­" he let out a ragged breath as his gaze went to Emma''s mark. "¡­like this."

    Shira walked up to him with a frown. She touched his forehead with the back of her hand. A soft glow covered his head. Her eyes became wide as if with surprise. She neared his mouth and sniffed him. "You''ve been drugged, Lord Lazarus," she said with a rough exhale. "And so has Emma. The drug must have been mixed with your food."

    ? Lazarus tensed. He narrowed his eyes. His jaws clenched. "How can you say?" he asked, masking his astonishment.

    Shira returned to making the paste. Emma had opened her eyes a little but she was looking nk. "I am a witch and an oracle. Don''t question my diagnosis!" she snapped. She took out a spoonful of the paste she was making in a bowl, added thyme honey in it and gave it to him. "Here, have it."

    Lazarus was stunned at this revtion. Who could have drugged him? He took the potion from her and was about to have it, when she stopped him. "Wait. You are stronger than her. Go mix some chamomile oil in it!" She pointed at a shelf in front of her where the herbs were ced by their names.

    As soon as he had the mixture, Lazarus felt like he would explode with all the heat building inside him. "What have you done to me, witch?" he rumbled, struggling to control his anger.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Oh, did I mention that you need to jump in water after having this drug?" the witch said coolly.

    Lazarus was seen running out of the cottage towards the waterfall at its rear. He stripped his clothes on the way and jumped over the cliff, diving straight in the cold water pool some fifty feet down. When he emerged, he smoothed his hair back and tilted his face up to re at the witch''s cottage. The cold water helped him regte his body''s temperature and gave him enough time to mull over what happened in the past few hours. His mind also rxed. He ended up swimming for an hour in it and by the end he was sure that if he didn''te out, he would develop a fishtail. Moreover, he was getting restless as he wanted to see Emma.

    He rushed naked back to the cottage much to Shira''s displeasure. Picking up a towel, he dried himself and then wrapped it around his hips.

    Emma was still lying on the pallet with a green paste wrapped around her body. As the paste dried, it sizzled up, giving out red fumes. His nervousness went a notch higher. He went to sit where she was and was about to pick her up when Shira stopped him. "Don''t. That is the druging out of her body. Someone had given her enough drugs tost a lifetime. It is necessary that all of ites out."

    Lazarus clenched his fist and promised himself that he was going to kill the person who did this to his mate. Slowly and painfully. "When will she be, okay?" he asked.

    "It will take a few hours, Lazarus," Shira said in a tired voice. "I do believe that this is not your normal drug. I checked on her blood and tested it in my witch fire. The fumes that came out were ck and smelled of rotten worms. That is very unusual. And I think whatever happened between you was because of the effect of the drug. While you are a Lorean she isn''t. The effect on you wasn''t as bad as on her because you are stronger than her."

    Fury sted in his chest and he did everything to control himself. He approached Emma and bent down over her face. Her eyes traveled to him and tears slid out of them. They dropped by her temple. She was unable to speak anything and that alone made him miserable. He wiped the drops of tears from her temple and stroked her hair. "You will be fine, Emma," he said in a soft voice. "Can you go to sleep for a few hours?" She blinked her eyes several times. He knew what she wanted tomunicate. His gaze went to her dry lips and he pressed a kiss on them to wet them. "I will be here when you wake up, love. Shira is trustworthy."

    Emma blinked at him again as if agreeing to him. His throat bobbed as his chest squeezed and he closed her eyes with his palm. He saw that the skin around his mark was raised and red. He bent down and licked it. He began stroking her hair. "Sleep, love." Soon Emma went off to sleep and he got up from there.

    asionally missing content, please report errors in time.

 Chapter 98 Just The Beginning

    ?Shira was making more of the same medicinal paste for Emma. "After this dry, I will apply more."

    He gave her a tight nod. "I will be away for no more than two hours. Do you think you can handle it?" Suddenly, he heard a screeching sounding from the skies.

    Shira ran to the window that overlooked the waterfall and gazed up. Her breath lodged in her throat. "That''s a¡­ dragon!" she rasped.

    "Yes," Lazarus said through his teeth. He began dressing up. "And her name is Nephie. She hase to meet Emma because Emma''s mother is a dragon rider."

    "Oh. My. God!" Shira had goosebumps on her skin. "I didn''t know that about Emma. Do you know how rare it is to see a dragon and that too a female dragon?" She couldn''t take her eyes off the beautiful purple dragon.

    "She hase to see her mate, who is Brantley Frazier''s dragon."

    Shira turned sharply to see Lazarus, her eyes wide like that of saucers. "Can I meet Nephie?"

    He shrugged. "Go and meet her if you think you can, but let me tell you, Nephie is extremely possessive about Emma. If shees to know that Emma is with you, which I believe she already knows, she may attack you."

    "I will take my chances!" Shira replied.

    "But you better meet her after you have cured Emma. I will not take chances if I were you, because then I would be afraid of me."

    Shira narrowed her eyes on him. "You are an arrogant bastard!"

    "I know!" he replied and traced away.

    A day had passed and it was evening. Lazarus came to the same inn where Emma and he had stayed for the night. The ce was unusually quiet. He had booked the entire inn and so he knew that there wasn''t anyone. Cautiously, he walked inside and traced beneath the staircase that was adjacent to the counter where the owner sat.

    The owner was furiously putting something in a cloth bag, while ncing around. "Father!" his daughter came running from the back entrance. "Father!"

    Lazarus remembered her as the girl who had brought a pail of hot water for them to take a bath.

    "Go away Hiram!" he shooed her. "I am busy!"

    "Father!" The girl came to stop in front of him., panting excitedly "The prince and princess aren''t there!"

    The owner stopped working and stared at her with a nk expression. "What do you mean? They were there only a few hours back."

    She shook her head. "No, they have left! But their clothes are still lying in the room. I went in to clean it and found that they weren''t there."<novelnext></novelnext>

    The owner stabbed his fingers in his hair as he looked at the entrance of the inn with a worried expression. Then he said, "Go find where they have gone. Check everywhere!"

    The girl nodded and rushed away.

    He started stashing things back in his bag all the more quickly. When his bag was full, he rounded the counter and came out in the lobby. He threw the bag on his shoulder and once again looked around to see if there was anyone else. Pursing his lips, he began towards the entrance when Lazarus traced right in front of him.

    The owner was so shocked that he stumbled and fell down. Lazarus towered above him, his lips peeling back. A menacing rumble emanated from his chest. "What is there in the bag?" he asked through his clenched teeth.

    "N¡ªnothing, my lord!" the owner shook his head as his face nched. His grasp on the bag tightened.

    Lazarus tilted his head. "Show me."

    The owner scrambled back. "There is n¡ªnothing in it, my lord" he said again. Suddenly, he got up and started running in the opposite direction.

    Lazarus let him run as far as he wanted to. He let him enter the back alley of the inn and then traced right in front of him.

    The owner came to a standstill as he hit a rock-hard wall of pure muscles. He looked up at Lazarus who was clearly a foot taller than him. "My lord¡ª" Before he could speak another word, Lazarus''s hand was on his throat.

    He squeezed the owner''s throat. The owner dropped his bag down and caught hold of his wrist, spluttering and wheezing as his face went red for the want of air. Lazarus picked him up with his throat and his feet now dangled in the air.

    "Please my lord¡ª" the owner said with difficulty as he saw the vampire prince''s fangs.

    "How dare you drug my food?" Lazarus said in a voice full of fury.

    "I¡ªI didn''t!"

    Lazarus squeezed his throat further and hurled him in the air. The owner thrashed against a wall some ten meters ahead. He didn''t even have a chance to get up when Lazarus traced to him and grabbed his hair. His muscles bulged with tension. "By adding drug to my food, you havemitted a crime against a royal and the only punishment for it is death!" He yanked him up and tipped his head up. "I am going to count till three. If you don''t give me the name of the person who made you do this, I am going to kill you and your family. And I won''t stop there. Your descendants will face my wrath too!"

    The man pissed in his pants. "No one¡ª" How could he reveal the name of the person who gave him two bags of gold which were in the bag that was lying hurled across.

    Lazarus was beyond control. He picked up the man and threw him against the wall with so much force that it cracked upon impact. The man was now so badly beat up that he didn''t have the energy to move. A crack was heard and he screamed in pain. His leg fractured. Lazarus came over him and towered him. "This is just the beginning." He was about to yank his head again in a frenzy of madness when the owner stopped him. "

    "My lord, I am sorry. It was¡ª"

 Chapter 99 Proud Wearing It

    ?As the green paste on her body dried, the red fumes emerged, extracting the drug from her body. Though her skin became drier, she felt better. She turned her head around to see where she was, missing Lazarus terribly, missing his warm touch and worrying whether he was well or not. If she was in this condition, she wondered what he was going through. The realization that she was a weak mortal weighed upon her heavily.

    When she turned towards the window, she found a woman looking out. In a weak voice she managed to murmur, "Where is Lazarus?"

    As soon as the woman turned to look at her, Emma was shocked. "You are¡ª"

    Shiraughed. "I am the same woman you saw in the mirror. Yes, that was the best way to contact you." She walked up to Emma with a broad smile on her face. "And you are prettier than what I saw in the mirror image." Shira put her fingers on her belly and removed the paste from there. "I think you are healing well!"

    Emma''s shock turned into surprise, noticing Shira''s friendliness towards her. She watched her as she took a wet cloth to remove the paste from her body. Emma shivered under the coldness of the damp cloth. Her thoughts went to Lazarus all over again. Where was he? Was he in grave danger? Her mind went to thest night and a blush rose to her cheeks. He had marked her. That feeling of belonging to him was¡­ surreal.

    "So you are Lazarus''s bride?" Shira said as she dunked the cloth in clear water. "I really wanted to meet you. No matter what fa?ade he puts forth, I knew that he would like you."

    A faint smile ghosted on her lips. "I am not her bride," she said in a hoarse voice. "I am someone who he would kill in a few days." Tears ran down her eyes because she didn''t want to die. She wanted to live with him for as long as she would as a mortal. She would turn into a vampire if that meant she could live longer with him.

    "Emmalyn, right?" Shira asked. Her voice was filled with love and kindness. Was she friends with Lazarus?

    "He calls me Emma¡­"

    "Oh! Emma," Shira took her hands in hers. "That''s a lovely nickname." She patted her hands and squeezed them a little. "You are safe here, Emma. No one will be able to find you here and we will protect you."

    And for the first time in many days, Emma melted. She was dying for someone to tell her that she was safe and protected, but was she?

    "I have never seen Lazarus so enamored with anyone other than you. Even thest time when Maeve was here, he didn''t look this much in anger. And it is a lot to say because Lazarus had gone after her to Vilinski to get her to Wilyra."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Emma pursed her lips. She really hated this world. Why was she having this fresh bout of jealousy against Maeve?

    Shira removed all the paste from her body. "I think you are nicely healed," she said, looking at her body. "Here let me help you to get up." She supported Emma''s shoulders and helped her to get up to a sitting position. Emma became hyper-aware of her nakedness and covered her breasts with one hand and crotch with the other. Shiraughed sweetly. "Don''t worry, I have seen it all and it doesn''t matter." She pointed to a wooden screen at the corner of the room. "You can take a bath over there. The water is hot. And those are the clothes you can wear." Emma got up from the pallet but she was still too weak to walk. She stumbled and Shira grabbed her waist immediately. "Come, let me help you."

    "Thank you for all your help, Shira," Emma said softly.

    "Oh! It''s nothing! After you take a bath, I will tell you how Lazarus helped me from a difficult situation. I am doing it for him."

    Emma nodded, a little surprised that Lazarus could have a friend in this world. The water was just hot enough to soothe around her body. Shira ced her fingers inside it. A warm glow appeared around them and the water turned warmer. Soap bubbles burst on its surface and the room filled with a lemony smell. Shira went back to her work table where various potions and herbs were spread. "So what should I talk to you about?" Shira said, musing.

    Emma really like how chirpy she was. She was so much like Olya. Where was Olya? Hope she was safe with Magnus. Emma''s heart squeezed with emotion, thinking that she would probably never meet Olya again.

    In a soothing voice that felt like a caress to her, Shira went on to speak about Nephie. How she was still circling the skies above and looking for enemies. "Nephie is beautiful! I wonder what she would look like when she shifts into her human form."

    "Shifts?" Emma was surprised. "Dragons can shift?"

    Shira chortled. "Of course they can, but they rarely do that because they love to stay in their feral form and shifting into a human form for them is pretty¡­ troublesome." She went on talking about how Lazarus helped her once and saved her from a pack of rogue warlocks. Emma listened to her with rapt attention. At the end of it, she said, "Lazarus is a damaged man, and you¡ª" she turned to look at Emma who was now wrapped in a soft towel. "¡ªyou are the only one who can save him from this madness."

    Emma lowered her head. Sucking in a sharp breath, she looked to her left and winced in pain. The mark was painful but why was it that she felt proud of wearing it. Her thoughts went back to him. "How can I save him when I will be sacrificed for his betrothed?"

    There was so much sadness in her voice that Shira felt for her.

 Chapter 100 Darkness Chose You

    ?Emma wore the dress she Shira had given to her¡ªa white long skirt with a white blouse. She wore a thick brown sweater over it. "What happened to me?" she asked as she tied damp her hair in a high bun.

    "You were¡­ drugged. Heavily!" Shira let out a ragged breath.

    Emma gasped. She recalled the amount of food she had eaten and Lazarus was the one who fed her. Did he drug her? The idea made her feel horrible, but she couldn''te to hate Lazarus. All she could think was of his well being. "And what about Lazarus?" She wondered if he drugged her just because he wanted to mark her. But that was a ridiculous thought. He always restrained himself from marking her

    Seeing that Emma was silent for a long time, Shira turned over her shoulder and said, "Even he was drugged, but the effect of the drug on you two was different. He is a strong Lorean and you are a human."

    Emma''s shock was etched all over her face. "Even, he was drugged? How is he now? Where is he? Is he well or is he in a different room? Can I please see him?"

    "Whoa tiger!" Shira stopped the barrage of questions Emma hurled at her. "Ease down. Lazarus is fine and he will return soon."

    "Where is he?" Emma asked, anxiety surging through in waves. Why was it that she was feeling so crazily bonded to him? What was happening to her?

    Shira shrugged. "I have no idea," she replied. "He said he would be back in two hours and it is three hours now!"

    Emma crossed her arms across her chest with a defeated expression. "He has marked me and now he is nowhere for me," shemented.

    Shira frowned. She faced Emma and leaned at the edge of the table with her hips. "You shouldn''t have allowed him to mark you."

    "Well, I wasn''t in the best of my senses, but honestly I don''t regret it." Emma rubbed her neck and winced in pain. How long would it take for her skin to heal? "In fact, I like carrying his mark."

    Shira shook her head as sheughed softly. "Foolish lovebirds," shemented.

    "He doesn''t love me¡­" Emma remarked.

    Shira ignored her words. "Now that he has marked you, you have be his blood ve. You are his most prized possession and the two of you won''t be able to stay away from each other."

    Emma blinked at her. "Why?" The attraction that she felt for Lazarus was beyond words. It was as if she could breathe if he rejected her. She longed for him and every particle of her body gravitated to him.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Because now you are his bride. You carry his scent and he has imed your body and soul. And that means that in order to get back to him, his enemies will target you. Lazarus will have to keep you shielded till the end of the world. You see, by marking you, he has not only risked your life, he has risked his own. If you, he dies and if he dies, you die. You both will go the Fade together."

    The shock of the truth jolted her and she pped her hands over her mouth. How could Lazarus take such a risk? Suddenly, she felt an ache in her chest. She wanted to go to him and be with him. To make sure that he was safe.

    Her lips trembled and all she could ask was, "What is a blood ve?" She thought she knew the answer already.

    "When the male vampire marks his female while iming her, she tends to be his blood ves. They will depend on each other for their hunger. He can force you into doing everything, he can break you and yet you won''t be able to protest. You will simply¡­ do it. Sometimes, when the vampires mark females who aren''t their mates, they do abuse their brides."

    "Goddess!"

    "But¡ª" Shira said as her lips curved up. "I think Lore doesn''t make mistakes. They are tethered to each other very strongly and no one can break that bond. It''s like an invisible thread ties them to the extent that you both are going to feel each other''s emotions. You both are mates and I think darkness chose you."

    Emma let out a rough exhale, staring at Shira with disbelief in her eyes.

    "All I can say is that you have to be very careful from now onwards." Shira picked up a bracelet from the table that had ssy blue eyes beaded all around. "Wear this," she said and gave it to Emma. "Whenever you are in trouble, all you have to do is touch this bracelet and remember me chanting, Ozvati Shira. I wille for your rescue."

    "Why are you doing so much for me, Shira?" Emma asked, her eyes moist. She had made another friend in the Lore.

    "I am doing it for Lazarus. That boy deserves a happy life." Shira cupped Emma''s face in her hands. "Only you can give him that happiness. I have seen him suffering so much that it was unbearable after a certain time. He was led into thinking that only Maeve can be his salvation, but trust me Emma, that is untrue. You are his soulmate and only you can pull him out. I don''t know how, but you have find a way. I like you a lot because of your grit and determination. Don''t bend down to Maeve. She may be a goddess, but you are Lazarus''s mate. And in itself is very powerful!"

    Emma wanted to say a thousand things, but she stopped in surprise. Shira chuckled. She leaned forward to kiss her cheek. "You are a brave girl. I know you will find a way out."

    Shira''s words filled her with a lot of positivity. "Thank you¡­" she murmured.

    Shira grinned. "My pleasure." She walked back to her table and said, "I think my work is over here and there is someone who wants to meet you desperately." She pointed at the window.

 Chapter 101 [Bonus ] Felt Likeâ€¦ Mutiny

    ?As if on an instinct, Emma knew it. Her feet bounced to the window and to her surprise, she saw Nephie flying too low. "Nephie!" she squealed as she waved her hand to her. The dragon let out a screech that was akin to happiness on seeing her. Nephie swooped down andnded a few feet away just over the edge of the waterfall and tucked her wings back.

    "She has been here since you were unwell, circling the skies, looking out for you."

    "Goddess!" Emma said excitedly.

    Shira saw how happy Emma was when she saw her dragon. The look of misery erased from her face. She felt happy for Lazarus for a long time. She wiped her hands on her apron and started winding up. After a while she said, "I am leaving, Emma. Call me when you need me, okay." Emma nodded with a smile. Shira snapped her fingers. The instant she did that the entire cottage was surrounded by a raging storm and soon everything disappeared, leaving only an apple tree beneath which Emma was.

    Amazed at how that happened, Emma was stunned into silence for a long time. She had never seen such strong magic. She looked up at the appleden tree and couldn''t help but pluck it. A whuffle and a small brought her attention back to Nephie who was watching her from a distance and looking at her with her beautiful andrge blue eyes.

    "Nephie!" Emma squealed and rushed to her. She was boisterous seeing Nephie. It was as if the connection between her and her mother was established when she saw Nephie. Nephie bobbed her head in happiness like a little puppy who had just seen her owner. Emma came to stand right in front of her. "I missed you, Nephie!" she said, panting heavily. As soon as she ced her hand over Nephie, they startedmunicating. "I missed you too, little one. I am d to see you, Emma," Nephie said as she let Emma rub her hand on her snout.

    "I was so worried about you!" Emma replied and leaned against her face.

    "Get well soon, little one. Your mother wouldn''t like it if you are unwell." Nephie closed her eyes and let out a sigh which was more like gusty hot air.

    There was a gleam in her eyes. "I wish I could meet my mother," Emma replied. She pulled herself away from Nephie and came to stand in front of her, her hand still resting on her face. "Do you think you can take me to my mother?" she asked casually.

    "Yes, I can, but for that you have to travel to Yizinia with me." Nephie reveled in the touch of Emma. "And that is a different realm. It is a realm of dragons. The travel out there is a long. It would take at least two days for us to reach there unless¡ª" Nephie took in a deep breath of air.

    "Unless what?" Emma goaded her.

    "Unless a portal is created for us. The portal would take us to the outskirts of Yizinia and then it would be shortened to a day''s travel only."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Emma pursed her lips as if contemting. "I would love to go, you know. I want to meet my mother."

    "Do you want to go now?" Nephie offered. "I can take you whenever you are ready."

    Emma sucked in a sharp breath.

    ---

    With a brutal roar, Lazarus picked up the owner of the inn and hurled him across the back alley. The owner slid some twenty feet away and slumped to the ground unconscious. Lazarus walked to the bag that was tossed to the side. He opened the string and saw the contents. There were two bags of gold coins and two pouches that contained drugs. The man seemed to be leaving Wilyra because he had his papers and that of his family''s, stashed in the bottom. He picked it up and went to the stables to get Titan. Then he traced to Zeph to be with Emma. However, when he reached there, he saw that there was no cottage.

    Panicky, he whipped his head around and all he did was to hit his head with apples. Had Shira taken away his Emma? Wind blew calmly and everything seemed quiet and in ce, but his heart was thundering. Had Emma regained her consciousness? "Emmmaa!" he shouted. Emma''s face shed across his mind and he felt all the more nervous. He had imagined returning to her and she would run into his arms. Titan was neighing lightly as if he was restless.

    A gust of wind above made him snap his head and he saw Emma on the dragon, flying above in the circle. Relief washed over him as he looked at the two. He called her again. She didn''t listen to him, shrieking and squealing with joy. Everything was well. Still¡­ still he was angry that his woman was happy without him. And he was jealous of Nephie that it was because of her that she was so happy. Even he wanted to make Emma happy now and see the same look on her face. This felt like¡­ mutiny.

    When Nephie came tond on the ground, he dismounted Titan and walked to Emma. She got down from the dragon holding her spikes. She was wearing a long skirt, but when she swung her legs, it reached her thighs. She was so sexy that he nked out, not able to focus on anything other than her.

    "Lord Lorza! Nephie and I had been talking about Yizinia." She sidled up to him with her hip swinging. His heart started racing. "Where did you go?"

    At the back of his mind, he wanted to acknowledge Nephie, but he found himself curling his arm around her waist. He picked her up and when she was at his eye level, he kissed her. "I had gone to take care of something," he said after giving her a long kiss to soothe his nerves.

 Chapter 102 A Temper Tantrum

    ?She couldn''t help curling her arms around his neck as she kissed him back on his cheek. "You went to get hold of those who drugged us?" she asked, her eyes darting to his lips, to his fangs. She leaned forward and kissed his lips, swiping her tongue over his fangs. It pierced her tongue slightly to give him the taste of her blood. And just as she wanted, his eyes gleamed in anticipation.

    He slid her down him slowly to the ground, keeping her very close to his body. "I did." The taste of her blood quickened his pulse and his chest vibrated with a rumble. The skin around her mark was still angry. He leaned down to her neck and licked the mark. "Did you worry for me today while you were with Nephie?"

    "Of course, I did worry about you, Lorza."

    "And now I am Lorza, not Lord Lorza?" His fingers dug into her hips that he was holding possessively as he stared intensely into her eyes out of love. And still he hadn''t paid attention to Nephie who was watching them.

    "Well, I decided to call you Lorza from now on."

    "Why now on?"

    "Because you look beautiful and I feel like kissing you crazily and so I thought I could drop Lord and just call you Lorza."

    Lazarus''s throat bobbed with an emotion he couldn''t point at. No one had given him a nickname. Not because he didn''t want it, but because no one had dared to do so. Lorza sounded¡­ bundled with affection. He took a deep breath in to understand all the emotions swirling in his chest. She brought her hand to his chest and drewzy circles over there as if nothing else mattered. For the first time in his life, he felt like he didn''t bother about the world and that he could spend an entire lifetime with Emma, right here next to the apple tree, with her in his arms. "What were you two talking about?" On his way to her, he listened to her talking loudly to Nephie. He tilted his head to look at Nephine and gave her a tight nod of approval.

    Emma didn''t want him to know what she was talking about, so she tried to change the subject. "Umm¡­ just this and that. What did you find out about the drugs?"

    He narrowed his eyes. She was hiding something because her cheeks grew flushed. "They were extremely dangerous and your body could have been affected for your life."

    She let out a sad chuckle. "Does that even matter?"

    He yanked her close to him and nuzzled her hair. Inhaling her scent of violets deeply, he felt rxed. Shira had taken good care of his mate and for which he really appreciated her. "So what did you talk about with Nephie?"

    "I¡ª" she bit her bottom lip. "We talked about going to Yizinia to meet my mother before you take me for the ritual."

    His eyes shot me red. He snapped his eyes to Nephie as he grabbed Emma''s hand and shoved her behind him. His hand went to the hilt of his sword, ready to kill the dragon if need be. "You have just managed to be dead Nephie!" he yelled. "How dare you take my bride away from me?" His insecurity reared its head and the purple dragon looked red. Lazarus was ready to fight a mighty dragon that was twenty times his size for his bride.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Nephie''s spikes bristled as she tilted her snout a little to look at the vampire who was even shorter than her leg. She should have been tense, but she became interested. Strangely bewildered.

    "Lazarus!" Emma squeaked. "It''s not like that¡ª"

    "I will strip your scales dragon and chop you into pieces if you take away my Emma. She is too na?ve and very gullible!" Lazarus roared, drawing his sword out.

    "Lazarus!" Emma struggled toe in front of him. "In any case why do you even care? In three days, you will cast my soul out. I am not your bride. Maeve is. You will dare not harm the one dragon I havee to love."

    Frenzied, he turned sharply to face her and, in the process, he took his hand to the sword''s tip. It started bleeding. He wrapped his bleeding hand around her waist tightly. "You want to leave me and go to meet your mother? I have just marked you! I have so many enemies that you are not safe anywhere. You can''t even think of leaving me!" It was his extreme insecurity mixed with his possessiveness that led him to speak all. She was the woman he had marked. He longed for her even if she was a few meters away and she was thinking of going to Yizinia? Never.

    "Lazarus¡ª" she reached out to him, trying to cup his face.

    But he snapped away, leaning back from her without leaving her waist. "If you leave, I am going to kill Nephie. Now!" His anxiety that his mate would leave him, returned like a storm-tossed ocean.

    Angered that he wasn''t listening to her, she poked her finger in his chest and pinned him with his gaze. "Now listen to me, Lord Lazarus. You are not ever going to threaten me like that, especially about people and dragons I love. Are we clear?"

    Lazarus''s mouth fell to the floor when she ordered him so forcefully. He desired so madly and badly for her that in his frenzy he didn''t notice that she would feel terrible about killing Nephie.

    "I asked you a question. Are we clear?" With her chin tipped up and with that stubborn look in her eyes, she looked like his queen. That look made his chest rumble and he growled as desire rode him high for his queen.

    ''Crystal'', he wanted to say. "You are not leaving, are you?"

    "No, I am not. I can''t leave you even if I wanted to. Stop throwing a temper tantrum." She lowered her sweater and showed him the mark. "This bond between us prevents me."

    Swallowing thickly, the next moment, he yanked her against his chest and wrapped his arms around her possessively, protectively. He immediately rxed and closed his eyes, resting his head on hers. If this was how his life was going to go on¡­ he looked forward to it. She loved him as much as he did, right?

 Chapter 103 Kiss Your Man

    ?Lazarus forgot about his padillo immediately. He kissed her temple. Cupping her face, he leaned in to kiss her lips.

    Emma was still very angry with him. She pushed against his chest and pulled away from the kiss. He immediately missed her. "I don''t want to talk to you!" she said. "You will never hurt those I love."

    "I will never hurt those you love," he said, refusing to leave her. "I just can''t let you leave me. I was furious that you wanted to leave me." And when he said those words, his throat didn''t burn. "However, I do feel that in this rtionship, you hold all the cards." He wrapped his fingers around the back of her neck and tipped her chin to gaze in her beautiful green eyes. After the way she ordered himst time, he was¡­ impressed. She had managed to not only stop him from fighting with Nephie, but also quell his jealousy and anger. Having said that, "Do you love me?"

    Emma''s lips parted at hisst question. Slowly, she could feel how he was pulling her towards him or maybe he was leaning against her. Their lips brushed each other and his warm breath fanned over her lips and cheeks. "Do you love me, Emma?" he repeated his question, his voice loaded with lust and desire. She felt heat coiling in her body. How could she be affected by simple words from him? Simple words that had a lot of meaning and weighed heavily, especially now that she was only a few days away from the ritual.

    She realized that he was holding his breath. And for once she thought that she had swayed him. "I love you, Lord Lorza," she said and realized that her voice had gone husky. "I think I wanted you from day one."

    His throat bobbed and his chest vibrated with a rumble. He grabbed her waist with one hand and lifted her like a rag doll to his eye level. "It is good then because I don''t want to kill Nephie or anyone you love."

    She let out augh. "You are so benevolent, aren''t you?"

    "Shut up and kiss your man."

    My man? She couldn''t believe that he had just said that. Would Lazarus be hers after all that they had undergone? After what Maeve had wanted from him and he wanted from her? Was she hallucinating? He had never treated her like she was his mate and now¡­ now he was so possessive about her that he never wanted her to leave him. When she looked in his red eyes, they were full of desire for her and had that expression that she saw when the defenses around him melted in her presence. Yes, she had noticed this expression several times ever since he had traced her to the cabin a few days back.

    She wrapped her arms around his neck and caressed the skin over there. "I want to kiss you and I want to kiss you for eternity, Lorza. Not just for three days."

    His gaze darted to her lips. "Then kiss me like you''ve never kissed before, Emma because I am never going to leave you. You are going to stay with me for eternity."

    Emma gasped. "Do you mean¡ª" she couldn''tplete her sentence. "Do you mean that¡ª" Before she couldplete her sentence, he seized her lips and kissed her with abandon. Emma gave herself into this beautiful sensation. She didn''t care what was going to happen after this, but this was a beginning. She realized that her cheeks were getting wet with her tears.

    Lazarus carried her all the way to Titan, kissing her. He didn''t realize that after he had marked her, he hadpleted the bond and no one in the world had the power to break it, not even him. He pulled back and she cried reluctantly. He made her sit on Titan. cing his hand on her thigh, he gazed on her face. She was flushed and looked so beautiful. How could he even think of casting her soul out? Initially he cursed that the Lore had chosen her as his mate. When the rogues attacked them, he recognized that she was the bride the fate had chosen for him and now¡ª he looked at her as the queen that he wanted to rule with him on the throne of Wilyra.

    As for Maeve, he had to figure out what he was going to do. Together, they would figure out. After all, he was the most cunning, powerful and sharp vampire of the Lore. He could do anything.

    "Are you sure?" she asked. "What about Maeve? What about your ambition to rule Wilyra?"

    He swung on Titan in one swift move. He curled his arms around her waist and tightened his thighs around hers. Picking up Titan''s reins, he kissed her temple. "I will think about it. You don''t have to worry." He nudged Titan to move forward.

    Emma looked at Nephie. "Wait! I have to say something to Nephie."

    As if knowing what Emma wanted, Nephie took a step closer. Titan neighed as he tensed, taking a step back. Emma brushed his mane. "Titan, please be calm," she said politely. "She won''t eat you up."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Some assurance? Titan shot Emma a look by turning his head. Nephie plucked a branch of the apple tree and offered it to Titan. It was her olive branch of peace. Titan grabbed it immediately and munched upon them. Emma chuckled. "I guess you are friends with Nephie now."

    Emma rubbed Nephie''s snout. "I am going, but I want you to stay here, hidden in these mountains of Wilyra," she said.

    "No, Emma. I aming with you," Nephie replied stubbornly through their mental link.

    "It is not safe!" Emma protested.

    Nephie grunted. "No one would dare to harm me."

    "Does she want toe with us?" Lazarus asked.

    "Yes!" Emma replied with desperation in her voice.

    "Tell her that she cane, but she needs to stay hidden in the snow forest. I don''t want rogues to see her and I want her safe because¡ª" he held his words there.

    "Because?" Emma asked with a frown.

    "Because you like her as well." He didn''t use the word ''love'' because Emma only loved him. The ugly head of jealousy was again rearing up. He shoved it down. When would he ever not feel insecure about Emma? His grip around her tightened a little more.

    "Tell him that I can hear his words pretty clearly!" Nephie shot back, giving Lazarus a disgusted look. "You don''t have to convey."

    Emma took a ragged breath. How was she going to manage a dragon and a vampire? "She says she will do that."

    "Good," he replied stubbornly, gazing into the dragon''s eyes. He nudged Titan to turn and the horse reluctantly had to move. Quickly he munched on the apples and they were on their way back to Wilyra.

    Nephie watched them go down the slope. As soon as they were out of sight, she red her wings wide and shot in the air. She was going to keep a very strict watch on Lazarus.

    As they rode, Lazarus couldn''t help nuzzling into her hair. He would asionally kiss her. Thezy smile on his lips had etched permanently. "I have to say that now we have decided to be together, you must forget all I did to you earlier."

    Could he be any shameless?

 Chapter 104 Refreshing

    ?When she didn''t reply, he stopped Titan, his body tensing. He wrapped a strong arm around her shoulders and in amanding voice said, "You will forget everything, won''t you?" He almost willed her to forget it. It was something he wasn''t proud of and so she had to disregard his previous behavior.

    She took a long breath in and shook her head. "And what exactly do you mean by saying that?" He was such a baby when it came to expressing his emotions. How did he think that she would forget or disregard his previous behavior?

    "When I was with Shirast, she told me that¡ª" he swallowed his saliva down his throat. How could he say it so that his throat didn''t burn? "She said that you won''t forget what I did to you when I met you. You will get back at me." Women! Why couldn''t they just move on?

    "Oh!" Emma bit her bottom lip. "I will have to think about that."

    Lazarus tensed all the more. He clenched his jaw and nudged Titan to move forward. For a long time she was silent and it made him all the more jittery. In order to wrench an answer from her, he wrapped his cloak around her, offered her food that he had got from the inn, veered to the left and circled a clearing in order to dy his arrival at Wilyra, but she was giving him a silent treatment. When he couldn''t take her silence anymore, he asked her impatiently, "So what have you thought? You will disregard it, right?" Why did he feel that his entire life depended on her reply? Fighting rogues or faes or dragons seemed easier than dealing with Emma. In fact, given a chance, he would go and attack the entire Lore and conquer it, but Emma¡ª how was he going to conquer the one person who he never wanted to part with? Damn! He never thought that rtionships would be so difficult.

    Emma tilted her head. She tapped her finger on her chin. "So, you want me to forget all the threats you gave me, all the insults, and also pushing me against Maeve for the soul casting ritual and not to mention telling me that Maeve was better than me and was suitable to be the queen of Wilyra?" She turned her head over her shoulder. "You must be dreaming." She could feel his chest muscles tightening.

    "Yes, all that!" he replied unabashedly. "You are my bride. You have to move on." ''Please, move on,'' he said internally. Suddenly, his mind started thinking of ways on how to woo a woman. What was it that women liked? Maeve was happy when he gave her gold or gold coins. "Moreover, it''s not that you have never been miserable in your life? You have moved on, haven''t you?" Yes, it was simple logic.

    She narrowed her eyes. "It''s not easy and you have to work a lot on it. I don''t easily forgive."

    He seemed to rx a little. "I can¡­ work. What do I have to do?" She was about to say something, but he cut her short. "The moment we reach the pce, I am going to give you a trunk of gold coins. You can go and buy clothes from the Wilyra market or if you like I can send the royal seamstress to you!" He was sure that money swayed women. He had seen beautiful women marrying rich men with average looks. And Lazarus considered himself to be handsome. But her answer deted him.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "And why would I need gold coins to buy dresses? You have already provided me all," she replied nonchntly.

    Lazarus was stunned. Gold coins were one thing that Maeve loved. Emma was so different from the goddess. She wasn''t greedy. It was so refreshing. Now he truly didn''t know what to offer her. For the next hour they rode in silence while Lazarus thought of multiple ways to woo her. Emma was tired. She found herself leaning against his chest and dozed off. As if on a natural instinct, he cradled her head in the crook of his arm. He made sure that he avoided all the bumps and pits on the dirt road that he followed so that she didn''t get disturbed. And why was it that he was loving to take care of her?

    Suddenly, he realized that she hadn''t eaten food. He looked down at her face. She was still sleeping. He became worried that if she didn''t eat food, she would be weak. The sun was rising up and he also needed to take shelter in a cave to escape the rays. A screech above made him look up. Nephie was circling them. She craned her neck towards a hill as if trying to point out something to him. His grip on Emma tightened, scared that there were rogues. Was she warning him? He thought of changing the path, but then he realized that she was still pointing ahead.

    Nephie pped her wings powerfully and soon shended right on top of the hill. He narrowed his eyes as followed her movement. She seemed to be asking him to stop there. He hurried Titan towards the hill and saw a small mouth of a cave. He was surprised as to how she could sense that he needed rest and so did Emma.

    Lazarus dismounted Titan and lifted Emma off him. He carried her in his arms inside the cave.

    The cave was dimly lit as the morning rays of sun started breaching the night sky. The floor was damp and his instant worry was how to keep her warm. She fluttered open her eyes and mumbled his name. "It''s fine Emma," he said. "I am there for you."

    He was constantly worried about her now. He looked around and saw a pile of dry leaves in the corner that looked like an abandoned nest of arge bird. Using his feet he spread the leaves and then lowered Emma to it. "Stay here, Emma," he said as he kissed her head. "I will be right back." He had to get the fur from the saddlebag and also collect some dry wood for fire. As soon as settled, he rushed out. Hopefully there weren''t rogues around.

    asionally missing content, please report errors in time.

 Chapter 105 Taking Care

    ?Lazarus went out to hunt for dry branches even though the sun was dangerouslying up. If he didn''t go back inside the cave soon, he could end up burning his skin, but Emma''sfort was extremely important. The mate had kicked in so severely that he couldn''t deny it even if he wanted to. He realized that he could never deny it right from day one. He was only denying himself.

    He looked up at the cave''s mouth and saw Nephie perched at the roof. She lowered her big head to stare at him and tilted it as if asking him as to where he was going, leaving Emma all alone. Lazarus jumped on Titan. "I am going to find dry branches. Emma is cold," he exined, satisfied that she was there to take care of her. Saying that he kicked Titan into a gallop.

    Nephie let out a deep sigh. Her breath clouded in front of her. She red her wings wide and shot in the air. Soon she was flying above him.

    "Go back, Nephie!" he growled. "She is alone!"

    But Nephie didn''t listen to him. She flew south and was out of sight within a few minutes. Anger bubbled inside his chest. Lazarus scowled at her. He traced to the nearest thicket that was there. All the trees were damp. His worries increased as the rays of the sun came up. He traced to the next thicket where once again, the trees were damp. Not a single dry branch. Suddenly, he heard a screech above him and saw Nephie carrying a pile of logs in her ws in the cave''s direction.

    He shook his head and then traced back to the cave. Nephie came soon after. She dropped the logs in front of him and went to sit on the roof like a guardian. He picked up the logs and carried them all inside. Emma was sitting huddled up in a corner. His chest squeezed for her. He opened his cloak and wrapped it around her. "I will start a fire soon, Emma."

    She nodded and he couldn''t help but press a kiss on her temple. He rushed to make fire. He had never been the kind to make fire or care for anyone because he was so used to being cared for. But now he felt that he could do everything for this little mortal out here. The word ''mortal'' pinched him inside. But he shoved those emotions. He would figure out something.

    As soon as the fire crackled to life, he spread fur in front of it. "Come here, Emma," he said, going to her. She held his extended hand and got up. She looked so weak that he grabbed her by her shoulders and brought her to sit on the fur. He smoothed her hair back and said, "You said you will forgive me, won''t you?"

    "No, I won''t," she replied and before she knew it, her hand was on his cheek. His eyes were a dull red, which meant he needed blood. "Are you hungry?" she asked, baring her neck on purpose.

    Lazarus swallowed down his dry throat when his gaze locked on her pulse point. She was irresistible, but how could he even have a drop of her blood when she was so weak. "I am fine," he said in a very low voice. "It is you who needs nourishment." He leaned in her hand and kissed her palm.

    The saddlebag was lying beside the fur. He grabbed it and took out meat wrapped in a cloth. "That''s all I could manage," he said. An oat loaf was next. "And this." He picked up a long, sturdy stick and skewered meat in it. He roasted it over the fire while making sure that it didn''t get overly cooked.

    Emma was feeling so weak that she lowered herself to the fur and watched him cooking for her. His skin appeared golden as the amber light of fire danced on him. His lips looked so red that if she bit them slightly, she was sure they would bleed. His beautiful golden hair was like a crown and they fell over his face as he worked over the food. She had this urge to tuck them behind and ce a kiss on his cheeks. Only one red mark was visible on his right cheek. But why wasn''t it healing? She saw it when he had returned to take her from Shira''s ce.

    The meat was cooked and Lazarus warmed the oat bread. He turned to her and plucked small pieces of meat to give her after wrapping them in bread. She had flipped on her belly, propped both her elbows up and rested her chin on them. She opened her mouth as he gave her the food. She would chew it and her heart surged with warmth. More than her, it was him who loved feeding her. She lifted her legs up behind and moved themzily as she chewed on the meat. "Won''t you eat this?" she asked.

    "No¡­" she replied and gave her more. He was enjoying watching her eat it. He thought he could never get tired of watching her eat. He wiped the crumbs off her lips and said, "This was all I could manage¡­"

    "And it''s more than enough," she said. She got up in the cat position and then crawled up to him. He chuckled and pulled her in hisp. She rested her head against his chest as he continued to feed her. "Where did you go?"

    He remembered the inn owner and his chest rumbled with an angry growl. "It''s of no concern. Don''t worry."<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Will you trace me to Wilyra?" she said, drawingzy circles on his chest. It was impossible to stay away from him.

    "Are you feeling well?" he asked with a frown. He just didn''t want to take chances with her health.

    "I am sure I will by the time evening falls. So will you trace me there?"

    His throat bobbed. "We will see." He realized that he didn''t want this beautiful time he was spending with her to stop.

    She leaned forward and ced a kiss on his chest. He stopped breathing because this was not just a casual kiss. This one was full of desire. For him. How could a girl make him feel so needy just with a kiss? "Emma, you are weak and if you kiss me more, I am sure you would end up beneath me. I am going to do something with you."

    "Will you do naughty things with me?" she asked, raising her eyebrow up.

    Lazarus poked his tongue in his cheek as he gazed at her intensely. "How dirty are you thinking?"

    "As dirty as it gets?"

    Lusty little piece. "Maybe you can define it for me."

    She opened her legs slightly. Taking his hand, she ced it on her belly and started taking it lower, lower, lower.

    "Fuck!" he growled as his fangs lengthened. "I could devour you there and suck you. Would you allow me, Emma?"

    "There''s only one way to test it?"

    He grabbed her sex with hisrge hand. "I will have to take a raincheck on that Emma."

    She pouted. "Why?"

    "Because you need a lot of rest. And if I start, I am afraid I won''t stop."

 Chapter 106 Keep It Hidden

    ?After he had fed her to his heart''s content, Lazarus helped her lie on the fur. He covered her with another fur and then added anotheryer of his cloak over it. Once he had tucked her nicely, he added a thick log to the fire so that it remained burning throughout the night. He was still wondering what it was that he was missing. He looked around with a worried expression and then busied himself with small jobs just to quell his anxiety and¡­ his constant attraction for her.

    His mate was a lusty little piece who made it sure that he would only keep thinking of how he was going to take her throughout the night. Would he be able to sleep?

    "Why don''t youe down and lie next to me?" she said when he was tying the saddlebag with more than necessary concentration.

    He lifted his head up to control the urge to go and lie next to her. "I can''t¡­" he breathed.

    "Why not?" she asked innocently. "I am sure you are also tired." She patted the ce next to her. "It''s warm. Come here, Lorza."

    Damn the saddlebag. Before he knew it, he had gotten up and was already going to her. He kicked his boots off and kneeled before her. "Are you sure that I can lie next to you?" he asked, looking at her intensely.

    "I am very sure," she replied, puzzled as to why he was even asking it. "Unless you want to sleep somewhere else." The thought made her feel¡­ restless.

    The idea of sleeping somewhere other than next to Emma was¡­ abhorring. "I don''t have any other ce to rest," he replied instantly.

    She grinned. "Then pleasee here."

    That was all the invitation he needed and he just couldn''t resist his bride anymore. He slid beside her and before he could put logic to his actions, he had slid his arm around her waist. Emma turned to face him and nuzzled his chest, inhaling his scent and kissing on his bare skin. His senses exploded and his cock shot up painfully hard.

    She tipped her head up and peppered kisses on his chin and neck. "I wish I would be able to trace with you," she said and then on purpose bared her neck. His hard shaft buried in her belly was heated like a brand on her skin. Pleasurable shivers went down her thighs. "Maybe, I can."

    His eyes went straight to it and his fangs grew painfully hard as well. Her pulse point was thrumming with her decadent blood. He couldn''t think of anything else except, sinking his cock and his fangs inside her at the same time. Initially when he was dying for this situation to happen, he was waiting for Maeve to enter her body. And now that Emma was his bride, he was scared of it because he didn''t want to hurt her. "When you are well, you can," he replied with a ragged breath. "I hope it is warm enough for you."

    She closed her eyes and buried her face in his chest. "It is cozy enough."

    "And tracing you to the pce would be a bad idea," he added.

    "Why?" She knew it would be a terrible idea.

    "Because I want to protect you. I am selfish and I want to keep you away from everyone else."<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Then don''t take me there," she said as she slid her hand to the back of his neck.

    He tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear. "I don''t want to, but we have to deal with Maeve." His hand curled at the back of her neck as he rested his chin on her forehead. The fire was burning bright and shadows danced on the walls and for once in his life he felt at peace. The touch of his mate was calming to his senses. It was a feeling of belonging that he had always been searching for. He had never thought that it woulde from iming his mate. He thought that it woulde by seizing the throne and forcing himself on everyone.

    "How are we going to deal with her?'' she asked, tilting her head up.

    "We have to pretend that we are not together."

    "What?" Emma was shocked.

    He looked down at her. There was a furrow in his forehead. "I hate this as much as you Emma, but if we don''t do this, Maeve would know about us. And she would sabotage whatever I have built so far." He leaned in and kissed his mark on her. Shivers ran down her spine. "You have to keep this hidden."

    "It won''t be easy to do that with Maeve," Emma said, reveling in his kiss.

    "I know¡­" he gazed into her eyes intensely. "But right now none of that matters. I have you here to myself only for a few hours and I am going to use that time wisely." Softly, he pressed his lips to hers but his kiss intensified quickly. He wrapped her thigh with his leg and grinded his shaft in her belly as he kissed her urgently.

    Emma met him just as eagerly. She was hungry to feel his skin next to hers. When she pulled back, they were both breathless. She teased, "And where is your self-control, Lord Lorza?"

    "Shut up and fuck me!" He captured her lips again. As their tongues danced in the game of domination, their hands frantically peeled each other''s clothes. He had slid over her and pressed his weight over her body.

    She moaned when his shaft pressed in the apex of her thighs and his firm chest pressed her breasts. They fit in perfectly like two lost puzzle pieces. His mouth moved down to her jaw, to her neck and then as he moved further down to her breasts, she moaned when he stared at her pebbled nipples.

    "You don''t know for how long I''ve been dying to draw from them," he rasped.

    She arched her body. "Then do so, Lord Lorza."

    His chest vibrated with a rumble. This girl would be the death of him. Hetched his mouth over her nipple and sucked them hard. He didn''t pierce them but grazed his fangs over there. She squirmed beneath him, arching her back to give him more.

 Chapter 107 Enticed

    ?There was no going back for Emma. Lazarus was her future and even if neither of them knew where the future would lead them, she had to be with him. Especially after he had said that he was going to keep her.

    Her nipples were painful and her breasts were heavy. She arched her back to offer him more of herself. As he sucked her, he flicked his tongue around her sensitive skin and she sucked in a sharp breath, closing her eyes. Her fingers tangled in his hair and until now she didn''t know how sensitive her body became under his touch. Hevishly sucked both her breasts and left them with a pop sound to go further below.

    He looked up at her. "Thest time I imed you was when we were both drugged." His voice was rough and lusty and his tone dangerous. It made her wetter. She wondered how one could be so sexy in their voice.

    She cupped his cheeks and said, "I am all yours Lorza. Do what you want."

    A feral growl escaped his lips and he leaned down to lick over his mark. She whimpered at the contact as delightful tingles ran down her body. She turned her neck to the other side to give him more ess. If he wanted to im her again, she would not be able to resist. She knew he needed blood and on a basic level she knew that he needed hers, but he was resisting himself only because he thought she was weak.

    He licked her again over there and nibbled at her skin around it. "I don''t want to hurt you."

    "You won''t be hurting me Lord Lorza," she assured him.

    Lazarus shook his head. Tension rose in his chest making his muscles bulge. He was dying to taste her. He knew that after he had imed her and marked her, she had be his blood ve. She was going to let him feed from her even if she was weak. It wasn''t that she was strong, she waspelled by their bond.

    He lowered himself to her navel where he sucked her skin, in order for her to forget his hunger. Her belly dipped for him and her fingers traveled to his neck. "Ah!" she breathed and he knew that she was about toe. But he was selfish. He wanted her toe all around him. He lowered his mouth and his breath lodged in his throat when he saw her core glistening with her juices.

    It was the most irresistible sight. Lazarus lowered himself and wrapped his lipes around her clit. She cried in pleasure and her thighs tightened around his head, but he parted her thighs and kept them apart as he sucked her with abandon.

    The pleasure of her mate down there was so intense that her head thrashed against the fur, her golden hair streaming like rays of golden sun. "Ahhh!" she cried as he went lower to suck her core. And when he grazed his fangs over there, she knew she would explode. "Something is happening Lorza!" she cried.

    He knew that she was chasing her orgasm. While he wanted her to some, he was going selfish. He lifted himself up and positioned his cock at her entrance. "No Emma!" he growled. "Look at me." She somehow peeled open her eyes to look at him. His chest vibrated with a lustful growl. She looked so beautiful when her eyes were full of desire. And when she looked at him, he thrust himself inside her.

    "Lorzaaa!" his name on her lips sounded like a plea, like he was her God. Sweat broke on his chest and back as his brows furrowed. He watched her intensely, letting her adjust to his size. She squirmed beneath him and when he sensed that she was fine, he began thrusting inside her.<novelnext></novelnext>

    He thanked the Lore that he waited for his bride to be inside her. He never wanted to take another woman in his life. He began thrusting slowly at first and then started pounding passionately. He knew she was on the edge of the precipice and he wanted to fall down with her. But he had to try his luck. "Will you forget the past and move on Emma?" he asked roughly through his breath.

    She tilted her neck for him to show her throbbing pulse point. "Will you drink from me, Lord Lorza?"

    Fuck. This girl was more than he had imagined her to be. She was testing his patience in every way possible. "No, I won''t," he growled even as the scent of her blood filled his nostrils and drove him crazy. She smelled like violets, like honey, like spices and like¡­ him. It was heady and it was irresistible. He lowered his fangs to her neck and licked her on his mark. He had to have full control over his senses at this time, else she was going to get hurt.

    "You need it," she coaxed him in her sinful voice. Her hand went to his back as her fingers caressed him.

    "Don''t force me, Emma," he said. "My willpower around you shatters."

    "Don''t hold yourself Lorza. Take your fill from me. I am your bride and I understand your needs," she enticed him.

    His fangs had lengthened to the extent that they punctured his lower lips, yet he stopped himself. He began pounding inside her with urgency. He wasn''t going to drink from her. Emma matched each of his movements with her hips. They both moved as one, their bodies working together. She dug her fingernails into his back as he thrust himself deeper inside her. Each movement sent the liquid heat inside her body coil even tighter. She closed her eyes as the climax began to build again.

    His lips crashed on hers and her fingers tangled in his hair as he devoured her. When he pulled back from his kiss, he said, "Open your eyes, Emma."

    She cried reluctantly, but she opened her eyes. She was near her orgasm.

    "Come for me," he ordered her. "Come around me."

    And his dirty words were enough to send her into a frenzy. She screamed as her eyes rolled back and orgasm exploded like a tidal wave inside her. He joined her, grunting, as he shot his release inside her.

 Chapter 108 Buzz Of Electricity

    ?Lazarus slumped on her, still thrusting inside herzily, instinctively. He felt that all the restraint he had practiced was the time he wasted. He could have spent that time with Emma, protecting her, enjoying her and loving her.

    He realized that she was just as breathless as he was. He lifted himself on one elbow and with his other hand, he stroked her hair gently. Her eyes were still full of desire and lust. For him. Because of him. That made his chest swell with pride. He leaned down to kiss her lips and said, "Are you okay, love?"

    Emma''s lips curled up slightly. She nodded, loving that he addressed her as ''love''. This was getting so much better and she reveled in it. She closed her eyes, feeling tired and sleepy, yet she said, "You need to feed. Please take it from me." His eyes were filled with the emotions generated by orgasm, but they were still a dull red.

    He shook his head. "You aren''t healthy and I can''t risk your health again. Just two days back you were drugged." The thought brought anger to him, but Emma touched his cheek and his anger subsided. How was it possible that her mere touch soothed him?

    He didn''t want to get out of her, but if he didn''t, he was sure he would take her again and again. So he pulled out of her and slid beside her under the fur. She cried reluctantly and he chuckled. "Enough for today." Then he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her closer to his chest. He could stay like this forever. He buried his face in her hair and closed his eyes. "Sleep Emma," he murmured. "Else I might get inside you all over again."

    She giggled against his chest and rxed. She felt so protected and safe in his arms. "I won''t mind Lord Lorza," she replied huskily. "You can take me as many times as you want. I have always wanted you."

    His chest swelled. His woman wanted him, not because she was his blood ve but because she wanted him from before she was his blood ve. And that made a lot of difference in his emotional state.

    When it was night again, Lazarus and Emma were back on Titan on their way to Wilyra. Nephie was flying above them. She would disappear above the clouds or sometimes behind the mountain peaks, but she would emerge with one or the other kill. Once, Lazarus and Emma saw her eating an entire deer like it was a small chicken. While Emma scrunched her nose, Lazarus let out a chuckle.

    "When are we going to reach Wilyra?" Emma asked.

    "Hopefully before it is morning," he said and looked at the sky above. The clouds had started gathering and he wondered if it would snow. That was going to be terrible for Emma. On an instinct he tightened his grip around her and said, "Why don''t you tuck yourself in my cloak?"

    "I am fine," she replied.

    But her reply didn''t help his worry. Every once in a while, he would look down at her face and wonder if she was feeling colder. When the winds started blowing heavily, he grumbled, "It would be better that you are in my cloak. You can keep your head out!"

    "But I am not¡ª"

    "I didn''t ask you!" he snapped. Worried that she would get sick again, he just opened the buttons of his cloak and wrapped it around her. He gave her Titan''s reins and made sure that he buttoned her up. When she was snugly sitting against his chest, he felt satisfied. He took the reins from her hands and suddenly he felt electricity sizzling from her hands. He removed his hand from her sharply.

    "What was that?" Emma asked, bewildered.

    Lazarus was stunned. He didn''t know what it was, but the slight buzz of electricity upon touching her was pretty evident. "I don''t know¡­" he replied. "Maybe because of the clothes?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Ah, could be¡­" she said and leaned against him. Her hands went to his thighs and she started rubbing them absentmindedly. "Are you hungry?" she asked, tipping her head up and kissing his chin.

    "No¡­" he replied with a ragged breath even though he was. He wanted to drink blood but he knew that after tasting Emma, everything else would be like drinking sludge.

    They reached the outskirts of Wilyra and as they crossed the area, Emma saw burnt down cottages and inn where they had stopped. There was a light fire still burning with smoke billowing in the air. Broken furniture was strewn across and asionally a small st could be heard. Debris was scattered everywhere. Trees were split into two or branches were broken. Lamp posts were shattered, their ss pieces speckled on the ground. It looked like a raging typhoon passed over it. She gulped inplete shock.

    "What happened over here, Lor Lorza?" she asked.

    He grunted. "I razed it to the ground."

    Emma whipped her head to look at him. "Why?" Dread skittered down her spine as goosebumps lined her skin. Just how strong was this vampire?

    "Because the owner dared to drug you and me."

    She pped her hand to her mouth. "He drugged us? Why?"

    He didn''t reply as the memory of it made a muscle feather in his jaw. If it were to him, he would raise this inn and then destroy it again. "Drugging a prince is a heinous crime for which I should have thrown him in the dungeons. But he dared to drug you. He shouldn''t have done that." And that was what brought his wrath over him and the inn.

    Emma swallowed down her dry throat. In a weak voice, she asked, "Is he alive?"

    "No, I killed him," he gave an indifferent answer.

    "But Lord Lorza that was¡ª" she didn''t know what to say. No one had killed for her or protected her like this. "What about his family?"

    "They all ran away. The bastards were all involved."

    Emma couldn''t believe that the little girl who hade to see her in the room was also involved. Her eyes became moist. "I didn''t know¡ª" She shook her head.

 Chapter 109 Put Up This Fa?ade

    ?"Emma!" he rasped and pulled the reins of the horse. Titan came to a stop. Lazarus curled his fingers beneath her chin and lifted her face. He tilted his head to see her. "Don''t cry." He hated to see tears in her eyes. "That man did a terrible thing. He drugged you. It could have been dangerous. The drug that was used wasn''t an ordinary one."

    "But why¡­?" she whined. "I didn''t even know him."

    "You know me," he said. "And that is more than enough for my enemies to target you. With that drug, you would have stayed drugged for a few days and then some more. If I hadn''t eaten the food as well, I would have nevere to know. It was possible that you would have died. And that was what some people wanted ¡ª to push you to the brink of death just before the soul casting ritual."

    She gasped when she heard the extent of the n, horror coiling in her chest.

    His throat choked when he added, "If Shira hadn''t pulled the drug out of your system, I don''t know¡ª" he couldn''t speak any further, his throat going hoarse.

    She ced her hand on his upper arm. "I am right here," she said as a tear rolled out of her left eye. "I am not going anywhere."

    His jaws clenched as strong emotions swirled in his chest. "I will keep you safe always, love," he murmured. "No one will be able to touch you."

    A weak smile came to her lips. He leaned down and kissed her, taking his time, assuring himself that she was there with him. The inn owner had tried to take her life and he had punished him appropriately. He had fractured his limbs. Then he pulled him inside the inn and made his family see what he could do to those who would aggravate him or even think of killing his mate.

    Lazarus had taken out the gold coins from the bag and littered it on the surface. After that, he destroyed everything and razed the inn to the ground. The owner died and was now buried under the pile of debris.

    They started back and Emma stared at all the destruction that took ce. She let out a rough exhale. There were so many perils they had to face together. When they were about to reach the pce of Wilyra, Lazarus said, "Can I trace you? Are you feeling well?"

    "Yes, Lord Lorza," she replied firmly. "You can trace me, but I have questions."

    He grabbed her waist and the next moment he traced her to his room in the pce. She coughed and wheezed a bit and found herself tightly tucked in his embrace upon their bed. He didn''t release her until she was fine. When he saw that she was breathing steadily, he made her lie against the pillows. He grabbed a ss of water from the bedside table and gave it to her. She gulped it down greedily down her dry throat. When her breath evened out, she shook her head. "I thought I was fine. I wonder when I will be able to get through this tracing."

    He tucked her in soft nkets. "You were drugged heavily by a very dangerous drug. It will take time to recover. It''s not your fault." He sat down at the edge of the bed and held her small hands in hisrge ones.

    "How are we going to hide our bond?" she asked, worry etched her beautiful face.

    "We have to Emma," he said as he brought his thumb to caress her lower lip. It was difficult to stay without touching her. He came to realize that touching her in intimate ways soothed him because it meant that she belonged to him. "Once you are well, I am going to move you back to your room. We need to put up this fa?ade for Maeve."<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Where are Lord Magnus and Olya?"

    "They are still in the cabin, but I think that Magnus will return to the pce before the ritual."

    "Can''t you postpone the ritual?" she asked with a frown. "Or just cancel it?"

    "I wish it was that easy. I can cancel the ritual, but there is a lot at stake." He didn''t want to worry her by telling her that Maeve had threatened him that she would enter every girl alive and possess her until no girl is left in Wilyra.

    She lowered her head and fidgeted with her fingers. "If only I was as strong as her¡­"

    "Emma," he brought his hand over her hand. All at once, another sparkle of electricity made him pull away his hand instantly. His brows furrowed. "What is happening?" he said in a shocking tone. This was the second time it happened.

    Emma could feel the jolt of the electricity in her heart. Her chest jerked out and she let out a muffled shriek. She felt as if something very dark, very smoky, coiled its way in her blood. Was she imagining? She shook her head to shove that feeling. "I don''t know¡­" she said and sucked in a sharp breath.

    "Maybe you are tired¡­" he said as he picked up her hands again and examined them.

    "Maybe¡­" she said absentmindedly. "Where is Nephie?"

    He tucked her hands in between his. "I saw her circling above us and then disappearing above the clouds. Don''t worry about her. She knows how to hide herself well and even feed herself. She is the mate of the dragon of the King of Aztec. She is going to stay here until she has mated with him. And for that she will take care of herself."

    "Oh!" Emma said, her eyes going wide with surprise. "That''s interesting."

    His lips curled up because he saw her rxed after a long time. He tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear. "Yes, she is going toy eggs in this world or wherever she feels it is safe and go back to Yizinia."

    "Won''t her eggs be in danger? I mean how can she simplyy eggs and leave?" Emma was amused.

 Chapter 110 Delicate

    ?Lazarus continued, "This is what I have read about dragons. They willy eggs in a ce where no one can find them. Dragons don''ty eggs so easily. Birth amongst them is rare. And the eggs hatch only when the hatchling senses his or her rider is nearby. Until then they remain hidden from the world."

    "Goddess!" She took a deep breath. "Will I be able to see her eggs?"

    "I am afraid, Emma, but dragon mothers are too protective about their babies."

    Suddenly, a heavy knock on the door disturbed them. Lazarus growled, hating the disturbance. Emma ced her hand on his and then her finger on her lips. He gritted his teeth and got up to open the door. The guards had parted their spears for dys.

    "Lazarus!" dys said with a glint in her eyes. "When did youe?" she asked, trying to peep inside. "We''ve been worried. Where is Emma?"

    He gave a long stare to dys and then stepped aside. "She is inside, healing from her injuries."

    dys entered the room with a worried expression. "Injuries? What happened?" She crossed the floor with her gown billowing behind her in a hurry. "Emma, are you well? Do you want to see the healer?"

    Emma nced at Lazarus and then back at dys. "I am well, dys," she replied politely. "I tripped down the slope of a hill whileing to Wilyra."

    "Oh gods!" dys rasped. She touched Emma''s head and neck. "You don''t have a fever, but I am sure you are nervous. I will send the healer."

    "No!" Emma stopped her. "I am fine. Really. You don''t have to worry so much."

    "No!" she said. "I will send him and he is going to give you a potion so that you rx. I am sure the journey was tiresome." She looked at Lazarus with the same nervousness. "You should have been careful Lazarus," she chided him. "The soul casting ritual is in three days. We can''t take chances!"

    His hands curled up into tight fists, and he felt like ripping off her head, but he stayed quiet. It was important for the fa?ade he and Emma were putting up.

    dys turned to look back at Emma. "I don''t want to make you feel bad Emma, but you know that you are very important for Maeve." Her gaze slid to Emma''s neck, but a look of disappointment crossed her eyes when she saw that she was wearing a cored tunic that hid most of her skin. She really wanted to know if he had marked her. She inhaled deeply in order to smell him on her, but that too came clean. She picked up Emma''s hand and a sudden jolt of electricity sizzled across Emma''s fingers, making her shriek. "What the hell was that?" she asked, her eyes going wide.

    "I don''t know," Emma shrugged. "I think it is because of all the rough clothes I am wearing¡­"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Oh yes! That could be the reason," dys replied. She brought her hand towards her neck to see whether she was marked, feigning that she wanted to check her temperature again, but as soon as she touched her skin over there, again a bolt of electricity sent her hand flying back. She shook her hand as her body felt as though it was burning. When she saw Emma, she found her watching her nonchntly. dys shook her head and let out a nervousugh. "You need to change your clothes."

    "Yes¡­"

    When Emma didn''t speak further, dys took the hint that she had to leave. "I will send the healer with the potion!" she said and walked out of the room, giving a knowing nce to Lazarus.

    He closed the door behind her and his brows creased. "Why is she hell bent on giving the potion to you?"

    Emma got up but sat down all with a thump on the bed. Lazarus traced to her immediately and knelt in front of her. "Don''t move," he said, holding her by her waist. "You are still weak."

    She brought her hands to his cheek and caressed them with her thumbs. "You worry a lot." His eyes were duller than usual and there were dark circles beneath them. "You need to feed."

    He shook his head. "I am fine. It is you who has to feed well and take care of yourself. The ritual is only three days from now and I want you to regain your strength as soon as possible." He curled his finger under her chin. "You have a lot to do."

    Emma''s cheeks heated. She leaned back and supported her body weight on her hands. "I have heard a rumor that vampire males love to have a lot of sex." She flicked her hair on purpose to the side and tipped her head to the side. Tapping her chin with her finger, she said, "Is that right?"

    His chest vibrated with a delicious rumble. He grabbed her and pulled her into his arms. "I know what you are doing, love. You think I don''t want to drink from you?"

    "But you think that if you feed from me, you will end up hurting me, right?"

    He took a deep breath in. "Tell me what would happen when a human male would hurt his girl during sex?"

    She stared at him with disbelief in her eyes. How could he ask such a question? "It is going to be traumatic for the girl and¡ª" she couldn''t speak, clenching her thighs at the terrible thought. "Why are you asking such a question?"

    "I don''t want to hurt you. I want this experience to be a pleasure for both of us. I can easily inject my venom in you and drug you while I suck your blood. We vampires are designed to bewitch our prey into sucking blood. But I don''t want to do that with my bride." For the first time in his life, he regretted being a vampire. If only he was a normal human male. He was not even a turned vampire, he was a pure-blooded vampire male and the strongest in the Lore. "You are so delicate that one wrong move from me would destroy you."

 Chapter 111 Suspicious

    ?"You are too worried, Lord Lorza," Emma said. Then she dragged her fingers down his chest and rubbed his skin. "What if this delicate creature wants to ride you, dear Lord Lorza?" A line of faint electricity sizzled down.

    He stiffened. His bride was sex walking on two legs. She enticed him to no lengths. Even though he wanted to take her right there and then, he shook his head. "Not now. I just risk you being hurt." He looked at her beautiful face and wondered how he could be so lucky. Did he truly even deserve her?

    Another knock on the door disrupted his chain of thoughts. He growled. "Who''s there?"

    dys''s shrill voice sounded. "I havee with the healer."

    Lazarus jerked his head back. She hade back pretty quickly. "Come in." He got up and walked to the bar.

    She entered the room with the healer following her. The healer bowed to him and then to Emma.

    "I went to him personally to get this potion made for you Emma," she said, waving at the potion which the healer was holding in his hand. It was a deep brown liquid that bubbled. "Have it quickly. I am sure you will rx. When you get up next, all your internal injuries will heal up."

    Emma looked at the healer who had silvery white hair and white beard. She pursed her lips. "But I think I am fine, dys. I don''t want it."

    "I will not hear a word about it, Emma!" dys chided her out of concern. "You are very important for us, for Lazarus. Why don''t you understand that if you are healthy, Maeve will be able to enter you easily. She doesn''t want to enter a sick body. After all, in your body she will be ruling all of Wilyra!"

    Emma didn''t like the way dys was putting it all, but she knew that dys was only talking like that because she was concerned about her brother. In theirst chat, dys had made it clear to her how much she wanted Lazarus toe out of his darkness and rule the kingdom along with his true bride which was Goddess Maeve. But what dys didn''t know was that Lazarus wanted to keep Emma and not Maeve. Basically, Emma could dy her healing, but there was no harm in drinking the potion.

    dys motioned the healer to give the healing potion to Emma. The healer went to the table where a jar full of water was kept. He took out the water in a ss and poured the contents of the bottle in it. The liquid started frothing.

    As he was preparing the potion, dys turned to walk to the couch and sat down. "I have also informed Maeve that you are here, Lazarus," she said. "She was pretty eager to meet you."

    Emma was not sure how Lazarus would react to her words, but when she nced at him, she saw him¡­ indifferent.

    "I think Maeve is going toe here and see Emma herself, if you don''t go to meet her," dys said.

    "I will go to meet her," he replied as he poured wine in his ss. He recalled how Maeve had threatened him. "Why did you tell Maeve about Emma and I so enthusiastically?" he asked. "You could have waited for Emma to heal."

    dys was stunned at his question. She licked her dry lips. "I¡ª I¡ª" she stuttered. He raised his eyebrow. She licked her lips again. "I thought that you would want to see her. Isn''t it?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I see¡­" he said, sipping the wine down his throat.

    The healer had mixed the potion well in the ss. He lifted the ss and his eyes went to Lazarus. He lowered his eyes immediately, as a shiver ran down him. He took the ss to Emma and said, "Mdy, you have to drink the potion in one go. It is very bitter, but please bear with me. Once it will go in you, your stomach would feel like it is burning. But the feeling will be fleeting. I will give you water to soothe the burning sensation. Once you have had it, please take a rest."

    Emma took the ss from his hands. When she sniffed it, it smelled so terrible that she scrunched up her nose. She brought the ss to her lips and was about to have it, when Lazarus growled. "Stop!"

    She snapped her head to look at him with questions in her eyes that she dared not ask. He had this menacing look in his eyes.

    Lazarus ambled to Emma and took the ss from her. He brought it to his eye level and examined the contents. Narrowing his eyes, he said, "What all have you put in it?" He sniffed it and felt like puking.

    The healer looked like he had forgotten how to breathe. With a lot of difficulty, he said in a hoarse voice, "Yarrow, chamomile and honey. I have also added fenugreek seeds."

    Lazarus extended the ss to him. "I don''t want Emma to take anything unless tested. After all, she will have to be present in a healthy condition for the ritual."

    "Tested?" dys said, getting up. "What do you mean, Lazarus? Our healer has been in the pce since eternity. Don''t you trust his potions?"

    Lazarus shook his head. "No," he said very simply. "I don''t trust anyone around Emma for now. She is too precious for me."

    dys couldn''t refute that. Emma was very precious for him. She looked back and forth from him to Emma. "But I have got this potion made in front of my eyes. It is perfect!" she pushed. "Don''t be so suspicious!"

    "In that case, why don''t you drink half of it?" Lazarus extended the ss to her.

    She stepped back. "No!" she retorted. "I can''t. I am not unwell."

    "Even Emma is saying that she is fine, yet you are pushing her to have this potion," Lazarus pointed. "So if you have it, I am sure it won''t harm you. At the same time, my doubts about the healer will go away."

    dys gulped.

 Chapter 112 [Bonus ] What Have You Done?

    ?dys took a shaky breath as she looked at the ss Lazarus was holding. It was bubbling ferociously now. The little air bubbles woulde up and pop on the surface making a sound. In her nervousness, she could hear every popping sound. Sweat trickled down her spine.

    "I don''t need this medicine, Lazarus," she insisted, this time with tension. "It is Emma who needs it. And I don''t know why you are doubting the healer? It almost looks like you are doubting me!"

    The tension that oozed out of her words was so thick that it could be cut with a knife. Emma got up from her ce with a dry throat. She didn''t know what was going on and why Lazarus was so doubtful. It could be because they were drugged at the inn that he was overcautious. But this was dys. And dys had been so sweet with her all the time. She was very concerned about her and really worried about Lazarus. She was the only friend Lazarus had apart from Magnus in this whole pce of anacondas. "Lazarus¡­" she said in a low voice. "Maybe I should¡ª" He shot her a re and she became quiet instantly. What was going on in his mind? But she didn''t utter a word after that.

    Lazarus turned his attention back to dys. "Here, dys, have it. I want you to squash my suspicion. And I know that you think a lot about me." He stepped closer. "Then how about a little test for your brother?"

    dys appeared nervous as she darted her gaze from Emma to him to the healer. "I don''t know why you are creating so much fuss, Lazarus. I am not your enemy. You know who all are against you. I am always only looking out for you. And yet you doubt me? She spat. "I won''t tolerate this nonsense. Maybe you don''t deserve loyalty!"

    Lazarus jerked his head back. He circled her and came to stop behind her. "Now where are you going with this conversation when all I am asking you is to drink this potion. Be a good girl and have it. We can talk about loyalty after it." He yed it rather coolly.

    She clenched her hands into tight fists. "Lazarus!" she shouted. "You are insulting me. I will not drink that potion because I feel insulted. Because you are doubting me. If you would have asked me nicely, I would have drunk it, but now¡ª" She turned to face him. "Now I won''t have it, because you are trying to prove something which isn''t there. If you want to believe me, you can, if you don''t want to, then it''s up to you. I am not forcing you!"

    Lazarus''s lips lifted in a mocked surprise. "Then you may say that I¡­" he looked into her red eyes. "¡­don''t want to believe in you."

    dys gasped. Her mouth fell to the floor. "What?" She stepped away from him.

    "Now drink it," he ordered. "If you won''t, I will have the healer drink it. If anything wrong happens, both of you will be thrown into dungeons and whipped so much that your skins wille out!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    The healer began shaking. "My lord!" he cried sank to the floor. "I¡ª I¡ª"

    Afraid that he would speak it out, dys kicked him with her boot. "Silence, you ass!" The healer tumbled on the ground and let out a small cry. Emma wanted to rush to him and help him up but once again, Lazarus''s stern re stopped her.

    "This healer is a human!" dys said, irritationcing her voice. "That potion is not for humans!" As soon as she said that she realized her mistake and pped her hand on her mouth. Then she sputtered. "I mean¡ª I mean n¡ª not for old humans."

    "Very well then," Lazarus scoffed. "Then it shouldn''t affect you at all." He bared his fangs, peeling his lips back. He let out a low snarl. "Now drink it. Or do you want me to force you?"

    dys took a step back from him. He was looking so dangerous that he could snap her into two if he wanted to. He was too powerful. Her gaze went to Emma who was looking just as skeptical. dys was trapped. She took another step back. In order to save herself, she put her chin up and said, "I am going away from here. I don''t want this toxicity from you. I was here only to help Emma and you have done nothing but humiliated me in front of her." She spun on her heels and strode towards the door, but the moment she reached the door, Lazarus traced there and closed the door shut.

    He ordered the guards, "Do not let Lady dys leave!"

    "Lazarus!" dys shouted. "You are insane!"

    He crossed the gap between them slowly, like a predator. She was about to turn and go when he caught her wrist, twisted her hand behind her back and shoved her against his chest. With his other hand, he pinched open her jaw. dys couldn''t do a thing against him because of his sheer strength. She thrashed her head against him but he poured the potion in her mouth. She spluttered it and tried to throw it out, but he closed her mouth and forced her to gulp it. As soon as it was down her throat, he left her and pushed her away from him.

    Emma and the healer watched him with horror in their eyes. dys caught her throat and started coughing. "You bastard!" she retorted in a coarse voice as if her throat has been burned and she was having pain while speaking. "What have you done?" She started to walk towards the door, but every step that she took was like lifting a huge mountain. Her vision became blurry and her breathbored. Her stomach was burning as if someone had poured acid in her gut. She had done it all because Maeve had asked her to do it, and she was trapped in her own web of deceit. "Lazarus, you are making a mistake."

    asionally missing content, please report errors in time.

 Chapter 113 A Criminal

    ?Lazarus narrowed his eyes on her. "Did you think I was a fool to let Emma drink this potion? You hadced with poisonous mushrooms to the level that Emma would have stayed drugged for the next few days." He stepped towards her slowly, taking one measured step at a time. "I don''t know why you did that, dys, but this is treason. You wanted to harm Emma and those are reasons enough for you to be thrown into the dungeons!"

    Emma couldn''t believe what she was seeing. She thought dys was her friend in the pce, but she turned out to be a viper up her sleeve. A shudder ran down her body. Had Lazarus not seen through her n, dys would have drugged her to the balls of the eyes.

    Lazarus reached dys and pinched her jaw with his fingers. He forced her to look at him. "I will punish you personally, dys. You havemitted the worst crime of your life by trying to harm my mate." He snapped his head to the door. "Guards!"

    The door opened and the guards rushed in.

    "Take her to the dungeons!" Lazarus ordered. Then his gaze snapped to the healer.

    "My Lord!" The healer wailed. "Lady dys wanted me to mix something potent in the potion. She said she wanted Lady Emma to be drugged and basically in a vegetative state till the soul casting ritual."

    His chest exploded with fury when the healer epted his crime. "And you did it, knowing fully well that you would be sent to guillotines if your crime was discovered?"

    "I had to¡ª" the healer said when all at once the door of the room opened and Maeve walked in.

    Lazarus turned his face to look at her with a cold expression. "Maeve."

    "Lazarus!" she said in a shocked voice when she saw dys. "What happened over here?" She ced her hand on her chest. She had painted her lips redder and had stered even more makeup, but even through all the makeup, it was easy to see that her skin was cracking up. Thick purple veins ran down her throat and forearms that she had done her best to cover.

    "Maeve!" dys called her, feeling that she would be saved now. "Everything has gone down," she wailed, but she realized that her voice wasing out in whispers. "Lazarus¡ª" she coughed. Her mind was not able to think much. She felt her eyes would roll into their sockets. Her body was going limp and she was losing consciousness soon. But she was sure that Maeve would help her. She raised her hand and said, "I feel like I am dying. Help me. I don''t want to g¡ª go to the dungeons. Tell him the truth that it was you¡ª"

    Enraged, Maeve snapped her fingers and dys''s lips sealed. They kind of stitched together and dys was unable to open them however hard she tried. "Mmm... gmmm¡­" was all the sound she was able to make. dys watched Maeve with horror. She pointed at her and then looked at Lazarus as if trying to convey to him that she was the main culprit.

    Maeve''s eyes went to the healer who was shivering with fear and was crying. "What did you do?" she snarled at him. The little magic that she did on dys cost her a sharp pain in her belly, but she endured it and masked her pain with rage.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The healer cried. "I didn''t do anything, mdy. It was Lady dys who asked me to put a heavy drug in Lady Emma''s potion."

    Maeve jerked her head back. "That is horrendous!" she responded with her hand on her chest. "How could you do that dys? Don''t you know how important Emma is?"

    dys shook her head. She was beginning to feel heavy and sleep was taking over, but she had to fight it in order to prove her innocence. She couldn''t believe that Maeve, whom she had helped all along, would sacrifice her so easily, so cunningly. With her half-mast eyes she tipped her head up to look at her brother as if pleading him that she was innocent.

    "You are so pathetic, dys," Maeve said like a fox. It was better to push dys under the cart and sacrifice her rather than to have the needle of suspicion pointed at her. She was rather happy that she would get rid of dys so easily. "Emma is a human. The healers make drugs for vampires. How could even think of giving such a potion to her? I am so disgusted with you. What was your agenda? Did you want to harm Emma so that she was of no use to me in the soul casting ritual?"

    dys''s eyes widened with disbelief. Maeve had made her look like a criminal for both her and Lazarus. The way she put it, it was as if dys was against Lazarus and Maeve to be together. Her chin quivered as more tears streamed out of her eyes. She had been such a great ally to Maeve and now Maeve was done with her so fast?

    Maeve turned to look at Emma with a sad expression. "I am so sorry for you, Emma," she said. "You need a lot of rest, but not like this. Don''t worry. I will personally take care that no one is able to harm you."

    Emma lifted her eyebrow. "No Maeve," she said with derision. "I am perfectly fine without your help. Maybe, you should help yourself and stop using that magic." She pointed to her stomach. "You are bleeding there."

    Shocked at her snappy answer, Maeve looked down and saw that her gown was soaked in blood.

    "Now use your magic to remove that seal from her mouth," Lazarus ordered. "I want to hear it from dys."

    Maeve blinked at him in surprise. "I can''t use my magic Lazarus," she said. "Can''t you see that I am bleeding?"

    "I can see that," he replied in an ice-cold voice. "But you have to remove that magic. Besides, you will be giving up this body soon. Why are you afraid of a little blood?"

 Chapter 114 Blatant Refusal

    ?His voice was so cold that it could freeze the room. When she didn''t answer him, he walked to her and stood right behind her. Lifting her hand with his towards dys, he repeated his question, "Are you afraid to injure this body of yours?"

    Maeve didn''t know what to answer as uneasiness surged through her. She licked her lips and nced at dys. She was already terribly drugged. She had lowered her head and was swaying slightly. She had to buy time. "I know that I will be leaving this body eventually, but every time I perform magic, it hurts a lot!" Moreover, Ailill was supposed toe to her a day before the ritual. She had to keep her body intact for him. Right after the ritual, she was going to kill Lazarus.

    "Do you mean that you will not allow dys to speak? Now that is very suspicious, Maeve. Were you and dys working in cahoots?" Lazarus said, maintaining the same frigidness in his voice.

    "That is preposterous!" Maeve countered, shaking a little in his grasp. "How can you even think like that?"

    "Then perform the magic and unseal her lips," he ordered her.

    Maeve looked at dys and found that she was almost lolling. She was finding it difficult to stay straight. Saliva started drooling out of her mouth. "Fine!" Maeve said and snapped her fingers. And as soon as she did that, dys slipped to the ground, unconscious. Maeve breathed a sigh of relief. dys was gone and once she would be thrown into the dungeons, she would incapacitate her speechpletely. She looked down at her belly and realized that blood was oozing out from another part where her skin had ruptured.

    Lazarus was prepared for it. "Guards!" he shouted, dropping Maeve''s hand and wiping his on his tunic as if he had touched something filthy. "Take her to the dungeons!" The guards picked up dys and dragged her all the way to the dungeons. No one dared to say a word against his orders.

    Lazarus turned his face to the healer. "You have a lot to exin."

    The healer was so terrified that he started wailing. "My Lord," he cried. "It was Lady dys who wanted me to prepare the potion. She wanted to drug Lady Emma until the ritual. I have no idea why she wanted to do it."

    "Why didn''t youe and report me?" Lazarus''s voice was still so cold that a chill ran down Maeve''s spine. But she was waiting for the healer to speak against him. If he as much as utters her name, she was going to seal his lips as well.

    "Lady dys didn''t let me go out of the healer''s room. She stood there for the whole time while I prepared the potion. She offered me arge amount of money to keep my mouth shut," he cried. "Have mercy, My Lord. It wasn''t my fault."

    "Guards!" Lazarus called another set of his guards. "Pick him up and throw him out of the pce. See that his entire family is thrown out of the pce grounds. Cut all his allowance and seize his wealth. He shouldn''t go out of these grounds with a single penny in his hand!"

    "Nooo!" The healer cried. "No, Lord, no! Don''t take away my money. I swear I won''t do it again!"

    The guards hade into the room by then. They pulled him up and dragged him out while he continued to plead Lazarus. The healer was thrown out of the gates of the pce in the middle of the night. His family, consisting of his wife and two daughters, joined him within an hour. No amount of protest and pleading were heard.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I am so sorry, you had to go through all this," Maeve said in a sad voice. She rubbed up his arm in a kind gesture. "But now that the biggest problem is out of the way, you can be rest assured that Emma will be well protected. I will look into her protection myself."

    "No, you needn''t!" Lazarus said immediately. Realizing that he said it too quickly, he added, "You have to protect yourself. You can''t let any more magice out of your little fragile body because you said that it hurts when you use magic."

    Maeve stared at him and for the first time, she believed that he was finally concerned about her after a long time. She pursed her lips and let her hands slide to her sides. "You are right," she said. "I really need a lot of rest. This body has be too weak¡­"

    "Yes, go to the healer''s room. I am sure there would be plenty of other healers out there who can assist you," Lazarus suggested.

    She rubbed her neck. "Can you trace me to the healer''s room?" she asked. She really had no energy to walk down the corridors.

    "Oh, I can''t!" he refused tantly. "I also need a lot of rest and besides I have to keep a close watch on Emma."

    Maeve jerked her head back at his rude refusal, but she knew that it was important to guard the stupid girl. Who knew that she would be such a pain just a few days before the ritual? Through her gritted teeth, she said, "I understand. Be with her while I go to tend to myself."

    As soon as Maeve left, Emma sat on the bed, sagging in relief. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath in. There were way too many vipers in the pce. When she opened her eyes, she saw Lazarus kneeling down before her. He was looking at her with a worried expression. His hands were on her thighs and he looked like he could faint.

    "You look pale," he said in a low voice full of love.

    Her fingers went to his hair and she raked through them. "I am fine¡­" she said. "Just can''t wrap my head around all the conspiracy going around in the pce."

    He ced his head on herp as she stroked his hair. It was like¡­ home. He closed his eyes. "I have been dealing with it all my life, love. Don''t think much about it. I am there¡­"

    Emma''s heart squeezed at her vampire. He was the prince of the Wilyra Kingdom, an heir to the throne, yet he was so alone.

 Chapter 115 The Dungeons

    ?Maeve was sitting in her room, thinking about what all happened in the past few hours. She had somehow dragged this wretched body to the healer''s room and then back to her room.

    There was a headache forming and she wanted to sleep, but she was anxious about the fact that dys was in the dungeons. Who knew when she would open her mouth? And if she opened her mouth, things would go down. It was only a matter of three days and until that she had to silence dys.

    She picked up a ss of water and drank it down in one go. Though she could use her magic to heal herself, she wasn''t ready for another rupture on her skin. This body was barely holding her powers. Moreover, she had to use her magic for the right purpose and the main one was to silence dys. Thankfully, she hadn''t revealed to the healer about their n, else she would have to silence the healer as well.

    Ailill was going toe to her the next day. She had to be very careful in hiding him. They both had formed a n and it was that as soon as she got in Emma''s body, she could kill Lazarus along with Ailill. She also thanked her stars that Magnus wasn''t there because he had run away with Olya. Yul was also pretty busy with training the warriors at the west end of the kingdom where King Viktor had sent him. Basically, all stars aligned in her favor. All those who were close to Lazarus, weren''t in the pce.

    She rested back on the pillow. "Tonight I aming to silence you once and for all, dys!" she muttered under her breath. She closed her eyes and soon slumbered off. She needed all the rest possible. When she woke up, she gazed out of the window. Looking at the moon, she realized that it was already midnight. It was time to go to the dungeons.

    She grabbed a shawl and got up to her feet, but immediately swayed on her feet. "Fuck!" she sat down on the bed with a thump, holding her head in her hands. The headache had intensified. She drank another ss of water and pulled herself up. As soon as she did that, she sucked in the sharp air as the sides of her belly ached terribly. She closed her hands tightly and let the wave of pain pass. She rose to her feet slowly and managed to drag herself out of the door.

    Reaching the dungeons wasn''t easy. They were located in the basement of the pce, two stories down. The stairs were a steep descent and were pretty dark. Torches were lit were very far from each other. In her normal body, she would have simply used her magic to travel to the dungeons or created a portal, but right now she couldn''t. Every and each step looked like a burden to her.

    As soon as she reached thending, she saw that the jailer was snoring on his desk. She could fear faint screams of the prisoners behind the solid iron door. She went to the jailer and thumped the desk to wake him up. The jailer jumped on his feet when he saw her. "Mdy!" he rasped. "What can I do for you?"

    "Take me to Lady dys," she said in a harsh voice.

    The jailer nodded vehemently. He took the keys out of the drawer of his desk and opened the lock for her to enter the dungeons. He guided her through the maze of dungeons, right towards the prison where dys was lodged.

    Maeve noticed how dark and dingy it was here. She wanted to puke at the horrible smell of piss and blood and sweat. Had she been in her normal state, she could have easily seen through this darkness, but right now she was trying her best to pierce her vision and see dys. The princess was lying on the floor with her hands shackled with a chain to the wall.

    Very quickly, Maeve snapped her fingers to weave her magic. And as soon as the magic hit the princess, she writhed in pain and howled. She grabbed her throat and started crying.

    Through the darkness, Maeve could see her red eyes. With deep satisfaction, she chuckled. "You shouldn''t have done that, dys. That is treason against the future king of Wilyra," she said loudly so that the jailer heard her well. "Prince Lazarus has sent me to take care of you. You are a disgusting worm, worthy of rotting in the jail!"

    Maeve saw her getting up on her knees and she lunged at the bars to attack the jailer and her with a loud shriek. But what Maeve saw next shocked her beyond reasoning. The woman who she thought was dys was someone else. "Who the fuck is she?" she asked the guard with horror. She had just used her precious magic on her. And in order to incapacitate her speech, Maeve had to wield very powerful magic.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I don''t know!" the guard said, equally stunned.

    "What do you mean, you don''t know!"

    "Mdy, I saw the guards bringing Princess dys here!"

    "Then what happened? Did she disappear into thin air?" Maeve was shocked and furious. Now the guard was going to go everywhere and tell this tale, risking her little secret. If dys would have been here, he would have felt that it was justified. But now¡ª

    "I don''t know," he replied. "Maybe, they shifted her to a different prison when it wasn''t my duty."

    Enraged, she hissed, "Go find the princess or I will convert you into a frog!"

    The guard was so terrified that he scurried from there. Maeve looked at the woman who was howling and banging against the bars of the prison. She gritted her teeth and turned sharply to leave. But the moment she turned she got a sharp pain in her chest. It was as if hundreds of tiny needles had poked in her skin. Her skin ruptured and blood started oozing out. She grunted in pain and sank down on the floor, heaving heavily. If this continued, she was sure that her skin would get infected.

    Why the hell did shee here? But she had to silence dys. With that thought, she managed to pull herself up. Her body reeled with weakness but she dragged herself to the jailer. For the remaining night, she was somehow dragging herself behind her as she scoured through the prisons, but she couldn''t find him. The night had was ending and she didn''t have the energy to move one step more. Defeated, with the help of the guard, she went back to the bedchamber and crashed on her bed.

    When Maeve woke up in the morning, her maid came rushing inside her room. "Mydy. Mydy!"

    Maeve peeled open her eyes. "What?" she asked, irritated and turned to her side. She gasped in horror when she saw that the bedsheet was soaked with her blood.

    "Mdy, Lady Emma has run away!"

    Stunned, Maeve whipped her head to the maid with disbelief in her eyes.

    "Lord Lazarus is asking for your help. He wants you to use your magic and find her!"

 Chapter 116 Tension Piled

    ?Maeve looked at the maid with wide eyes with disbelief. "Run away?" she squeaked.

    The maid nodded her head like a toy monkey. "Yes, mdy! Lord Lazarus says that he couldn''t find her on the bed this morning. Since he can''t find her in this bright sunlight, he has asked for your assistance."

    Maeve got up from the bed with a lot of effort. "Then can''t he ask the guards to find her?"

    "He has already asked them. They''ve been looking for her for almost an hour, but they have given up. Lord Yul hase back from the south and he has taken charge of finding her," the maid replied with a worried expression.

    Maeve gritted her teeth. Yul hade back? That would mean that she had to be extremely cautious when Ailill came over. Yul had a penchant for sniffing wrong in the pce. Her worries were only piling up. If Emma managed to escape, there was no way she would be able to hold any longer. Maeve knew that she would have to possess another body but that would mean that the girl would die in a few months. dys, Yul, Emma¡­ her head started aching.

    "Will youe, Lady Maeve?" the maid prodded her again.

    Maeve looked at all the blood that had seeped from her body on the bedsheet. It was awful. "Get warm water for me and get the healer as soon as possible." She removed the nket for the maid to see what happened to her.

    The maid gasped and after asking the guard to send the healer she hurried to the bathroom to get warm water for her. Using a soft towel, she cleaned the area that was ruptured. "Mdy, this wound looks terrible. I hope it doesn''t get infected."

    "Just do what I am asking you to!" Maeve grunted. She didn''t even want to hear about infection.

    The healer came in. He looked at the infection and pursed his lips. He applied poultice and bandaged it with fresh linen. "That rupture looks bad, mdy," he said. "You will have to be very careful. Don''t expose it to the air and if possible, don''t walk."

    Maeve clenched her teeth in anger. She had to go and find Emma. Ailill wasing and he was very demanding. "I have some very important work to do. I have to walk. Just make sure that the blood doesn''te out."

    The healer added anotheryer of bandage. "That''s all I can do. But this poultice needs to dry down so that it fills the ruptures on your skin and heals it internally. Your magic doesn''t allow it to dry."

    Maeve ignored him but on the inside her heart was thundering. She couldn''t use her magic to find Emma. What if Emma was untraceable? As soon as the healer left, with the help of the maid, Maeve walked to Lazarus''s room.

    "You look like a very old woman who needs all the assistance, Maeve," Lazarus remarked when he saw her entering with the maid.

    "I am very sick," she said to Lazarus. The maid helped her to sit on the couch and she wheezed to catch her breath. "This is getting out of control. You can''t even take care of a bloody mortal. That bitch keeps running here and there all the time. How long can I use my magic? This body is unable to take it anymore." She lifted her gown to show him the wounds.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Lazarus scrunched his nose. "That stinks as hell."

    "Yes!" she cried. "I don''t know what to do. My body is not able to take it anymore. Only two days are left. You have to find Emma. Use all your guards. I am sure that even your family would help."

    Lazarus crossed the floor to reach his bed. He sat down with one leg up and one hanging down. "My family is against me, Maeve. Have you forgotten that? They won''t help me. Didn''t you see what dys did to Emma?"

    Maeve gritted her teeth. "Where is dys?"

    "In the dungeons," he shrugged. "Why do you ask? Do you think I have freed her?"

    "No!" she said. "It''s just that I was curious."

    He raised his eyebrow. "That seems like a dull question. Not expected from Goddess Maeve."

    She sucked in a sharp breath, knowing fully well that he was insulting her, but she passed it. "So when did Emma leave? Is there any lead?"

    Lazarus rested his head on the pillows and closed his eyes. "She left an hour after dys was taken to the prison. She is very scared and my guards believe that she is still in the pce. If she is in the pce, I would like that you cast a spell around the pce boundaries so that she is unable to escape. It would be easy for my guards to find her."

    "Are you mad?" Maeve retorted. "I just showed you what happens to me when I use magic and yet you are demanding that I use it? If I use it, I am going to be bleeding to death before the ritual."

    Lazarus shrugged. "Your wish, Maeve. I won''t force you, but that girl is a sly wench. She knows her way out of the pce and I am afraid that if she escapes, it is you who would suffer the most."

    "Me?" Anger sted in her chest. "What about you, Lazarus? Won''t you be affected as well? You need me beside you as the queen of Wilyra. It is your duty to protect me!"

    In a nonchnt voice he said, "Like I said, my guards are already finding her and are unable to. And I am not forcing you. You can take your call." Saying that he closed his eyes. "I am too tired after keeping an eye over Emmast night and so I will be sleeping. You may leave." The only eye that he kept on her was on her sex which he had devoured and then some more. He had taken her again and again and the lusty little piece wanted more. Eventually by the morning she was so sore that she was unable to walk nicely.

 Chapter 117 Intense Pain

    ?Lazarus remembered how he pped her ass and Emma had squealed. She had even threatened him that she would close her door and not have sex with him for the next one week. As if he would allow it. Just thinking about it was making his cock go hard. Damn that woman. He wondered if he would ever get tired of her.

    "I can''t believe you, Lazarus," Maeve snapped. "You have to increase the patrol to find her. Do anything, but find her! If she escapes, do you realize the bigger problem here? I won''t be able to find a body as strong as hers!"

    "Why do you say she is strong? She is just a mortal¡­" he said in a boring tone and then in order to convey to her that this conversation is over, he yawned.

    "That reminds me. Have you marked her yet?" Maeve asked with anticipation.

    He opened one eye and nced at her sideways. "Why should I mark her? I will mark her when you enter her."

    Maeve winced. The bastard hadn''t marked her. If he marked her after she possessed her body, she would be his blood ve and she would have to reject Ailill. She didn''t know what to do to get him to mark her. On top of that the bitch had run away. Why was it that everything was getting so chaotic?

    Since she could not force him to mark Emma, she had to find out another way. But first she had to find the little bitch. Maeve cried internally. She was shocked that Lazarus had given up on her so easily. "Can you at least send a unit of soldiers with me to find her?"

    "Why?" he asked, slipping further down on the bed. He just wanted her to leave.

    "Because I have to find her? Because you can''t use your vampire body in this broad daylight to go out? Because it is me who will be benefitted and not you?" she snapped, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

    Lazarus turned to look at her and shook his head. "I think you missed what I said to you earlier. Most of my guards are running everywhere under the special leadership of Yul, but none of them have been able to find her. They suspect that she is still in the pce. The only way to keep her contained in the pce is to use your magic to seal the borders of the pce." He sighed. "If you can do that, it''s fine. Now leave. I really have to sleep!"

    Maeve shot him her dirtiest re. As if not believing him, she walked in the adjacent room to find out for herself whether she was in her room or not. Her bed was lying crumpled. It was as if she had yed some match on it. Suspicious, she sniffed around to smell whether she had sex with him or not, but other than her smell of violets, there was no other scent.

    "Are you satisfied?" Lazarus asked with eyes closed.

    She didn''t answer and left in a huff. Before leaving she said, "Ask Yul to report to me!" She banged the door closed.

    The maid was standing out. As soon as she saw her, she rushed to support her. Maeve was limping and every step she took a little bit of strength away. Ailill was supposed toe by evening. So she only had until evening to find Emma. "Take me to my room," she said. Somehow, she managed to go to her room. The maid had changed the sheets and they were clean. She crashed on her bed to think about the whole situation. And the more she thought about it, the more agitated became.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Her thoughts were conflicted on whether she should use her magic or not. If she used it, she was sure she was going to be very weak. She might not be able to get up from the bed. At the same time, fear of not ever finding Emma gnawed her on the insides. She decided that she would wait until a few more hours. Her headache had increased and she knew that it was partially because of the blood loss.

    ---

    As soon as Maeve left, the door of the secret passageway in his room opened. Emma stood on the doorway in nothing but a gauzy sheet wrapped around her. She cocked her hip and ced her hand on it. "Can Ie in?" she said, teasing him.

    He let out a rumble and strode to her. He grabbed her in his arms and lifted her. "You can," he said and seized her lips. He kissed her all the way to the bed and made her lie down. "Do you want me to rip this sheet or do you want me to tug it out?

    "Be as rough as you can," she said.

    His fangs lengthened and he growled. He ripped the sheet away andtched on to her nipples. "You won''t be able to walk for the next one week, Emma!" he said before going to the next nipple.

    She grabbed his hair and arched her body. "Only one way to see that."

    He left her nipple and without warning entered her.

    ---

    Maeve had asked the soldiers to report to her about Emma. Yul came to her an hourter and reported, "Emma is nowhere. We have searched the basement, the dungeons, the periphery of the pce and even the rooms. We have looked at every nook and corner of the pce, but we couldn''t find her."

    "What the hell!" Maeve shouted. "You can''t find a bloody mortal, and that too who is extremely important to me?"

    Yul shrugged as he grunted. "She is pretty smart for her age! You have to outsmart her. And the only way would be to cast your magic."

    Maeve stared at him for a long moment as if considering his words. It was already afternoon and if she didn''t do anything now, she was sure that Emma would escape. Suddenly she regretted not casting her spell already. On an impulse, she snapped her fingers to cast the spell. And the next moment, she shrieked out of intense pain.

 Chapter 118 Like What?

    The magic that Maeve weaved this time was of a gargantuan scale. She had to cast the spell around the whole pce and a spell that only stopped Emma from leaving the grounds. Suddenly she remembered what if Emma had left. Then she won''t be able toe back.

    The anxiety coupled with the pain she got was excruciating. She screamed loudly in pain as several ces in her skin ruptured. Blood flowed out of her mouth and nose. Veins ruptured on her hands and belly and thighs. With tremendous pain, she sumbed to the floor, her body convulsing.

    Yul watched her with indifference. She gazed at him, almost begging him with her eyes to help her, but Yul turned and went out of the door. Her maid rushed in and so did the guards. "C-- call the healer now," Maeve said in a mousy voice, her lips quivering.

    The guards ran to bring the healer back to the room while the maid helped her to the bathroom. Maeve couldn''t even walk properly now. She cursed Emma all the way to the bathroom. When she reached the tub in which the maid filled hot water, she sagged to the floor. She caught the tub and heaved heavily. "Ailill..." she murmured. If he was here, he would have healed her with his magic. She cursed the moon that it should have been a full moon today.

    Maeve would have jumped inside another body by this time had the circumstances been normal. But the problem was that if she possessed another body, she wouldn''t be released until it died its natural death.

    "Mdy, please get inside the tub. You are bleeding everywhere," the maid said as she helped Maeve up.

    With a lot of effort, she got up and got inside the tub. There was a mirror right in front of the tub and she almost screamed when she saw her reflection in it. Her skin was wrinkly. Some hair on her scalp had burnt and there were bald patches. Her eyes were sunken and she looked like a ghost with blood sttered everywhere. Maeve had really abused this body.

    She shuddered at the sight and then averted her gaze. When she sat down, she rested her hand on the edge of the tub. Anxiety cruised through her like thorns. What if they never found Emma? What if Emma was already dead? What if Ailill demanded sex with her in this condition?

    "Mdy?"

    Maeve jumped at the maid''s voice. "What?" she snapped.

    "Do you want me to scrub you?"

    "Why are you asking?" she snapped at her. "Take a soap bar and scrub me!"

    The maid cursed her internally and then started scrubbing.

    After a few minutes, Maeve asked her, "Are there any hiding ces in the pce? Like where will you hide if given a chance?"

    "There are many hiding ces, mdy," she said, as she removed the blood from her back. How was she even talking? "I wouldn''t hide anywhere. Why will I hide?"

    Gods, she was dense. "I am asking, not using you."

    The maid tilted her head and said, "The pce has many passageways but we don''t know where they are. The doors are well hidden in the rooms. Only the royals know about them. I know of one passageway which Lady dys told me about. I will hide there."

    "Passageways?" Maeve was amused. "You mean there is a passageway in my room also?"

    She shrugged. "It is possible."

    A hope lit in her chest. Emma could be hiding in the passageways. "Do you know where Lady dys is?"

    The maid stopped. She lowered her voice and said, "Lady dys was in the dungeons, but thest I heard was that she was taken to the torture room by Lord Yul."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Maeve gritted her teeth. dys would reveal about her soon. "Do you know where is the torture room?"

    She shook her head. "No, it is a secret."

    Maybe Maeve had to kill Yul eventually.

    "But I heard it is north of the pce."

    That was the first good information she got. Maeve became quiet. She was going to ask Ailill to hunt for Emma in the passageways and then ask him to find the torture room.

    ---

    "I am not sure if I heard it correctly," Magnus said. He hade from the cabin along with Olya and they were sitting in Lazarus''s chamber.

    Olya blushed. "I want to stay here with you," she repeated. "I don''t want to go back to the cabin."

    "Is that so?" he said with his lips lifting up. "And what am I going to get in return?"

    Lazarus was on the bed with Emma sitting on the edge of it. She was watching Magnus and Olya and giggling. They both were like cute lovebirds. He grabbed her hand and tugged her behind to make her sit on hisp, but she refused to sit, not at all bothered about him. That made him all the more irritated. He wanted all her attention.

    "Whatever you like," Olya replied.

    It was so good to see both of them. Emma had hugged Olya tightly when Magnus brought her with him.

    "Okay..." Magnus drawled. "I will get a hundred kisses from you."

    "Done," she said shyly.

    The door of the room opened and Yul walked in. Both the males immediately grabbed their women and even though they protested, made them sit on theirps. Yul rolled his eyes and walked to the bar to fill wine for himself. He looked at Emma and sighed. She was the only woman he had grown to like a lot. But Yul had moved on. He knew that Emma would never have eyes for him, only sympathy or friendship. He didn''t want sympathy and he didn''t know how to be her friend.

    "There is something very wrong with Maeve," he said, drinking from his tumbler.

    Seeing his indifferent demeanor, the men rxed a little. Lazarus scoffed, "That woman is wrong. No wonder she was expelled from Vilinski."

    "No, I mean there is something wrong with her attitude also, besides all the blood that keeps oozing out."

    "Like what?" Lazarus asked, narrowing his eyes.

 Chapter 119 Close To Finding Emma

    Yul looked away as if thinking deeply. "It''s like she is waiting for something."

    "How can you say that?" he asked, as Emma grunted and crawled out of hisp.

    "She keeps looking out of the windows time and again. My guards have reported it."

    Lazarus sighed. "Yul, you are just too worked up. All this activity has taken a toll on your thinking."

    "What? No!" he blurted. "I am rather enjoying it." He gazed at Emma and raised his ss. "Anything for that beautiful girl who is your mate."

    Lazarus growled at him. "Are you flirting with her?" He jumped out of his bed, and walked towards him, cracking his neck as if challenging him for a fight to death.

    Yul rolled his eyes. "Even if I flirt with her, trust me she would never have that interest in me. So just go back, old man."

    Emma barked augh. "Kill it, Lord Lorza," she said. "Yul is like a brother to me."

    Lazarus stopped in his tracks when heard the word ''brother'' and a wide grin donned his lips. As for Yul, he drained his ss in one go. He had shit luck.

    "Yes, he is like a brother to you," Lazarus repeated and went to pick a ss of wine for himself. He was extremely content today. The most potentpetition was yed with one beautiful word ¡ª brother. He leaned against the edge of the bar and with that grin intact, he tilted his head towards Yul and said, "Brother. Emma''s brother."

    Yul grunted while Magnusughed at him and so did Olya.

    A whileter when they had had their share of fun, Yul reported, "Maeve is very fragile at the moment. Just two days are left for the full moon. Today, she might go after Emma. She is going to use all her means to find her."

    "Let her," Lazarus replied. "She will get dust."

    The five of them talked until it was evening, each talking about their adventures. Emma revealed about Nephie to them and they all became curious to see Nephie. "Where is she?" Olya asked. "I want to see her again."

    "Gods above!" Yul said excitedly. "I would love to ride a dragon." He got goosebumps. "I want to see her, Emma. Please, you must take me to her. I am going to keep special care of her!"

    Emma chuckled. "I will. Let this get over."

    "I must go and check on Maeve," Yul said. "We have spent a lot of time talking. The sun is setting and I do believe that she must be up to something."

    "Let Magnus check upon her this time," Lazarus said. "She should know that he is also back in the pce."<novelnext></novelnext>

    "That''s right," Magnus said, getting up. "How is our father doing?"

    "King Viktor has called me for dinner," Lazarus said. "Along with Emma." He rolled his eyes. "Maybe he wants to say his final goodbye to Emma."

    "That old man is cunning, Lazarus," Yul remarked. "Be careful. I don''t trust him one bit."

    "I know!" Lazarus replied with sneer. "I know his shrewdness very well. He is waiting for Maeve to possess Emma and waiting for me to mark her, but I know why he is waiting so patiently." He took a deep breath in and looked at Emma. "He wants to kill her so that I die with her. He is a bloody bastard! He can''t kill me directly because of his vow to the Lore. That is why he will target Emma."

    Emma gulped. The pce was so full of conspiracies and she was the eye of the storm. She lowered her head, feeling horrible about it. Lazarus walked up to her, sensing her misery. "Emma, there is nothing wrong that you have done. It is just a game of thrones. That''s what we royals do. We are very fucked up." He lifted her face, curling his fingers beneath her chin and kissed her lips. "I am there, love," he assured her.

    Emma cupped his cheeks. "I feel bad for you, Lord Lorza. Why can''t they simply let you take what is yours?"

    He chuckled and pressed her face in the crook of his neck. "If only it was that simple."

    A few moments of heavy silence descended in the room. They all became quiet. After a while, Magnus said, "Olya, please stay here, okay? I am going out to check upon Maeve."

    Olya nodded and kissed him on his cheek. Magnus left with Yul while Lazarus stayed with both the girls. Olya came to the bed and the girls chatted excitedly when all at once there was a noise behind the secret door of the passageway. Lazarus whipped his head towards it, shocked as hell. The next moment, he grabbed both the girls and traced them to the adjacent room. When he came back, the door swung open. It was swaying slightly, its hinges creaking.

    Shock sted in his chest. He ran inside the tunnel to find the culprit, but there was no one. It was too dark but he was able to see well. All he could see were the cobwebs hanging low. A soft breeze blew inside from the other end of the tunnel and he knew that the door must be opened. He strode to the end of the tunnel and as he had predicted, the door was open, but there was no one. He stabbed his fingers in his hair, feeling anxious. He snapped his head around to see who was there or to pick up the scent. Nothing.

    He closed the door and came back inside, afraid of Emma and Olya''s safety. He opened their door and found that their room''s door was also open. Instead of Emma and Olya, Maeve was standing. She looked¡­ healthier.

    "Lazarus," she said with a smile.

    He narrowed his eyes on her, his heart thundering. He would kill her if she had kidnapped Emma.

    "I think I am close to finding Emma," she said. "Don''t worry, I will get her to you before tomorrow."

    "That''s good," he replied, keeping his anger under control. There was definitely a connection between the passageway incident and hering inside Emma''s room.

    "Great!" she chirped. "See you tomorrow at the ritual." She turned and walked out of the room.

 Chapter 120 Someone Knows

    As soon as Maeve left, Lazarus let out a ragged breath. His heart was thundering in his ears. Did she abduct her? Was she trying to y games with him? He couldn''t even tell her that Emma was here all the time while she searched for her. His pulse quickened and he thought he would faint if he didn''t see Emma this very minute or maybe rip the pce to search for her.

    "Emma¡­" he whispered her name, his heart lurching to his throat, his gaze wildly scanning the room. He clenched his teeth to stop them from chattering. He couldn''t protect his mate. He couldn''t protect his mother. He had let them get killed. "Emma¡­" he called her, his voice more like a plea to the gods to listen to him. On the inside he was hoping that she was there somewhere. "Emma¡­" he called her name like he was worshiping her, like he was asking for a second chance at life before he did something horrible, like killing Maeve before¡­

    A door creaked. He whipped his head in that direction. He began moving in that direction. He had never seen the door over there. The door opened a little bit more. He curled his hands into tight balls as the smell of cobwebs and moss wafted in the air, mixed with that of violets. "Emma!" he rushed over there and pulled it open fully.

    Emma was standing there along with Olya, wide eyed and looking scared. "Oh, for the love of god!'' He pulled her to him and pressed her against his chest. He peppered kisses all over her face, her neck and her head. He couldn''t believe that her absence scared the shit out of his life. She just clung to him and stayed there for the whole time as if reassuring him that she was there for him.

    He picked her up in his arms and carried her to his room. "I am so sorry¡­" he murmured. "I should have traced you somewhere else."

    "I am here, Lord Lorza," she said mildly to ay his fears. "I am not going anywhere."

    He sat down with her and pressed her face in the crook of his neck. He inhaled the smell of her hair and after a long time, he opened his eyes. When he looked up, he saw Olya watching the two of them with a smile on her lips. He was d that both the girls were safe. "What happened when I left?" he asked, pulling away from Emma. "How did you find that little tunnel? Even, I never saw it there!"

    Emma chuckled. "I discovered it when I was in that room a few weeks back. Though I never thought I would ever use it, it definitely protected us."

    Olya added, "We both heard someone shuffling outside our door. I smelled blood and sickness. I knew that it wasn''t either you or Magnus and so I went panicky. Emma gestured to me to stay quiet. She grabbed my hand and pulled me into the tunnel. As soon as she closed the door of the tunnel, we heard the door of her room opening. The smell of blood and sickness was overwhelming and I knew that it was Maeve. Both of us froze. We heard her walking around the room, moving things as if trying to find something or probably Emma."

    Emma trembled a little at the narration. Lazarus caught her tightly and began stroking her again. She said, "It was then that we heard another door opening and Maeve addressing you. We came out after we were sure that she had left."

    "And you did great!" He admired her quick action. "You are very brave, love."

    "But what is going on?" she asked, her gaze on the opened door of the tunnel in this room.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I don''t know," he replied. "When I came here, I saw the door opening and a breezeing through the passageway. The other end of the door was also open. I think someone was way too quick to distract me so that Maeve could enter your room."

    "What is going on¡­" Olya said as she pulled her legs beneath her thighs and picked up a cushion to press it against her chest. There was a sense of anxiety in the room.

    Suddenly the door of the room opened and Yul and Magnus entered. There was an expression of dread on their faces. Lazarus''s brows furrowed as he tried to interpret their expressions.

    "You have toe with us," Yul said.

    "Where?" he asked, not wanting to leave Emma this time. "I can''t leave Emma and Olya alone." He pointed at the open passageway door. "There is someone out there who knows the way to my room. They are both in danger."

    Magnus let out a feral growl. He clenched his teeth hard as his muscles bulged to the point that his veins would have popped. "Then let us take them to my apartment. No one wille to know about them."

    "No," Yul interjected. In a very cold voice he said, "Take them to my quarters. I do believe that Maeve has someone employed who is searching the passageways of the pce with her."

    Magnus and Lazarus both looked like they could rip his head at this instant, but after contemting it for a while, they agreed. Yul would have never suggested it casually, knowing what Emma and Olya meant to their men.

    The sun was setting and the sky was a shade of periwinkle and orange. It was time for the vampires to wake up. Only a day was left for the ritual. The pce was buzzing with the activity. Lazarus, Magnus and Yul traced to Yul''s quarters that were in the pce grounds but far down towards the south. It was a cozy ce where Yul ordered his servants to burn the fire hearth immediately.

    "Make yourselffortable," he said to the girls when they were in his personal bedchamber. "Don''t open this door for an hour."

    "Where are you going?" Emma asked Lazarus, clinging on his shirt.

 Chapter 121 Dying To...

    Lazarus caught her small hand in hisrge ones. "Don''t worry. I am going with Yul. He suspects something is going on and I don''t know what it is."

    "Yes, it would be better that all of us go there together. There is something I can''t point my fingers on," Yul said. "I feel... scratchy..."

    Magnusughed. "Save it, Yul," he said. He turned to Olya and said, "Stay in here. We don''t want the servants to see you. It is too risky."

    As Emma and Olya sat down on the couch, the three traced back to the pce.

    ---

    Ailill hade only a few hours back. He was stronger than her. His magic was potent. He healed her as fast as he could. As soon as he was there, she told him everything. "I am afraid that the bitch has escaped," she whined when he was healing her. She was surrounded by green orbs.

    As soon as he appeared in her room, she had drawn all the curtains. She had already sent the maid away and asked her not to disturb her because she was healing. The guard on the outside of her room was also instructed that he wouldn''t allow anyone to enter.

    "But I can smell her presence in the pce, Maeve," he said as he examined her wounds.

    "Are you sure?" she asked, her eyes gleaming with excitement.

    "Yes, of course!" he smirked. He made her lie on the bed. Magic coiled around his hands. He hurled it towards her body and little green orbs of healing light spread all over her body.

    "Then can you find where she is. Her absence is getting on my nerves. The soul casting ceremony is tomorrow. What if she isn''t there? What will happen to me?" She shuddered at the thought.

    "Where do you think she would be?" he asked, watching her closely. He had tucked his wings at the back in tension. Thest time he hade, Maeve was extremely nervous that someone would see him. So this time, he had put a mor on himself and to others he looked like a regr soldier.

    "I was talking to my maid and she said that if she was Emma, she would hide in the secret passageways of the pce. They connect the main rooms to the outside and are used in case of emergencies," she said. The orbs would touch her skin and where they touched, she felt better. Her pain would lessen.

    "Is there any passageway in Lazarus''s room?" he asked. He shifted towards her head and stroked her hair. He was hoping that Emma was hidden in that passageway or the one in her room.

    "I don''t know, but I think so."

    "Don''t worry. I will find it."

    "You have to hurry up and find it. We are running short on time!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    He smiled. "Don''t worry. I am going right now, but I am putting a seal around your room so that no onees inside when I am away. I don''t want anyone to see that you are wrapped with these healing lights."

    She tipped her head up and her lips curled up. "Sure."

    Ailill used his magic to surround the room with a warding spell. Then he disappeared from there and straightaway went to the backyard of the apartments where Lazarus lived. He started searching for a secret door. There were none. He searched the entire periphery and came across five very old doors. He knew that it wasn''t necessary that these led to the rooms of the royals, but he had to take his chances. He entered one of them and he realized that the tunnels were also interconnected. He had basically entered a maze of tunnels.

    But he was patient. In order to find Emma, he scored through the tunnel. With his speed and agility and magic, he could see half of them. By luck, he entered a tunnel that led to Lazarus''s room. He heard some muffled voices from the other side of the door. Excited that he had found that Emma was with Lazarus, he went back to Maeve and asked her to go to Emma''s room to catch her while he would divert Lazarus''s attention.

    Maeve was feeling better after an hour of healing lights. She could get up and walk easily. She was too excited. They had nned on busting Lazarus for his lies. They just wanted one moment of Emma to be alone and they would have kidnapped her and brought her only during the soul casting ceremony.

    So while Maeve rushed to see Emma in her room, he had gone back to the tunnel that led to Lazarus''s room. He opened it suddenly, hoping to see Lazarus, but the vampire wasn''t there. Momentster he heard Maeve and Lazarus talking in the other room. Maeve was startled that Emma wasn''t there, but she gave Lazarus a warning in her own subtle way that she had found Emma.

    "Lazarus doesn''t have Emma with him! She is still hiding in the tunnels!" she whined when she came back to the room.

    "Then she is going to be found by the middle of the night," Ailill said as he wrapped his arms around her waist. The mortal was clever.

    "Sure?" she asked, fluttering her eyshes.

    He bent down and kissed her. "I have something very urgent to do before I answer your question."

    She giggled. She cupped his hard erection and said, "I would love to be beneath you, my mate."

    He let out a growl and walked her to the bed. In a few seconds, their clothes were lying in a heap on the floor. He was desperate to enter inside her because he was meeting her after a long time. Without warning, he entered her.

    "Oh Ailill!" Maeve rasped. "Deeper! Faster!" She wanted him to take her so badly. She needed him deep inside her.

    His wings red as his muscles bulged and his mor broke. He moved inside her faster. "I have been dying to take you in a younger body!" he hissed.

    "Yes! After the ritual!"

    Ailill was about to shoot his release inside her when the door of the room banged open.

 Chapter 122 [Bonus ] Reject Him

    Maeve whipped her head towards the door and her body froze. Ailill tipped his head up and shot his release into her with a roar, his wings red wide open. "Fuck Maeve," he rasped. He was panting heavily and his eyes were closed. He looked at her to see her reaction with a broad smile ying on his lips, but found her eyes fixed at the door, her face nched. He followed her gaze and saw Lazarus, Magnus and Yul standing there.

    He pulled out, peeling his lips back with a snarl. They were busted. He summoned his magic toe forth but a dagger made of fae iron hit him straight into his shoulder. "Ahhh!" he shouted as agonyshed through him and he fell on the floor, naked. Blood oozed out of him as his skin burned where the dagger hit him. His mind went numb and he couldn''t even pluck the dagger out. With the fae iron in him, he couldn''t use his magic.

    "Ailill!" Maeve shrieked, feeling his pain. "Ailill!" She got out of the bed to be with him. "Oh gods! What has happened?" She tried to touch the dagger but she couldn''t wrap her hand around it. The fae iron burned her skin to blisters. She cried. "Please help!"

    She began crying uncontrobly. Through her blurry vision, Lazarus came into view and her shock amplified. He was growling at her menacingly. His ws had elongated and his fangs were sharper than ever. Maeve''s eyes were fixed on him as she clutched Ailill with one hand and her burnt hand in the other. Tears ran out of her eyes out of sheer nervousness that her mate would die, but it was also coupled with fear and dread. This was the worst living nightmare of her life.

    "Lazarus¡­" she rasped in a gravelly voice. "You¡ª"

    "Yes, me," he hissed. He nced at Ailill who was still writhing in pain. "You shouldn''t havemitted this mistake, Ailill," he sneered. "Look what it did to you."

    Maeve''s mouth fell to the floor. How did Lazarus know Ailill''s name?

    Lazarsu continued, "Now I will just have to kill you. After all, I will be marrying Maeve tomorrow and either she has you or she has me, right?"

    "No! No!" Maeve cried as she dragged a sheet to cover herself and another one to cover her naked mate. "This wasn''t his fault. This was my fault. He has nothing to do. I was the one who seduced him." She took the me on her because she knew that Lazarus would never kill her because he needed her desperately beside him.

    He raised his eyebrow, looking amused. "You seduced him?" He cocked his head and studied her expressions. She was looking like a little mouse in a trap as she darted her gaze to Magnus and Yul and then back to him. "Yes, I called him here. He is a fae and I know that he would help me when I enter Emma''s body. But I was so sick that he healed me," she wailed. "Please he has nothing to do with all of this. Take that fae iron out and release him. He will go back to Vilinski." She was sure that Lazarus would release him because he really wanted her. When she saw that his expression was unrelenting, she said, "This body of mine is not what you would have wanted as such. This body is giving up. Tomorrow when I will be in Emma''s body, you can have me!"

    Ailill let out a grunt of warning at herst words even though painshed through him in waves.

    Lazarus narrowed his eyes on her. He scoffed and then walked to the chair at the bar and sat down. "So you want me to leave Ailill?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    She nodded. "Please leave him and take that dagger out. He is innocent!"

    Lazarus clucked his tongue. "That would be impossible, Maeve. But I can leave him on one condition."

    "Whatever condition you have, I willply with it," she said immediately, looking expectantly at him.

    "Good," he said with a lop-sided grin. "Then reject him."

    A look of shock etched on her face as if he had chopped her hands off. "R¡ªreject?" How did he know that Ailill was her mate? Her heart thundered in her chest like over a storm-tossed sea. "What do you mean?"

    "I mean what I say. If you want to marry me, you have to reject your mate, else I kill him." He leaned forward and in a very low yet dangerous voice said, "You don''t have much time left. That fae iron will slowly kill him and drain his magic out."

    Maeve''s teeth chattered as she stared into the bright red eyes of Lazarus. He looked like he was freshly fed. His skin was glowing and there was pink on his cheeks that was hard to miss. He looked like the most confident man on the earth. "H¡ªhe isn''t my mate," she said glibly, blinking her eyes rapidly. How the hell did he know that he was her mate?

    Lazarus gave her a pointed re. "Then there won''t be any issue in rejecting him. Reject him, now!" he growled. "Did you think that I was a fool?" He looked at Ailill whose skin was bing purple by the minute because it was getting poisoned by the fae iron dagger. "The two of you tried your best to drug Emma and me. At the inn and then by using dys!"

    Maeve''s lips quivered as the truth rolled out. Her mind went numb as she became dumbfounded. How did he know?

    Lazarus was trying his best to not kill her. "Ailill was already hovering around Wilyra in order to find Emma. It was you who asked the rogues to attack Emma and then keep you informed through theirwork. Once you came to know that we had entered the Kingdom of Wilyra and we had stopped at the inn on the outskirts, Ailill approached the inn owner and bribed him with two bags of gold just to give heavy drugs to both of us."

 Chapter 123 Vow To The Lore

    Lazarus got up and towered over her. "The drugs that he used were the one for the faes and not for humans. You knew that Emma would be knocked out for a long time and that she would probably present herself to me to mark her!"

    Maeve was stunned. She had carried it all out so discreetly with Ailill''s help. She took Ailill''s help so that no one could ever pin the me on her if the chance came because no one knew Ailill. She was thrown into a tizzy as she watched Lazarus towering over her. His persona was murderous.

    "You wanted Emma to be drugged so heavily that she wouldn''t be able to bat an eyelid till the soul casting ritual. But you made a mistake, Maeve," he snarled as he bent down and curled his finger and thumb around her chin. He pinched it and tipped her head up. "Emma is my mate. You shouldn''t have done that to her." His muscles bulged as if he was contemting on wringing her neck. "Do you know what I did to the inn and its owner?" He bared his fangs and his ws came out, puncturing her skin. Blood trickled out as she winced in pain. "I killed him. I snapped his vertebrate out of his body and hung him on the inn''s entrance. Then I burned the inn down to the ground."

    Maeve gasped as she imagined the horror at the inn. She began trembling like a dry leaf in gusty winds.

    He shoved her down on the floor. "You sent rogues after Emma, you tried to drug us at the inn and when that didn''t happen, you sent dys with the drugs, and now--" he nced at Ailill.

    "I-- I didn''t send dys with drugs," she cried as she tried to get up on her knees. Ailill was in so much agony that it was affecting her terribly.

    "Lies!" Lazarus growled so loudly that the windows and the door of the room started shaking. "dys has epted her crime. She is going to spend the rest of her days in the dungeons!"

    Maeve pped her hands to her mouth. How did things get out of control so fast? She had healed well. She had time to disappear using her magic along with Ailill. Or she could use it to scare Lazarus. She wiped her tears and summoned her magic. It coiled down her hands and crackled around her fingers. "You think I am weak!" she hissed. She was about to hurl it at him, when a dagger came in front of her throat.

    "Not so soon, Maeve," Yul said. "I know you wouldn''t want me to plunge this fae iron into you, would you?" He pressed the sharp de against her neck. She shrieked in pain. Her magic coiled back like a puppy with its tail between its legs.

    Lazarus grabbed her hair and yanked her head up. "You have one chance to save your mate. And don''t deny that he is your mate because if he isn''t, I think I would just let him die."

    "No!" she pleaded. "Please no!"

    "Okay... then reject him, and he will be saved. Moreover, I will marry you. That would be a bonus for rejecting him."

    Maeve and Ailill had been mates for thousands of years. She never imagined that a goddess like her would be at the mercy of a vampire who was so lowly that a goddess. Her gaze went to Ailill. He was now half unconscious. The fae iron was working way too fast. She had to make a decision as soon as possible.<novelnext></novelnext>

    She weighed her options. If she didn''t reject him, then he would die. Just thinking that he would die made her stomach twist into knots. If she rejected him, they both would go under tremendous pain. Breaking a fae bond was excruciating. Moreover, after she rejected him, Lazarus would marry her. Once he married her, she would annihte him out of revenge. Then she would go back to Ailill.

    At this time she really didn''t have much of a choice. Ailill was as such dying. By rejecting him, he had a chance to live. But she wasn''t going to do it so easily. "You have to make a vow to Lore that you won''t kill him or hurt him," she said in a shaky voice.

    Lazarus glowered at her. After a moment he said, "I vow to the Lore that I won''t kill him or hurt him." Electricity sizzled in the air as the vow snapped tight around him and Ailill.

    Yul pressed the dagger to her throat. "Now, reject him or this gets in your flesh."

    Maeve closed her eyes. At least she had ensured that Ailill wouldn''t die. Her heart twisted when she looked at her mate. Her lips quivered and her body shuddered with so much force that she started to shake visibly. Tears streamed out of her eyes unbridled. She didn''t have any choice left. She tipped her head up and closed her eyes.

    In a very low voice, she said, "I, Maeve, Goddess of Vilinski, reject Ailill as my mate."

    Thunder boomed across the ins of Wilyra and over the pce of Wilyra. A fae bond had broken. Weather suddenly turned ominous and within minutes heavy rain pelted the grounds.

    Maeve slumped to the floor as searing pain exploded in her body. "T--take out the dagger," she said, her wordsing in a slur.

    Lazarus smirked and took the dagger out of Ailill''s shoulder. "Guards!" he shouted. Several guards came inside. "Take him to the dungeons!" he ordered. Ailill was unconscious. Four guards picked him up and dragged him out of the door to the dungeons. In her harrowing pain, she watched him being taken by the guards. His head lolled to the side and his skin had be blue. "You made a vow to the Lore..." she said to Lazarus and then darkness surrounded her.

    Yul stood behind her and kicked her lightly just to see if she was unconscious or not, else he would again ce the dagger on her throat. When she didn''t stir, he asked Lazarus, "Why did you make that vow? It was not required. I should have killed him."

    Lazarus chuckled humorlessly. "I made that vow, not you. Do what you like with him."

 Chapter 124 Too Ambitious

    At first both Yul and Magnus were taken aback and then when they understood what he meant, they barked augh. "You are smart, Lazarus!" said Magnus. "No wonder you agreed to that vow so easily."

    Lazarus shrugged. He gazed at the unconscious woman lying on the floor. She was curled with her hands on her stomach. She was lying in a pool of blood. The rejection had made her body not only writhe in pain her magic reacted against it. It tried toe out to grab its mate to whom it was tethered to and in the process, it ruptured her skin. There were too many bruises and wounds on her body. Blood flowed from her mouth and nose. "Call the maid to look after her. Tomorrow is a big day."

    While Lazarus went to Yul''s apartment along with Magnus, Yul went to the dungeons after Ailill. Ailill''s skin was getting blue. His lips were blue and so were his fingernails. The guards dragged him to the dungeons. Yul ordered them to give him the prison with high security. The bars of the prison were made with fae iron and so was its ceiling. He was chained with the shackles on his neck, his wrists and his ankles. Heavy iron balls were attached to the chains that shackled his ankles. And those balls were made of fae iron. Basically if Ailill tried to escape, he wouldn''t be able to. The fae iron was the one used in the dungeons of Vilinski as well and it kept the fae in a lot of control.

    "She rejected him?" Emma asked, her eyes rounding at the corners. "Oh my god!" She ced her hand on her chest inplete disbelief. "That is cruel!"

    Lazarus didn''t reply to her. His jaws clenched as a muscle feathered in his cheek. He walked to the bar and poured wine for him and Magnus.

    "She deserved it, Emma," Magnus said. "She had been cheating on Lazarus all the while even as she imed to remain faithful to him. Lazarus wanted to make her his queen. Yul has gone after Ailill to get more confessions."

    Emma grabbed a pillow from the side and pressed it against her chest. She rested her head on the pillow, feeling sad. "I don''t know what she deserved, but thinking of rejection is... painful." She had undergone that feeling and it was so horrible that her body shuddered.

    Lazarus came to her side and sat on the edge as if understanding her emotions. "It was Maeve who goaded me to go against you Emma, but trust me I had lost the battle the moment I had seen you. Do you know when I saw you first?" She lifted her head up to look at him with a question in her eyes. He cupped her cheek with his hand and caressed it with his thumb. "I saw you when you were just fourteen, and I knew that you were my mate."

    Her mouth dropped open. "When I was fourteen? When?" She was totally bbergasted.

    "Yes, I saw you in the forest near the capital. You were plucking herbs for your brother. But I couldn''te to the terms that you were my mate." He had kept an eye all the time though. Whenever he returned to Wilyra, he would go and see her. If she wasn''t at home, he would go to the forest and if she wasn''t in the forest, he would go to her home. "When I got you here, it was Maeve''s idea to keep you away from me and I... like a fool--" his Adam''s apple moved up and down. "Like a fool, I kept you away. It was a futile effort."

    He brushed her cheek while gazing into her clear green eyes that reminded him of the forest he found her in. "I tried hard Emma, but I gave up. I couldn''t--" he choked on his words. Emma removed the pillow from herp and crawled into his. She wrapped her hands around his chest and he immediately grasped her in his arms. "I couldn''t stay without you. I lost the battle before it even started," he said in a hoarse voice that burned with emotions. "I love you, irrevocably. You are tattooed on my heart."<novelnext></novelnext>

    She kissed his chest. "I love you too..."

    He rocked her for a while. "Maeve wanted me to separate from my mate. I gave that right back to her. I am going to make it even worse for her." His chest tightened with anger that Emma also felt his muscles rippling with anger.

    "Lord Lorza," she said, tipping her head up. "Do you need my help?"

    Lazarus tipped his head down and frowned. And when he understood what she meant, he startedughing. "I just need you to be patient with me. Tomorrow is going to be a very sensitive day. All my enemies are going to go after you. Stay here locked up in Yul''s apartment. Don''t get out even for a minute. I don''t trust the servants."

    "I am going to make sure she stays with me, Lord Lazarus," Olya said excitedly. She was sitting beside Magnus with her head on his shoulders, watching the two of them with admiration.

    "That would be wonderful, Olya," Lazarus replied with gratitude in his eyes. "And there was something I needed to tell you about Naomi and Lord Cain."

    Olya stiffened. Magnus wrapped his arms around her shoulders, sensing her tension. "Did they contact us?" he asked, a crease forming in the middle of his forehead.

    Lazarus nodded. "Yul handed me the message that Lord Cain had sent to me. He was going to ask King Viktor to help him find Olya."

    "Bastard!" Magnus cursed him. "He can''t find her and so he wants the king''s help."

    "He is going to make sure that Olya goes back to him. Naomi is too ambitious. She wants Olya''s share of property and for that she would go to the depths of hell and find her."

 Chapter 125 Emma Could Go To Hell

    "As if I will allow that!" Magnus replied with a growl. "I will kill everyone whoys a finger on her." He clutched Olya possessively.

    "Why do you have to do all that when it can be dealt with easily?" Emma said.

    "What do you mean Emma?" Magnus said, his voice still having that growl. Lazarus growled back at him to warn him to not scare his mate.

    Emma climbed out of Lazarus''sp. She said, "Naomi wants Lazarus to marry Olya." She looked at Lazarus. "So why don''t you say yes to it?"

    "I won''t ever marry her!" Lazarus retorted. "I will only marry you. You are my mate and no one else will take that ce!"

    Magnus too was so riled up that he looked murderous.

    Emma rolled her eyes. "Do you remember what you said at Upper North Jupan, Lord Lorza?"

    He tilted his head and said, "Yes. I said that I will marry her."

    "Yes, you said you will marry her." When Magnus growled again, she added, "Hypothetically." That made Magnus less ferocious. "So why doesn''t Olyae out of her hiding and you announce that you will marry her. That way, she is going to stay under your protection all the time and will be with Lord Magnus as well. Who would know the reality? It would be just a fa?¡ìade."

    "I hate the idea of Olya''s name with Lazarus''s," Magnus spat.

    "You may hate the idea, but if King Viktor sends his army to find her, they will find her and give her back to Naomi and Lord Cain. Would she be safe there?" Emma questioned him. "Why are you all trying to be righteous when everyone around you is so twisted?"

    Lazarus got up and curled his arms around her shoulders. He kissed the crown of her head and chuckled. "If it''s just a fa?¡ìade, then I don''t have a problem." His eyes went to Magnus, who was still not convinced.

    Emma said, "Look, it is already established that Olya ran because she didn''t want to marry Lord Lorza. That part validated her displeasure at the arrangement. Now, instead of the army finding her, how about Lord Lorza iming that he has found her. That way he will bring her to the Wilyra Pce and force Naomi and Lord Cain to allow her to let her stay in the pce."

    There was a gleam in Olya''s eyes. "That''s great! And I will stay with Lord Magnus while I am here!" she squealed.

    Magnus, who was very angry until now, suddenly blushed. Olya was jumping at the prospect of staying along with Magnus, and he couldn''t help but love it.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Emma shrugged. "See, the problem is solved."

    Lazarus grinned, seeing Olya hugging Magnus. The way he was blushing was a memory he captured in his brain. He was surely going to ask the royal painter to make a painting like that. "Wonderful," Lazarus said. "So, now you will have thepany of Olya openly."

    "I will!" Emma lifted her face up and kissed his chin.

    ---

    When Maeve got up, she was feeling like she was run over by five carriages and then some more. There were two maids who were helping her clean up her wounds. Her tears wouldn''t stop falling. Lazarus had made sure that she rejected Ailill, else he was going to kill her. She didn''t know where he had taken Ailill, but at least she had made him vow to the Lore that he wouldn''t hurt her. Her chest ached with so much misery that depression set in. She didn''t feel like eating or sleeping.

    "Mdy," a maid said. "I will call the healer. Your wounds are bad and you have to stay healthy so that you can present yourself for the ritual tomorrow."

    She nodded weakly. Inside her mind was in aplete turmoil. She promised herself that she was going to take revenge from Lazarus. She was going to marry him, take over Emma''s body and then she was going to kill him bit by bit. Her worry was that he would mark her while iming her. She was going to find Ailill the moment she possessed Emma''s body and then she was going to make him mark her. Lazarus could take her after that. And then she would ascend to the throne of Wilyra.

    "Where have they taken Ailill?" she asked the maid. She was sure that Lazarus wouldn''t be able to touch him also.

    "Oh, Lord Lazarus hasn''t taken him," the maid replied. "Lord Yul has taken him, and we don''t know where he has sent him. There are several dungeons across the pce. It is possible that he has not taken him to the dungeon in the pce."

    Maeve''s stomach dropped to the floor. "Yul has taken Ailill," she said with disbelief. This meant that even though Lazarus didn''t touch Ailill, his minions would do his work. Yul would torture Ailill. A shudder ran down her body and she thought she would piss. If tortured, Ailill might spill the secrets about her. Their past and what all she did while she was his mate. How she took gold from Lazarus only to give it to Ailill. How she went to Vilinski only for him. Suddenly, Maeve wanted to marry Lazarus like today!

    "Yes," the maid answered.

    This was going to be a disaster even before it started. Maeve closed her eyes as more anxiety crossed her heart. What about Emma? She asked the maid, "Have they found Emma?"

    The maid shook her head as she tied a bandage around her thigh. "No mdy," she said. "Lady Emma hasn''t been found. But Lord Lazarus is still chasing her. He hopes to find him by tomorrow. After all, she has to be there at the soul casting ceremony."

    Everything was going against her. Dread skittered down her back when she thought that they wouldn''t find Emma. In that case she was going to enter whatever body she would find first. "Call Lord Lazarus now!" She ordered her maid. Emma could go to hell.

 Chapter 126 Arrange A Second Body

    The maid came running back after a few minutes. "Lord Lazarus is not in his chamber!"

    Maeve closed her eyes, as misery skittered in her. This was getting worse by the minute. "Then send him a message to meet me as soon as possible. Also send a message to Prince Anton to meet me."

    The maid bowed her head and went out of the room to deliver the messages. She knew that Maeve was in a terrible state. She was extremely pale and her body withered like burnt ashes falling from a log on fire. She wondered if the goddess would be able to make it even through the day. The soul casting ceremony was in the night and she had to sit along with the Shaman for it. But she was so fragile at the moment that she might have to lie down and attend the ritual.

    Maeve was getting panicky. They still hadn''t found Emma. Her only hope was Prince Anton. Lazarus was looking less and less interested in finding her. It was as if he was protecting her. No, it couldn''t be possible. He wanted to marry her desperately. He had gone to find her in Vilinski. She was sure that he wanted her in a new body. So why was he acting indifferent? She had to ask Prince Anton to find Emma. Surely, he would get more force to find her.

    Anton was busy with his trusted men. He was nning a lot of things. As soon as Maeve entered Emma''s body, he had to put things in action. ording to the n, Maeve was supposed to kill Lazarus after the soul casting ritual and then along with him, she would go against the king. Maeve had promised him that she would marry him after killing Lazarus. That was their secret n.

    After killing King Viktor, they would both rule side by side. The Kingdom needed someone as strong as him with someone as cunning as Maeve and not someone as foolish as Lazarus. His older brother was too dangerous and powerful, but he was blinded by his vision of ruling Wilyra to the extent that he didn''t even check upon his betrothed. Maeve was a smart goddess who had ensnared a vampire like Lazarus despite the fact that he had a mate.

    The guard announced the maid. Anton was surprised but he allowed the maid toe in. His men were puzzled when he allowed her in, but they didn''t say anything.

    "Lady Maeve wants to see you urgently, my lord!" she delivered the message.

    Anton frowned. Why did Maeve want to see him? He knew that Emma had escaped, but he also knew that she was in the pce grounds because Maeve had used her magic to cast a spell. He also wanted to meet her, but he was avoiding going there because he didn''t want people to be suspicious of him. "I wille in an hour," he said. He was in a hurry to meet her, but he couldn''t show his urgency.

    The maid bowed to him and rushed back to Maeve.

    Maeve sighed and pressed her arm to her forehead. An hour seemed like a lifetime. She was getting too nervous. After rejecting Ailill, she was feeling very depressed. It was as if her soul was cut into two and then twisted. On top of that, worry about Emma heaped. If Emma wasn''t going to be there, she needed a strong woman who she could take over.

    The maid offered her a draft to sleep. She drank it and, in a few minutes, she went off to sleep. When she got up, she found Anton sitting on a chair beside her bed.

    "Anton!" she said as she got up and propped pillows behind her. "You have to help me!"

    "You have to tell me what happened," he said, leaning forward. His shoulders were drawn back in tension.

    "I can''t find Emma. The bitch has somehow managed to stay hidden. Lazarus is also not able to find her. You have to increase the force to pull that bitch out of her hole!"

    "She hasn''t left the pce grounds, has she?" Anton asked, as he started thinking of ways to find her.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "No, she hasn''t. That I am sure of." She hoped that he hadn''t heard of Ailill. It was a big secret. Moreover, he wasn''t on good terms with Lazarus, Magnus and Yul and so no one would be able to spill that secret.

    "Then we will find her," he replied confidently. "Where will she go?"

    "Ph please do that, Anton!" she said with tears in her eyes. "Tonight we have the soul casting ritual. I am getting extremely worried. My body is iling. I don''t have any energy left. I can''t do any magic, because if I do, I am sure that this body would sumb."

    "Don''t worry, Maeve," Anton said. "I am going to find that whore. She won''t be able to hide from me. I know the pce like the back of my hand."

    "That would be great!" she said. "But--" she sped her hands in front of her as more tears rolled out.

    "What?" Anton asked, frowning at her ''but''.

    "What if you can''t find her?"

    "That is not going to happen," he chuckled. "I will pull that rat out of her hole. Trust me."

    "I know you have the ability to do so, Anton," she said in a hoarse voice. "But I need a second body just in case you don''t find her. It is full moon night and it is very important for me to possess another body. If I don''t, it would be a disaster!"

    "But Maeve--"

    "Anton!" She cut him off. "I know what you are saying, but there is no harm in arranging for a second body for me."

    "Who the hell do you think would be avable for this ritual?" he snapped. "No one is going to sit there willingly. Emma was chosen because she doesn''t have any other option."

    "I don''t know!" she whined. "You have to find someone for me."

    "Where is dys?" he said with a frustrated sigh. "She knows more women than me."

    Maeve became deathly quiet.

 Chapter 127 Lying

    If Anton didn''t know where dys was, then Lazarus must have kept this a big secret. The guard who she had met when going to meet dys, must have been silenced by him.

    Anton let out a grunt. "I haven''t seen her from the past three days. Did she meet you?"

    Maeve shook her head and let out a very low, "No." Her heart raced wildly. She had to keep silent on it.

    He shook his head. "That girl is very careless. Today is the soul casting ritual and I haven''t been able to contact her at all!"

    "Let''s not think about what we don''t have," she said, trying to make him leave the topic. "Let us focus on what to do in this state. I need options. Just find someone who is strong enough to take me." Suddenly, she came with an idea. "I wish Olya was here. I could have possessed her."

    "Not a bad idea!" he said. "But even that girl has run away! Why is it that every girl we think of has run away and both of them are attached to Lazarus?"

    Maeve''s brows furrowed. "Yes, that is quite a coincidence. Do you think that it is Lazarus who is behind all this?" A speck of doubt crossed her mind.

    "No," Anton replied. "That man is too full of himself. All he cares about is the throne of Wilyra. He doesn''t care about the women around him, except you."

    Her shoulders slumped. "You are right..." She removed that doubt from her mind and then pressed Anton again. "Just find another strong woman for me in case of an emergency."

    "Okay," Anton said. "I can''t wait for you to enter Emma''s body. I will marry you the next day. I have all my ns ready."

    She gave him a nervous smile and stifled an urge to roll her eyes.

    Anton got up and went to gather more of his men. He would lead them himself to find Emma. On his way, he met Lazarus. He stopped him and asked, "Did you find Emma? She is missing and the soul casting ritual is tonight! Why haven''t you increased your efforts to find her?"

    Lazarus raised an eyebrow. He crossed his arms across his chest as he studied Anton. "It''s strange to hear from you that you are so concerned about me. Why do you want me to find Emma when you know that I will be using Maeve inside of Emma to rule Wilyra? You never showed your support to me earlier? What changed in a few days?"

    Anton was taken on a back foot. "It''s just that-- y-- you look so worried, so I was... wondering."

    Lazarus chuckled and sauntered away from there withoutments. Anton watched him leave as cold sweat broke on his face. He shouldn''t have asked. How could he slip? He sucked in air sharply and then went back to his quarters. Now he had to carry out his search even more discreetly. Lazarus was too intelligent and he would keep an eye on him.

    As soon as he reached his quarters, he gathered his men and ordered them to search every nook and corner of the pce. "Search the nests of the birds if you have to, but don''te empty-handed!"

    The men dispersed and the search went on for a long time. It was almost afternoon. The search party consisted mainly of vampires and only a few humans. All of the vampires couldn''t go outside the pce grounds and so the humans were sent out under the sun.

    Anton was along with his band of vampires and wherever he went, he couldn''t find Emma. It was as if the girl had disappeared into thin air. Frustrated, he was going to the main hall to meet his father to tell him about Emma, and saw that King Viktor was sitting with Lazarus. Anton clenched his jaws. He couldn''t speak to his father freely about Emma. He went to sit on a couch opposite to both of them. His father was particrly peeved.

    The king looked at his two sons. "The soul casting ritual is in the evening and Emma is still missing!" he barked at them. "We have waited for so many years for her and she has managed to hoodwink us. Where is she?"

    Lazarus let out a sigh. "I have searched everywhere, father," he said with his lips downturned. He didn''t say anything after that because if he told a lie that he wasn''t able to find her, his throat would burn. So he let the sentence dangle.

    "Then you haven''t searched well!" Viktor snapped. He turned his face to Anton. "I know that you aren''t interested in all this but why don''t you lead the search teams?"

    "He has already been searching for Emma," Lazarus remarked.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "You have?" Viktor was surprised.

    "Yes father," Anton had to agree. He avoided looking at Lazarus because he was caught and he couldn''t deny it.

    "And?"

    "I couldn''t find her..." Anton pursed his lips after that and looked away.

    "What is going on?" Viktor shouted. "How is it possible that a human has slipped from the stronghold of vampires!"

    "But the soul casting ritual is tonight," Anton reminded. "And Maeve would need a second body. Her current body looks like it would wither away before the moon rises."

    Viktor mmed his hand on the armrest of the sofa he was sitting on with anger. "What do we do?"

    "Why don''t we get another body for her just in case we are not able to find Emma?" Anton suggested.

    Viktor''s brows furrowed. "Who do you think would be stronger than Emma? Emma is Lazarus''s mate. Don''t you know that his mate would be the strongest human in Wilyra?"

    "I know father, but this is an emergency," Anton pressed.

    "I am surprised about your concern, Anton," Lazarus said, his lips turning up. "I happened to meet Maeve a short while ago and she asked me to do the same thing. Did you go and meet her?"

    Anton froze. He didn''t want to say that he had met Maeve. That would ruin his ns. "I didn''t go to meet her," he said glibly and the moment he said, his throat burned like hell. It didn''t go unnoticed by Lazarus.

    "You look like you have stepped into fire," Lazarus remarked.

    Viktor narrowed his eyes. "Why are you speaking lies?" he roared.

    "I am not!" Anton replied with difficulty in a hoarse voice. His throat burned again. Sweat broke on his face. He picked up water from the table and gulped it down.

    It was easy to sense that he was lying. Viktor clenched his jaw but he didn''t pester Anton any further. "Find her as soon as possible. I have sent more people to find her. Do not leave any quarters of officers or the servants."

    "Yes father!" Anton said with a lot more difficulty.

    Viktor turned his attention to his eldest. "Go find a woman who is as strong as Emma. You will figure it out."

    "Where is dys?" Anton interjected. "I haven''t seen her for three days." If Maeve possessed dys, then also it would be fine. He won''t marry dys, but the brother and sister could rule the kingdom together. On multiple asions he had seen that greed in her eyes.

    Lazarus shrugged and again kept quiet.

 Chapter 128 Challenging

    Frustrated at his silence, Anton got up. He bowed to the king and left to gather more forces. He was going to search every damn quarter of the lords, officers and the servants in the pce.

    "I would also like to take a leave," Lazarus said. The king had called him to know about Emma. Viktor was looking extremely agitated when he arrived and was still agitated when he was about to leave.

    "What are you going to do if Emma is not found, Lazarus?" Viktor asked through his clenched teeth. That one mortal was giving him jitters.

    Lazarus shrugged. "I don''t know," he said. The answer didn''t burn his throat because he really didn''t know what to do if Emma got lost.

    "Well then know about it!" Viktor hissed. "If she is not there for the ritual in the evening, make sure you find someone else who is as powerful as her or even stronger than her. This time I want Maeve''s body to get in the strongest woman so that she can survive her magic!"

    Lazarus tilted his head as he studied his father. "Why are you so concerned, father?" he asked casually. His gaze went to the ne he was wearing. "Aren''t you afraid that Maeve might steal that ne?"

    Viktor gritted his teeth. He was already so pissed by his son and the human girl that he snapped, "You don''t know anything about Maeve. She has promised me that she would never steal the ne, instead she would assist me in ruling Wilyra!" And suddenly, Viktor realized that he had spoken what he wasn''t supposed to. It was a secret between him and Maeve. But he was the king and a master at disguising his emotions. He held his tongue for a fraction of a second and then straightened his back. He added, "Of course, that is after marrying you. Eventually, it is you who would take the throne."

    Lazarus too masked his surprise very nicely. With a poker face he said, "I see. In that case, I am going to find someone strong or stronger than Emma. Someone who can sustain Maeve''s magic."

    "And produce her by the evening. The Shaman has arrived and he wants to start the ritual an hour before the full moon rises," Viktor said as if warning him.

    "I will do that," Lazarus replied and got up. He bowed to the king and hurried out. On the inside he was nervous that Anton would start searching the quarters and if he reached Yul''s quarters then it would be disastrous. Emma and Olya were still lodged there. He traced to Yul''s home and as soon as he was in the bedroom, he said, "Emma, Anton ising to find you. Both you and Olya need to leave this ce as soon as possible!"

    Magnus, who was sitting there with the girls, rose to his feet with tension. "What do we do?" he said. "Every fucking ce in this pce will be searched!"

    "But what about outside the pce?" Emma asked innocently. She was sitting and ying a board game with Olya on the bed.

    Lazarus and Magnus jerked their heads back. "I don''t think that they would search outside the capital."

    All of them were silent for a moment.

    Emma chuckled, cutting the tense silence with her chirpiness.

    "What?" Lazarus asked as he walked towards her and knelt on the ground before her. "I am very tense here Emma. Don''t make it look like it is nothing."

    She took her fingers to his hair and tangled them in his pale blond silky hair. "Why don''t you trace me out of the pce?" she said.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "How can I? Maeve has cast her magic around the premises of the pce. You won''t be able to get past it!"

    "Then ask her to remove it."

    "As if she will simply remove it," Magnus said, irritation rising in his chest. "What if we take both of them to my quarters?" he suggested.

    "No!'' Emma cut him off. "This is a great opportunity. Make some story about me running away from the pce and ask Maeve to lift the spell by using her magic."

    Lazarus looked at his mate, amused. "You are cruel. She will die if she lifts the spell. Moreover, don''t you know vampires can''t tell lies?"

    Yul entered the bedchamber and saw the four of them in deep conversation. He announced, "King Viktor is looking for Emma everywhere in the pce. This ce is not safe!"

    "We know!" Lazarus shook his head. Then he faced Emma. "I think the best would be to hide her in a tunnel."

    "No," Emma again negated him. "I have an idea. If that doesn''t work, you can take me to the Shaman directly."

    ---

    Lazarus walked into Maeve''s bedchamber along with Magnus and Yul. Maeve was lying down on the bed. She shuddered when she saw the trio. They looked so intimidating that goosebumps lined her skin. The three were too fearsome.

    Lazarus gestured to the maid to leave the room. She scurried away from there, shivering in fear. He turned his attention to Maeve as Yul and Magnus stood behind him. "A guard is here to say something about Emma," he growled.

    Maeve blinked her eyes. She was so frail that she couldn''t speak a word, but she managed to ask, "About what?"

    A human guard came in the door and bowed to Maeve. "My Lady, it seems that Lady Emma isn''t in the pce. We found her belongings near the wall of the pce. We do believe that she has run out of the pce."

    "What the hell!" Maeve shrieked but that came out as a whisper. "How could she go past my spell?"

    "The spell is weak, mdy," the guard said. "When you had cast the spell earlier, we used to feel something slithery down our skin, but now it''s like small pinpricks of electricity on our skin. It is very ufortable."

    Lazarus chuckled. He said in a challenging tone, "It seems your magic has really weakened." That wasn''t a lie. Her magic had be less powerful.

 Chapter 129 [Bonus ] Search

    Maeve shot him a re. She shouted as loud as she could which still came out as a squeak. "Can''t you see how ill I am? The spell that I cast around the pce was not as powerful as it should have been but I was sure that it would hold Emma!" Even she started doubting her own magic. She had never felt so helpless.

    ? "Well, I know you are ill, but now what will you do, Maeve?" Lazarus asked as he went to sit at the edge of her bed. Magnus and Yul continued to stand there with the guard in between them.

    Half an hour back they had called a few guards and announced to them to go and look for Emma outside the pce. They had convinced their leader to speak the lie in front of Maeve in a way that she believed him. The guard was so scared of the three ferocious vampires that he did what was asked of him. He knew that after this he was on his own even if the truth came out. Obviously, the royals would deny. So he had to be extremely convincing.

    "What can I do?" Maeve cried. "I can curse my bad luck."

    "Mdy," the guard said softly. "Will it be possible for you to remove the spell? Other soldiers are hesitating in going out of the pce due to this difort. If you remove the spell, all of us will be able to go out inrge numbers and find Lady Emma."

    Maeve looked at the guard with wide eyes as if he had spoken something dreadful. "Are you insane?" she squeaked. "If I remove the spell, my body would deteriorate further!"

    Lazarus sighed. "I know that Maeve," he said, keeping his hand on her legs that were covered in a nket. "But if you want to marry me, what would you do in the current situation? We are running short of time."

    Maeve''s eyes went to his hand. His touch was warm and caring. And this really convinced her that he wanted to marry her. The main reason why he made her reject Ailill was because he was obsessed about her. Anton was right. Lazarus was too blinded by his vision to rule Wilyra and to make her his queen. Even though she was suffering from depression after rejecting Ailill, this new thought gave her hope. "Do you think you will be able to find her?" she asked the guard.

    "Yes mdy," he said. "But can you please lift your spell? It is already past afternoon and we don''t have much time left. The king has asked us to go inrge numbers to find Lady Emma."

    When Maeve still didn''t do anything, Lazarus goaded her. "Ailill healed you a little, didn''t he? You are not as weak as you think you are. Be positive Maeve. Think about the oue of your courage. It''s a matter of a few hours."

    She closed her eyes. That was true. Ailill did heal her a little. It was the rejection that was weighing down upon her. "Okay..." she said in a low voice. "I will remove the spell, but please get that bitch here! I am going to possess her so fast and cast her soul out at lightning speed that she wouldn''t be able to bat an eyelid before this is done!"

    Lazarus clenched his jaw. He red at her with bloodshot eyes. He didn''t speak for a long time till his temper came down. After a few moments he said, "I will get her there."

    Maeve''s lips lifted up. She reached for his hand and squeezed it lightly. "Then I will lift the spell." She lifted her shaky hand and then snapped her fingers. And the moment she did that, her body went intoplete shock. She froze, her eyes became nk and she looked like she had lost all her senses. The bedsheet on which she was lying was slowly getting soaked in blood.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Let''s go!" Lazarus said. All of them immediately left her room and rushed out. Together they traced to Yul''s house. However when they reached the bedroom, they heard the king''s soldiers knocking at the door. The girls were looking panicky.

    "Fuck!" Lazarus rasped, gritting his teeth.

    "Go inside the bedroom," Yul said to Magnus and Lazarus. "Trace the girls to the nearest ce. Let me take care of these soldiers."

    As soon as Yul went to the door, he saw his servants lined up over there, all of them watching the soldiers with horror.

    "What is going on?" Yul asked the soldiers with a dangerous growl.

    One of them who was in the front bowed to him. "My lord, we havee to search your house by king''s orders."

    "Why?" Yul had a menacing expression on his face as hemitted the faces of every soldier to his memory. It was more to scare them off than to stop them from searching his house. He had to give time to Lazarus and Magnus to take the girls out.

    The soldier gulped. "The king has asked us to search for Lady Emma and by his orders we will be searching every quarter."

    "What makes you think that Lady Emma is here?" he growled.

    The soldier started to shiver. "My lord, it is just the king''s order that we areplying with. Please allow us to get inside else we will have to force ourselves in."

    Yul narrowed his eyes on the soldier and then with onest look at all others, he stepped aside. He asked his servants also to step aside. "You may search, but I will allow only two men to enter."

    The soldiers nodded and only two soldiers entered the house. They both started running everywhere. Yul was anxious. When the soldiers reached his bedchamber, he was almost ready to pounce on them and kill them but he stopped himself because the bedroom was empty. Lazarus and Magnus had traced away with their girls. His lips curled up. The soldiers looked at other ces and then left satisfied.

 Chapter 130 Guess What?

    Lazarus and Magnus traced Emma and Olya to Emma''s father''s house. It was evening and only Emma''s mother was there in the house. They were in Emma''s former bedroom.

    As soon as they were inside, Emma asked them to stay quiet and keep hiding over there. She tiptoed her way out and saw that Avice was blowing air in the fire pit to ignite air. Her brother wasn''t at home and she was sure that he must have gone to y with his friends. Her lips curved up thinking that he must have healed.

    Avice turned her head over her shoulder and her eyes became wide with surprise. "You!'' She was shocked to see Emma. Hatred filled her eyes. "What are you doing here?" she spat. "Did you run away from the pce? How dare you? Do you want us to get killed?"

    Emma''s mouth fell open. "Aren''t you happy even one bit to see me, mother?" she asked, her chest hurting.

    "Happy to see you?" Avice got up and wiped her hands on her apron. "Your father had sent you away. I was sure that you would never be able toe out of that pce. And you managed to run from there? It was Lord Lazarus who took you over there. You must have be his concubine. Bloody whore!" Avice shouted. "You havee back to us? Do you want themunity to look down upon us?"

    "But mother--" Emma couldn''t believe her ears. Her cheeks became red, not out of shame, but out of pure embarrassment about the way her stepmother was behaving.

    "Shut up!" Avice sneered. "You have no right toe back. I want you out of this house and out of our life. For us you are already dead. Your father and I are very happy without your presence. You are as good as dead to us!" With long strides she closed the gap between her and Emma and grabbed her hand, but as soon as she did that, electricity burst on fingertips and she shrieked in pain. "What kind of dark magic are you using, you dimwit?" she shrieked. "You want to scare us with your magic?"

    "Hold on, mother!" Emma said with a snarl. "You are being rude and obnoxious!"

    Avice was so enraged that she picked up her hand and was about to p Emma hard, when she heard a loud growl. The growl was so menacing that the windows and the doors of the house started shaking and her legs started shaking with fear. She whipped her head around to see if there was a wolf around but her eyes came to rest upon the prince of Wilyra, Lord Lazarus. "Lord Lazarus!" she eximed. She pped her hands on her mouth when she realized that he was standing at the door of Emma''s bedroom and looked menacing. "When did you alle?" Her voice had gone low. She bowed to him.

    As if that wasn''t all, Magnus came out to stand behind his brother and then Olya walked past them and stood along with Emma. "So what were you saying?" said Olya, narrowing her eyes on Avice.

    Avice gulped audibly. "I-- I--"

    "Shut that trashy mouth of yours, Avice," Olya snapped. "One more word and I am going to ask my man to rip you into pieces."

    Magnus looked at Olya, his chest swelling in pride. He whispered to Lazarus, "She said, ''my man''."

    "Yes, I heard," Lazarus gritted.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Avice was dumbfounded.

    Lazarus came to stand next to Emma and curled his arm around her shoulder. "Come love," he said. "Sit down. You must be tired." He walked her back to a cot in the corner of the room. Then he looked at Olya and Magnus. "Get some chairs in here, will you Avice?" he said to Avice as if ordering her.

    Avice was so bbergasted that she nodded dumbly and rushed out to get two chairs. As soon as she arranged the chairs for the royalty to sit, Lazarus said, "What are you preparing, Avice?"

    "R--rabbit stew and bread," she stuttered.

    "Good, then serve it to all of us," Lazarus said as he leaned back on the wall and Emma sat next to him, watching her stepmother dance to his tunes.

    Avice winced. "Th--there is not enough..." she said in a low voice, scared that the prince would kill her if she didn''t make enough food. And she still couldn''t understand why they hade here. But the fact that he was sitting with Emma meant that he really liked her as his concubine.

    "Then make more," Lazarus said with a shrug. When she didn''t move and continued to see him stupidly, he added, "Quick. We don''t have all the time in the world."

    Avice snapped out of her thoughts, shocked further. She turned to the fire pit and became busy with making food, feeling like their servant. Ever since Emma had left, she was so happy. But now she wanted to wring her neck.

    Had the princee to return her? She really wanted to ask this because if he returned Emma back, she was going to toss her right back out of this house. She had to ask this question in as subtle a manner as possible.

    As Avice prepared food and brought out more rations for it, she cursed Emma more. The four were talking amongst themselves about some ritual that was about to take ce in the evening. The prince wasn''t happy with a woman called Maeve. Who was Olya and what was she doing with prince Magnus? Was she also his concubine?

    When she finally prepared food, she set it in front of them and said politely, "Please eat as much as you possibly can, Lord Lazarus. Emma can also eatter. She is going to stay here now, I guess."

    Lazarus red at her. "Are you asking whether Emma will go back with me or not, then the answer is simple. I will tell you after I eat food."

    While she waited with anticipation and anger, they all ate heartily. When the food was over, Lazarus said, "So you were saying that Emma was already dead to you and you didn''t want her here? Guess what--"

 Chapter 131 I Trust You

    Avice stared at Lazarus as her anticipation rose. Something inside her said that he was going to take her back. That hope brought a flicker of happiness inside her but she stifled it. She always wanted to get rid of Emma ever since Drogo had married her. Her real mother had left him and they had presumed that she was dead. Emma had be a thorn in her heart, a pain in her neck and totally insufferable. All the while she brought up Emma, it was with loathe.

    Suddenly, she saw Magnus getting up and going to Emma''s room. She heard a swish of air and then everything became quiet inside. It was odd but she looked at Lazarus and goaded him, "What were you saying Lord Lazarus?" She started picking up the tes and keeping them aside to wash themter on.

    "I--"

    "Just a moment, Lord Lazarus," Avice interrupted him politely. "Before you n to leave Emma here, you have to know that Drogo is the rebellion leader of the vassals. After seeing Emma back in the vige, I am sure that other rebels would go against him. She might be thrown into the prison or other rebels may... kill her. It would be better that you take her with you." All the while she said that, she cleaned the area.

    Lazarus was not shocked by Avice''s behavior. He knew that she hated him, but her true colors wereing out today. He smiled and then kissed Emma''s temple. "Of course, I will take her back. But after I take her back, I will marry her. By the end of this week, Emma will be my wife."

    "Wh--what?" Avice as stupefied. "Your wife?" she squeaked. "Emma will be the queen of Wilyra?" Her blood thrummed with excitement. She would be the mother of the queen of Wilyra. Suddenly, she realized that she had spoken so much against Emma. She had to change herself and that too immediately. "Oh my God! Emmmaaaa!" she squealed. "You will be the queen!" Avice couldn''t imagine how rich they would be. After all, Lazarus was the eldest son of King Viktor and the heir to the throne. Her limbs started shaking with excitement and ecstasy. "I am so sorry. I-- I--"

    All at once, from the corner of her vision, she saw Magnus entering the room. He looked at Lazarus and nodded tightly. Olya went to him, giving a disgusted look at Avice.

    Avice ignored the two of them. "Emmmaaa!" she squealed again and rushed towards her to embrace her, but before she could even reach her, Lazarus pulled Emma in his tight embrace and traced her away.

    "Emma!" Stunned as to what just happened, Avice called Emma. "Emma!" She snapped her head towards Magnus and found him scowling at her. He too caught hold of Olya and traced away. Avice was stumped. She didn''t know what was happening. Emma was right there in front of her and then she just... vanished. She sank to the floor as too many things came to her mind.

    Drogo came home at that point. "Avice! Avice!" he called her as he shook her by shoulders. "What is wrong?"

    Avice looked at him and in a very low, shaky voice said, "Emma and Lord Lazarus were here. They are going to marry..."

    Drogo raised an eyebrow. "Have you been drinking, woman?" he asked.

    "No!" she grated. "They were here!"

    "Go, get some sleep!" he said and then went inside his room.

    Avice lost it even before it started and all because of her foolishness. She smacked her head and started wailing and cursing herself. She had to make up to Emma somehow.

    ---

    Lazarus and Magnus reached Yul''s bedchamber along with the girls.

    "Are they still searching for Emma?" Lazarus asked as he held Emma to stabilize her.

    "They are!" Yul replied, angrily. "Anton has gone mad!"

    "Then what are we going to do?" Magnus said as he released Olya from his hold. Olya wasn''t as affected with tracing as Emma was because she was a vampire.

    "The time for the ritual is near," Yul said. "We are going to have to present a woman to King Viktor who is as strong as Emma or stronger."

    Lazarus went to the bar as Emma walked to the bathroom. He poured wine for himself and said, "How is dys doing?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "She has spilled way too many secrets about Maeve. Apparently, Maeve had promised her half the kingdom," Yul scoffed.

    "Stupid female," Lazarus dug. "I thought dys was smarter than this."

    "The Shaman has called upon Emma and Maeve in an hour. What are we going to do, Lazarus?" Yul asked, feeling antsy.

    Lazarus gazed at Magnus. "Take Olya and Emma to your bedchamber. Emma will stay with both of you."

    "And you?" Magnus asked.

    "I have something to do," he said in an unruffled voice. "No one wille out of the bedchambers until tomorrow morning or until Ie to see them. Is that clear?"

    "Yes!" Magnus said, feeling protective of Emma.

    Lazarus instructed Yul, "When I ask you, you get Emma for the ritual."

    "What the hell!'' Yul protested. "That would be risky!"

    "Just get her when I instruct you. You will be staying with me at the ritual."

    Yul didn''t know what Lazarus was nning on doing, but at this moment he didn''t have a choice. "And what about the second woman? Do you want me to take dys out?"

    "Not now. Later."

    There was high anxiety amongst all of them. When Emma came out, Lazarus went to her and cupped her cheeks. "Do you trust me, love?" he asked solemnly.

    "With my life," she replied with a pale blush.

    "Go with Magnus ande out only when I ask, okay?"

    "Okay..."

    He leaned and kissed her lips. "You might have to present yourself in front of Maeve."

    "Are you fucking mad?" Yul snapped.

    "Lazarus, this would be dangerous!" Magnus added.

    But Lazarus didn''t move his eyes from his mate. "You have to trust me on this," he said to her.

    "I trust you," she said and rose on her toes to kiss his lips.

 Chapter 132 The Shaman

    Lazarus went to meet the Shaman.

    The Shaman was in a small temple that was built in the premises of the pce at the south end. It was nestled between a thicket of trees and quite secluded. He was creating circles outside the temple all around it with a long stick while chanting incantation. A ck robe was draped over his wiry form. He had a thick ck ash line over his forehead and his eyes were lined with kohl that extended till his temples. He looked like he was in a daze.

    Lazarus watched him from a distance. This Shaman was called by Maeve and his father approved of him. He gazed at the temple that was lit up by a fewnterns that hung on themp posts and several torches burned inside the corridors. He could smell thick sandalwood incense. The temple which was usually never even visited by the royal family was cleaned. Not a dry leaf or twig was scattered on the ground. Against the backdrop of the twilight, it looked strangely eerie.

    It was said that he was a very powerful man with dark magic. He was from a different realm called Araniea where they practiced dark magic at the cost of having internal body damage. Lazarus didn''t understand the need of bringing a Shaman from a different realm. Maybe, he was a castaway and sought refuge in this realm. "How long will the ritual be?" Lazarus asked as he walked towards the Shaman in a calcted manner.

    The Shaman whipped his head up, a look of irritation crossing his eyes because of being interrupted. He snarled at Lazarus to warn him to stay quiet and continued forming the circle. Lazarus waited patiently for him to create the circle. When Shaman closed the loop, he discarded the stick that was half burnt in the thicket and brushed his hands off the dirt.

    "It may take an hour or a few hours, who knows?" said the Shaman in a gravelly voice.

    "Can you borate?" Lazarus asked, not happy with the answer.

    "It depends on the soul who wants to possess and on the person who will be possessed. If they are unwilling, it will take a few hours. If they are willing, it can happen instantly." He looked up at the sky. The moon had begun to rise. "But the process will start only when the moon reaches its peak. Until then, I will have to recite incantations to pull the soul out of the body. The recipient of the soul has to be present right there." He took a deep breath in. "Moreover, sometimes the soul is tethered to the body in a way that untangling it with the body takes a lot of time. The procedure is painful."

    Lazarus took a shaky breath. His gaze drifted to the moon. Arge dark shadow glided across it. If he was surprised, he masked it and turned his eyes to the Shaman. "So you want the recipient to be here when you are performing the ritual?"

    "The recipient cer also because the soul takes time to leave the body," the Shaman replied, as he scrutinized Lazarus. "Why are you asking, Lord Lazarus? Aren''t you eager for the soul casting ritual?"

    Lazarus could sense the Shaman''s doubt. If he faltered at this moment, he knew that the Shaman might report it to his father or Maeve. "I am asking because I am eager. In fact I am looking forward to it more than anyone else." That was the truth and so his throat didn''t burn.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The Shaman scanned his face for a moment and then gave him a satisfied nod. "I can understand," he said. "After all, goddess Maeve is someone who everyone is coveting for." He sped his hands behind and then turned to go inside the temple. "Come here in an hour," he instructed. "I won''t wait longer and if the ritual doesn''t take ce in time, I am not going to take the me for it."

    Lazarus watched him go inside the temple and stood there until he disappeared inside. He traced back to Yul who was now in the dungeons.

    ---

    "Take me there," said Maeve to her maid. She was wearing a thin white muslin cloth over her body that was wrapped in many ces with bandages. She looked like a mummy in recovery mode.

    ? "But the ritual starts an hourter, mdy," the maid said, looking flustered. "The king has asked me to take youter. If we go any earlier, the Shaman wouldn''t let us go inside the temple," she reasoned.

    Maeve was irritated. She wanted to get done with the ritual and do away with this horrible body. It had withered and reeked of blood and pus and infection. After thest magic in which she was asked to remove the spell from the pce in the hopes of finding Emma, her body had weakened to the level that she would have to be transported on a moving chair.

    "Call Lord Lazarus. I want to talk to him," she ordered the maid.

    The maid left to find Lazarus but returned in ten minutes. "He is not present in his bedchamber. The guard says that he has gone to the dungeons."

    Maeve was further irritated. Lazarus should have been present near her. He should have been standing with her at the moment, encouraging her for the ritual. She knew that it was going to be a very painful process for her soul to disentangle from this sick body. But she was ready for it. If only Ailill was here. She would have been so happy. And that thought depressed her. "Go and tell the guard that as soon as he sees Lord Lazarus, he should ask him toe to meet me."

    The maid raised an eyebrow at the way she was giving her an order about the prince. But she didn''t say anything and turned to convey the message, rolling her eyes. In her heart she hoped that the ritual failed. She hated Maeve from the core of her heart and so did several servants of the pce. She could neverprehend why Prince Anton or Prince Lazarus liked her.

 Chapter 133 To The Temple

    The maid returned soon after passing the message. "Come here," said Maeve. When the maid walked to her, feeling all the more irritated, she said, "Make a flower wreath for me. I will wear it on my head. Make one more for the--'''' she pursed her lips tight. She was about to say Emma. Where the hell was, she? Her frustration rose so high that she felt like getting up and hitting Emma. But she ended up gritting her teeth.

    ? The maid went outside to order flowers. The goddess was nothing but a pesky rodent. If only she had a solution to spray on her. When she was making a flower headdress for her, Lazarus walked in. He was looking veryposed, not what Maeve wanted or expected.

    Maeve jerked her head up to see him. "Lazarus!" she cried. "Did you find Emma?" And the sudden jerk caused a spasm in her neck. She cried more.

    Lazarus had to deflect that question and so ignoring it he said, "I had gone to visit the Shaman."

    This raised her interest. "And?"

    "And he said that you should be there in an hour."

    Maeve became restless. Finally the day hade but suddenly she remembered that Emma wasn''t there. That soured her mood. She had waited for so long to possess Emma''s body and the bitch had somehow escaped. The main reason why she wanted Emma''s body was because she had learned in the past that Emma''s mother was a dragon keeper. That meant that Emma had powerful genes. She hadn''t revealed it to anyone except Ailill. But now-- She was angry that a vampire as powerful as Lazarus couldn''t find her. "Where is Emma?" she asked him again. She felt like all her efforts were going down the drain.

    Lazarus ignored her question again. "We don''t have time to discuss Emma. I wille to you in an hour and take you to the temple."

    "Who all are going to be there?" Maeve asked, feeling excited.

    "Anton, Yul and Magnus. The king has decided not toe," he replied. "And maybe more of my siblings."

    "And who will I possess?" Maeve asked, horror apparent in her eyes. "You said you would find a strong woman for me!"

    "We will get dys. She is strong," he replied calmly.

    Maeve''s already crumpled face, crumpled more. "Then you won''t marry me, will you?"

    Lazarus raised his eyebrow. "No, I won''t," he said, wondering what she was implying.

    "But you see Lazarus, how are you going to rule Wilyra? You can make me your queen. It ismon amongst the royals to marry their siblings. Moreover, I won''t be your sister when I possess her body. I will be different!" Maeve argued.

    Lazarus was shocked. The woman was so twisted that it was beyondprehension. "We can rule as brother and sister," he said. "No need to marry you." He turned to leave. "Just get ready in an hour. The Shaman said he won''t be responsible if things go wrong."

    As soon as he left, Maeve called her maid and said, "Hurry up, will you? Have you made that wreathe? We have to go there now!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    The maid grunted. "I am still making it," she replied. "Please give me some time!"

    "Hurry up, you twit!" Maeve shouted but it came out as a hoarse whisper.

    An hourter, Maeve was sitting in a chair with wheels. She had to be tied up to the chair so that she didn''t fall. Her body was so frail and wrinkly. She was reeking of blood and sickness. Wearing a white robe over her bandages she sat on the chair and looked expectantly at the maid. The maid put the flower headdress on her and carried the other one in a small bag. "Make sure that you give it to dys at the end of the soul casting ritual, okay?"

    "Yes, mdy."

    "Don''t give it before that."

    "No mdy." The maid began to push the chair towards the main hall where a carriage was waiting for her to go to the temple.

    Maeve looked at everyone as she passed them, giving them a toothy grin. After tonight, she would be the queen of Wilyra. Anton was ready to kill Lazarus as soon as the ritual took ce. In case Lazarus won, she knew that she would rule the throne. In case Anton won, she knew she would still rule the throne. It was a win-win for her. The thought made her excited all the more. As for King Viktor, she already had ns for him. The old bastard was thinking that he would use her powers to rule for a longer period of time. She was going to use her powers to kill him and eliminate him once and for all.

    She had thought that she would rule with Ailill. However, after the rejection, she was bitter. Maybe she would find him and then again ept him as her mate. The thought made her toes curl. Yes, that would be the best thing to do. Ruling with a fae alongside would be immensely popr.

    As she was being taken, she realized that everyone made way for her to go, not because of respect or fear, but because they were holding their noses. She was stinking as hell.

    "Faster!" she snapped at her maid who looked like she could puke.

    The carriage was waiting for her in the carriageway. With the help of the servants, she was lifted up and made to sit in the carriage. "Where is Lord Lazarus?" she asked. He had said that he woulde to pick her up, but he hadn''te. She was surprised that there was no royals to apany her.

    The maid lifted her shoulders as if saying she didn''t know. "You should wait for him," the maid said.

    "No. Youe and sit beside me!" Maeve ordered her. "And hold me properly. I don''t want to get tossed around in the carriage."

    The maid wanted to cry. Reluctantly, she sat in the carriage. "Should we wait for Lord--"

    "Move!" Maeve shouted in a hoarse voice. She was in a hurry to reach the temple. Anyway, Lazarus wasn''t needed.

    The carriage took off.

 Chapter 134 Crawling

    Maeve reached the temple in less than half an hour. With the help of the maid and the carriage man, she got down. The chair with wheels was being brought in another carriage that was right behind them. Maeve was made to sit in it. She looked around and saw that none of the royals were present.

    "Where''s everyone?" she asked. At least Anton should have been there.

    "Mdy, we have reached here quite early I think," said her maid as she began to push her towards the temple.

    Maeve knew what the maid implied. She was trying to say that Maeve was too eager toe here. She ignored her words. "Tell the carriage man to go back and inform Lord Lazarus that I am already in the temple."

    The maid left the chair with wheels and began to go when Maeve snapped at her. "You dimwit! Take me inside the temple and then go!"

    The maid twisted her face and again began to push the chair. As they were about to reach the first circle, the Shaman came out, shouting, "Stop! Stop!" He was panting when he reached Maeve. "Goddess Maeve," he said and bowed to her.

    Maeve looked smugly at the maid as if trying to say how much she was respected as a goddess. The maid had a poker face. She turned her attention to the Shaman. "Why have you stopped me?"

    "The temple is surrounded by the warding circles. Only you can enter and a few other royals, but the maid can''t enter," he exined.

    Maeve gritted her teeth. "Then you push this chair inside. How will I get to the temple otherwise?"

    The Shaman looked at her with utter surprise. "I can''t do that mdy," he said, holding his hand up. They were burnt and had ck patches at several ces. "If I use these hands, how will I perform the ritual?"

    "What the hell do you mean?" Maeve snickered. "How will I go inside? I can barely walk!"

    The Shaman looked flustered, but the answer was obvious. She had to crawl her way inside the temple. He nced at the maid who seemed to be stifling herugh.

    "You can wait for one of the royals toe here, mdy," he suggested.

    Maeve gritted her teeth, looking extremely angry. She scanned the length that she had to get down to crawl and shuddered. It was almost fifty feet and the ground was wet with a few rocks littered around. The grassy patches were rough and were present only towards the steps of the temple. She snapped at the maid, "You will stay here until I go inside. But for now go and tell the carriage man to fetch Prince Anton or Prince Lazarus as soon as possible!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    The maid nodded and rushed to convey the message to the carriage man as Maeve sat there and watched her with hawk eyes. She couldn''t believe that no one hade to the temple. Everyone was looking forward to the ritual but no one hade. She was sure that at least Lazarus would be standing here eagerly, but even he wasn''t here. She was expecting Anton to be there, ready with his troops, but he was missing. She knew that King Viktor wouldn''t evene. Even though he was looking forward to the ritual more than anyone else, he didn''t want tomit to it because it was below his dignity. She would teach them all a lesson.

    Half an hour passed but no one came. Maeve looked desperately at the Shaman who must have gone inside the temple a dozen times in that half an hour. When he came this time, he said, "Mdy, you muste to the temple now. I suspect that if you go anyter, the right time will pass away."

    Maeve''s eyes became wide as she peeped behind him to see the path again. "You should let the maid take me in," she insisted, cursing the royals inside.

    "She won''t be able to survive this circle, mdy. She will burn in hell''s fire."

    "Then create a path for her!" Maeve retorted.

    The Shaman blinked at Maeve. "If I do that, it will take me an hour more. I will have to rebuild the circles."

    Maeve twisted her fingers in her palms. Crawling down the path was the only choice left. She gazed at her white gown and her open hair over which the flower wreath was and took a deep breath. "Okay!" she said in a raspy voice. "Help me down."

    The maid came in the front. She helped Maeve get up from the chair and then lowered her to the ground. She backed away instantly, relieved that she didn''t have to be a part of the ritual and rolled the chair away. Now Maeve was left to crawl all the way up to the temple stairs. With a deep breath in, she started to crawl like vermin. It was a gargantuan effort to go ahead on her own. She would ce her hands in the front and pull her body with it.

    In the darkness of the night, goddess Maeve was seen crawling to the temple in hope for another chance at life.

    She was panting by the time she reached the steps of the temple. She dragged herself over them and then inside her the corridor and courtyard, leaving a trail of blood. Some of her bandages opened. By the time she reached the ce where the ritual had to take ce, in the center of the courtyard, under the full moon, she was crying and panting and cursing.

    The Shaman pitied her but he didn''t help her. He pointed at the stone bed where she had to lie down. Maeve climbed that up and then plopped down on it. Her eyes went to the full moon. "Hurry up," she said to the Shaman. "I want to get a healthy body fast!"

    "But where is the healthy body?" The Shaman asked, scratching his head.

    "What?" Maeve cried. She was in such a frenzy to reach the temple that she didn''t notice that no one had evene. Panic spread through her like fire.

 Chapter 135 Anytime Now

    King Viktor was not convinced that the mortal Emma could escape so easily. He was sure that she was in the pce. The ritual was about to start and ording to Lazarus, if they didn''t find Emma, they would take dys to the temple. Though he didn''t mind sacrificing his daughter, he wanted it to be Emma. The girl was Lazarus''s mate and once he imed her, she was going to be even more powerful.

    The moon was going to be at its peak in less than half an hour. He had purposely not gone to the temple only so that he could quietly find Emma in onest effort.

    When he saw that the pce was quiet, he started tob it on his own. He traced everywhere to look for Emma. He suspected that she was at Yul''s ce, but when he traced there, she wasn''t found. He came back to the pce and started thinking where she could have gone. Only a few minutes were left for the moon toe at the peak.

    He was definite that she was getting support from a royal otherwise how would she hide so well. And the only name that popped in his head was that of Magnus. So he traced to Magnus''s apartment.

    ---

    The Shaman said, "We have to start with the ritual as soon as possible, mdy!"

    "But there is no one!" she cried, cursing her luck, cursing Lazarus and cursing everything else. Enraged, she shouted, If no one is avable, I am going to possess every female body of the Kingdom of Wilyra and kill them until not a single female is left!"

    The Shaman gulped. He had never seen the goddess in so much rage. In order to pacify her, he said, "I am sure that Prince Lazarus also knows about your condition. Let me start with the ritual. He should be here with a fresh human body soon."

    Maeve clicked her teeth at him. Through her gritted teeth, she spat, "Okay start. But remember, if there isn''t a body for me to possess, I will kill you before leaving!"

    The Shaman began shaking. He hade here to help her and she was threatening him instead? He prayed to the Gods that Lazarus came soon with a healthy female. He lit the fire in front of the stone b over which Maeve was. "Please lie down. The ritual will start now. The process is going to be painful and you have to bear with me. You will have this urge to get up and puke but--"

    "Oh, just start with it, you dimwit!" she snapped. "This is not the first time I am undergoing it!"

    The Shaman gasped at the way she was humiliating him. He really had no other choice other than to start. He was pretty surprised that none of the royals hade. He joined his hands and took them up. He closed his eyes and brought his hands to his chest. He started reciting incantations loudly. All the while he was reciting incantations, he added something in the fire. The fire in the pit would hiss and grow further. Soon ck smoke started emitting from it, curling and taking a viper-like shape. The smoke traveled to Maeve and coiled around her body as if hugging her.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The Shaman was too busy with the ritual but he heard a soft shuffle of footsteps. He peeked with one open eye and saw that Prince Anton hade. He closed his eyes again and continued with his incantations.

    Anton watched the whole ritual taking ce from a distance as his assasins hid in the shadows. He was getting jittery that Lazarus hadn''t brought any female as yet. dys was not found and he was getting very angry with her. Where was she? Over thest three days, she had decided to hide. Nothing made sense. He heard heavy footsteps behind him. It was Yul. He came along with a few guards who were standing outside the circle.

    "Where is Lazarus?" Anton hissed at him. "He is supposed to be here and watch the ritual. Why is he missing?"

    Yul, being a vampire, couldn''t lie, so he said, "Thest I met him, he said he would be here soon."

    Suddenly, the temple echoed with the bloodcurdling shrieks of Maeve. The smoke that coiled around her tightened its grip. It was like a huge anaconda trying to squeeze the life out of her. "Leaveeee meeee!" Maeve screamed.

    The Shaman lifted his head up to see Maeve. He got up from his ce and picked up a pitcher that was filled with ck liquid. He tilted the pitcher and started spilling the liquid all around the stone b. He circled it as he spilled it while reciting incantations loudly. When he went back to his ce, he lifted his head to the moon and said loudly, "Help her with a smooth transition!" His mouth filled with blood and he spat it on the side.

    Maeve''s screams started fading as the smoke around her coiled tighter. Her whole body spasmed and convulsed. Her eyes rolled back in her head.

    The Shaman looked at Anton and said, "Anytime now. The soul wille out and it will seek a fresh body. We need the body in a few minutes. If this doesn''t happen, Goddess Maeve has threatened that she will enter the bodies of all the young females of Wilyra and kill them."

    His words sent shivers down Anton''s spine. Suppressing his anger, he turned to Yul. "Where the fuck is Lazarus? Go get him!"

    Yul gave him a tight nod. He went out as Anton watched him leave. He turned his attention to Maeve getting antsy by the minute. How could Lazarus be so careless? Sound of heavy boots and metal nking on the floor drew his attention back to the temple''s entrance and his eyes became wide with shock when he saw that the person Lazarus was getting wasn''t dys.

 Chapter 136 Eluded Us

    As and as the smoke coiled around her body, Maeve screamed as painshed around her. The more she screamed the more it gripped her harder. This wasn''t the first time she was undergoing this ritual, but every time she underwent it, it was excruciating.

    She could hear the Shaman chanting incantations. The fire in the pit grewrger and fiercer. It was nothing but dark magic, because it was impossible to cast souls with fae magic or with wizard magic. And it was impossible to possess a soul without the use of magic.

    As the night progressed, Maeve''s soul began to detach from the body. Every time it detached the host body convulsed. It was such a slow process that Maeve hated it. It was as if her soul had started loving the body it was in. She would scream out of pain when the soul detached. After a long time the host''s body went into permanent shock. There was no backing down. Maeve could feel the pain, but she couldn''t scream because she didn''t have the power to move a single muscle in her body. Life was slowly draining out of her. As the soul lifted out of her body, she saw Anton standing over there. She wanted to go to him and ask about Lazarus who was still missing. And there was no healthy body for her to possess.

    Maeve knew that it would be anytime that her soul woulde out of the body. As a soul she wanted to enter a healthy body instantly. She could feel that only a part of her was still anchored to the body. She stretched herself as far as she could go towards Anton. She opened her mouth to ask Anton, but her words came out warbled. "Whereeee iiiiissss haustttt?"

    Anton probably couldn''t listen to her and that increased her agitation. She wanted to stretch herself more and reach him, but the body pulled her back. A few minutester, she saw Yuling in, but once again there was no one with him. Maeve''s anxiety increased. The moment she detached from the body she had to enter the host, because if she didn''t, her soul would go to the Land of Gaira, where the departed souls lived. And she knew that it was a ce where the souls were sent to their right ces ording to their karma in the life. She knew that if her soul went there, she would be sucked in the worst portal.

    The Shaman began chanting loudly. The body she was in convulsed so badly that it was as if it would explode. Thest of her soul was still tethered to it. Maeve was waiting for the dark magic to work on its own rather than tugging herself out of the body because she was waiting for the host body. What would happen if the host body didn''te in time? She started weighing her options and the first thought that came in her mind was that she was going to enter the body of her maid who was still waiting for her outside. Anger simmered. She was going to destroy all the young girls of Wilyra to take her revenge from Lazarus.

    All at once, she heard metal nking on the floor. She was so happy when Lazarus came into her view that she tugged herself from the body, hoping to be released as soon as possible.

    ---

    King Viktor traced to Magnus''s apartment. As he neared the door of his bedroom, he heard hushed voices of girls inside. He knew that his son was into concubines every day and so he was bracing himself to see a naked woman lying in his bed. Repulsed at the thought, at first, he turned but then he decided to go and see it for himself just to rify his doubts. He traced to his bedchamber and right inside he found Emma sitting with Olya. Two maids were also sitting on the floor and together they were ying a board game.

    Emma gasped when she saw the king. They both got up from their ces instantly, thoroughly shocked by his sudden appearance. The maids bowed to him and scurried away.

    Viktor walked towards Emma, taking each step slowly like a warning. Anger sted in his chest. He wanted to snap the girl''s neck in two for keeping everyone on their toes for thest three days. The whole pce was searching for her every day and night and here she was--ying a board game with Olya?<novelnext></novelnext>

    "You have been a very nasty pest," he growled. His fangs lengthened. Had this been anyone else, he would have killed her without a thought. "You have eluded us so cleverly. Was Lazarus with you in this?" He was sure that he was in it, but he wanted to hear the truth from Emma. He wanted her to acknowledge the truth so that he had a chance to implicate Lazarus and punish him severely. This was his chance to really get rid of Lazarus.

    "No," she replied, her eyes in a staring contest with Viktor''s. "Lord Lazarus doesn''t know that I am here." She didn''t give him that chance.

    King Viktor hissed. "In that case I am going to take you to him. Shouldn''t I? He will be thrilled to see you!" He took another step forward.

    Emma was intimidated as hell. Olya came to stand behind her and clutched her wrist. Viktor''s gaze slipped to Olya. "And you had run away from your sister. Was it Magnus who brought you here?"

    Olya was a vampire. She couldn''t tell a lie. She gave a tight nod.

    Viktor''s lips curled up in a sinister way. He traced right in front of Emma and grabbed her upper arm. "You areing with me to the temple where the ritual is taking ce." His search was sessful.

    "No!" She tried to pull herself out of his grasp.

    "Please no!" Olya said weakly, her knees going wobbly.

    But Viktor traced her away. As soon as he reached there, he saw Lazarus and Yul holding a prisoner. The ce was surrounded by stormy winds. Trees groaned as leaves and twigs snagged. ck smoke circled all of them and a loud, shrilly, eerie voice was ringing.

    asionally missing content, please report errors in time.

 Chapter 137 [Bonus ] In Soul Mate

    Maeve tugged herself from the body in order to free herself. Lazarus hade and she knew that he had brought dys with him. She wanted to get out of the old host body, so she pulled herself with whatever strength she could muster, but the moment she did that the body convulsed. It had started bleeding so heavily that the stone b it was on had turned red. Maeve only wanted to get out of it as soon as possible. She was excited to get inside dys.

    The Shaman recited his incantations louder. The ck smoke around the host body tightened further and this time when Maeve pulled herself out, she could free easily. With an eerie shrill voice, she turned to Lazarus. But what she saw in front of him, shocked her beyond words.

    Ailill was standing in front of Lazarus. He was tortured and beaten heavily. His one eye was shut and swollen. There were too many bruises on his face. His hands were tied with heavy chains and there were iron balls on his ankles that were impeding his movement. "Aililll!" she screamed in her agony, but her voice came out shrilly and as if from a distance. It was so ghostly that even she couldn''t recognize it.

    Lazarus shoved Ailill in front of her. He kicked him on his knees and grabbed his hair to yank his head up. "Here Maeve, your host! He has been waiting for you because he hasn''t epted your rejection!" He yanked his head up. "Come on," he barked. "Say it!"

    Ailill was drugged heavily. His fae magic was bound by the fae iron around his ankles. He opened one eye and looked up at Maeve. With a heavy breath he said, "I, Ailill of Vilinski, do not ept your rejection."

    "Noooooo!" Maeve shrieked. The wind around them became gustier. This was not what she wanted. Ailill''s body was calling his mate. Maeve didn''t have much time. With a loud shriek she rushed outside to get in her maid''s body, but the circles around the temple prevented her from going out. The moment she touched the magic created by the circles, electricity sizzled as if burning her. She screamed and rushed back.

    Above her, she saw arge shadow gliding across the moon. It had a tail. She disregarded it. Maeve was in a hurry to possess a body. Lazarus yed with her. She was going to teach him a severe lesson. She was going to punish him for sabotaging her long ns. She went back inside. This time she saw Ailill looking at her expectantly. He raised his hands for her. "Come to me mate..." he whispered. "Come to me..."

    What was he doing? Maeve didn''t want to possess him. He refused her rejection and that brought back more pain. They were soul mates. And his soul called her. Her soul got attracted to him. She resisted the call.

    This was the time when King Viktor traced with Emma inside the temple. Shocked to see a fae in the temple, he somehow managed to go against the stormy winds and pull Emma to the courtyard. "No!" he rasped. He could hear Maeve''s loud shrieks. He didn''t know what was happening. But he had Emma with him and things would go as he wanted.

    However, the moment he took Emma in the front, Lazarus grabbed Emma from him. He didn''t even have the time to protest. Lazarus took Emma right behind Ailill.

    Maeve saw Emma and was ecstatic. She was going to possess Emma. In a frenzy, she hurried to Emma and as soon as she was about to m in Emma, Lazarus threw Emma to the side and yanked Ailill up. Maeve''s soul mmed into Ailill.

    "Nooooo!" An agonized, blood-curdling scream that was a warbled mixture of a man and woman sounded.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Maeve''s soul was into Ailill. And as per the incantations, Ailill''s soul would be cast out. However what happened next was unimaginable. A huge dragon flew from above. It perched itself on the wall of the courtyard.

    Viktor and Anton were terrified. They retreated to the corridors and hid themselves. Yul and Magnus watched Nephie with awe.

    Nephie red her wings wide and roared so loudly that the walls shook and something cracked somewhere inside. She craned her neck to look at the moon. There was a menacing growl from her throat. When she opened her mouth, she breathed fire. She breathed fire on Ailill.

    Hair-raising howls were heard when the fire connected with Ailill''s body. "Noooo!" Maeve shouted from inside. She was still warring with Ailill''s soul to find space. But when she sensed scorching fire on the skin, she snapped her eyes up and saw the dragon. Terrified, she stepped back but her efforts were wasted, because Ailill''s body was tied in fae iron.

    The fire from Nephie turned into crystals all around Ailill. The crystals started forming right from his feet and rapidly covered him till his waist. Maeve cried as she struggled to get free from Ailill. "You cheated me!" she shouted at Lazarus who had taken Emma to a safe ce.

    "No," Lazarus shouted back. "You cheated upon me. Ailill is your true mate and you must stay in his body. After all, you both are soul mates!"

    Nephie continued to breathe fire. More crystals formed above his body and now he was neck deep in crystals. He looked like a mountain of various hued crystals with a head.

    Maeve tried to wield her magic to shatter the crystals around her, but Nephie was a dragon. Her magic was extremely powerful and she was not going to let anything happen to Emma.

    "Lazarus," Maeve shouted. "When Ie back, I am going to avenge this. You deceived me. You betrayed me! This is not the end." She called upon her magic along with Ailil''sl to attempt to break the crystals, but by then more crystals formed and they covered the head too.

    At the end, a mountain of crystals was standing where Ailill was.

    Nephie stopped breathing fire, satisfied, and looked at Emma and Lazarus.

 Chapter 138 Master Stroke

    The Shaman was petrified. His gaze was darting between Nephie and the mountain of crystal under which Ailill and Maeve were buried alive. He had performed so much dark magic that he was sure this ritual would be a sess, but the whole thing took a terrible turn.

    Nephie was earlier seeing Lazarus and Emma but now herrge head moved to see the Shaman. Her chest vibrated with a rumble which was so dangerous that the floor of the temple shook. Anton and King Viktor grabbed the nearest column as they looked at Nephie with fear in their eyes. Both of them were unable to understand where the dragon came from and attacked Ailill. They had too many questions in their head but they were too terrified to even speak.

    Gusty winds that were earlier swirling around them had stopped. It was all too quiet now. Only the rumbling of the dragon was heard. It was more like a growl, a warning to all of them. She watched them with hawk eyes. Lazarus had wrapped his arms around Emma and had turned her away from the crystal mountain. He was reassuring her that all was well.

    The Shaman couldn''t take his defeat. Even though he was shaking terrified as hell, the humiliation that he was unable to carry out the ritual in front of the king was too much. He gathered his guts and shouted at Nephie, "You tried to obstruct a holy ritual! I am going to make you pay for it!" He closed his eyes and brought forward the darkest of his magic. It coiled down his hands and as soon as it reached his fingertips, he hurled it towards the crystal mountain. There was a tremor in the mountain as the magic coiled around it, but the next moment the magic disintegrated and copsed on the ground with sigh.

    Nephie watched him with amusement in her eyes. She saw that he spat a lot of blood on the ground, lifted his hands and then called his magic again. She had had too much of his drama. With a roar, she opened her mouth and attacked him. She picked him up with his head in her mouth. His skull crushed with a loud sound and Nephie spat it out on the floor next to King Viktor. King Viktor jumped from his ce, looking terrified like a mouse who had just seen a cat.

    Lazarus took a deep breath in and slightly loosened his grip on Emma. She was pressed hard against his chest, shaking with dread. The way King Viktor had traced her over here, she was still feeling jittery. There were tears in her eyes. He curled his fingers beneath her chin and lifted her face. "She is gone," he said in a soft voice and kissed her lips lightly. He brushed her tears with his thumb. "No more crying, love. We both are getting married soon."

    Emma''s lips quivered when she said, "Thank you¡­"

    He chuckled. "Say thanks to Nephie."

    A few hours before the ritual, Lazarus had gone to meet Nephie along with Emma. He had exined his ns to Nephie with Emma''s help. The n was to get rid of Maeve by luring her in Ailill''s body. Nephie was going to hover over the temple and at Lazarus''s signal she was supposed toe to the temple and bury them both in the crystals that she created with her fire. No one could ever break that mountain.

    While everything in the n went well, Lazarus never expected his father to get Emma to the temple. Viktor was sneaky. He showed Emma to Maeve and that time a shiver of terror ran down his spine. He knew that Maeve would aim for Emma. At the same time he wanted Maeve to enter Ailill''s body. So he used this opportunity to his advantage on a quick thinking. He lured Maeve to enter Emma and shoved her behind Ailill when Maeve lunged at her. Maeve''s soul went straight in Ailill''s body.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Emma turned her head over her shoulder. She left Lazarus and ran towards Nephie. Nephie lowered her head and Emma wrapped her arms around her snout. "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!" She couldn''t stop herself from crying out loud.

    Nephie closed her eyes and reveled in Emma''s embrace. "You will be fine with me, little one," she said affectionately. "No one can harm you."

    Emma grabbed her tightly and a few momentster, she kissed her snout.

    Anton, Viktor and Yul watched her with amazement. Emma was with a dragon and was least afraid. She was hugging it as if she had met an old friend.

    Viktor''s gaze went to the body of Shaman that was so badly crushed that he repulsed. He looked at Lazarus and his anger returned with full force. He wanted to kill Lazarus with Maeve''s help but Lazarus had sabotaged his ns in one master stroke. Nephie. He clenched his teeth as he saw Emma with Nephie. He promised himself that he was going to kill Emma before she takes over as Lazarus''s queen. His eyes went to Anton who too was watching them with fury.

    Lazarus had ruined all the ns so perfectly that there was no way to retrieve Maeve unless someone could break the dragon''s magic.

    Viktor strode out of the temple and then traced back to his room with the worst disappointment of his life. However, he began thinking on how to cage the dragon. Maybe by capturing the dragon he would be able to control Emma and then Lazarus. But how would he capture a dragon asrge as that? This wasn''t the first time he had seen a dragon in his life, but this was the first time he had seen it so close. Viktor was mesmerized by the dragon and wondered what it would be to have one.

    Anton was so disgusted by the whole thing that he wanted to shout. He never imagined that Lazarus would choose Emma over Maeve. He had miscalcted. And suddenly Lazarus''s reduced interest in Maeve made sense. He was actually working on how to get rid of Maeve. His older brother had fallen in love with his mate.

    asionally missing content, please report errors in time.

 Chapter 139 Purge The Negativity

    Anton had brought his soldiers who were hiding in the woods that surrounded the temple. After what happened to Maeve, all his dreams and ns came crashing down. Now there was no way to stop Lazarus. Emma was his mate. With Maeve inside her, she would have been of immense use to him, but without Maeve, she was nothing but a human who was a burden.

    Quietly, he watched Emma hugging the snout of the dragon. He was awed by the dragon but at the same time hated it. He could actually hear his ns shattering with a deafening silence. His gaze went to the crystal mountain under which Ailill was buried with Maeve''s soul and he felt hopeless. The fact that Maeve had a fae mate whom she hid, also gnawed inside him. Suddenly a thought passed through his mind ¡ª if her fae mate was here, was it possible that she would have married Ailill instead of him. The thought was so shocking that he almost stopped himself from stumbling.

    With a tight throat, he looked at Lazarus whose focus was entirely on Emma and the dragon. Anton didn''t want to think further about it so he quietly retreated from the temple and signaled his soldiers to disperse.

    Every dynamic in the pce changed so sharply that there was a sense of chaos. Everyone was expecting that Maeve would possess Emma''s body, but nothing of the sort happened, instead a giant dragon saved her or rather plunged Wilyra into the unknown.

    When Emma removed herself from Nephie and turned, she saw an eager Yul standing beside her. "Can I meet your dragon?" he asked her while staring with awe at Nephie.

    "Who is this clown?" Nephie asked Emma.

    Emma giggled. She introduced them. "This is Yul. Yul, this is Nephie from Yizinia."

    Yul extended his hand forward as if to shake with her. Nephie brought her snout forward. Yul froze in his ce. Nephie sniffed him and then nudged him lightly on his shoulder as a gesture of friendship. Yul fell down on the ground, skidding some ten feet away. Shocked, he looked at the dragon and then seeing that she had tilted her head in amusement, he burst outughing. He got up, brushing his tunic and pants and walked back to Nephie. With his closed fist, he patted her snout. "You are a very naughty dragon, Nephie!" And they all burst outughing.

    Magnus joined them and bowed to Nephie. "You have been wonderful, Nephie," he said in appreciation. "All our problems lie beneath that mountain," he said, pointing at the crystal mountain. "Now we can breathe in relief."

    Nephie nudged him with her snout and he patted her lightly.

    Lazarus came to circle his arm around Emma. "Are you tired?" he asked. She was still shaking.

    She shook her head. "No, I was terrified when King Viktor found me in Magnus''s room." She jerked her head back. "Oh!" she eximed. "King Viktor asked Olya whether it was Lord Magnus who brought her to the pce."

    "Fuck!" Magnus said through clenched teeth. He traced away immediately knowing that Olya must be shaken to the core by now. He just hoped that his father didn''t harm her by now. Why didn''t he think about it earlier?

    Lazarus shook his head. He rubbed his face with his hands and said, "Why is it that when one thing is solved, there are ten other things lined up to be solved?"

    Emma cupped his cheeks and said, "Because that''s the essence of life. Solving problems, untying knots to make our life simpler." She rose on her tiptoes and kissed his lips. "Let''s see Magnus and Olya."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Lazarus took a deep breath in. He turned his face to Nephie and said, "I am sure that after today, my father would be the first person who would want to hunt you. Stay guarded. If you want, you can go to Yizinia."

    Nephie let out a snort that was akin toughing. She said to Emma, "No one can catch me. I will crush their skulls like the way I crushed the Shaman''s skull!"

    Emma grinned. "I know, no one will catch you. But stay close and stay guarded. I don''t want soldiers hunting you."

    Nephie red her wings and before she took to the skies, she said, "Stay well, Emma. I will be around here for a few more days. After that I will go to Yizinia."

    Emma felt¡­ sad. She didn''t want Nephie to go so soon because Nephie was her connection with her mother. Emma blinked away the sudden tears she felt in her eyes. She smiled and nodded a little.

    Nephie red her wings wide and shot to the sky.

    Yul watched her awe-struck. Nephie was his new crush. "What would it be to ride on her?" he muttered.

    "You won''t be riding her at all," Lazarus growled possessively. "She is Emma''s."

    "What? Why not?" Yule cried. "Please Lazarus. Please. Please." He begged but Lazarus lifted his chin up and walked away with Emma out of the temple. Yul followed them on heels, still begging.

    When they came out, Lazarus ordered his men to seal the temple permanently. He was going to fill this ce with so many stones and bricks and sand that the temple would bury under a mound. Maeve would remain in this ce forever.

    Lazarus and Emma traced to Magnus''s apartments along with Yul. Over there, when they saw Magnus kissing Olya furtively, they quietly traced back to his apartment. Yul was too excited to leave. "Lazarus what are you going to do now?" he asked as he perched himself on a couch with a huge grin.

    Lazarus red at his friend. "I am nning on taking a bath with my mate."

    "I was thinking that you should¡ª" Yul snapped his head in Lazarus''s direction. His face flushed so red when Lazarus''s words crashed into him. "I see," he managed to squeak. He let out a rough exhale and then traced away from his apartment, muttering something about abandoning friends and mates.

    As soon as he left, Lazarus picked up Emma in his arms and carried her to the bathroom. "We both need to purge all the remnant negativity," he said and crashed his lips on hers.

 Chapter 140 Caring For Her

    When he pulled away from Emma, they were both breathless.

    "This is how you purge negativity?" she said in a teasing voice, her face flushed.

    He lowered her inside the hot water of the tub and stripped her naked. "Yes, this is the best way," he replied. He stripped himself and entered. Pulling her in hisp, he just sat down inside the hot water that was full of swirling fragrant water with herbs and flowers floating on the surface. He let out a heavy sigh, closing his eyes as his muscles rxed in response to the heat. He rested his head on the edge of the tub. "Emma¡­" he murmured her name and she reclined on him, her head resting on his chest.

    His hands were lyingzily on the edge of the tub. Emma too closed her eyes. She could sense his relief through their bond and it was liberating. Her hands went to his thighs. She started circling the skin over there with her fingers working her way up to his knees and back. She wanted more. She wanted him to drink from her. He was extremely exhausted because she knew that he had been working nonstop. So she turned to face him. Straddling his thighs, she sped his neck by wrapping her arms around it and pressed her body in his.

    His cock twitched. He peeled open his eyes and looked at her with half mast lids. She brought her lips to his and nibbled at them. Slowly, their kiss turned passionate. She delved her tongue in his mouth and he opened for her to let her explore him all over again. He felt like this was a new beginning. All the while he let his hands stay on the edge of the tub. She pulled out from his mouth and kissed and nibbled his jawline before going down to his chest. She kissed him over there and bit him. His cock twitched in response.

    Unable to resist his mate any longer, he grabbed her by her waist and made her slide over his cock. "Ah!" Emma loved the way he filled her, stretched her. Very strategically, she gathered her hair on one side and revealed her neck for him.

    "Emma," he growled a warning as she rode him slowly. Her hands were on his chest, her fingernails digging in his shoulders, her nipples raking his chest.

    "Yes Lord Lorza?" she asked as she licked her lips. "I wanted to put your cock in my mouth, but then maybe I will do it when we are in bed," she said enticingly as she inclined her neck a little further for him to see.

    Her face was red, her pulse point was thrumming as she moved over him. Her scent of violets was mixed with spice and honey. Lazarus licked the tip of his fangs as they grew in response to his mate''s sexual games. He wanted to sink his fangs as deep as he sank his cock in her and feed from her, but he knew that she was doing so because she was now his blood ve. He was scared that he had fed from her once and now she was getting used to it. "No Emma," he said through his clenched teeth as he exercised his control.

    She began rocking him hard. She lifted her hands and then pulled her hair up in a messy bun, giving him a lovely view of her slender neck. Lazarus''s control slipped a little. "I am scared¡­" he mumbled as his eyes fixed on her neck.

    "Of what Lord Lorza?" she asked in a husky voice. She picked up his hand and ced it on her breast. He cupped them instantly. His finger and his thumb went to her nipple and he began rolling it as he kneaded it with his other hand. His cock swelled inside her and he swallowed thickly wondering what it would be to drink from her as she rode him.

    "Of sucking you without control¡­" his voice was needy, yet full of restraint.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Then I am going to stop you, Lord Lorza," she said and licked the corner of his lips.

    "Fuck!" All his control shattered and he sank his fangs inside her.

    Emma screamed but the next moment, her body rxed. He had injected his venom inside her that was like an aphrodisiac. She moaned. Her thighs clenched as she neared her orgasm. She closed her eyes inplete pleasure. He grabbed her waist and guided her up and down. Up and down. Her muscles clenched and she came all around his cock. Feeling her gripping him, he snarled against her skin and then shot his release inside her.

    Lazarus couldn''t stop himself. He continued to drink from her, holding her in a vise-like grip. Her head lolled on his shoulder as she just¡­ gave him. At the back of his mind he knew he had to stop. If he didn''t, his mate would be sucked dry. Lazarus was a royal vampire and the strongest in the world. His hunger couldn''t be satiated so easily. With every kernel of willpower, he pulled his fangs out from her and licked her over the skin where it was punctured.

    She looked at him with drooped eyes and her lips curled up. "Are you done?" she asked with a slur.

    "I am," he replied because he was done with drinking from her. Seeing how her head lolled on his shoulder, he decided that this was thest time he took from her. He stroked her hair lightly. "How are you?" he asked.

    "Fine¡­" she closed her eyes and panic burst inside him.

    "Emma! Emma!"

    She giggled. "Yes, Lord Lorza. I am well. Stop being so panicky." He was caring for her.

    But Lazarus lifted her out of the tub and brought her to the bedroom. He made her sleep on the bed after drying her well. He tucked her in the soft fur and ordered the servants to start the fire and bring food. He sat beside her and watched her like a hawk. He was so bothered that when she would close her eyes to sleep, he would wake her up. "Please eat and then go to sleep." Until Emma had a hearty meal, he didn''t allow her to sleep.

 Chapter 141 Act Of Treason

    When she settled snugly beside him, he too slipped inside the fur with her and spooned her. For the first time in long, Lazarus slept like a log. His dreams were free of nightmares. They were of his babies. Though it was rare to have babies with a human, he still hoped.

    When he woke up next, it had be dark. His mind went tost night''s events, but he shoved them all out of his mind. Half of his problems were solved with Maeve out of the scene. Even though the throne was a distant dream, he felt calmer, anchored, loved and cherished. He had missed those feelings so much that he thought they were non-existent. It was his mate who made him realize about them. And they were lovely, warm feelings that filled his heart.

    He leaned over and inhaled her violet scent. Emma was still sleeping. She didn''t even flutter open her eyes. Scared he got up with a start and poked her shoulder. "Emma!" he called her. "Wake up!"

    She groaned and pulled the pillow over her face. He grinned, happy that she was feeling fine. There was color on her cheeks. She leaned over her and kissed her shoulder and her back. cing a kiss on her temple, he said, "I want you to show my mark to everyone."

    She removed the pillow and looked at him for a while. He had a smug smile on his face. "And I would love to," she replied as if not believing what he was saying. They had agreed to keep it a secret. "But are you sure?"

    He nodded. "Just wait for the right time."

    "I will," she lifted her head and kissed his chin. "I can wait till eternity." He had so much love in his eyes that her heart squeezed. And his eyes looked bright red, not the dull red that he had in so many days. She was happy that she was able to feed her mate.

    A soft knock on the door startled them. "Who''s it?" Lazarus snarled, unhappy that the knock disturbed his time with his mate.

    The guard said from outside, "M''lord, King Viktor has asked for yourpany at the dinner."

    A crease formed in the middle of his forehead. Why would his father ask for him?

    "With Lady Emma," the guardpleted his sentence.

    Lazarus''s hand gripped his mate tightly instinctively.

    "Lord Lorza," Emma said. She was so tightly pressed against him that she winced. "You will crush me."

    He loosened his grip immediately. "Why is he asking for you?" he said, not happy with the order.

    "That we have to go and see," Emma replied. "But my guess is that he might ask for dys."

    "No..." Lazarus murmured as if thinking about something. Letting out a rough exhale to release his tension, he said, "Anyway, get ready. There''s a lot to be done!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    She got up and sat on the bed. The fur slipped down her breasts as she gathered her hair to tie in a bun. His gaze went to her plump breasts and his eyes drooped. He cupped them and fondled them and then when he couldn''t resist, hetched onto them.

    "Lord Lorza!" she squealed. "We have to go for dinner!"

    He moaned around her nipples. "This is my dinner," he said, going to the next breast.

    Before she could get dressed, he had taken her again, this time making sure not to sink his fangs inside her.

    Emma brushed her coral gown that hadyers of skirt. Her hand went to her pearl ne. "I hope I am looking fine," she said nervously as she walked with Lazarus through the corridors of the pce to reach the dining hall. Lazarus chose a high cor gown for her to hide her mark.

    All the servants and guards and soldiers had their eyes on the woman who defeated Maeve and conquered the heart of the most vicious and dangerous vampire of Wilyra Kingdom. For them it was Goddess Maeve who would be their queen. epting a human as their queen wasn''t in their dreams even.

    With her arm curled in his, she entered the dining hall. Her gazended on King Viktor who was sitting at the head of the table and who was watching her with sharp eyes. The ne on his body glowed softly under the light of the chandelier. Emma removed her hand from Lazarus and bowed to him.

    His other children were sitting at the table. Two of his sisters who never ever interacted with her, stared at her with interest or scorn, she couldn''t discern. Anton was sitting to the left of his father, looking tired and angry and defeated. Magnus was there but not Olya. He gave her a smile and she was d that she saw one friendly face.

    Lazarus guided Emma to the chairs on the right of his father. As soon as they sat, the servants began serving dinner. Emma was quietly waiting for everyone to start the dinner. There was a lot of tension in the air. She clenched her gown as her palms became sweaty. Nervousness crawled in her and she was sure that she cheeks were red. Lazarus slid his hand on her thigh and held her hands in hisrge one. He stroked her hand with his thumb softly as if to reassure her that he was there and she needn''t worry. Slowly, her breathing returned to normal.

    The king picked up his knife and fork and cut a part of the steamed salmon. As he dipped it in the sauce, he asked Lazarus, "What have you done with dys?"

    "She is in the dungeons," Lazarus replied tly.

    Viktor stopped eating and hissed, "That is an act of treason!"

    Lazarus chuckled. He ced his knife down and said, "Whatever I do is an act of treason in your eyes."

    "Lazarus!" Viktor roared.

    Lazarus disregarded his roar. "She tried to drug my mate to the extent that had there not been timely intervention, Emma would have died. Emma will be my future wife. She tried to kill my woman. And that is what I call an act of treason."

 Chapter 142 Donâ€™t Even Dream

    Anton jerked his head back, recalling Lazarus''s words. There was a stunned silence in the dining hall. "I didn''t mean that. All I want to say is that we can deport Maeve and Ailill back to Vilinski. I don''t like the fact that the two are locked in a temple in our pce!"

    "There is no way I am going to give you that liberty," Lazarus growled. "She is dangerous. She threatened that if she didn''t find a healthy body, she was going to possess the bodies of every female in Wilyra one after the other and destroy them with her magic. Do you want that?"

    "How can she destroy with her magic the dames of Wilyra?" Anton argued. "She is already in the body of her mate!"

    "She hasn''t tethered to his body. The moment she is released from her captivity, she is going to leave Ailill. Can''t you understand such a simple matter, Anton?" Lazarus said in a harsh voice.

    Anton snapped, "All I know is that Maeve was supposed to possess Emma. You were supposed to be with a goddess and now you are with a human!"

    "Mind it!" Lazarus growled as his muscles bulged. "Don''t you speak like that about Emma!"

    Anton clenched his teeth as he swallowed his words. He gave Emma a hateful look and then got up. His chair screeched back. He strode out of the dining hall. The room fell into silence again.

    Lazarus leaned back on his chair and rolled his eyes. He drank the ss of wine with blood in it, Emma too kept her head low and ate nervously. Her cheeks heated. She was sure that everyone was looking at her.

    Viktor had stopped eatingpletely. "You want to marry Emma?" he scorned.

    "Yes," Lazarus replied as he looked at his father with a look that said don''t-challenge-me.

    Viktor took a deep breath. He gave a tight nod and then continued to eat his food. Everyone else ate in silence. When he finished eating, he said to Lazarus, "Meet me in the meeting chamber." Then he got up and left.

    Lazarus sucked in a sharp breath. He looked over his shoulder to see his father leaving the dining hall. He was getting fed up with constant questioning by him. He let Emma eat her food, but he knew that she had lost her appetite. What was the whole idea of having food with the family when every time they dined together, they ended up fighting? "Shall we go?" he asked her politely.

    She was more than eager to leave. She wiped her mouth and nodded. As Emma left, she knew that Lazarus''s two sisters were boring holes in her back. Magnus too left with them.

    When they reached his bedroom, Lazarus said, "Take Emma with you, Magnus. I will go and meet father."

    "Why does he want to meet you?" Magnus asked. "Do you think he will talk about Maeve again?"

    "I don''t know," Lazarus said with a sigh. "I want to get over with it." He kissed Emma and went out of the door.

    "Magnus, can Ie a whileter?" Emma said when Magnus was getting ready to trace. "I want to change."

    "Sure," Magnus said. "I will go and check Olya and I will be back in five minutes?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "That would be fine," Emma smiled. As soon as Magnus left, Emma sat on her bed with her head held in her hands. There was so much mental stress even after Maeve had gone that she wanted to get out of the pce with Lazarus and make a small home for them. Was it too much to ask? A knock on the door sounded. Before the guard announced who was there, the door opened and two vampire girls walked in. Lazarus''s sisters. Emma rose to her feet, surprised to see them.

    The girls came to stand in the middle of the room and sniffed. "You smell of fear," said one of them.

    Flustered, Emma blinked at them. "How can I help you?" she asked, understating the animosity in their tone.

    "I am Nora," she said, "and this is my sister, Cora. We came to meet you."

    "Sure, please take a seat," Emma said pointing at the couch on the other side.

    "No..." Nora drawled. "We just wanted to ask you, has Lazarus marked you?"

    Emma raised her eyebrows in suspicion. "Why?"

    "Well, if he hasn''t marked you, why is he insisting that he marry you?" Nora shrugged. "Or even if he marks you, there is no need to marry you. Your marriage with him will be useless. What kind of advantage would a mortal bring to the throne of Wilyra? You don''t have any special powers, you don''t have dowry to bring with you, and you don''t look so good."

    "Wait Nora," Cora said as she walked towards Emma. "She has a dragon."

    Noraughed. "So what? A dragon gives power to its rider, not to someone it knows."

    Coraughed at that and the two looked at her with sarcasm etched on their faces. Nora said, "Our brother is no fool. He hasn''t even marked you because he would never make you his queen. He is going to mark his real queen and keep you as his concubine."

    Cora added, "If you like I can show you the chambers of the concubines. You can spend the rest of your human lifevishly."

    "Are you done?" Emma said, controlling her anger in her tight fists. Lazarus had asked her not to reveal his mark to anyone because he was waiting for the right time. But she felt like dropping one side of the dress and showing it to them.

    "Yes, we are done with you," Nora said. They turned to leave but Nora stopped and turned to face her. "Don''t even dream of bing a royal''s wife, Emma. You are not fit for the throne of Wilyra."

    Emma shot back, "At least you agree that Lazarus would be the king of Wilyra!"

    Nora and Cora were stunned, realizing what they just spoke.

 Chapter 143 I Have Agreed

    Nora was about to snap back at her when Magnus traced back. He was shocked to see his sisters in her room. He narrowed his eyes on them and bared his fangs as if in a warning.

    Nora chuckled. "Come on Magnus, we don''t want to harm Emma. After all, she is Lazarus''s mate. But we havee to tell her of the position she belongs to. She can keep dreaming to be a royal but she never would be."

    Before Magnus could say anything, Cora responded, "At least Olya is a royal. If she would have married Lazarus, then surely father would have agreed. But you--" she shook her head. "You are just dreaming." The sisters startedughing.

    Emma watched themugh. They began to leave. Magnus advanced towards them but Emma stopped him. She said aloud, "The fact that you two came here to show me my position means that you both are threatened by me." She crossed her arms across her chest and stood confidently. "Which is good. It is nice to see what Lord Lazarus''s siblings think about him and me. It will be useful in the future. Because remember, even if I be his concubine, he will never leave me and he will always choose me over you."

    "You--" Nora shot at her.

    Emma raised her hand in the air. "You both can leave."

    Grinding their teeth, the sisters marched out. Magnus was... stunned. "You did a great job at showing them their position, Emma!" he said with his lips curling up. Emma was a feisty woman and he liked that she could speak for herself.

    She shrugged. "They hade to show me my status without thinking what their status was."

    Magnusughed. He held her wrists and then traced to his bedchamber where Olya was waiting for them.

    ---

    In the meeting chamber, King Viktor was waiting for Lazarus. He was pacing the room with his hands sped at the back. As soon as he saw Lazarus he said, "Are you insane?"

    Lazarus raised his eyebrow, puzzled over his father''s recent bacsh.

    "How can you marry a human?" Viktor shouted. "She has no backing. She is the daughter of a rebel and she is not even a vampire. You two are notpatible!"

    Lazarus walked to the nearest chair and sat down quietly. "So what do you suggest father?"

    "You are the prince of Wilyra. You should marry someone of the same stature. Emma''s purpose over here was only to get Maeve''s soul in her. Now that purpose is no longer going to be fulfilled, you can leave her back to the vige or--" Viktor stopped, his muscles bulging in anger.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Or?" Lazarus goaded him to speak further as he narrowed his eyes.

    "Or you can throw her with the concubines. She can be your special concubine, but she will never be your wife!"

    Lazarus remained quiet for a while as he stayed in a staring contest with his father. Momentster he said, "Did you ask your father to marry my mother? My mother was your mate. Did you need permission to marry her?"

    "Shut up!" Viktor''s voice boomed in the room. "Adara was a vampire. I didn''t need to ask for anyone''s permission to marry her. She wasn''t a human like Emma!"

    Lazarus gazed at the ne his father was wearing. He couldn''t help thinking what a hypocrite he was. He was forcing her not to marry Emma only to put pressure on him to release Maeve. "And what about other wives you had? After all, I am not the only child you have. Did you ask for permission to marry them?"

    Viktor thumped the edge of the table. It cracked on impact. "You are getting out of line here, Lazarus! Don''t you fucking argue with me!"

    "I am not arguing with you father," Lazarus replied in a calm voice. "I am merely asking you questions. If you can answer me, it is fine."

    Viktor gritted his teeth. He said, "I didn''t require anyone''s permission to marry my wives. I have a stable mind and am very wise to take my decisions. I don''t get swayed by emotions and definitely not by this mate nonsense."

    Lazarus''s lips curled up in a scornful smile. "That I can see," he replied, his eyes at the ne his father wore. "You don''t get swayed by mate nonsense. And that is the difference between you and me. I can''t think of Emma dying because her death makes me shudder. I feel like I will stop living if she dies. I am sure that I will cross the Fade with her. But you--" He wanted to speak it out because those words were like a festering wound in his heart. "You chose to kill my mother and bury her in the blood forest for the ne that is around your neck. She was your mate and when a mate dies, the other one follows him or her to the Fade, but you live. You lived because of this ne. Don''t you feel anything for my mother?"

    "Lazarus!" Viktor bared his fangs.

    "Don''t you want to be with her? You rejected her but I know that it must be gnawing at you on the inside every day. It''s because of this ne that you are able to live without her so easily. But the irony of the whole thing is that this ne belonged to my mother and she died for it, for me." Lazarus''s chest was heaving as rage bubbled inside him. He wanted to get out of this ce, away from his father. And so he got up and walked out of the meeting chamber. "This meeting is over."

    "Lazarus!" Viktor shouted. "You will not marry Emma. But I can allow you to marry Olya!"

    Lazarus turned sharply to look at Viktor.

    "Yes, we sent the message to Naomi and Cain that Olya is with us," Viktor said with a scoff. "They both will being here soon. They want Olya to get married to you and I have agreed."

 Chapter 144 Your Chance

    Seething with rage, Lazarus traced back to Magnus''s room. He hated the way his father ordered him to marry Olya.

    Olya and Emma were sitting on the bed, discussing what happened at the dinner when Lazarus appeared. He began pacing the room as rage bubbled inside his chest. Magnus came into the room with his wine ss. Lazarus snatched it from him and drank it all in one go. Magnus watched him pacing the room. He knew that every time Lazarus met with their father, he was riled up. So he waited patiently for Lazarus to calm down while he went to sat on the bed where Olya and Emma were.

    Emma was already flustered after her encounter with his sisters and so seeing him moving in the room with tension on his face, made her feel all the more anxious. In the end when she couldn''t take it anymore, she said, "Lazarus, please sit and tell me what happened. You are making me nervous."

    Lazarus stopped instantly. He walked to her and sat down beside her. He made her turn around and pulled her back against his chest. He buried his face in her neck and inhaled her scent to calm down. She brought her hand to his hair and stroked him gently.

    "I am sorry to make you anxious. It''s just that--" he sighed. "It''s just that my father is constantly ying games. I am fed up. Sometimes I feel like giving up and taking you with me to some remote area where just the two of us are going to live. Do you think that is possible?"

    Emma smiled softly. "It is possible."

    "No, that is not an option," Magnus intervened. "I can''t see anyone on the throne except Lazarus. Anton is too impulsive and has proven time and again that he couldn''t be trusted with the throne because he puts his needs above the needs of the kingdom. As for other brothers, they are mostly indulging themselves. They want my father''s money and after that they are not interested. As long as someone keeps giving them all the money for their indulgences, they would be fine with it. The main reason why they support Anton is because Anton secretly keeps giving them gold every now and then. And the best part is that the king doesn''t know anything about it. The kingdom of Wilyra is flushed with so much gold that whenever my brothers are given money, it is like removal of a drop from the ocean."

    Magnus''s words brought memories of Maeve asking for gold from Lazarus and how he used to give her so freely. He was sure that she was giving it to Ailill. He shook his head. "I know..."

    "Then you can''t speak those words again, Lazarus," Magnus said. "You are Wilyra''s hope. Don''t back down ever."

    Lazarus lifted his head and chuckled. He looked at Magnus with sheer admiration. "We have to discuss things. Father is up to it with a fresh strategy."<novelnext></novelnext>

    ---

    Naomi and Lord Cain came to Wilyra in two days. After they went to meet the king in the courtroom, Naomi went straight to meet her sister while Cain came to the guest room. He was too tired to go anywhere unlike his wife. Because of Olya he had to send his soldiers around to find her and he also went to hunt for her. He had recentlye from a search when King Viktor''s messengers informed him that Olya was at the Wilyra Pce and that she was found by Magnus. Though he had breathed a sigh of relief, he was too annoyed with her and didn''t wish to see her. Had it not been for the piece ofnd that woulde in his hand after Olya got married to Lazarus, he would have been least interested in her.

    "Olya!" Naomi burst open the doors and entered the room where Olya was. Olya was sitting at the table by the window. She got up, her heart thundering in her ears. The two sisters looked at each other and then Naomi closed the gap between them, running. She hugged Olya tightly. "Where were you, Olya?" she cried. "I had gone mad finding you everywhere!"

    Olya hugged her sister too knowing that Naomi was genuinely crying for her. Over all the schemes that she had in mind, her heart was constantly loving her younger sister. They remained in that position for a long time. When Naomi pulled away, she said, "I am so happy to see you. Running away like that was the worst thing you could do. You are supposed to marry Lord Lazarus. What if he starts getting suspicious of you? It would be terrible. Why do you want to ruin your chances of bing his wife?"

    Olya bit her lip, hating every word that came out of Naomi''s mouth. "I told you that I don''t want to marry him, Naomi. That was the sole reason why I ran away and you are pushing me in the same direction."

    "Oh hush!" Naomi scolded her. She looked around and walked to close the doors. She came back to Olya, grabbed her wrist and took her to sit on the bed. "You can''t speak like that. Do you know that the king has also agreed to marry Lord Lazarus."

    "But Emma is his mate. He will be marrying her, Naomi," Olya pointed out. "You can''t push me into a marriage which will be a marriage on papers and nothing else."

    "Olya!" Naomi snapped. "Don''t you understand the dynamics at all?" She searched for some logic in her sister. "Something big is about to happen. We came to know that Maeve was locked in a crystal mountain in a temple in the pce. Now that she is gone, the king is looking for a royal match for his son. And Emma is a human, a vige girl who happens to be his mate. King Viktor doesn''t like her at all. And that''s where youe in the picture. He wants Lord Lazarus to marry you. Can you imagine? You will be the queen of Wilyra!"

    asionally missing content, please report errors in time.

 Chapter 145 Dynamics

    "Naomi!" Olya shot back. "How can you even think like that? Lord Lazarus and Emma are mates. How can I get in between them?"

    Naomi shook her head. "Olya, you are too young to understand the dynamics of the pce. You don''t know how things work." Then she nced around as if to see if there was anyone around. She lowered her voice and said, "I have heard that Lord Lazarus hasn''t marked Emma yet. That means that even though she is his mate, he is actually not interested in her. Do you see what is happening? He doesn''t want her to be his wife."

    "Gods above! Naomi you are just being bitchy!" Olya retorted. She got up from there and went to the window to take a deep breath in. She hated her sister''s shenanigans. She hated how she looked at the world. Why was everyone so twisted to achieve their goals? And why were the goals so twisted? Why couldn''t people have the right vision?

    Naomi too got up and walked to Olya. She ced her hand on her shoulders and said, "Olya, trust me. You can''t have anything better than this in your life. Even if Lazarus is Emma''s mate, it''s not that he is going to ignore you. He will have to have babies with you in order to--"

    Olya turned sharply and retorted, "Naomi!" She walked away from her loathing the very idea of having babies with Lazarus. "I don''t want to talk about it!"

    "Okay!" Naomi raised her hands up. She was tired of making Olya understand that she now yed a very important role in the dynamics of Wilyra. "I won''t talk about it anymore, but I won''t be able to do anything if King Viktor passes his order about you marrying Lord Lazarus. And trust me I am not going to go against his order because that would be counted as treason!"

    Olya''s anger turned into pure anguish. She broke down. She ran to her bed with a cry and crashed on it. "This is madness," she cried as her shoulders wracked with cries. "This is madness."

    Just then Magnus entered the room. His gaze went to Olya and his heart twisted. He red at Naomi and clenched his jaw. He wanted to go to Olya, lift her up and his arms and rock her gently to soothe her, but he ended up clenching his fists. "Why is she crying?" he asked Naomi.

    Naomi bowed to him. "Lord Magnus, she is a child. She doesn''t understand what I am saying and so she is crying. But don''t worry she will be absolutely fine in a day or two. Now that I havee, I am going to ensure that she sees things clearly. Fate has nned something very big for her but she is too innocent." She smiled at him again as if she had stars in her eyes.

    ? "Lord Lazarus is calling you along with Lord Cain," Magnus informed her.

    "Oh!" Naomi was surprised. She nced at Olya and then at Magnus. She said, "Could you please stay here for some time. She is pretty depressed at the moment?"

    "Yes," Magnus replied through his teeth.

    "Thank you, Lord Magnus. I will return shortly." Saying that Naomi rushed out of Olya''s room and then hurried to Lazarus''s bedchamber.

    "Olya!" Magnus said as he rushed to her.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Lord Magnus!" she cried. He picked her up in his arms and cradled her in hisp, curling his arms around her, rocking her gently. "I don''t want to marry Lord Lazarus. If the king forces me, I will give up my life!"

    "Hush!" he said and ced his finger on her mouth. "You are not going to do that. We will find a way, okay."

    She nodded through her tears and rested her face on his chest. He tightened his arms around her and kissed her head. "I won''t let this happen," he murmured. "Never."

    Naomi reached her room and found Cain sleeping. She woke him up. "Get up, Cain," she snapped at him. "Lord Lazarus wants to see us both. Now!"

    Cain rubbed his eyes and got up, feeling extremely irritated. "I am too tired, Naomi. Why don''t you go along? I will jointer." He flopped back on the bed.

    "No! What do you mean? Lord Lazarus is the heir to the throne. How can you simply disregard his order?" She moved his shoulder roughly. "Get up and get ready!"

    Cain mumbled curses and somehow got up. Without taking a bath, he managed to wear a formal dress and along with Naomi made his way to Lazarus''s room. "I swear if it weren''t for the royals, our life would have been so much easier!" he muttered.

    When they reached Lazarus''s chamber, the guard announced them. He opened the door for them to go in. As soon as they stepped in, they saw Lazarus who was sitting on the bed with the buttons of his tunic open and the belt of his pants was loose. His hair was tousled and there were pick marks on his neck and chest--more like love bites. In his hands were panties that he was ying with. Naomi was aghast. Even if she wanted to protest, she stifled her words. This was too much.

    Cain and Naomi bowed to him. Lazarus looked at the adjoining door. He picked up the panties in his hand and inhaled its scent. Then he got up, his tunic loosely hanging on his shoulders, showing his broad chest. He tightened his where the outline of his semi-soft erection was still showing. His lips curled up. He walked to the bar and asked Lord Cain, "Would you like to have some wine?"

    "Yes, sure," said Cain calmly. He knew that it was a normal scene in the royal households.

    Lazarus prepared two drinks and handed one to Cain. "Please be seated," he said, waving at the couch at the opposite end.

    When they were seated, Lazarus said something to them that was highly unexpected.

 Chapter 146 A Condition

    Lazarus gave wine to Cain and then went back to sit on the bar stool. His legs dangling down, he looked at the door of the adjacent room that was ajar. A silly smile spread on his lips. He turned his attention back at Cain and Naomi who were both curiously peering at the door.

    "What are you looking at?" Lazarus asked and sipped his wine.

    Naomi and Cain jerked their heads towards him, snapping out of their stupid gazes. "Nothing, Lord Lazarus," Naomi replied with a pale blush. "You called us?"

    "Yes," Lazarus tilted his head. "You have heard about your father''s wishes, haven''t you?"

    "Yes!" Naomi bobbed her head excitedly. "And you can''t imagine how happy we are!"

    "Of course, you are going to be happy," Lazarus smirked. "Isn''t that dreame true for you?"

    Naomi''s mouth fell to the floor. "No, it''s not like that," she said sheepishly. "I am happy for Olya!"

    "Really?" he said, raising an eyebrow. "You are happy for Olya, but she ran away from your ce after you dered that you will marry her to me. Don''t you think that her actions speak volumes?"

    "She is just a child, Lord Lazarus," Naomi countered. "She will understand that it is for her good when she matures. And what is better than growing old with you? She will learn your culture."

    Lazarus let out a sarcastic chuckle. "How do you think that after her running away I am going to ept that logic of yours? Do you take me for an idiot?"

    "No!" Naomi rasped. "Not at all! It''s just that she is too young to understand that--"

    "Enough!" Lazarus growled. "I am not going to argue with you on this topic. I have called you over here for another issue."

    The tension in the air built and even though Cain was an old friend of Lazarus, his shoulders became taut with anxiety. He gazed at Lazarus withplete attention. Naomi too sat upright without speaking another word.

    Lazarus swirled the wine in the ss and then said, "I want to wait for two months before the wedding with Olya. If you agree to that condition, it is fine with me. During that time, Olya is going to stay in the Wilyra Pce. You will not force her to return to Upper North Jupan."

    Naomi was thrilled. "Yes, we agree!"

    ? "That is not all," Lazarus said. He gave them a side nce to assess their expressions. They both seemed pretty excited but were suppressing their emotions. "I have another condition."

    "Sure, please let us know!" Naomi said, bubbling like spring water from inside. All her dreams had finallye true. Not only would she be rted directly to the king''s family, she would get thends that her father left for Olya.

    Lazarus drank from his ss. He ran his fingertip on the rim of the ss. After a moment he added, "I have heard that Olya''s father left his estate in her name. I want that estate in dowry."<novelnext></novelnext>

    The bubble in her stomach popped with a loud sound, shattering her dreams into so many pieces that she nched. "Wh--what?" she said as if she had heard something wrong.

    Cain whipped his head from Naomi to Lazarus with an expression which seemed like he had eaten vinegar.

    "You heard me," Lazarus replied in a very calm tone. "I want that estate as dowry. If you fail to transfer that estate in my name in a month''s time, then I will have to report it to the king. He will take personal interest in it then."

    "B--but Lord Lazarus," Naomiughed nervously. "You already have the whole kingdom under you. Upper North Jupan is so far from here. My father''s estate is further down. You won''t be able to rule it from here."

    "Who said I will rule it directly?" Lazarus replied with the same calmness but his expressions were serious. "I will make that castle my summer home. Do you have questions about it?"

    They had a thousand questions. Both of them wanted Olya to marry so that she would get all the riches of the pce, and they would get the estate, but the recent demand from Lazarus came down as shocking.

    "Lord Lazarus, we can''t transfer the estate in your name."

    "Why?" he asked, his brows furrowing in temper.

    Naomi gulped. "It''s because ording to my father''s will, the estate will go to Olya after she is eighteen years old."

    "I don''t care," Lazarus replied carelessly. "Do anything, but I want that estate and that too before I marry her."

    They were both so bbergasted that they were speechless. Now they couldn''t even say no to the prince. He was the heir to the throne and he had a lot of power. If they denied him what he asked for, he could send them to the dungeons.

    When both of them stared at him dumbfounded, Lazarus looked at the door which was opening slightly. Emma emerged from the room in lingerie over which she had a night robe. His face split into a wide grin. He motioned with his fingers toe to her and patted hisp. She sauntered her way to him, bowed to Naomi and Cain and went to sat on hisp. He kissed her temple and said, "I hope you aren''t wearing panties."

    She blushed and swatted his forearm. "We have guests in your room."

    He kissed her temple again. "They will soon leave."

    That was the cue for Naomi and Cain to be dismissed. When the couple stared at the tant shamelessness of Lazarus, he red at them. They both were so afraid that they got up, bowed to him and strode out of the door.

    As soon as they were out of the earshot, Cain started fighting with Naomi. "See where your greed has brought us. You wanted Olya to marry Lazarus and take that piece ofnd? Now Olya will marry him and he will take the piece ofnd and the way he was with Emma, your sister is always going to stay miserable!"

 Chapter 147 Tainted

    "I didn''t know that the events would take this turn!" Naomi retorted. "Who knew that Lazarus would be so greedy? I thought that marrying Olya off to him is going to be like hitting two birds with one stone. But this was surprising! Rather shocking!"

    "You underestimated the royals," Cain seethed. "Lazarus is an extremely vicious and clever prince in all of Wilyra. Did you think that he would ept your sister who had run away from her home? I am sure he must be suspecting that she had already given up her virginity. Who knows where she was all these days? Which prince is going to marry a girl who had run away? Can you answer that?"

    Naomi was already too shaken on the inside. His words fell like hot iron on her ears. She was ashamed of Olya for the first time.

    "No wonder Lazarus is demanding so much dowry," Cain continued. "He knows that your sister is tainted!" They reached their room and Cain shut the door with a bang.

    Naomi started taking off her jewelry. "But the king has asked for Olya''s hand in marriage for his son. That means that Lazarus has to marry Olya!"

    "And that also means that whatever he will demand along with her hand, we have to give. Forcibly!" Cain shot back.

    "What do I do?" Naomi whined. "I am so confused!"

    Cain thumped the table near him in agitation. "I wish she was never found. This is going to cost us almost half of our assets. Are you ready to give them away? Because of you and your sister, will I be doling out my assets as well?"

    Naomi began pacing the room. She was so nervous that she lost all her appetite. Her mind was so numb after what Cain just said that she couldn''t think of anything. A few momentster she sat on the bed and started crying. "What have we got ourselves into?"

    Cain clenched his teeth so hard that they didn''t break. He looked away, absolutely not sympathetic towards his wife. He walked to the window outside where he saw Olya. She was sitting on a stone bench under a willow tree, looking miserable. He could see that her cheeks were stained with tears. Her eyes were fixed in a certain direction. When he followed her gaze, he saw Lazarus strolling out with Emma. He would lean over her and kiss her. Sometimes, he would simply stop and kiss her lips. She would giggle and swat at his chest. As if that was not enough, the louche grabbed her hips, squeezed them with his hands and grinded himself against her belly.

    Cain''s gaze snapped back to Olya who was openly gaping at them. Suddenly, he felt very bad for her. She was going to see this every day of her life. At least he wasn''t cheating on Naomi with other females. He would asionally go to his concubines, but he never cheated on Naomi. What Lazarus was doing was more like cheating. He was openly showing it to Olya that he loved Emma over her.

    On top of cheating, he was demanding a heavy price to marry her because she was now tainted. Cain shook his head, feeling trapped in the situation. Why did he listen to his wife? She painted a golden dream in front of him and got swayed. His eyes went back to Lazarus and Emma. He had picked her up. With one hand coiled around her waist and the other at the back of her neck, he was kissing her as if he would suck the oxygen out of her. He carried her all the way inside, leaving a very unhappy Olya behind.

    Just as he was about to turn to scold his wife even more, he saw Lord Magnusing out. He paused in front of Olya. There was genuine concern on his face. He said some reassuring words to Olya. She nodded with a smile and got up. Along with Magnus she too went inside. Magnus, in his opinion, was far better than his brother. Why couldn''t Olya marry Magnus?

    If Magnus agreed to marry Olya, then their problems would be sorted out. Cain thought that he would give the estate to Magnus and Magnus would be more than happy to take it because he would rule it along with Olya. But the same won''t be the case with Lazarus. Lazarus might ask for more. At the same time, he wondered if Magnus would marry Olya because she was tainted.

    Riled as hell, he stomped out of the room, leaving Naomi behind who was still crying.

    ---

    "Lord Lorza," Emma said with a pout. "You are bing so demanding!" She was beneath him. He had driven inside her and was pounding her from the back.

    He had brought her inside and stripped her in a matter of seconds. He flipped her on her belly and after grabbing her hips, he pulled her to him, impaling her on his rock-hard erection. "You know I can''t get enough of you, Emma!" he rasped as he moved like a piston in her. He could feel her juices coating his shaft. His eyes rolled inside his head as he groaned. He brought his hand around to find her clit. The moment his fingers were on it, he pinched it. Emma shrieked and came all around him. The way her muscles spasmed around his cock, he bellowed and came inside her.

    As if that wasn''t all, he pulled her in hisp with his cock still inside her. He grabbed her waist with one hand and her breasts with the other. He buried his face in her neck and grazed her with his fangs. They were painfully long and he wanted to taste her blood. Even a drop would have been fine, but he resisted his urge.

    ---

    "I am sorry for the way your sister treated you, Olya," Magnus said as he sat in front of her on the bed.

 Chapter 148 [Bonus ] Situation Changed

    Olya''s lips downturned. "I don''t know why she is so difficult. Why can''t she be happy with what father gave her? Father married her off to Lord Cain who was one of the wealthiest men in that region. Yet her greed for my piece ofnd is getting over her logic."

    "The problem is not just your father. The problem is also my father..." Magnus said as he wiped her tears. "I am sure that Lazarus wille out with a solution."

    "I hope so..." I really won''t marry Lord Lazarus. He is so much in love with Emma that it would be a crime to get in that marriage. At the same time, I--" her gaze darted to him and it locked with his eyes.

    "You?" he breathed, his heart stopping.

    "I love you, and not--" The next moment Magnus seized her lips and pulled her in hisp. He curled his fingers around her neck and grasped her waist next to his body. When he pulled away, Olya was breathless. She looked at him as if she was looking at someone who owned her. Her eyes were round at the corner as her face was flushed. She entangled her fingers in his hair and said, "I will always love you..."

    "And I will love you till eternity," he said, his voice a low octave.

    ---

    After thinking for a long time, Naomi thought that it would be better to talk to the king about Lazarus''s demands. She was sure that it was incorrect what Lazarus told her about the king not going against his demands. The king didn''t like his eldest son and that was an open secret. And so if the king favored her over Lazarus, then she would also know the kind of control she ceded on Lazarus. She took an appointment from the king to meet him at midnight.

    When she arrived in his corridor, she could see that the ce was thronged with too many soldiers. It was as if the king was afraid that someone woulde and murder him. She reached the door of his bedchamber and the guard announced her.

    There was an antechamber where she was made to sit by the guard. "Please wait for His Majesty toe here."

    Naomi sat down, her stomach twisted into thousands of knots. This was the only way she could stop Lazarus from usurping hernd. She must have waited for at least half an hour before the king strolled in. He was wearing his night pajamas and a robe. She got up and bowed to him.

    As he sat down, he tilted his head and asked her in a clipped voice, "So what is it that you thought was so urgent?"

    Naomi sat down, ramrod straight. "Your Majesty," she said in a nervous voice. "Only you can help me in this situation."

    Viktor raised an eyebrow and Naomi suddenly realized how father and son had the same habit of raising their eyebrows. She continued, "Lord Lazarus called Cain and me for a meeting. His demands are unreasonable. He is saying that he would need the estate that my father left for Olya in his name before he gets married to her."

    Viktor frowned. "So what is unreasonable about that?"

    Naomi was stunned. She was speechless for some time. When she recovered from her stupor, she said, "B--but why would Lord Lazarus need that estate? He already has this--" she waved in the air, "--this pce. He is richer than all of Wilyrabined."

    The fact that Lazarus was marrying Olya without much of a resistance came as a surprise to him. He didn''t know what his son was ying at, but giving a small piece ofnd to him was hardly an issue. He wanted to see how spoiled his son was or how far he was pushing in order to concede to his demands. If he refused his demand, Viktor was sure that Lazarus would find a reason to marry Emma. Viktor leaned forward. "I think you should do what he has asked you to. Put that estate in his name."

    Naomi''s mouth opened and closed like that of fish out of water. She was so stupefied that she didn''t know what to say. "Your Majesty--"

    "Are you going against my wishes?" Viktor growled. "Do you have a death wish?"

    Naomi paled. "N--no, Your Majesty!" she rasped. "Whatever you wish!"

    "Then you are dismissed."

    She got up immediately, bowed to him and hurried out of the antechamber. As she walked, she felt like pping herself. She thought that if the king would refuse then she would be able to tell the same thing to Lazarus. But the king refused her. Now the matter was in front of Viktor''s eyes. She couldn''t go against his order even if she wanted to. She realized that earlier at least she could have dyed and maybe Lazarus would have changed his mind. But the situation had changed drastically.

    "Where were you?" Cain asked as soon as she entered the room.

    "I was with the king," she cried and then rushed to bed. She crashed on the mattress with her face buried in the pillow. She started crying hysterically.

    "What the fuck happened?" Cain asked, going close to her, tension radiating off him.

    "I-- I--" she cried all the more. When she narrated what she had done, Cain just sat on the bed with a thump, his mind going numb. Naomi had pushed them into something so tight that they didn''t have a room to wriggle out.

    "You stupid woman!" Cain finally shouted. "You have sealed the deal! You have worsened the situation. You thought that you were smart, but that brain of yours is rotten!"

    Naomi couldn''t stop herself from crying. She had not only plunged her sister''s fate into lifelong misery, she had also lost hope of ruling that estate.

    The door of the room opened and Olya walked in with Lazarus, Emma and Magnus. Olya rushed to her sister''s side. "Why are you crying, Naomi?" she asked innocently.

 Chapter 149 What Do You Mean?

    Naomi looked at Olya with surprise, but her surprise got reced with irritation and resentment. She felt like getting up and shouting at Olya, but her mouth snapped shut when she saw Lazarus walking behind her.

    She got up and wiped her tears. Then she bowed to Lazarus and said, "It''s an honor to have you here, my lord."

    Cain too was flustered as to why Lazarus was here along with Magnus. He simply avoided Emma because the way she hung on his arm was too much. To him she looked like a viper who was here to suck the away the wealth of the royal family. A gold digger.

    Lazarus flitted a gaze to Cain and said, "I heard that you visited my father."

    Naomi flinched. "I-- I-- did v--visit him," she stuttered. "It was about--"

    Lazarus raised his hand up and narrowed his eyes. "I know what you visited him for. Did you think that he was going to go against my decision?"

    Naomi gulped as she looked at Cain for help, but Cain averted his gaze leaving her alone to deal with Lazarus. "I thought it was-- I mean you are a-- You have everything and--" she said, panic drilling into her bones at Lazarus''s chilly gaze.

    "Quiet!" Lazarus roared. The windows and doors of the room shook as he roared. "If you think that you are smarter than me, then trust me, you are not. What you did is unpardonable. I want to throw you into the dungeons and seize every bit ofnd that you hold."

    At his words Cain cringed. He gave a frustrated look at Naomi who instantly paled. "I am so sorry, Lord Lazarus," she cried and fell on her knees with her hands sped in front of her as if begging him. "I don''t know what went through my mind. Please forgive me." A fresh bout of tears rolled out of her eyes. At this point all she could think of was Lazarus could take away the estate of her father if he wanted to, he should leave Cain''s and she certainly didn''t want to go to the dungeons.

    Olya rushed to her sister and said, "Get up, Naomi. What are you doing?"

    She shook her head. "I won''t get up until Lord Lazarus forgives me." She looked like a beggar at this point of time.

    Olya jerked her head to Lazarus with a plea in her eyes and found him ring at Naomi.

    Emma touched his arm to soothe him. He calmed down a bit under her touch and said, "Since you are Olya''s sister, I will give you one more chance. Within the next two days, thend should be registered in my name."

    Naomi nodded vehemently. "Yes, Lord Lazarus. It will be done!"

    "Fine then," he said. "If you want to talk more, you can find me in my bedchamber." He looked at Emma, kissed the top of her head and softly said, "Come love. There''s something I want to show you."

    As they turned to leave, Emma asked, "What do you want to show me?" She was still curled up his arm.

    "There is something in my pants. And it is hard and very needy."

    She swatted his arm and giggled. "Hush! You are inpany."<novelsnext>please visit </novelsnext>

    "I need specialpany, love." His reply made her blush. The door closed behind them and there was a moment of relief.

    Magnus gave a knowing nce to Olya and when Olya nodded, he too left.

    Naomi got up from her ce with Olya''s help. The moment she got up, she pushed Olya away. "All my miseries are because of you, Olya!" she cried. "Ever since our parents died, I looked after you like my baby. And see what you have given me?"

    Olya was aghast at her sister''s sudden change of behavior. She was kneeling in front of Lord Lazarus, almost begging him not to throw her in dungeons and now she was ming Olya for her miseries. "What have I done?" she asked, her eyes rounding at the corner.

    "Oh, please don''t y innocent, Olya. You have turned out to be an asp up my sleeve!" Naomi retorted. Cain grunted his displeasure and went to sit on the couch.

    Olya blinked her eyes. "An asp. What are you even saying?"

    Naomi turned to look at her, her face morphed into pure anger. "You ran away!" she pointed her finger at Olya. "You ran away and you have ruined us because of that."

    Olya balked. "I..."

    "Oh shut up, you twit! You ran away and because of that Lazarus is giving us nightmares. Do you know what he has asked us to give him as dowry to marry you? Had you not run away, we wouldn''t have been in this mess!" She was shaking in fury.

    "Dowry?" Olya repeated the word, totally stunned.

    "Yes, dowry!" Naomi spat. "He has asked us to register our father''snd in his name."

    Olya stared at Naomi with disbelief in her eyes.

    "He said that specifically that just because you ran away, he would only marry you if youe with a price. And that is why he wants that estate. Can you imagine what you have done? You have ruined us!" Naomi shouted.

    Cain grunted again, showing his displeasure. "I knew your sister was going to cause trouble."

    Olya was quiet for a few seconds as Naomi red at her and then turned on her heels to go to sit on bed. She grabbed her head in her hands and started crying again. Olya said, "Naomi, what is the problem in giving thend to Lord Lazarus?"

    "What?" Naomi shot at her, jerking her head up. "What do you mean?"

    Olya looked unflustered. "I mean what I say, Naomi. What is the problem in giving the estate to him? After all, Father left the estate in my name. Once Ie of age, thend would be mine and I would eventually give it to my husband. So what''s the problem? I don''t understand."

 Chapter 150 Repayment

    Naomi looked at her with wide eyes. She didn''t know what to say to her and at the same time she was way too angry with her. "Just get out, Olya!" she snapped. "And don''t show me your face. You would never understand!"

    Olya gulped down, feeling horribly humiliated. Her eyes prickled with tears but she blinked them away. "Naomi, I don''t understand your agitation about this whole thing, but you can''t talk to me like this. I have had enough of you ordering me around like a puppy who belongs to you. You have done whatever you liked with me. But now no more!"

    Shocked at her words, Naomi got up. She rose to her feet. cing her hands on her hips she challenged Olya, "What are you going to do Olya? Huh?"

    Olya didn''t back out. "I will just stop talking to you unless youe back to your senses."

    "My senses?" Naomi lifted her hand and pped Olya hard across her face.

    Olya squealed and fell on the floor. "Naomi!" she rasped, her hand on her cheek that was stinging with sharp pain.

    Naomi towered above her and hissed, "Know your ce, Olya. You are nothing but a pawn in this whole game. You are a worm who is wriggling and that is what you shall remain all your life. Even if Lazarus doesn''t marry Emma, she will remain in the forefront. Didn''t you see how he took Emma out of this room, as if you don''t even exist? Don''t you see how Emma is around him?"

    Olya''s tears came out unbridled. She never expected Naomi to p her. She nced at Cain who was sitting there watching her with equal hatred. She knew she couldn''t expect him to butt in because it was his interests that were mainly hurt. Olya got up to her feet and said, "I know how Lazarus is with Emma and that was why I told you that I don''t want to marry him. Yet you are the one who is insisting that I marry him." Her gaze darted between Naomi and Cain. "And now I am thinking that since you know so much about Lazarus and Emma, why are you pushing me in this alliance? What is your real purpose?"

    Naomi''s mouth fell to the ground as Cain shifted in his ce. Olya gave them onest look and then ran out of the room with her hand on her cheek, tears flowing out. She ran through the pce and stopped only at Magnus''s quarters. As soon as she was in the bedroom, she crashed on bed with a cry.

    Magnus saw her running to his bedroom. He was talking to Lazarus and Emma at that time. As soon as he saw her running, he too ran after her, leaving the conversation in the middle.

    "Olya!" he called her and rushed to sit by her side.

    "I hate Naomi!" Olya said, hitting the pillow. "She is too rude!"

    "Look at me, Olya," Magnus said as he ced his hand on her shoulder. He was so anxious that it hurt his heart. He could feel his chest tightening. He hated it when Olya cried andtely, he was feeling as if his life was only revolving around Olya. He didn''t know what was going wrong or right, he only wanted to be with her. Seeing her crying was making him restless.

    She shook her head. She didn''t want to show him the mark of five fingers on her cheek. "I am fine. I just-- just--" she hupped. "I just don''t understand why is she so--"

    "Greedy?" Magnuspleted the sentence for her. He stroked her back and then pulled her towards him. "Olya I--" And then his eyes went to the mark on her cheeks. Anger sted in his chest like a volcano. "I am going to kill her!" he growled. He got up, ready to trace to her room when Olya pulled his hand.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "No!" she said. "You can''t do that."

    Just then Lazarus traced to their room with Emma. One look at her and Emma rushed to Olya. "Who the hell did that to you?" she asked.

    "Naomi..." Olya said through her tears in a low voice.

    "I am going to fucking kill her and then hang her body upside down in front of the pce!" Magnus shouted. "I am going to make sure that Cain is stripped naked and whipped and--"

    "Calm down," Lazarus growled at his brother. Magnus looked mad as hell. It was as if Olya was his mate and he could go to any lengths to keep her protected. "We will find a way around it."

    Magnus began pacing his room. "I want to marry Olya now!" he dered. "I just want to marry her now. We will run away to the cabin in Wilyra Mountains and stay there for the rest of our lives! But I will take her away from all this nonsense!"

    "Shut up, Magnus!" Lazarus growled at him. "Let me think on how to tackle this issue."

    ---

    Rage was simmering inside her like a wound. She didn''t want to part with that piece ofnd. She had looked after it after her father''s death as her own. Her father had willed it to Olya but she always thought of it as his repayment towards bringing up Olya. Every minute that passed, this thought ingrained in her mind. She had to talk to Olya and make her understand this. Naomi picked up her shawl and wrapped it around her gown as she started to go out of her room.

    "Where are you going?" asked Cain. It had been a few hours, and dawn was approaching soon. They had to sleep now.

    "I am going to meet Olya!" she said through her gritted teeth.

    "Are you mad?" Cain scolded her. "What for?"

    "To make her understand my point of view. She is nothing but a child who is going to spoil everything I had built and dreamt. And I won''t allow her. I am going to make her see what thatnd means to me." Basically, Naomi wanted to manipte Olya into thinking that the estate was her repayment of bringing her up.

 Chapter 151 Who Would Benefit Most?

    "And you feel that Olya would understand you?" Cain asked as he rose to his feet and came to her. He ced his hand on her shoulders and said, "She is not so much of a child that she doesn''t understand what you are trying to convey to her. She is only acting innocent. And if you haven''t heard herst words, let me repeat them for you."

    Naomi''s brows creased. Her breath came outbored as she saw her husband.

    He continued, "She said that why are we pushing her in this alliance? What is our real purpose?" He paused for Naomi to understand it. When she continued to look at him with a puzzled expression, he said, "Olya knows why you want that estate in her name. There was a hidden warning in her words. So if you go and talk to her, be sure that you craft your words in a way that they don''te out as hostile."

    Naomi nodded as realization weighed heavily upon her. Olya had started suspecting that she was after hernd. At first, she thought that Olya was behaving like a child, but not now. "I will take care," Naomi said. She took a deep breath in.

    As she walked to Olya''s room, she realized that this was her only chance to convince Olya. Only she could ask Lazarus not to go for it. When she reached Olya''s room, she didn''t find her there. Upon asking the guards, she came to know that Olya had gone to Magnus''s room. Naomi frowned and didn''t like that she had gone to Magnus''s room. Anger red inside her that she was creating more troubles. She marched to Magnus''s room. And when she reached there, the guards didn''t allow her to go inside.

    "But I am Olya''s sister and I know that Olya is in there," she reasoned.

    "We are sorry, mydy," said the guard. "But we can''t allow you to enter the prince''s room without prior appointment."

    Naomi gritted her teeth cursing Olya inside. She stomped her foot to show her displeasure to the guard and then turned back to go. However, she decided to be in Olya''s room and confront her.

    Olya didn''t return for the whole day and that really bothered Naomi. What was she doing in Magnus''s room? This was really unhealthy. She decided to go and visit Emma, but when she reached there, the guards stopped her from going into the wing where she and Lazarus lived.

    "We can''t let you enter this ce, mydy," the guard informed as all others crossed their spears to block her.

    "I¡ª I¡ª I have to meet Lady Emma and Lord Lazarus."

    "They are not here and we still won''t let you enter."

    Totally frustrated, Naomi went back to Olya''s room and decided to wait for her. She fell asleep on the couch waiting for her. When she woke up, it was already evening but Olya hadn''t returned. Naomi got worried. Her sister was really a menace. At first, she ran away and now she was with Magnus. She had really gone wild. Her birthday wasing in less than a month''s time. Till then she had to be very careful of herself especially if she had to marry the future king of Wilyra.

    Frustrated that she couldn''t meet Olya, Naomi returned to her room where Cain was having his dinner.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "That took you very long," he remarked.

    "I didn''t meet her. She wasn''t in her room," she said in an irritated tone. "But I am going back to her room after dinner and a bath."

    Naomi repeated this pattern for the next day as well. And by the end of that day, she became jittery. She had to give up her estate at the end of the next day which was her deadline. If she didn''t meet Olya by that time, she didn''t know what would happen. Cain hadn''t left the pce to change the name on the papers.

    "What is the problem!" Cain said as he paced his room. "You can''t bloody meet that fucking sister of yours?"

    Naomi fidgeted with her fingers. "I just can''t find her. The guards are not letting me meet her. What can I do?" she whined.

    Cain knew that he had to leave for Upper North Jupan as early as possible. It took almost full day for him to reach there even if he traced. He wasn''t as powerful as Lazarus who could reach there in half a day. "I am going to Jupan and get the papers ready. I wille back by morning. In case you are able to convince Olya by morning, we will tear the papers. In case you can''t, we will present the papers to Lord Lazarus."

    "But¡ª" Naomi started crying.

    Cain looked at her irritated as hell. "There is no other option left. But it should be clear to you that Olya is avoiding you on purpose."

    Naomi closed her eyes as tears flooded them. "I didn''t know that Olya has changed so much. There is someone behind her who is corrupting her mind."

    "Why do I feel that it is Emma who is instigating her against you?" Cain mused. "After all, why would Lord Lazarus ask you to give that piece ofnd? He has the whole kingdom for himself. Who do you think would be most benefited by this arrangement?"

    Naomi''s mouth dropped to the floor. Her thoughts went wild and finally she said, "Emma?"

    "That''s right!" Cain let out a humorless chuckle. "Emma is the one who would benefit the most. She is a bloody gold digger. She knows that she won''t marry Lazarus. At the end of the day she is nothing but his whore. And what would she have when her beauty withers? When she bes old? She is a human and so she will die soon. And she needs some security where she would park her ass. This is where your father''s estatees handy."

    Shocked, Naomi pped her hands over her mouth.

 Chapter 152 Caught In Her Web

    Cain left for Upper North Jupan. He said that he would be in the pce by the end of the night and by that time he had instructed her to find Olya and put some sense in her.

    As Naomi once again walked to find Olya, Cain''s words rang in her mind. Emma was the one responsible for corrupting Lazarus''s mind. She was the one who needed thend and it was all because she would never be epted in the royal household.

    Naomi pped her forehead. Why couldn''t she think of this before? Why couldn''t she see the serpent that Emma was? She was so na?¡¥ve. How Emma made this n and how she manipted them all?

    She entered Olya''s room and still didn''t find her. Upset, she told the guards if they could send her a message or try to find her. She had something very important to tell her.

    The guards said that they hadn''t seen Lady Olya in thest twenty-four hours. Frustrated, she decided to go to meet Emma. She knew that it was impossible for her to meet Emma, so the best option would be to trace her room. Naomi could trace, but her powers were very limited. She couldn''t trace long distances. But this she could cover. However, she knew that this was a high risk. What if Emmained to Lord Lazarus and he might think it to be an act of spying.

    Nothing was working and precious time was slipping. Suddenly she got an idea.

    ---

    Olya was in Emma''s room talking about her uing birthday. "What are your ns for the birthday?" Emma asked with a grin. "Because if you don''t have, I have grand ones!"

    Olyaughed. "I have no ns but Lord Magnus said that he had a few." A pale blush crept on her cheeks.

    "Oh, that''s interesting!" Emma chirped. "Any chance that we will be involved?"

    Olya''s blush deepened. "I don''t know..."

    Emma tipped her head back andughed. Olya was so innocent. "It''s okay. We will get involved even if you don''t want us," she teased.

    Olya bit her bottom lip, not happy but also not unhappy.

    "They say that you smell your mate when you turn eighteen?" Emma said. "What if you smell your mate, Olya?"

    Olya tensed. "I don''t think I could ept my mate." Her eyes flooded with tears instantly. "I love Lord Magnus too much to ept my mate. Moreover, mates are very rare in Lore."

    Emma rubbed Olya''s upper arm. "I didn''t mean to hurt your feelings."

    She shook her head. "I just can''t think of anyone else, Emma. Lord Magnus is etched beneath my skin since the first day I saw him. I gravitate to him like the moon to the earth, like sun to earth. I love him so much that I forget to breathe sometimes."

    "Oh, Olya!" Emma said and hugged her. "I love Lord Lazarus the same way." All at once, she jumped back. "It is time!"

    Olya frowned. "Time for what?"

    "Time for him to feed from me!" Emma rose to her feet and rushed to Lord Lazarus''s room. He was not in there but he came two secondster, tracing right behind her.

    "Were you looking for a vampire?" he asked as he curled his hands around her waist.

    "I was looking for a particr vampire," she smiled and gathered her hair to one side to entice him.

    Lazarus''s control slipped. He grazed his neck with his fangs and licked over her mark. She pushed her body in his and he moaned. He picked her up and the next instant, he pierced her flesh. She stifled her scream as pleasure hit her secondster.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    ---

    Olya stared at the door where Emma went and couldn''t help but feel that it would be the same between her and Magnus. The idea sent delightful shivers down her body. A loud knock on the door pounded, pulling her out of her thoughts.

    "Lady Olya?" the guard said. When Olya opened the door, he said, "Lady Naomi wants to see you. She has slipped and twisted her ankle. She is in a lot of pain and feels like she even got a fever. She has sent the message that she wanted to meet you."

    Olya blinked her eyes as if to understand what just happened. She had been avoiding Naomi from a day. "Where is she?"

    "She is in her room," the guard informed.

    Worry stabbed her heart. Olya rushed to Naomi''s room. In the corridor towards her room, she met Anton.

    "Olya?" he said, his brows furrowed. "You look pale. Anything wrong?"

    Olya stopped to bow to him. "My sister is unwell!"

    "I see," he said. "You can take her to the healer."

    "I will!" she said and bowed to him and hurried away.

    Anton watched her leaving. He wanted to offer her to trace her to Naomi''s room, but he was too busy. He wanted to find dys and ask her about Maeve. And Lazarus had kept dys somece top secret.

    When Olya reached Naomi''s room, she found her on the bed, whining in pain. "Naomi!"

    "Olya!" Naomi called her with outstretched hands. "You are finally here to see your miserable sister."

    Olya rushed into her arms. "I heard about your fever," she said with worry all over her face. It was rare for a vampire to get a fever and if they did it meant that they were rotting. Her gaze went to her ankle. It was wrapped in bandages. "And you twisted your ankle!"

    "Yes!" Naomi cried. "Am I dying?"

    "Oh hush!" Olya chided. "Whileing here I called the healer."

    "Why? It is nothing big. I took charge. See?" Naomi pointed at her bandages, afraid that if the healer came, her lie woulde out.

    Olya touched her forehead. "You don''t look like you have a fever, Naomi," she said.

    Naomi grabbed her hand. "I have something very urgent to tell you!" Her gaze darted between her eyes.

    Olya froze in her ce. "What?"

    Naomi patted the ce beside her. "Sit." Finally Olya was caught in her web. She was going to do everything to handle her.

 Chapter 153 [Bonus ] Cant You See?

    ?

    Olya sat near Naomi, her mind still wondering as to what was it that was so urgent. "I hope Lord Cain is fine¡­" she said. Or was it that her sister had some hidden disease?

    "He is fine, Olya. He has gone to Upper North Jupan," Naomi replied. "And you know for what."

    Olya jerked her head back, blinking her eyes. She took a ragged breath. "Yes, I know¡­"

    Naomi''s lips downturned. She cried, "He has gone to register thatnd in Lord Lazarus''s name. And I wanted to talk to you about it."

    Olya averted her gaze from her sister. Her eyesnded on her ankle. Her fingers were twitching and they moved as if in nervousness.

    Naomi continued, "I know that you don''t want to talk about it, Olya, but I wanted you to see the whole scheme that is going behind this."

    "What scheme?" Olya shot back. Naomi was overthinking as usual. "There is no scheme. Lord Lazarus has asked for something and you should give it to him, considering that he would be my future husband."

    "That''s what!" Naomi said, pping her thigh and she sat up suddenly. "He is going to be your husband but who will benefit from it? Do you even realize how na?ve you are, Olya? Lord Lazarus is under the spell of Emma. That girl is too cunning. She is the one who has schemed. She is the one who must have goaded Lord Lazarus to register thend in his name."

    "And why will she do that?" Olya said, hating every word that came out of Naomi''s mouth.

    Naomi straightened her back as the expression on her face changed to that of excitement. "Emma is a human and that means that she will wither away when she is old. She is not a vampire who lives for thousands of years. But Lord Lazarus is a vampire. He is going to outlive her."

    "So?"

    "So when she bes old, what do you think will happen to her?" Naomi darted her gaze between Olya''s eyes as if searching for an answer. When Olya remained quiet, she said, "When she bes old, Lord Lazarus will lose interest in her. He is going to throw her out of the pce and go for his concubines. What is going to happen when she is thrown out?" Naomi touched Olya''s hand. "Emma is ensuring that when she bes old, she livesfortably in a nice house. And when she saw that youe from a royal family and have a beautiful estate, she schemed. Then she pursued Lazarus to convince him to get thend in his name."

    "What are you even saying?" Olya snapped.

    "Listen to me patiently, Olya!" Naomi squeezed her hand. "As soon as the estate is in Lazarus''s name, Emma is going to ask him to register it in her name. Now can you see what she is doing? Can you see through her n?"

    "Naomi, you are talking ridiculous!" Olya barked. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Olya, you are too na?ve to see through that cunning Emma. The king wants you to marry Lazarus and not her. So obviously she will end up bing his concubine. And what happens to the concubines? They are used for pleasure and then thrown. Emma is a human. How long will she be used? She will be thrown sooner than she would realize. Her family would never take her back out of shame. That is why she is ensuring her future. Now can you understand what is going on?"

    Olya got up from there in anger. Naomi pulled her hand and made her sit again. "Olya, sit down. You still have the time to stop this nonsense. If you don''t want to lose that piece of estate, then you are going to stop Lazarus from usurping it. You will tell him to not take it. He is going to snatch it from you and give it to Emma." Her eyes became moist when she added, "Think of our father. He wanted thatnd for you and not for anyone else to have it."

    Olya tipped her head up and took a deep breath in. She closed her eyes and when she opened them, her gaze went to her sister''s ankle. She had crossed her legs and was sitting on her ankle quitefortably. So Naomi made it all up just to call her over here. Olya ignored that part. For now. She said, "Naomi, you are wrong in so many ces."

    "I am wrong?" Naomi said in a high pitched voice. "Or is it you who is blind? You are so blinded by that bitch Emma that you don''t see the reason your sister is trying to drill into your head!"

    Olya chuckled. "Let me list a few things for you before I reason." She took her hand out and tapped her pinky finger. "First, Lord Lazarus and Emma are mates. If Emma dies, Lord Lazarus would follow her to the Fade."

    "That is pure bullshit! Did his father follow his mother?" Naomi countered.

    Olya ignored her words. She tapped her ring finger. "Secondly, why would Lord Lazarus leave Emma a human? He would convert her and make her live longer. Even she would want to live with him for as long as possible."

    Naomi snapped her mouth shut before speaking against that argument.

    Olya tapped her middle finger. "Thirdly, Lord Lazarus would give her all the wealth that she needs and then some more. He is quite rich. Why would Emma depend on something as measly as my estate when she can have her own beautiful ce?" That actually meant that Naomi could go and fuck herself. Olya pointed her middle finger rather sharply at her.

    "Why would Lord Lazarus give her money?" Naomi gave a weak argument.

    Olya again ignored her words. She tapped her index finger. "Fourthly, Lord Lazarus has asked for that estate because that is his condition to marry me. Nothing else. That is perhaps all the dowry he is asking for."

    "But it is an insane thing to ask!" Naomi retorted.

    "Fifth," Olya said, tapping her thumb. "After marrying me, Lord Lazarus would be free to marry anyone. Who knows that he will marry Emma as well? It is not umon for the princes to have more than one wife."

    Naomi stared at her little sister.

 Chapter 154 I Am The Best!

    ?

    "Naomi!" Olya said a little louder. "Why are you saying all this to me? It is irrelevant."

    "How is this irrelevant, Olya?" Naomi cried. "How can I make you understand?"

    "You don''t have to," Olya replied. "There is nothing to understand." She knew Naomi''s intentions pretty well and didn''t want to spend a minute more with her. She got up from her ce. "I have to leave now." She started going to the door.

    "Wait!" Naomi''s voice came from behind. "Wait, Olya!"

    When Olya turned, she saw that Naomi was rushing towards her to stop her. Olya''s eyes went to her ankle and she narrowed her eyes on them. Naomi was embarrassed and her cheeks heated. She looked at her ankle and stuttered, "I think¡ª I think¡ª"

    The door opened and the healer walked in. An old man with a white beard and a long white robe, he had a kind look. He looked between the two sisters with urgency.

    Olya cocked her head as she crossed her arms across her chest. Without saying a word to Naomi, she addressed the healer directly. "My sister''s ankle is swollen pretty badly. Can you apply the strongest poultice that you have with you?"

    "Of course, Lady Olya!" The healer said, nodding vehemently when he saw that Naomi was standing at an awkward angle and that her face was flushed red. He thought that she was in extreme pain. He was not only going to apply his strongest poultice but give her the best sleeping draft.

    "I don''t want it!" Naomi said, shaking her head and feeling scared. This was just an excuse she had made to call Olya, and she didn''t want to fall in her own trap. It was her will to get healed or not. No one could force her even if she was in tremendous pain.

    The healer sighed. Most of his patients always got scared of him. "Please don''t worry Lady Naomi," the healer said politely as he kept his medicine box on the table. "The king had asked me to heal one of his concubines, but he told me that I have to give you the priority. After all, you are above the concubines."

    "The king knows?" Naomi asked, shocked with the information. If the king knew, it meant that he was going to ask the healer about her progress because even though her priority was above the concubine, the king loved his concubine over Naomi any day.

    The healer opened his box and gave her a tooth grin. "Yes, he knows. Now would you kindly sit on this couch?" he asked her politely. He took out a small ss bottle that contained a gooey green paste. The moment he opened its lid, a strong smell of mint and bitter oil mixed with something that smelled like battered flesh. Naomi gagged and Olya covered her nose with her hands.

    "Well, have fun, Naomi," Olya said as she rushed out of the room with augh that she was finding hard to control.

    Naomi felt like gagging when she smelled the poultice. "I don''t want it!" she squeaked.

    "It may be smelling foul, mdy," said the healer, "But it is very effective."

    The healer covered the gap between them and kneeled on the ground in front of Naomi. He lifted her gown and saw the bandages tied around it. "Who has done such a sloppy job?" he asked. "The maids are absolutely useless and shitty in performing such simple jobs such as tying bandages!"

    Naomi mumbled something indecipherable because she was the one who had tied the bandages on her ankle. She wanted to yank her foot away from the healer, but if she did that, he was going to report it to the king. The king would hate that Naomi was faking because that would mean that the treatment of his concubine was dyed because of her. At this point of time, she couldn''t withstand King Viktor''s anger. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    The healer opened the bandage and picked up her ankle on his thigh. He scooped out a generous amount of poultice from the bottle and pped it on her ankle. The effect was numbing. Naomi shouted when he spread the poultice all over. It was as if she couldn''t feel her ankle. The skin had be extremely cold and numb.

    The healerughed. "You will be fine in a few days." He helped a very dazed Naomi on the bed who was now in tears. Once he settled her there, he tied bandages and then gave her a draft.

    "What is this?" she squeaked in a low voice.

    "This will remove your painpletely," he said with a smile.

    Naomi had to gulp the potion down her throat and as soon as she did that, she felt dizzy. "Wh¡ª what is in it?" Instead of one healer, she saw three healers and then four. And they were all smiling with pride.

    "It''s a sleeping draft."

    Naomi''s eyes rolled back in her head and she plopped on the pillow, sleeping.

    The healer chuckled. "I am the best."

    Olya stopped herself fromughing all the way back to her room. She closed the door and leaned against it as she burst outughing. Lord Magnus came out of the bathroom with a frown on his forehead, wrapped in a towel around his hips. When he saw herughing, he couldn''t help smiling. That was his favorite sound. He walked to her and curled his arms around her waist. He picked her up and said, "Did you meet Naomi?"

    "Yes!" Olya replied as she ced her hands on his naked chest.

    "And I assume that the meeting went well?"

    "It was hrious!" Olyaughed till she had tears in her eyes. "Naomi is trapped in her own stupid web."

    "I believe that you trapped her," he said as he made her sit on the mattress. He pushed her gently on the pillow and hovered over her with his hands on either side. "Just like I am trapping you now."

    Olya stoppedughing. Her chest rose and fell for a different reason.

    Magnus lowered his face and their lips brushed.

 Chapter 155 Signed

    ?

    Cain came just before the morning. Disheveled and irritated, he barged inside his room only to find Naomi sleeping. He shouted at her, "Naomi!" She didn''t even stir. He paced to the bed and shook her with his hands. "Get up, Naomi! Did you talk to your sister?" Once again, she didn''t wake up. Instead, she just turned to the other side, mumbled something incorrigible and went off to sleep again.

    The door of the room opened and Cain whipped his head to look as to who had entered. The healer walked in. "What do you want?" Cain asked, hating the interruption.

    The healer bowed to him. "Lord Cain, I havee here to see Lady Naomi."

    Cain''s brows furrowed. "Why?"

    "She had sprained her ankle yesterday and was in tremendous pain. I had to give her a sleeping draft. She won''t wake up for a few more hours."

    Cain''s mouth fell to the floor. "Sprained her ankle?" He had got the papers signed in the name of Lazarus. The estate was his unless Naomi had convinced his sister to change her mind. He wanted to tear those papers but not before listening it from Naomi''s lips.

    The healer nodded as he approached the bed. He lifted her gown till the ankle and said, "See." He pointed at the bandages on her ankle.

    Cain stabbed his fingers in his hair as he stood there, numb in mind. How could this happen? They didn''t really have the time. "Well, wake her up! I have to say something very important to her!"

    The healer gave him a stare as if telling him how strange he was. "You can''t wake up a person like this. That sleeping draft is very strong." Saying that he started opening the bandages around her ankle as Cain watched him with disbelief. When he had opened it all, he said, "Her ankle has healed. There is no swelling now."

    There was no swelling yesterday either. But since Prince Anton had sent him to look after her, he couldn''t say no. He had to go and see King Viktor''s concubine. When he informed King Viktor about this, the king asked him to see her first. He could have said that there was no swelling but he was scared that if Lady Naomi used him of not looking after her, he was going to be royally screwed. So instead of him getting royally screwed, he got Naomi royally screwed. She was acting smart? He acted smarter. How dare she waste his time?

    He got up and gave Cain a bottle of green poultice. "In case she feels pain in her ankle, which she shouldn''t, you may apply this poultice to her skin. She will feel better in a day."

    Cain took the bottle from him and watched him leave. He was so angry that once the door closed, he threw the bottle against the wall. It shattered into a million thin shards. "Fuck!" He kicked the leg of the bed. The wood cracked, creaked and groaned before breaking. Naomi rolled down to the floor as it tilted, but she was still in deep slumber. Furious, Cain just left her sleeping on the cold floor.

    An hourter the guard knocked on the door. "Lord Cain, Lord Lazarus has asked you to meet him."

    Cain had just taken a bath. He was extremely tired and wanted to sleep. "Tell him I will be there in an hour!"

    "He wants to meet you in fifteen minutes."

    "What the fuck!" Cain yelled. But the guard didn''t respond.

    Cain looked at his wife who was snoring on the cold floor. Everything was going wrong. Hurriedly, he wore his clothes and as he walked to meet Lazarus, he buttoned his shirt. Lazarus was waiting for him in his chamber. When Cain opened the door of his room, he saw that Lazarus was sitting at the table while Emma was sprawled beneath a quilt on the bed and Olya was sitting at the edge of the bed, talking to Emma. He was repulsed by how meek Olya looked in front of Emma.

    "Have you been able to register thend in my name?" Lazarus asked.

    "Yes!" He gritted through his teeth. His fingers curled around the scroll which was the deed. The estate was now in the name of Lord Lazarus. Once he handed the papers to him, he was going to forever relinquish his hold on that piece ofnd. "We need Olya''s signatures on the deed below yours." <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Olya jumped up, her face glowing with energy. "Where do you need my signatures?" she asked, batting her eyshes.

    Cain grabbed her by her upper arm and said, "Can I talk to you?"

    Olya looked up at him with surprise. "Sure," she muttered.

    Cain took her outside the room and grated, "Did Naomi talk to you about all this scheme yesterday?"

    Olya raised her arched eyebrow. So it wasn''t Naomi who had thought about it? It was Lord Cain who had shoved the idea in her sister''s mind. "She did," Olya replied, removing her arm from him. "And I gave her my answer."

    "Can''t you see what Emma is doing? She is going to make you her ve. She is going to take yournd and toss you into misery. Why can''t you get it into your thick head?" Cain hissed. "Are you such a moron?"

    Olya pursed her lips. "We need to go inside and finish the job. I don''t want to wait for it because we have to go to the vige and check out a few things."

    "Who is ''we''?"

    "Emma, Lord Lazarus, Lord Magnus and me. Maybe, Lord Anton too."

    "Olya!" Cain tried to reason. "What is wrong with you? Why don''t you¡ª"

    "You are wasting my time, Lord Cain," Olya shot at him. "And my time is precious. I have to go to meet Lord Magnus and discuss the agenda at the vige." Olya turned on her heels and walked inside the bedroom.

    Lazarus was looking at her with a hint of a smile on his lips when she walked in. "What are we waiting for, Lord Cain?" he said.

    Cain shuffled on his feet. His grip on the papers tightened. He took a deep ragged breath in.

    Lazarus extended his hand. "Then let us sign those papers and we will be done with. We have to go for a meeting with Magnus."

    Cain just couldn''t stall it anymore. With heavy steps he closed to where Lazarus was sitting and with shaky hands gave him the deed.

    "Thank you," Lazarus smiled victoriously. He opened the deed, read it carefully and then took out the quill from the inkstand and signed it. "Come here, Olya." When Olya went to him, he gave her the quill and she signed it where he pointed. "There!" Lazarus said excitedly. "This is all done now." He opened a drawer in his table, stashed the papers in it and closed it. He got up and said, "Thank you, Lord Cain. You have indeed shown your interest in marrying Olya into the royal house. The marriage will take ce in a month''s time. If you like, you can stay in the pce for a month. However, I would like it if you and Naomi leave. You can prepare for the remaining dowry at Upper North Jupan."

    "Remaining dowry?" Cain squeaked, paling.

 Chapter 156 Ready To Attack

    ?

    Cain left the room, muttering something under his breath about the royal house and marriage. The way Lord Lazarus had asked him to leave the pce was too humiliating. If he weren''t the heir to the throne, Cain would have never listened to him, rather he would have killed him on the spot. He was going to leave the pce by the evening or as soon as Naomi woke up.

    As soon as Cain left, Lazarus burst intoughter. He was suppressing it ever since Cain hade with the deed paper. And when heughed, Emma and Olya looked at him with wonder. Lord Lazarus was capable ofughing like that? It was a wonderful sight.

    Lazarus grabbed his stomach as heughed and came to sit next to Emma. "That vampire looked like a mouse!" he said in between hisughter.

    And Emma continued to watch her mate with just a broad smile. He looked so¡­ beautiful. So carefree. So rxed.

    Lazarus wiped the water from the corner of his eyes and when he turned to face Emma, he found her watching him intently. He raised his eyebrow with a silent question and his smile intact. She said, "Lord Lazarus, you shouldugh more. I think it has be my favorite sound now."

    Lazarus''s smile got reced with an intense stare. Emma crawled towards him and kissed him on his lips. "You are so beautiful when you areughing that I forgot to breathe."

    Lazarus tilted his head and kissed the corner of her lips, his chest swelling with love. "You stole my line, Emma. You always look so beautiful that I forget to breathe."

    "Maybe you both can open a mutual admiration society," a voice from the door broke their conversation.

    Lazarus sighed at his brother. "Well, Magnus, you made an entry at the wrong time!" He got up and walked to his table to pick up the paper after giving a chaste kiss to Emma''s forehead.

    "Lazarus, you forget that Olya is in your room and she is still a minor," Magnus reasoned.

    "In that case, I am going to keep Olya away from you, Lord Magnus," Emma said with a chuckle. "Because I did see a love bite on her neck a few minutes back."

    Olya''s hand immediately went to her neck. She had covered the love bite very carefully with a scarf that she had tied across her neck. The scarf was still there in its ce. She blushed when Emma startedughing. "You tricked me," Olya said with banter.

    "You won''t do any such thing, Lady Emma," Magnus said rather strictly. No one could separate him from hisdy love.

    "Here," Lazarus said to his brother. "Get these papers signed in your name as soon as possible."

    Magnus took the deed, his eyes wide in surprise. "That was quick, Lazarus!"

    Lazarus shrugged.

    "But should I get it changed so soon?" he asked. "Lord Cain would start doubting."

    "Once you get the deed in your name, stash it in your room in a safe ce. Cain wouldn''te to know about it. He won''t even go to thend revenue office to search for the information because he would be too afraid at the moment," Lazarus said with a smirk. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Magnus stepped forward and in the next instant he embraced his brother in a bear hug. "You are doing so much for me."

    Lazarus froze for a moment. He wasn''t used to such embraces from his family. It was odd, but then why was it that it felt so good? Tears pricked at the back of his eyes but he blinked them away rapidly. "It is the least I can do for Olya and you." He wanted to keep his brother and his love safe for the time he ascended the throne and the only way to do that was to send them both to the estate. The estate was nestled in the midst of a valley and was extremely beautiful. It had a vige all around it whose poption was not more than three hundred people.

    Magnus and Olya would stay there and could happily rule the ce till the end of the world. It wasn''t that he didn''t want him in the pce, but he knew that Magnus would be happy to have his own ce and feel more confident. He was extremely talented and he was wasting his talent in the pce. Magnus had excellent engineering skills. Lazarus had seen it with his eyes when Magnus would build models of bridges and houses and water dams.

    Lazarus was going to call him once things settled in Wilyra. Magnus was too precious to be used in the war. Yul was the man who was going to be his future General. And Magnus would be his top minister.

    Lazarus stroked his brother''s back gently. "Once you marry Olya, you must move to that estate."

    Magnus pulled himself away. "Yes, I will," he said with a smile. Though Lazarus hadn''t told him the n that was going on in his mind, but Magnus was no fool. He understood that whatever Lazarus did, it had a deep purpose. Then he turned to Olya and said, "Would you like toe to the room? There''s something I would like to discuss with you."

    Olya giggled. "Yes, let''s go because Emma also has something important to discuss with Lord Lazarus." She gave back to Emma who was now blushing.

    That evening they went to the vige as discussed earlier. There had been cases of strange disappearances. When they reached the vige, they were to meet the rebels. Lazarus said to Emma, "I don''t want you toe inside for the meeting. Things are not good."

    "Lazarus, the rebel leader is none other than my father," Emma said.

    "Yes, I know and I am afraid that he is going to behave nasty with you in front of everyone. I won''t be able to see if he humiliates you," he replied. "I may just kill him and then it would be even more difficult to have talks with the rebels."

    "The talks with the rebels are very crucial, Emma," Magnus exined. "There is something very strange going on and the rebels think that it is because of the vampires."

    Emma looked ufortable. "Okay, I will stay here, but please be very careful."

    Lazarus squeezed her hands. "I am going to keep four guards stationed around this carriage. If you feel that you''ve been attacked, then don''t worry. I wille to you in a second."

    Emma nodded, feeling more for his safety than hers. "You be careful, okay?"

    He kissed her head and then along with Olya and Magnus, got out of the carriage. Lazarus had called this meeting secretly. He had informed the rebels in a way that they wouldn''t have been able to inform the pce. Yet he couldn''t trust the rebels.

    The carriage had stopped in front of themunity hall where all the rebels had already gathered. There was nervous activity around the ce. People looked at Lazarus cautiously. They also had their eyes on the carriage that was surrounded by four guards who were on the horses. The vampire guards had cold faces as they assessed the humans around them, with their hands on the hilt of the swords, ready to attack.

 Chapter 157 The Meeting

    ?

    When Lazarus entered themunity hall with his men, he saw that there were arge number of rebels that had gathered over there. He wasn''t intimidated by their presence, but he realized that this meeting was extremely important for them.

    There was a table in the middle and about sixteen chairs surrounding it. At the head of the table sat Drogo, Emma''s father. The way he looked at him, Lazarus was sure that he hadn''t revealed to anyone that he had sold his daughter to him. Lazarus crossed the floor, scanning the crowd that was huddled a few feet behind Drogo. They all stared at him with fear and trepidation. The hall waspletely silent. He went to sit at the other end of the table. There were other rebels too and all of them sat around the table, watching him intently. Magnus stood right behind him and other vampires nked him.

    "You called for this meeting Lord Lazarus. Can you please state your purpose?" Drogo said in a loud, authoritative voice.

    Lazarus tilted his head and leaned it on his hand. "I would like to start from the beginning. What is the purpose of your rebellion?"

    Drogo appeared to be angry. "Have youe here to ridicule us? Don''t you know what is the purpose of this rebellion? Why are you asking about it?"

    "Like I said¡ª I was to start from the beginning. Was that so difficult to understand?" Lazarus replied back with a snarl so ferocious that all of the rebels shrank in fear.

    Drogo''s heart beat fast, but he cleared his throat. He had to maintain his fa?ade that he wasn''t scared of the vampire prince. He took a deep breath and said, "We are not happy in your rule. We have been staying in this kingdom for generations and still you rule us. We will not submit to your rule. We want freedom!"

    "So you mean to say that you want to break the treaty which was formted hundreds of years back between humans and vampires?" Lazarus asked, straightening his back and leaning forward.

    "The treaty was biased," Drogo replied. "It is not in favor of humans!"

    "Have you read the treaty?" Lazarus asked again. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Yes, I have!" Drogo replied glibly. He didn''t remember it.

    Lazarus narrowed his eyes on him. "Then can you list the kind of punishment you have to meet when you break the treaty?"

    Drogo shifted on his chair. He didn''t know what the punishment was. All he ever knew was that they had to rebel against the vampires and get hold of thend of Wilyra. The rebellion was more for the sake of usurping thends. "I don''t want to talk about punishments, Lord Lazarus," he growled. "If I had to talk about punishments, we wouldn''t have rebelled. We want to have rights on thisnd." That statement gave him approving nods and he knew that he had won the first round.

    Lazarus clenched his jaw. "I can sense that you are lying Drogo that you have read it. Since you don''t know about the penalties of breaking the treaty, let me tell you about them." He studied the men in the room. All of them had eyes on him. "If you break the treaty, then the humans are liable to be sent to the dungeons of Wilyra and there they will be met with severe form of punishments." He paused and tried to sense them. Smell of fear wafted. "Breaking the treaty would also attract another very severe penalty. The human would have to vacate thends of Wilyra." He leaned back in his chair and said, "So as far as your rights are concerned, they were never there. You came to thends of Wilyra at your own will. No one forced you toe and you signed the treaty after understanding all the issues."

    "But that was hundreds of years back!" Drogo snapped. "Our life has changed a lot!"

    "In that case, you forget Drogo that every time a new human or a Loreanes into Wilyra asking for home, he or she signs a treaty. Or have you forgotten that?" He red at Drogo with his red eyes so dangerously that Drogo recoiled. "You alle into thends of Wilyra, sign the treaty because we give younds and homes to live and once you are settled nicely over here, you start demanding that it is yournd?" Lazarus got up, thumping the table with his hands. "Well, then let me tell you one thing Drogo!" His eyes roamed at all the participants of the meeting. "Thisnd was never yours. It shall always belong to the rulers of Wilyra. If you feel that you can no longer remain within the terms of the treaty, then you are most wee to leave thends!"

    There was a collective gasp from all the humans. They stared at him with fear, with hatred and with repulsion. "We have given you so much!" Drogo said. "You have used us as your food. Without us, you won''t even survive. You need us."

    "As you need us," Lazarus retorted. "A treaty is signed not for the benefit of one party. It goes both ways. We have been honoring our terms and have not once faltered. But your rebellion is unjustified." His breath becamebored. If he gave thends to the humans, he knew that no one would be their vassal. They would nevere to give their blood to the vampires, and vampires needed them. "If you feel that you can no longer be of use to the vampires, then we can''t stop you from staying in Wilyra. If you leave, more wille. If you will force others to note, then we are going to go back to what we used to do earlier. And that would be very, very bad," he snarled. "Your rebellion is not required. I suggest that you all go back to the old ways so that life of themon people resumes normally. Because as far as the royals are concerned, we can get blood from any source. But I know for sure that life is going to be extremely difficult for all of you if we force you to leave!"

    asionally missing content, please report errors in time.

 Chapter 158 Sucking Them Dry

    ?

    Drogo''s re was reced with shock. Over the entire period of rebellion, not once a royal hade to talk to them. Lazarus came and made them face the reality of it. He had to save his face in front of his people. He took a deep breath in and got up. "Prince Lazarus, this rebellion will not go down. The more you try to suppress us, the more we are going to raise our heads. The more you kill us, the more we are going to rise against you. There is no way you can stop us unless you give us what we want. We have been living on thesends for a very long time and all we demand is that we are recognized!"

    "Yes! Yes!" His people began thumping the table in approval, cheering for their leader.

    Drogo continued, "We demand that we are recognized! We want thends. It is our home and you can''t uproot us from here!"

    Lazarus felt like leaping at the man and choking him by his throat. He tampered his fury down even as his fangs elongated to rip him apart. "Drogo, how is it that we are not recognizing you? We have given you a ce to stay. You havee here as vassals and the very term means that you all are holders ofnd on condition of allegiance. Now it is you who no longer want to hold the allegiance to the Kingdom of Wilyra by rebelling against its royals. Why should we be obliged to let you stay in ournds?"

    Drogo became quiet again and clenched his teeth at Lazarus''s argument. He didn''t know what to say. "You can''t just¡ª"

    Lazarus held his hand up. "We aren''t the ones who want to throw you out. It is you who is demanding something that isn''t in the treaty and vites the very nature of being a vassal. If you cannot live like a vassal, you are most wee to leave the Kingdom of Wilyra!"

    "You are going to see a mass exodus, Prince Lazarus!" Drogo growled. "We are not going to stay here. We are all going to leave this ce and then you''re going to starve!"

    Lazarus let out a mirthlessugh. "You all can leave and we aren''t going to starve. Rest assured." Lazarus knew that this was a game he had to y. If he backed down now or showed his dependence, Drogo was going to use it. And he was a foolish man, only driven by ambition and a desire to be popr, nothing else. His family was doing well.

    His words were so strong and clear that there was a silence in the room. People either looked at him or at Drogo. Lazarus took the hammer and nailed it when the iron was hot. "If you like my people are going to identify all those who are no longer the vassals of the Wilyra Kingdom and they are going to help them pack and get out of the kingdom." He looked around at the faces of the men out there. "I know that most of you are no longer vassals. The vampires don''t take everyone for their needs. You came to ournds, proliferated and now haverger families. Not every family has given us a vassal. You all are flourishing well under the kingdom."

    Drogo''s mouth fell to the floor because that was a fact. It also meant that many families that were not the vassals could leave and their absence would hardly affect the vampires. "But we are now part of this kingdom," he protested. "And that is why we should get our rights!"

    "I won''t deny that you all are part of this kingdom," Lazarus replied. "But being part of this kingdom is about being loyal to it. However, you are being rebellious for no reason. You all are being treated fairly. There have been no untoward instances, so why do I feel that I am holding the short end of the stick?"

    He felt like he didn''t want to reason anymore with him. In the end he said, "This is yourst chance of taking the rebellion back. If you won''t, then we will bepelled to take action. And that would only mean that all those who will continue to rebel will be asked to leave." Lazarus kicked the chair back. It screeched as it slid on the floor. He turned sharply to leave. "Before I leave, I have to tell you that you have only seven days to consider your decision. Because as far as we are concerned, we all have decided as to what we are going to do." He turned and strode out of themunity hall with his men leaving a very flustered crowd. As for Lazarus this was the first round of negotiations.

    When he came out, he saw that the carriage was just as he had left. Emma was still inside and relief flooded him that no one noticed her. Lazarus could have easily brought down Drogo by telling his reality to others, but he saved him from falling from grace because after all he was Emma''s father.

    "How did the meeting go?" Emma asked with wide eyes and nervous energy. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    He took both her hands in hisrge ones and said, "It went fine, I guess. It depends on the rebel leader now, to make a decision." When she continued to look at him for more information, he added, "Don''t worry, I didn''t tell your secret to them."

    Emma sighed a breath of relief. "Thank you," she said, her cheeks heating up a little.

    "It''s fine," he said with a smile.

    "There''s something I wanted to discuss with you," she said in a very low voice as the carriage started moving. She heard clops of horse-hooves on the cobbled street beside them. The guards, led by Magnus, were moving with them.

    His brows furrowed. "What is it, Emma?" he asked.

    "I overheard a few locals as they crossed the carriage a while ago. They said¡ª" she pursed her lips as worry crossed her face. She darted her gaze to the window to see if anyone was nearby.

    "Tell me what it is, Emma. You are making me tense."

    She leaned towards him and in a voice just above the whisper said, "The locals were saying that they found some humans in the jungles, dead. It was as if blood was sucked out of thempletely. And they suspect that some vampires are doing it out of blood lust."

    Lazarus drew his shoulders back with tension. "The jungle is huge, Emma. Did they say anything specific about the location?"

    "They said something about an abandoned altar."

    Lazarus''s heart thundered in his chest. That was the ce where his family gavest rites to his ancestors. And from there the blood forest started. He clenched his teeth. His problems were just not subsiding. "Okay." He took a shaky breath and said, "Don''t mention this to anyone. I will take a look into it myself."

    "I won''t," she replied. "But you can also take help from Nephie."

    "That would be a good idea," he said, mulling over it.

 Chapter 159 Figure Clad In Black

    ?

    Upon reaching the pce, Lazarus sent Emma to the bedchamber. When they were in the antechamber, he said, "I have to look into a few things, Emma." He kissed her temple. "Stay in your room and don''te out."

    "Why?" she asked with doubts crossing her face.

    He took a deep sigh. "I have a feeling that the problem of finding the culprit behind sucking the humans dry may be lurking in the pce."

    Emma''s body shuddered. "That is horrible."

    He cupped her cheeks with his hands. "You don''t have to worry. No one dares toe next to you because they are going to face my wrath after that."

    She smiled softly. "I know. I have full faith in my mate."

    He gave her a tender look and then ced a chaste kiss on her lips. "I know what you are doing right now," he said, brushing her lips.

    "What?" she asked, lifting her chin with the smile intact.

    "You are enticing your vampire. And I am telling you girl¡ª you are in for a time tonight."

    "As if it is not every night?" she said, mockingly.

    "That behavior attracts double time," he growled.

    She bit her bottom lip, took a step back and turned. She swayed her hips excessively as she walked away from him. His chest vibrated with a deep rumble and it took all his willpower to not pounce on his mate. "You are getting bolder, Emma!" His words rumbled out of his chest.

    Emma turned her head over her shoulder. She lowered her gown from the left shoulder a little and then suddenly, the gown fell down to the floor, puddling at her feet.

    "Emma!" He came nearer.

    She stepped out of the gown and walked in the bedchamber. He dashed to the bedchamber, but she closed the door on his face. "I will wait for you, my lord," she said in a sensuous voice from the other side. He lifted his hand to break the door to get to her when she added, "Try not breaking the door, my lord."

    "You are testing my patience, Emma," he said as he ced his hand on the door. His ws had jutted out, ready to rip the door apart.

    After a small pause, she replied, "Yes, I am. But patience bears sweet fruits."

    "Then tonight I am going to eat all those fruits."

    She giggled and Lazarus left with the bluest balls in the history of Wilyra.

    Lazarus took Yul with him to go and visit dys.

    "Why do you want to visit dys?" Yul asked as they both walked to her prison through a secret passageway. Yul had managed to keep dys in a way that no one could find her.

    Lazarus didn''t reply. He had too many thoughts about what happened in the vige with the rebels. If there was rumor that the vampires were using the humans illegally to have blood, then surely, they couldn''t do it without involvement of humans or a human.

    The guard opened the gates of the heavy-duty prison where dys was kept. Lazarus entered and his nostrils immediately flooded with the stench of moss mixed with piss and blood amongst other things. There was only one prison down here and it had fae iron bars. The fae iron was so strong that even the faes couldn''t break it with all the magic they had.

    When they approached the prison, they saw her suspended with iron chains. Her hands and legs were tied to the iron chains that were hooked to the ceiling and the side walls. She was wearing a thin and tattered white gown. Her hair was matted and her face looked gaunt. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    When she heard the heavy footsteps of, she opened her eyes and let out a mirthlessugh. "Herees the future king of Wilyra who will build his throne on the graves of his brothers and sisters."

    Lazarus came to stand in front of her as Yul snarled at her. "Stay quiet dys," Yul said. "Unless you want me to whip you again!"

    dys snarled back at him and Yul charged at her. Lazarus had to pull Yul away from there just in time. "Stay here, Yul," he said very calmly to him in order to show dys that he wasn''t pissed off by Yul about what he did just now. Then he returned his gaze to dys and replied to her, "It is better me building that throne than you doing the same. If I remember correctly, you partnered with Maeve to kill Emma and me."

    She growled as she pulled her chains. "Fuck off! You will never seed. As soon as father and Anton woulde to know where I am, they will free me and then I will make sure that you are thrown out of Wilyra!"

    Lazarus raked his fingers in his hair. "It seems you''ve been dreaming a lot. It''s fine. Given your condition, you should be daydreaming. That''s normal."

    dys clenched her teeth. "What do you want from me?"

    When she came in the line, he smirked. "I heard that one of the royals in the pce is sucking humans dry. Do you know about him or her?"

    At his words, dys froze. Her sunken eyes were wide through the matted hair that hung over her face.

    Lazarus studied her expression carefully and if he wasn''t sharp, he would have missed the guilt that crossed her face. But he remained quiet.

    dys schooled her expressions and said, "I don''t."

    He crossed his arms across his chest. He had thrown a bait in front of her and she had picked it up. He didn''t know that it was the royals of the pce who were doing it, but he just tossed the question in order to zero in on the culprit. And he couldn''t believe that there was no connection in this crime and Emma, who was a human, being his mate. "So what do you know?"

    "I don''t know anything," she replied in a careful voice.

    Lazarus shook his head. "dys, you better answer my question, else I may use some very harsh methods on you."

    ---

    Emma chuckled softly after Lazarus left her. He sounded so desperate and the truth was that even she was as desperate as him. She wanted him to be near her and drink from her. As his mate, she wondered if those were the signs of being a blood ve. But if they were, then so be it.

    She walked to her bathroom to take a bath. She had pouredvender oil in the warm water and added mint and rose leaves to it. Lots of them. She wanted to smell fresh and clean for him. As she was taking a bath, she heard a creak on the wooden floor outside. Lazarus couldn''t stay even for a minute. She called him. "I am here, Lord Lorza."

    There was no answer. It all went dead quiet.

    Emma rose up slightly. Was he trying to y with her? A grin spread on her face and she called him again, "I am in the bathtub, waiting for you." Saying that she ced her feet on the edge of the tub.

    In response she heard footstepsing closer to the bathroom. The door opened slightly.

    She heard abored breath.

    Suspicious, she got up and leaned on the edge. "Lord Lazarus?"

    The door swung wide open and a figure d in ck with a hoodie that covered his face till lips, came into view.

 Chapter 160 [Bonus ] Den Of Snakes

    ?

    Emma''s eyes became wide as fear triggered down her spine like an icy de. She looked at the red lips of the man in the hoodie. The pale skin and those red lips were more than enough to reveal that he was a vampire.

    Stunned, she mped her teeth hard to stop them from chattering. She swallowed down her saliva when the man stayed at the door for a while. She knew that she was too vulnerable and she might not get the time to even shout if this vampire tried to attack her and kill her. The vampire''s fangs were elongated which meant that he was ready to suck her blood.

    The only way to survive was to call Lazarus, but she knew that he had gone to the dungeons with Yul. Her thoughts raced as to how did he know that she was alone and could walk in her bedchamber without the guards knowing about it.

    The man took a step inside the bathing chamber. She clutched the edge of the tub as she watched him. "Wh¡ª who are you?" she asked in a low voice that came out as a whisper.

    The man didn''t answer. He took another step towards her and stopped as if regarding her. Emma''s thoughts went to Nephie. She really wanted to meet her mother before she died. Emma had never felt this vulnerable and close to death in the pce. With a shaky breath she said, "If Lord Lazaruses to know about this, he is going to skin you alive."

    The man''s lips parted, his fangs in full glory. He padded his way closer to Emma. She scrambled back as she covered her breasts with her hand. "Stay away!" she tried to shout but her voice came out like a squeak. "I said, stay away!"

    Dressed in all ck from head to toe, it was difficult for Emma to make out who he was. She started shaking as she watched himing closer. All at once, a deafening screech shattered the peace of the skies above. The vampire looked up at the ceiling and at the same time Emma said, "Nephie!" Nephie had sensed that she was in trouble. Bless the dragon.

    The screech became so shrill that the vampire covered his ears with his hands as he closed his mouth shut. A heavy thudter the room shook and Emma guessed that Nephie must have sat down near her bedchamber or on one of the roofs. She heard guards shouting and amotion ensued. The vampire let out a hiss before he turned sharply and rushed out of the door.

    Emma took a deep sigh of relief but the danger wasn''t over. She got up and grabbed the towel to wrap herself. She came out of the bathroom to see where the vampire had gone but she saw that the window was open. A gust of cold wind made her tremble. Just then she heard a soft whisper of a motion behind her as Lazarus traced in the bedchamber.

    "Emma!" he shouted and darted to her. "What happened?" He stared at the window and whizzed past her to see out. He heard Nephie batting her wings as she sat on the pce''s roof. He looked down only to see that there was quite amotion on the outside. All the guards hade together to look at Nephie, who he knew must be baring her jaw to scare them. He closed the window and turned to Emma.

    She sat on the bed with a thud. He rushed to her and dropped on his knees in front of her. He grabbed her thighs rather painfully and asked, "Did anyonee here? I can smell leather and sweat."

    Emma''s heart was racing wildly. She closed her eyes and the first thing she did was to connect with Nephie or send her a thought that she was fine. She pictured Nephie and pushed the thought out of her mind that she was alright and that she could leave. Once she heard Nephie pping her wings and taking off to the air, she opened her eyes.

    Lazarus was still looking at her with worry etched all over his face. "Emma?"

    "Lazarus, I don''t know who, but someone came inside the bathroom when I was taking a bath. He was dressed in ck and I couldn''t see his face. I¡ª" A shudder ran down her body. "He was a vampire and his fangs had lengthened. It was as if he wanted to suck the blood out of me."

    "What the fuck!" Lazarus growled. "Who could do that? Where were the fucking guards?"

    "I have no idea how he entered, but all I know is that I called Nephie because I thought I couldn''t connect with you. Nephie sensed my agitation and I think she was nearby because she came almost instantly." <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Lazarus thanked Nephie mentally. He was in the dungeon questioning dys when he heard themotion and the walls of the pce shook with a thud on the roof. That kind of an effect could ur only when the pce got hit by a huge force and in such a short interval, it had to be Nephie on the roof. The next thing he did was to trace to Emma. "What happened when Nephie came?"

    "He hissed and turned sharply away. I grabbed a towel to wrap myself and go after him but I saw the window open. Perhaps the vampire jumped out and taking the advantage of the night andmotion, he vanished. Or he could have traced away."

    Lazarus gnashed his teeth. "I am going to keep a constant vignce now and I am going to change your quarters!"

    "But¡ª"

    "No Emma!" she growled. "Nothing is more important to me than you! I am surprised that whoever he was, he was able to get past the security ande into my bedchamber."

    She grabbed his hand and squeezed it. "I was scared, Lord Lorza."

    Lazarus''s heart twisted with so many emotions that he threw his arms around her and hugged her tightly. "No one can harm you. This was a short incident that raised my heckles. Now I am going to hunt that bastard and bring him to his knees before I behead him!"

    Emma felt safe in his embrace. It all happened way too quickly and was enough to give her a week''s worth of anxiety.

    That night Lazarus moved her to a different quarter near that of Magnus''s even though it meant that it was less equipped in luxury than his own. The entire corridor that led to his chamber in that wing was cordoned off. Guards stood at every fifty meters interval. There were guards even outside the window.

    When they were settled, Olya and Magnus came to them along with Yul. It was almost midnight and Emma was sleepy, but the rest were pretty up and alert.

    "Were you able to find out who that was?" Lazarus asked Yul. He had given Yul the orders to find out about the vampire who broke into his chamber.

    "We traced the smell, but it was impossible to find him. He traced away," Yul said. "So I am going to look for ck clothes all over the pce now."

    "That would be a very tiresome exercise and I am sure it won''t yield results," Magnus

    "This pce has be a den of snakes!" he spat. "And¡ª" he let out an irritated breath. "The King is asking about Nephie''s visit."

 Chapter 161 Illusion

    ?

    The hearth was burning with fresh logs, its fire crackling, its mes trying to chase the evil of the pce as the shadows danced on the walls of his chamber. "That loud thud shook the pce''s foundations," Viktor said in a low, feral voice. "I want that dragon off from mynds." At one point of time, he was interested in the dragon, but when his men failed to catch her, he wanted her out of Wilyra.

    "She can''t go anywhere, father," Lazarus replied as he leaned back on his chair, watching the fire crackle and grow. "Nephie is here to protect Emma and try as you may, she wouldn''t leave. However, if you try to chase her, she may end up eating our soldiers to their bones or might end of burning the forest that surround our pce and the kingdom of Wilyra so smugly."

    He mmed his fist on the armrest of his chair. "Then make her go! I don''t care, but I want her gone. I can''t afford another round ofmotion in the pce because of your dragon."

    "Themotion in the pce was not because of Nephie. It was because of some vampire who had sneaked in my bedchamber and tried to attack Emma. Apparently, the vampire was blood thirsty," Lazarus replied in a voice so guttural that Viktor clenched his teeth. Lazarus''s eyes went to his ne that glimmered in the light of fire and he masked his disgust.

    "Why are you after the security of Emma when you know that you must protect Olya?" Viktor asked.

    "Because she is my mate," he said with urgency in his voice. "If she dies, I won''t be able to take it and might end up burning this whole!" That was a jab on Viktor on how he treated his mother.

    "You are a lovesick fool who can never rule Wilyra!"

    "And you are an old crone who is refusing to believe that your sons are ready for it."

    "Lazarus!" Viktor''s voice boomed in the bedroom.

    Lazarus got up and straightened his jacket. "If there''s nothing else, I would like to leave."

    Viktor gripped the armrest tightly. "I am hosting a ball two nightster in the honor of Olya for she is to be your bride soon. You cane there, but I don''t expect Emma to be there."

    Lazarus gave him a pointed look. "I am surprised that you didn''t even inquire about the vampire who attacked Emma, but you are more interested in a useless ball."

    "I am not interested in anything that is remotely concerned with the pce or the kingdom. Emma is of no consequence and so I don''t care," came Viktor''s cold answer.

    Lazarus scoffed. "Expected from you." Before Viktor could reply, he bowed and traced back to his chamber.

    Sitting on the couch Emma watched him pacing the room. "Lord Lazarus, you look agitated. Why don''t you sit down and talk to me?"

    He shook his head as he muttered curses under his breath. "Who could be the vampire who broke into our room?"

    "I was thinking about it, Lord Lazarus," she said. "And most likely, he has to be some royal. I mean¡ª" she bit her bottom lip and looked away.

    He sat next to Emma. "Emma, tell me about it."

    She took a deep breath in and said, "I feel that it could be one of the royals because a guard wouldn''t dare to pull this kind of a stint."

    "What kind of a stint?" he asked, his brows furrowing.

    "The man ran from the bathroom towards the window. The window was open and when he jumped, he should have met at least one guard, but not a single guard saw him ording to Yul," she said.

    Lazarus moved his head back slightly. "That means that the vampire traced midair as he jumped off the window."

    "Yes!" Emma''s blood ran to her cheeks in excitement.

    "And only a royal could do that because guards do not have the power to trace midair."

    "That''s my point, but I may be wrong." Emma blinked her eyes as she searched for his approval. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Orrr¡­" he drawled. "You could be right."

    "But it would be very difficult for you to find out who the man was. It''s not like he woulde and dere himself."

    He cupped her cheeks with hisrge hands and caressed her skin with his thumb. "We''ll see."

    ---

    Two dayster, Olya was fretting. "I really don''t want to go to this ball, Lord Magnus," she cried as she gave a look to the gown that he had taken out for her to wear.

    "It''s just a matter of a month and a half. We have been quite sessful in maintaining the illusion that you would be Lazarus''s bride."

    "It sounds so wronggg," she whined.

    Magnus came to stand in front of her. He lifted her chin up and pressed a kiss on her forehead. "I know, but we havee so far. Let''s not ruin it now. You are safe with Lazarus. Besides, I think your sister and her husband are still in the pce."

    "What?" she said, shocked. "I thought they had left."

    He chuckled. "They were on the verge of leaving when the king asked them to stay for the ball."

    "I hate it!" She sagged and flopped back on her bed. Magnus crawled over her. "Olya," he said in a low, lusty voice.

    "Yes, Lord Magnus," she replied as she stretched her hands above her head and crossed them.

    He lowered himself until they were just a breath away. "This is important, love," he said, his control slipping away.

    She arched her body up and her breasts hit his chest softly. He groaned, "You would be the death of me," and mmed his lips on hers.

    An hourter, Olya was walking down the corridor, her hands curled in the crook of Lazarus''s arm. She looked at every servant who was assessing her, examining her and then how their gazes went to those behind her ¡ª Magnus and Yul. They reached the ballroom and the guards announced their arrival, opening the doors for them. As they walked down the carpet, Lazarus''s eyesnded on his father and then on each of his siblings. As soon as their eyes met with him, he found that some of them gave a curt nod while some curtsied. It meant just one thing¡ªsome had started consideringing to his side.

    "Father," he said and bowed to him.

    Viktor looked at them and his lips lifted up in approval. He waved at the dance floor. "You both do the first dance."

    Olya''s blood rose to her cheeks. She nced at Magnus from under her eyes, hoping he would rescue her from this, but he was standing like a statue.

    "Yes father," Lazarus said and holding Olya''s hand, he led her to the dance floor. "Just dance with me for five minutes Olya," he said, his voice a nervous rasp.

    "Where is Emma?" she asked.

    "In her bedchamber."

    "You shouldn''t have left her alone," she said. The music started and Lazarus took the lead. As he danced, his eyes scanned the crowd, especially the royals.

    Back in his room, Emma sat near the fire hearth, sadness enveloping her chest. Yul had ordered most of the guards to go to the ballroom. Only a few remained outside her door. Suddenly, the ss of the window crashed.

 Chapter 162 The Attacker

    ?

    Emma was aware that the guards had mostly been deployed at the ball. She hadn''t gone there. Lazarus had said that he was about toe to her in less than half an hour. Even Olya was not liking it at all, but the four of them had to maintain the fa?ade.

    She had asked the maid to close all the doors and windows. She wanted to draw the curtains, but she didn''t. All at once a high-pitched howl came from somewhere near the back garden. She was on the bed. She got up, snatched the shawl from the couch and wrapped it tightly around her. She padded her way to the window to see who that was. It was pretty dark on the outside and all she could see were the burning torches that lit the pce. "Could be a lone wolf¡­" she mused.

    Seeing that there was no one, she went to the chair near the fire hearth. The howl came again. This time nearer. It was apanied with a hiss. Emma jerked at the sound. It was as if someone spoke to her. Her heart thundered too loudly in her ears for her to hear it better. The hiss sounded like there was an anaconda sitting right there on the ledge of her window.

    Emma swallowed down her throat and then the ss of the window shattered. Amp knocked over and the whole room plunged into darkness. Emma''s arms folded around her as she crouched on the ground, scared to move even an inch.

    "There you aree¡­" the voice hissed. "I have been trying to get to you in so many ways¡­"

    Emma heard the sound of footsteps closing in on her. But what was strange was that the steps were not of a single person. It was as if there were two people behind her. Her teeth chattered as she remained crouched in her position. And then hands grabbed at her. Hands that were too strong. Hands whose grip was like a vise on her shoulders. Hands that hurt. Emma screamed and then turned sharply, unleashing a bottle of liquid on her assants.

    Somewhere in the darkness, the scream emerged as the two people she now saw clearly tottered to the side, losing their hold on her. "What have you done, bitch?" said one of them, shrieking in pain, leaning against the wall.

    In a matter of seconds, Lazarus, Magnus and Yul traced to the room. Lazarus and Magnus rushed to the back of the vampires and pulled their hood down. Yul removed a torch from the wall and lit it with the fire of the hearth. He walked closer to the two vampires and chuckled as he saw their faces.

    "Didn''t I tell who they would be?" Yul said with a snarl.

    Emma red at Nora and Cora¡ªLazarus''s twin step sisters.

    "This is insane!" Nora shouted as she cried in pain, her face turning red with the liquid that Emma had sloshed on her.

    Cora''s fangs had lengthened and so did her ws. She turned sharply and attacked Magnus. "You bloody swine!" she said as she elbowed him. "You are on the wrong side! You are defending someone who should have been killed a lot earlier!" She wed at him, but Magnus traced and kicked her from behind. Yul punched her face from the side. She tumbled to the floor as her jaw cracked. She screamed with pain. "We hade here only to eliminate this bitch!"

    Nora was still fighting with the pain on her face as she scratched and scratched it until she was bleeding.

    "Guards!" Lazarus shouted and the guards came in. Not one, two or three, but the whole lot that Emma thought had gone to guard the ball. Lazarus hadn''t sent them anywhere. It was only a decoy. The guards came to catch the two girls. Instantly they were shackled in fae iron.

    Yul caught Nora''s hair and yanked her head back. "She was the one who was attacking the humans and sucking them dry!"

    "And then throwing their bodies near the blood forest!" Lazarus snarled.

    "Yes, I was!" she spat. Her breath wasbored as she red at Lazarus. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "You were doing that and the humans were suspecting me," Lazarus said, his voice deathly cold. "In thest meeting with the rebels, had Emma not heard about this, I would have been in the blind as always."

    Cora shot a re at Emma. "She was always a nosy whore! She¡ª"

    Lazarus''s p converted her words into a blood-curdling scream. "Don''t you speak against my mate!"

    Cora panted as tears ran down her eyes.

    "You thought that you were the only smart one out here, huh?" Lazarus said. "You dressed as a man and entered Emma''s chamber when she was taking a bath the day we had returned from the meeting with the rebels. It was Nephie who saved Emma."

    "But how did you know that it was us?" Nora asked through all the pain that she was experiencing. She had thought that she and Cora would suck the warm blood of Emma. They had be really desperate after Lazarus had sent arge number of soldiers to guard the viges after the meeting. They both needed fresh blood every other day because they had be addicted to it. And the only way to get it was to get a man from the vige. Earlier dys would also participate in their human hunts, but ever since she had disappeared, they were left to themselves. Earlier, dys would easily ensnare men into their pce and then the three would feed on them.

    Their asional blood lust had be a dependence before they knew about it. It was then that they started hunting men and sucking them dry. Because of heavy security in the vige, they couldn''t get their fill. To take revenge from Lazarus, they targeted Emma. They convinced their father to host a ball in Olya''s honor. They made sure that Emma wouldn''t attend it. When everyone was at the ball, they surveyed the wing where she was holed up. Being a royal, it was easy for them to trace anywhere. It was an icing on the cake when they came to know that Yul had ordered most of the guards to guard the ballroom.

    It was their chance. The two didn''t waste time and traced to Emma''s room, but they didn''t know that Emma would be equipped with something so deadly. She was acting like a bait for them when they thought that she would be a good feast and they would also avenge Lazarus.

    "How did you know about us?" Cora asked, repeating her sister''s question when Lazarus didn''t answer her.

    "You wille to know about it when you are in the same dungeon as dys," he replied in a menacing voice.

    Both the sisters jerked their heads back. "dys?" Nora said, her voice faltering.

    "Yes." Lazarus signaled his guards to take them away.

    The twins screamed and pulled against their shackles despite it being fae iron, but their pleas died down the corridor because all the royals were in the ballroom.

    Once they were gone, Lazarus pulled Emma in his embrace. "How are you?" he asked in a soft voice. He had given her a poison to throw on her attackers before leaving.

    "I am well, Lord Lazarus," she said, burying her face in his chest, trembling.

 Chapter 163 [Bonus ] A Week Later

    ?

    Lazarus held his mate in a tight grip as if he was making sure that she was fine. He was shaken to the core when he saw how his sisters nned to kill her. What was wrong with the pce and his rtives? "I am so sorry that this happened to you¡­" he murmured as he pressed a kiss against her temple.

    He made her sit on the bed and covered her with a bedsheet. While Magnus took a deep breath in and walked to the bar to pour arge ss of whiskey, Yul traced back to the ballroom to keep an eye on Olya. Magnus couldn''t go there else it would have raised suspicions.

    Magnus poured arge ss of wine for himself and for Lazarus. Leaving the two of them, Emma went to the bathroom to change.

    Lazarus took the wine ss from Magnus as he scratched the back of his neck. "This is getting too much," he said as he sat next to him on a bar stool. "Why are there so many people against Emma? Why can''t they just go on with their lives and leave her?"

    Magnus chuckled. "If only wishes were horses." He sipped his wine. "You are the heir apparent. After the way you have tackled Maeve, father is slightly shaken. He shows that he is fine on the outside, but on the inside, I can feel how his heart beats fast when you go near him."

    Lazarus let out a humorlessugh. "Do you think I haven''t noticed it?" He shook his head. "He is scared but you forget Magnus, he still sits on the throne and that is where the power lies. People of this kingdom bow to that throne, to the king and not to him."

    "What do you mean?"

    "I mean that he has a lot of power behind him. He is supported by a lot of people whether they willingly support him or not. And he takes advantage of it," Lazarus exined.

    "Why don''t you just reveal that you have marked Emma? That way Emma would be protected even by him," Magnus shrugged.

    Lazarus shook his head. "You very well know why we can''t do that. Either Emma would be well protected or she will be the target of every maniption in this pce."

    Magnus pursed his lips in a thin line. It was like a deadlock every time they breached this topic. Understanding his predicament, Lazarus said, "Don''t worry, this is only till Olya''s birthday. Once she turns eighteen, you marry her and I will be free."

    Magnus closed his eyes and tipped his head back. "I don''t know how I am going to repay your brother. You''ve done so much for me¡ª"

    "Hey!" Lazarus snapped. "Drop it, okay?"

    Magnus snapped his head to look at his elder brother and narrowed his eyes and a momentter the two burst intoughter. Emma walked in, drying her hair with a dry towel. "And what are you twoughing at?" she asked as she sat down near the hearth to dry her long hair.

    "How are you feeling, love?" Lazarus asked her.

    "I am fine, Lord Lorza," she replied with a smile. "You shouldn''t worry so much about me. And maybe you should go back to the ballroom."

    "Hah!" Lazarus scoffed. "I have no intentions of going back to that stupid ce. It is nd without you."

    Emma''s beatific smile dazzled him and he knew that it was worth all the anger that his father wouldsh him with after the ball. King Viktor wanted to use this opportunity to tell everyone how he chose Olya for Lazarus. Basically, he would try to make sure that Lazarus married Olya. However, his absence was going to irritate his father a lot. He had danced with Olya at the ball and that was more than enough. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "What are we going to do with Nora and Cora?" Magnus asked.

    "Same what we did with dys," he said. "But I think with Cora and Nora in the prison, one problem is solved."

    "Which problem?"

    "The problem of humans missing from the vige. These two were behind the disappearance of humans from the vige. They were drinking them out dry and throwing their bodies back near the blood forest that surrounded the vige," Lazarus said with a sigh. "Terrible and unfortunate. That is why I want the rebels to go down so that vampires don''t get thrown into blood lust. Because if that happens, there would be no ce safe for humans."

    "Will you go to the vige to check upon it?" Magnus asked, sipping more wine.

    "I will go in a week''s time. That will be enough interval for the vigers to see that no more humans are disappearing," Lazarus replied. He turned his head over his shoulder to see Magnus. "I want you and Olya to lie low for the next.

    Magnus left them after sipping down his wine and returned to his room only to find that Olya was waiting for him. "Olya!" he was surprised. "Howe?"

    Olya giggled. "I managed to sneak out. King Viktor was looking very angry though, but I just made myself inconspicuous."

    Magnus pulled her to his chest. "Gods, I missed you!"

    "I missed you too," she whispered. "I just hope that this period of waiting ends soon."

    "It will¡­" Patience was the key. Only a month and a half and they would be free to marry each other.

    A week went by before Lazarus went back to the vige. And when he reached there, he didn''t announce it. He went to meet the rebel leader, Droggo at his home.

    Droggo was taken aback when he saw Lazarus in his home. "Lord Lazarus!" He got up along with Avice. They were eating food with their son. They bowed to him. Droggo looked behind him with caution.

    "I am not alone," Lazarus growled. "My soldiers are outside watching the locals, so don''t try any of your tricks."

    Droggo swallowed down his saliva.

    "Did you notice any more humans missing from the vige past week?" Lazarus asked.

 Chapter 164 The Rebels

    ?

    Drogo looked at his wife and son and gestured to them to go inside. As soon as they went inside, he said, "No, my lord. I haven''t seen any more humans missing."

    Lazarus sighed a breath of relief but then he reminded himself that he couldn''t show that to Drogo. "Okay then. Keep a watch."

    "But, my lord," Drogo said. "Now that you are asking about it, I suspect as to how you know. Did royals have a hand in it?" He raised his eyebrow as if to intimidate him.

    Lazarus took a step closer to him and Drogo stiffened. "I haven''te here to discuss the royals," he said in a menacing voice. "Having said that, I know who was it who was instigating the humans to go to the vampires. Don''t y those mind games with me Drogo. You are sorely outssed and no match to me. Do you understand?" Lazarus couldn''t speak a lie and so he had to threaten Drogo instead of speaking the truth.

    Drogo gulped. "Yes, my lord."

    Lazarus knew that one of the reasons for rebellion was how humans were missing. Now that part was taken care of and so Drogo really didn''t have an upper hand. It was important for him to quash the rebellion. He said, "I would like to talk to your wife."

    Drogo''s hackles raised. He shifted on his feet but how could he not follow the order of Lord Lazarus? He nodded and called his wife, "Avice!"

    As if she was standing right there, Avice emerged from the door. She had sped her hands in front of her as she looked at Lazarus with nervousness.

    Lazarus assessed her. "I would like to invite you to the pce to meet your daughter, Emma. Would you be gracious enough toe and meet her?"

    Avice''s mouth dropped to the floor as her heart hammered against her ribcage out of sheer excitement. She had never thought, though she had dreamt it a lot, that she would be invited to the pce. This was the opportunity to meet the royals and who knew they would give her jewels and gold coins.

    Before she could speak a word, Drogo snapped, "I am so sorry, Lord Lazarus, but Avice can''t go to the pce."

    Lazarus nced at Drogo and then back at Avice who seemed crestfallen. He shrugged. "It''s your wish. I won''t force, but it would be nice if Avice cane along with your son. I am sure Emma would be very happy."

    "I would love to!" Avice was short on squealing. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "No!'' Drogo snapped at her. "You can''t go to the pce!"

    Avice clenched her jaws out of anger at him but she didn''t argue. Then she turned her gaze at Lazarus as if asking him to help her. She tried to convey that she was being held against her will.

    Lazarus said, "Avice, you have to listen to your husband. I can''t force you all toe but can I encourage you. If you have time, do let me know and I will send a carriage to fetch you." Saying that Lazarus turned back and went to his carriage. He sat in the carriage and as soon as the door was shut by the carriage man, he heard the couple arguing loudly. A smile yed on his lips. He had thrown the hook. She had taken the bait. He wanted to resolve the rebellion before he married Emma.

    For the next two days, Emma didn''te out of her room. The servants were told that she was feeling too low and depressed. Princess Cora and Nora tried to attack and kill Emma.

    Viktor was extremely worried about what was going on in the pce. Three of his children were already in prison for trying to kill Emma. Two were killed by Lazarus for attacking her when he was bringing her to the pce and Magnus was on his side. The only suitable and strong and worthy opponent of his children other than Lazarus was Anton. But Anton was lying low these days. After the ball, Anton had gone to one of their southern districts to take a long-due holiday.

    Basically, five of his eleven children were gone and of no use. And only because they went after Emma. Other than Magnus, he had only three princes remaining by his side. Lazarus was eliminating hispetition slowly and carefully in a way that they never reared their head up.

    Viktor was beginning to get scared that if this continued, Lazarus would eliminate all hispetition in no time. The three princes that remained included Anton. Princess Abi was a sickly girl who mostly remained inside. She was hardly ever seen with her sisters. Her servants informed him that she was too sick to move nowadays. Other than Anton his two other sons, Jade and Jasper, were younger than Lazarus not only in age but also in wits. Both of them were spoiled rotten by their mother who died many years back when they were just younglings. Jade and Jasper spent most of their time in thepany of women of questionable character.

    The only potential worthy was Anton and Viktor had to use Jade and Jasper to support Anton. With a sigh, he called his guard. "I want to see Jade and Jasper in my room in an hour."

    As the guard left, one of his messengers came and informed him, "The humans have stopped missing in the vige. It seems that the rebels are now mellowing down."

    Viktor jerked his head back. That was one thing that was keeping Lazarus busy. In fact so busy that Lazarus would spend a lot of time dealing with that issue. It was good because it gave Viktor the much-needed time to strategize. He wanted to crush Lazarus''s head else the boy would easily take up his throne. "Exin," he demanded from the messenger.

    The messenger detailed what all happened and once he was done, Viktor asked him to leave. He had to stir up a little more trouble. Just enough to keep Lazarus busy and the vige people restless. He wasn''t interested in suppressing the rebellion. At least not now when his own position was in doldrums.

 Chapter 165 It Will Be Done!

    ?

    "Father," Jade bowed to him. "You called us?"

    Viktor was sitting by his table, studying the tax documents that his minister had sent him. There was a thick pile of the documents. Most of it was in ce, but there were some viges where the tax was not paid in time because they didn''t have good crops. He scoffed. Wilyra barely had good crops because of the perpetual snow it was covered in year long. Still many grew yam, kale and carrots apart from spinach and potatoes and onions.

    Viktor turned his head over his shoulder and saw both Jade and Jasper. They were dressed impably, something he always liked. Their dressing sense was very fashionable and it was mostly because they liked to be in thepany of women.

    Viktor got up from his ce and sped his hands at his back. He gestured to them with his chin to sit down on the couch at the corner of the room near the hearth. Jade and Jasper sat down obediently as he walked to the long table where there was an assortment of whiskey and wine kept in several decanters. He poured two sses and brought them to his sons. He sat down opposite to them and stared at fire that crackled in the hearth.

    "Was there something you wanted to discuss with us, father?" Jasper said, pushing him to speak up.

    Viktor took a deep breath in. He shook his head and said, "What is going to happen to you if Lazarus takes over as the king of Wilyra?"

    Jasper jerked back. The thought was repulsive. He looked at Jade and knew that he too was thinking the same thing. "That is not going to happen," Jasper said, gritting his teeth.

    "We will make sure that Lazarus never ascends to the throne!" Jade added.

    Viktor took a deep sigh and leaned back in his chair. He brushed his hand over the ne he was wearing. "Lazarus is slowly gaining advantage. Have you noticed that out of the eleven children I had, only six remain who are still roaming in the pce?" He narrowed his eyes for a moment to see if his words seeped in his sons.

    Jade and Jasper bit back a growl. "We know," Jade replied.

    Viktor rolled his lips between his teeth. "I am scared that if Lazarus bes the king, he will cut down your expenses. You all will live like beggars in his regime or¡­" his voice drawled. "¡­You won''t live at all."

    Both of them stiffened.

    Taking advantage of their emotion, Viktor carried on. We have to stop Lazarus and in order to do that there is one thing very important that has to be done."

    "Tell us what it is, father," Jasper responded. He knew that this was why his father had called them both. Anton wasn''t in the pce and Magnus was like a shadow of Lazarus, so everything now depended on them. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Viktor scratched the back of his neck. "I know it would be too much to ask you both, and you might think that I am not a good king, but you see that''s how politics is yed. That''s how we secure our thrones. You should learn from me." His gaze darted between both of them and he knew that he had their full attention. So he leaned in front and ced his elbows on his thighs. In a very serious voice he said, "The rebels in the vige have mellowed down mainly because Cora and Nora are in the prison. Your sisters were the ones responsible for the mayhem."

    "We are aware of that, father," Jade said, ncing at Jasper.

    "The vigers are happy about it and their rebellion has mellowed down. The rumor is that it was Lazarus who caught the vampires who sucked the humans dry and threw them near the blood forest," Viktor said. "Do you know what that means?"

    Jade and Jasper looked at each other, not quite understanding what their father was getting at. They remained quiet and waited for their father to finish it.

    Viktor knew that they were both very handsome, but dense in head. They wouldn''t understand what he was getting at in a thousand years. He said, "That means that Lazarus is getting popr in the viges."

    Jade and Jasper became ramrod straight when realization dawned upon them. "Oh!" Jade rasped. "We need to do something about it quickly."

    Viktor smiled. "Exactly. We have to do something about it." He leaned back on his chair. "You see the rebels are against the royal family. So the royal family has to do something that would make it unpopr, but it has to be temporary. Do you understand?"

    They both blinked in a way that it was clear that they didn''t understand. Viktor cursed them on the inside but he had to use them as his pawns. They were perfect to be used. They were his sons, didn''t have enough intelligence to question his moves and were too blinded by the money they received from him that they would do what he wanted them to.

    Viktor knew that Emma''s father was the leader of the rebels. He also knew that Drogo was hot headed. If a fire was sparked, he was surely going to convert it into fire. He pointed at his table. "There are tax documents sitting over there. I want you to take the tax papers rted to two viges that haven''t paid taxes yet and go to those viges to make noise about it. Don''t relent even if they beg you on their knees. Whip them, jail them or do whatever you want, but ask them to give taxes to the kingdom."

    "How will it help?" Jasper asked, totally confused.

    Viktor stopped himself from gritting his teeth, frustrated by them. Instead he smiled and said, "Leave that to me. Just focus on what you have to do, okay?"

    The princes took a deep breath in, filling their lungs with an air of importance. "Don''t worry father!" Jade said with a serious voice. "It will be done! We will go to those viges tomorrow."

    "Yes, we will do everything we can to stop Lazarus from taking the throne," Jasper added. "And this is nothing."

 Chapter 166 Increasing Popularity

    ?

    Jade and Jasper traveled to the marked viges just before sunrise in their carriages. Both of them had one agenda and that was to collect the taxes from the vigers. None of them bothered to read the documents that stated the economic condition of the vigers out there. All they knew was that they had to collect the taxes no matter what. And if the vigers tried to resist then they would be punishing them severely.

    As they were traveling to the viges, back in the main vige where Drogo and other main rebellion leaders lived, it wasing back to normal. After Lazarus had met with Drogo and pointed it out to him that there were no more humans missing, Lazarus had released some funds that were allocated to him from the royal treasury for the vigers. However, he didn''t give it to them outrightly as charity because he knew that people never cared for something that was given for free. So he decided to loan them money on a certain interest rate. And that interest rate was so low that it was too attractive.

    It had been a week since Yul hade to the vige to announce the micro finance scheme that Lazarus had announced for the vigers. At first, people were scared toe out because they didn''t want to go against the rebel leaders. However, two dayster, when they came to know of the advantages of the scheme, they started toe in throngs. Yul was surprised that it was women who came inrge numbers. On the fourth day, they had to appoint an aid, Maxim, under Lazarus who looked after his wealth for allotting loans.

    Because of this small activity, Lazarus was gaining poprity slowly. Vigers were in need of funds and getting a good amount at such less interest rates was just too lucrative to not to avail. Moreover, after Maxim had announced that there was only a limited amount that could be loaned, vigers came inrge numbers not just from the main vige but from other areas as well just to get to it first before the funds dried.

    It only meant one thing¡ª Lazarus was getting famous everywhere.

    "I want to go to the pce," Avice said with irritation in her voice. She had been telling it to Drogo ever since Lazarus had invited her.

    "Are you mad?" Drogo growled. "I have told you again and again that this won''t look good on me. Can you understand that I am the leader of the rebels and if my wife goes to the pce to meet the royals, how will it look in their eyes?"

    "Why?" Avice snapped, cing her hands on her hips. "When you had to get the vampire blood for our son, you didn''t hesitate to sell Emma to Lord Lazarus? You have kept that as a secret from everyone. And now that he has invited you out of politeness, you are giving me all that nonsense? What a hypocrite you are!" <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Woman!" Drogo growled as he got up and caught her fiercely by her upper arm. "You don''t talk to me like that! It was your idea to sell my Emma to Lord Lazarus. Earlier you thought that Emma won''t be treated nicely in the pce and that she would be the concubine or she would be used and thrown, and now your thoughts have changed? You are so greedy that you will change like a chameleon if need be. Don''t I know you? You are only seeing all the riches that Lazarus and Emma offer you."

    Avice gasped. "You are using me?" she cried. "If you loved Emma so much, then why did you let me sell her to Lord Lazarus? You could have stopped it. It''s not that you weren''t a party to what happened." She pulled herself out of his grasp and rubbed her arm. "And if you keep on clinging to what we did in the past, you will never progress. Times change and I want to change with the times. Do you even know that after Lord Lazarus has announced that he would be giving loans at very low interest rates, people from surrounding viges have flocked?"

    "I don''t care!" Drogo shouted. "I can''t take any loan from the royals. It won''t look nice on me. I won''t let you go to the pce and if you talk to me about it again, I am going to chain you to the walls of the house. You understand?" The reality was that Drogo was still trying to keep the rebellion alive.

    Avice winced. She started crying loudly and Drogo rolled his eyes. He picked up his bag and left for his daily work. He knew how dramatic Avice was. He wasn''t going to allow her to go to the pce and reduce his dignity. What he did with Emma was going to remain a secret.

    However, Avice was not the type of a woman who would sit at home and listen to the old bastard. He betrayed his own daughter and sold her. And now he was trying to look good? To hell with him. She was going to go to the pce and meet Emma. Avice was sure that Emma would gift her something and once she got it, she was going to sell it in the market and all that money would be for free. She wouldn''t have to get in line to take a loan like other vigers.

    Avice started forming ns to go to the Wilyra Pce in secret. She had to take her son as well so that Lazarus would give him a job at the pce when he came of age. The only problem was how to go to the vige without letting Drogo know about it. Her mind worked over time and a dayter she came up with a great n. She packed her clothes in a bag and when Drogo came back in the evening, she said, "My sister has suddenly fallen sick. Father has called me, saying that these would probably be herst days. He has asked me to go and visit them. I am leaving with Angus and I will return in two days."

    asionally missing content, please report errors in time.

 Chapter 167 Behead You

    ?

    Drogo was surprised. His brows furrowed. His wife never left for her father''s ce,e what may. After she had married him, Avice never even talked about her sisters or invited them over for the fear that her rations would deplete.

    "What is wrong with your sister?" Drogo asked with suspicion in his eyes.

    "I don''t know!" Avice replied as she picked up her bag. "I will know when I reach there." She was tense that he wouldn''t allow her to go.

    Drogo gritted his teeth. He contemted on what to do next and then said, "Okay, but be back in two days."

    Avice let out a ragged breath. "I have cooked food for you and it is packed in the leaves right over there," she said, pointing at a rack above the stone stove. "You can warm the meat and have it." Saying that she caught Angus''s hand and walked out of the house.

    Drogo followed her to the door and then watched her as she disappeared round the corner. With a heavy heart, he came back inside. His wife had never left him before so this was new. After keeping his tools in a corner, he strolled to the kitchen and picked up the meat that was wrapped in the leaf. It was still warm, so he sat down and ate it with a loaf of bread.

    Avice knew that Drogo would be watching her. So she made sure to round the corner and then peeped a little to see him. He was not watching her anymore. "Let''s hurry!" she said to her son and darted from there. She made sure to walk through the market square and then south before returning to the north streets just in case her husband was following her.

    "What are you doing, mother?" Angus asked with irritation. "I am tired." They had been running around.

    "Hush!" she said. They reached the end of the street where thest house of the vige was located. A few meters ahead a carriage waited for them. It was a simple carriage with one bench. The coachman looked at them and nodded. She opened the door and rushed her son to sit inside it. Then she scanned around to see if anyone else was there to follow her. When she was assured that there was no one, she hopped inside the carriage and asked the coachman to hurry up.

    Avice had hired the coach to go to the pce. The coachman didn''t agree at first, but when she said that it was Lord Lazarus''s order that she be there, he hesitated. She gave him two silver coins to keep his mouth shut about her visit.

    It was pretty dark on the outside and up north, the cold winds were gustier. She wrapped a shawl around her and covered Angus with a thick fur that belonged to Drogo. "It is going to be very cold, Angus," she said. "The pce is high up in the mountains and I have heard that the road is bumpy. So get all the sleep you can."

    Angus was already tired after the way his mother ran around the vige. He yawned and then closed his eyes. He rested his head on herp and went off to sleep murmuring, "I hope Emma is there for us." He knew what his mother was doing and even though he protested that this wasn''t the right way to go, he had to apany her.

    The carriage traveled for over six hours to reach the pce. The journey up the mountains was tedious. It had begun snowing and the horse was tired after three hours. They had to stop in the biting cold to feed the horse and make it rest.

    When they reached the pce, it was still dark. The pce guards stopped her immediately when she knocked on them. The tall iron gates were closed.

    "Who are you?" one of them shouted, pointing his spear at her.

    Seeing his face and those fangs protruding out of his mouth, Avice gulped. "I¡ª I havee to meet Lady Emma." <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    The guard hissed. "Really? And who the fuck do you think you are to disturb Lady Emma at this hour? Go away before I pierce this spear through your heart!"

    Avice started shaking. Angus hid behind her. She had to give her real identity. "I am Lady Emma''s mother, Avice and this is my son, Angus."

    The guard was taken aback for a moment. "Show me the proof!"

    Now Avice had no proof that she was Emma''s mother. "You can call Emma and ask her to identify me."

    "Are you insane?" the guard roared. "You want me to disturb Lady Emma and ask her toe here to identify you? Get lost and nevere back!"

    "You are making a mistake," Avice snapped. "It was Lord Lazarus who invited us toe here." It was already snowing pretty hard. If she didn''t get inside earlier, she was sure that they would freeze.

    The guard froze. A momentter he said, "Then show me the invite that Lord Lazarus gave you."

    Avice''s mouth dropped open. She had no such invite. She thought that getting in the pce would be really easy after she identified herself, but this was getting moreplicated than ever. On top of it, it was snowing. "I don''t have an invite from him, but he asked me to visit my daughter whenever I liked."

    The guard found it so amusing that he began tough. "Aren''t you a dimwit? If he didn''t give you a handwritten invite which I highly doubt he would ever give you, did he give you any of his possessions that you can show me and get inside?"

    Avice didn''t have that either. Panic bubbled in her chest along with frustration. "Look, you better let us inside, because if Lord Lazarus woulde to know that you haven''t let us in, he is going to cut your head!"

    The guard was now pissed as hell. "How dare you threaten a royal guard?" he hissed. "I am going to arrest you and throw you in the dungeon. Then no one will know that you even came here!"

    "What? No!" she shrieked when he opened the door and lunged at her to grab her wrist. "I- I am sorry!" She apologized. "I didn''t mean to threaten you, but this is the truth. Pl¡ª please let us in. My son is a youngling. He will die in this severe cold if you don''t allow us toe in."

    "Then I will put your son in the dungeons also!" Saying that the guard motioned two of his men toe. They immediately came out and held her as Angus started crying. "Leave my mother!"

    The guards were relentless. They dragged Avice through a side alley all the way to the dungeons and Angus went after her. She protested a lot and tried to struggle, but realized that she was no match to them. In the end, the guards just tossed her inside the dungeon. Angus also rushed behind her. When they locked her, she shouted, "I want to meet my daughter! When she sees me in this condition, she is going to behead you!"

 Chapter 168 Has She Changed?

    ?

    When Emma woke up in the morning, she found herself entangled in the limbs of Lor Lazarus. He was relentlessst night and when she was too tired to do anything more, he let her sleep. Sometime during the middle of the night he left her and went to attend to his duties like vampires did, and then he came back. He slid beside her and went off to sleep.

    She kissed his cheek. He growled and pulled her closer, not ready to let her go. She giggled. "I have to go to the bathroom."

    He groaned and left her. As she got up, she gathered her hair in a bun and walked to the bathroom. An hourter, they were both in the ante-chamber having their breakfast.

    "Won''t you join your father for breakfast?" she asked as she chewed on a delicious pastry.

    He sneered. "That old man has gone mad. He thinks I don''t know what he is doing!"

    Emma was taken aback. "What did he do now?" She was actually getting tired of the pce games. They were never ending.

    "Don''t worry," he said. "He is just being immature. I will handle him."

    Emma chuckled. "I know you can handle him well. She picked up the apple juice when a guard knocked on their door.

    "Come in," Lazarus said.

    When the guard stepped in, he bowed to both of them. "The jailor of the dungeons wants to meet you."

    Lazarus''s brows furrowed. "Let him in."

    When the jailor came in, he nced at Emma and then quickly bowed his head. "Lord Lazarus," he said in a very polite voice. He nced at Emma again out of fear.

    "Continue!" Lazarus ordered, sensing that something was odd with his behavior.

    The jailor gulped. "A human came from the vigest night when you were all sleeping. She imed that she was Lady Emma''s mother."

    Emma sat ramrod straight as she stared at the guard.

    The guards became nervous. "She said that you had invited her but she didn''t have any invitation with her. She couldn''t even produce a gift or a possession that you would have given her in case you had invited her. So we were suspicious. She hase with her son."

    "Where is she?" Lazarus growled.

    "She is the dungeons," the jailor said as blood drenched from his face out of fear. "But, m''lord, we just followed the protocol. Had she shown us¡ª"

    "Is her name Avice? And her son''s name is Angus?" Emma asked, getting up.

    "Yes, mdy," the jailor said.

    Emma jerked her head back and then looked at Lazarus with wide eyes. Lazarus didn''t say anything to her but he ordered the guard, "Get her out of the dungeons and take her to the guest room. Keep a guard posted in front of the room. Is that clear?"

    "Yes, m''lord," the guard said.

    "And ask the servants to send hot water for them to bathe and serve food." <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    The guard bowed to them and hastily went out of the room.

    "When did you invite her?" Emma asked, bewildered. She felt terrible that Avice brought Angus with her. The little boy suffered so much. "And when you invited her, why couldn''t you give her anything that would mark the invitation? That''s really irresponsible of you!"

    Lazarus wiped his face. He ced the napkin on the table. He kept his elbow on his thigh and looked at her. "Emma, I invited her thest time I went there. It was a casual invitation and Drogo refused it. He said that she would never go to the pce. However, I still extended the invitation out of courtesy. I didn''t know that she would jump at the invitation so fast." He shrugged.

    Emma was actually bewildered. She could never believe that her stepmother would evere to visit her. "I want to meet them now!"

    "Wait for a while, Emma," he said. "Let them get ready. They have spent the night in the dungeon. They should freshen up."

    Emma clutched her dress on the side, feeling anxious. Her stepmother was always the kind of a woman who shunned her. At the first opportunity she threw her out of the house and now she wasing to meet her? Emma strode inside her bedroom and started pacing it. Lazarus came after her.

    "Emma, why are you so anxious?" he asked, not liking the way her heart thudded.

    "She¡ª" Emma couldn''t speak because a lump formed in her throat. She managed to gulp it down. "She never once liked me, Lord Lorza. And now she hase to meet me? Has she changed?"

    There was so much hope in her voice that Lazarus''s heart squeezed. But he didn''t want to give her false hope and at the same time, he didn''t want to break her bubble. It was like walking on eggshells around that topic. So he chose his words carefully. "Why don''t you go and talk to her? You wille to know what her intentions were toe to the pce at suchte hours? And you should also think that why hasn''t shee with Drogo? Would your father allow her to travel at night?"

    Emma stopped in her tracks as she stared at Lazarus as if trying to understand his words. She licked her dry lips and let out a ragged breath. "Maybe because my father didn''t have time toe?"

    Lazarus shrugged. "I don''t know. You should find your answers from him. However, now that she hase here, she will be treated nicely. Would you like me to offer her son a ce in my pce?"

    "I don''t know¡­" Emma said. She was split in making the decision. How could she separate Angus from his parents? It was a terrible feeling.

    He closed the distance between them and ced his hands on her shoulders. "I know that you are conflicted, love. Take your time and don''t worry. Whatever decision you will make, I am with you."

    "Oh Lorza!" she said and threw her arms around his chest. Why was he so considerate?

    The one hour wait for Emma was like eternity. As soon as the guard informed her that her mother and her brother were ready to see her, she darted out of her room and hastily went to the guest room where they were, little paying attention to the guards who followed her.

    When she reached the guest room, she knocked politely on the door, when all she wanted to do was burst it open. Angus opened the door and the moment he saw her, he threw his arms at her and hugged her. "Emma!" he chirped excitedly.

    "Angus!" she squealed and peppered kisses on his face, head and neck. Sheughed through her tears. "How is the big boy doing?"

    "I am doing well!" Angus replied with a grin. The boy hadpletely forgotten the night he had spent in the dungeon.

    Emma''s eyes went to her mother and she stiffened. Avice was staring at her with murderous energy. "Mother," she greeted, entering the room.

    Avice clenched her fists. "Howe you never told these guards that I am your mother? I spent a whole bloody night in the dungeons!"

    Emma''s mouth dropped to the floor at her attitude. She was hoping for a hug, but she realized that her stepmother was just the same. She replied, "Because, father has asked me to keep it a secret that I was his daughter when he sold me to Lord Lazarus."

 Chapter 169 Beginning Of Getting Rich

    ?

    Avice red at her and then stomped to the balcony where she crossed her arms across the chest and stood for a long time.

    Emma shook her head and turned her attention to her brother. "Angus, how are you?"

    "I am well," he replied with a grin. He grabbed her hand and pulled her to the bed. "Emma," he said with excitement. "You live in a huge house! This is so much more beautiful than ours!"

    She giggled and ruffled his hair. "Well, it is a pce. What do you expect?"

    "I want to see it all!" His eyes went wide. "How long will you keep us here? Mother said to father that she would go back in two days. Can I please stay with you? Please? Pretty please?"

    Emmaughed at this enthusiasm. "You can stay here for as long as you want, Angus!" She loved to see him again after so long. Angus was just the same and was healthier. "But won''t father scold you?"

    He hmphed. "I will tell father that I am going to stay here and then Lord Lazarus can pass an order not to take me back and then I won''t go!"

    Emma loved the way his brain was working. "You are a smart boy!" she chirped. "I will arrange for a tour for you. This is a lovely pce, but you are going to feel very cold. So always wear your woolens. Why haven''t you got more woolens?" She pulled his sweater tight over his shoulders.

    He looked back over his shoulder at his mother. In a low voice he said, "Mother hasn''t told father that she hase here, because then father wouldn''t have allowed it. She lied to father that she was going to her sister''s ce for two days and that is why she hasn''t packed enough."

    Emma was stunned. She knew that something was wrong. But why did Avicee unannounced? It was in strange. Emma went to the closet and fetched fur for him. "Here, wear it." She draped it around him.

    "You are not angry, are you?" Angus asked, searching her face for anger.

    "No!" Emma smacked him yfully on the arm. "Why will I be angry? I got to see you. But you have to be smart. Can you be smart?"

    "Yes!" he replied. Then he turned to look at his mother. "She''s upset. The dungeons were bad. They were damp and cold and she screamed at all the guards until she couldn''t."

    "I know," Emma sighed. "But it''s a protocol. I am so sorry that you also went through all this."

    "Ah, it''s fine!" Angus replied. "I understand that it''s a protocol."

    Emma took out a pearl ne she was wearing and sped it around his neck.

    "Emma, what are you doing? I can''t ept it."

    "Hush." Emma sped it behind his neck. "Keep it with you always. See this pendant?"

    Angus looked down at the red ruby pendant that was encased in gold. "This is Lord Lazarus''s possession. Anyone with this will be granted entry in the pce. So from now onwards, don''t worry and enter at your will."

    "Oh!" Angus was surprised as he lifted the pendant and examined it. "It''s beautiful!" <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    By that time, Avice came inside and saw her son wearing the pearl ne with arge ruby pendant. Her eyes went wide. "What is that?" she asked, hurrying up to him and staring at the pendant.

    "This is a ticket to enter the pce!" Angus replied. "Emma gave it to me."

    Avice licked her lips. This pendant would bring her so much money that she could live all her lifefortably. She turned to Emma and said, "You should also give me something. The guards took me to the dungeons. It was harrowing! I don''t want to go there again!"

    Emma bit her bottom lip. "I don''t have anything now, but I will give you somethingter."

    Avice''s eyes went wide for a moment thinking of the wealth Emma would give her, but she controlled herself and mellowed down her voice. "Sorry, I was angry at you earlier."

    "It''s okay," Emma smiled. "I am arranging for a pce tour for Angus. Would you like to join him?"

    "Of course!" Avice replied eagerly.

    "Great!" Emma sped her hands. "I will leave you two alone to rest now."

    Emma came out and closed the door. She let out a rough exhale. Avice hade without telling her father. This was going to be either very bad or very good. She arranged for a tour of the pce for both of them but couldn''t apany them because of security. Lazarus had refrained her from going around after his sisters attacked her.

    Avice was stunned at the wealth and luxury of the pce. She couldn''t believe that while Emma stayed in so many riches, she was leading such a lowly life. She hated Drogo for leading the rebellion because he couldn''t openly enjoy it at his daughter''s expense. But she was not going to leave the opportunity. Every time the man who took them on a tour looked away, Avice would pick up some trinket and stash it in her blouse or her pockets. If Emma didn''t give her anything by the end of two days, she would have enough wealth on her own.

    They couldn''t finish the tour by evening and returned exhausted. She stashed all her little wealth in her bag and shoved it under the bed.

    Emma came a whileter and said, "Lord Lazarus has called you to join him for dinner. Will you be able toe?"

    "Of course!" Avice replied. How could she leave the opportunity to meet Lord Lazarus?

    In the evening Avice chose a dress from the room''s closet. It was a burgundy down. She had to impress Lord Lazarus and she was going to talk sweetly to impress him because they started on a bad note. This was her chance to butter him so that he gave her some gold coins or jewelry when she left. To hell with Drogo. Besides, he would nevere to know that she hade to the pce. Who will tell him? Surely Emma won''t because she hardly talked with him. So if he wanted to continue with his rebellion, he could. Also, once she went back, she wasn''t going to talk about this to anyone. No one wille to know.

    "Mother, you are taking all the time!" Angus remarked, irritation surging in him. "The escort is waiting for us."

    "Wait!" she snapped at him. She adjusted her earrings and then walked out. The guard took them to the quarters of Lord Lazarus. Avice was even stunned at all the wealth his quarters were filled with. There were gold vases everywhere. Marble table embossed with gold, thick rugs, exquisite paintings and every other thing she couldn''t even imagine was adorning this wing. Her throat became dry when she thought how much wealth Emma was surrounded with. She was definitely going to take some. After all, she was Emma''s mother.

    When she reached the main dining hall, she saw Lazarus sitting at the head of the table with Emma on his right. She bowed to him and smiled at Emma. This was the beginning of getting rich.

    But what happened next was something she could never anticipate.

 Chapter 170 Guests At Dinner

    ?

    Avice smiled as she bowed to Lazarus and came to sit on the left of him as guided by the servant. She was astonished to see that the table was heavilyid out withvish dinner. There weremb patties, prawn pie, pear sd, sausage and potato casserole, stuffed tomatoes, fried fish with cheese sauce and so many others that she couldn''t even name.

    As she took all that in, she took a ragged breath. They had prepared so much. She wondered if more guests were to join them. Surely, more royals wereing. The thought was enough to excite her. She had the opportunity to butter them. That would surely guarantee her a ce in the pce. She had heard that if you buttered the royals or those who held higher positions, they favored you. It was a general rule of the world and for a reason sycophants existed.

    She chuckled, "Emma, this is a lot of food. I will not be able to eat so much!" In all her life Avice hadn''t received this kind of a wee and no one had ever served food. A pang of jealousy stabbed her heart when she thought that this was how Emma lived every day. This wasn''t fair. She decided that she was going to be a part of Emma''s life in whatever way possible and enjoy all the luxuries.

    Emma nced at Lazarus and said, "Please eat, mother." She quickly shifted her gaze to Angus and her lips curved up. "And you, young man, are too thin. Come and sit next to me." She patted the chair next to her for him to sit. Angus beamed. Without waiting for his mother''s instructions, he rushed to sit with his sister. Emma was so happy to be with him that she served him food with her hands. "Havemb patties," she said. "These will give you a lot of strength.

    Avice didn''t have the manners to wait for Lord Lazarus to start. She served herself with arge portion of dishes as if she wouldn''t get them again. While she was eating, crumbs of bread and other meat stuck to her lips, her chin and her cheeks. She was making so much noise that Lazarus was getting annoyed, but he kept his head low. Only Emma and Angus were talking with each other with Emma mainly fussing over him.

    While Avice was eating, she noticed a guarde over. He bowed to Lord Lazarus and said, "M''lord, the other guests have arrived."

    "Please call them in," Lazarus ordered him.

    Avice was now all the more excited. She was sure that more guests wereing. She quickly wiped her lips and smoothened her hair without realizing that she had put some crumbs in her hair also. She stared at the door without blinking to see the royals. She was so happy on the inside that she flushed. This was her chance and she was going to butter them up more than Emma.

    When the firstdy came in, Avice got up and rushed to her and even without looking at her face, she bowed to her.

    "Lady Avice?" a soft and surprised voice came. "Why are you bowing to me?"

    Avice was thrilled. The woman knew her name and was so sweet that she recognized her position in the pce and asked her not to bow. In order to tter her, Avice giggled and, lifting her face to meet the royal woman''s eyes, said, "It is my pleasure to¡ª" she stopped when her eyes locked on to the woman''s face. "You? What are you doing here?" she squeaked, more out of fear and less out of surprise. She immediately got disgusted with herself for bowing to this lowly woman.

    The woman bowed to her and smiled. When she got up, she said, "Lord Lazarus invited me formally."

    Avice gulped and became furious. Lord Lazarus never invited her formally and she had to spend a night in the dungeon, but he invited her formally, so she must have received all the benefits of a guest. "What for?" Avice snapped at her. Audrey was the wife of the weaver in the vige and far too lower than her in status and society. Avice cursed herself for bowing to her.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Lazarus got up from his chair. "Please join us for dinner," he said to Audrey.

    Audrey curtsied Avice again and walked past her to sit on the chair in the left corner of the table as directed by the servant. Avice grumbled and followed her and red at Emma for not telling who all would being. Having dinner with Audrey was below her prestige. She would not tolerate it. She sat back in her ce and started to have more food when the guards announced another guest''s arrival. This time Avice didn''t get up and saw that another woman, Marie, from the vige hade to join them. Avice was shocked. What the hell was happening? This was just too much.

    Why had Lazarus called them all? And now she was tense because of a different reason. What if these women exposed her secret in the vige that she hade to meet Emma? While her husband was leading a rebellion, she was enjoying the benefits of the pce. Avice gritted her teeth. Not only that now they all knew that Emma was in the pce. All she hoped that her secret of selling her didn''te out.

    Her mind started conjuring up all scenarios to escape the situation, but the first question in her mind was why had Lazarus invited them.

    Thirddy, Hazel, from the vige entered with two more and this time Avice flipped. She stopped eating and blurted, "What is happening?"

    Emma smiled to all the women who were now seated one after the other next to Avice. "Wee to the pce. We are d to receive you."

    Audrey got up from her ce. She bowed to Lord Lazarus again and said, "Lord Lazarus, we are d and grateful to you for calling us to have dinner with you. No royal has ever had food with amoner. It was such a pleasure to note that you have one of us, Emma, in the pce with you."

    Lazarus nodded to her in acknowledgement.

    Avice got jealous. Audrey was just trying to show that she was courteous and ttering the prince. Well, she didn''t have to show that kind of courtesy because she was Emma''s mother.

    Marie got up next. "Lord Lazarus, you are very kind to let use here. I hope that you be our next king. Our support is with you."

    Avice''s jaw dropped. Traitors! These women hade here to support Lazarus when their husbands were a part of the rebellion? She was surely going to let Drogo know about it. But how could she convey it to Drogo? He didn''t know that she was here. She whipped her head to look at Lazarus. He was just too shrewd. He called these women in secret to stop the rebellion but he never called her? Anger and fear and jealousy warred inside her. She had to talk to Emma about it. Since when was Lord Lazarus nning all this? What if these women went back to the vige and exposed her?

 Chapter 171 [Bonus ] Is He More Powerful?

    ?

    For the rest of the evening, as thedies from her vige talked to Lazarus about his ns for the vige if the rebellion stopped, Avice felt like she was being ignored on purpose. Once they reached the vige, she was going to give them all a lesson of their life.

    "How long do you n on staying here?" Avice asked them, interrupting the conversation rudely.

    They looked at her with surprise at her insolence. "As long as Lord Lazarus wants us to be here," Marie shot back. "Besides, it is not proper manners to interrupt a conversation of a prince."

    At that Avice''s jaw dropped. Marie was being smart with her. She had to show her ce, but now. She would do it in private.

    Lord Lazarus coughed a little and after ignoring Avice, he continued to chat with the group ofdies. All of them were just too eager for this once in a lifetime opportunity to talk to a royal and put forth their grievances.

    "The vige needs a new well, Lord Lazarus," said Audrey. "The waters of the current well are polluted."

    "That can be arranged," he replied as he leaned forward to listen to them attentively.

    "We should have a fish pond where we can breed fishes," Audrey added. "Sometimes, in winters, there is a gross scarcity of food, and the fish pond can be of great help."

    "But why is there scarcity of food?" he asked, brows furrowed.

    Avice scoffed. "There is never scarcity of food. My husband provides for me even in winters!"

    Audrey narrowed her eyes. "That''s because your husband is the leader of the rebels and he has a good connection with the vige''s merchant who controls all the grocery. Who knows that you people have colluded with him to increase the prices ofmodities as soon as the winter sets in? Do you even know how many houses go without food during that time?"

    Avice sneered. "You have no right to talk to me like that!" In reality, she didn''t have the answer to that. What would she say?

    "Oh please!" Audrey replied back. "Don''t tell me about my rights, Avice." She turned to look at Emma. "I really wonder how you bring up sweet little Emma because she is so polite and you are the opposite of that. Lord Lazarus here is listening to all ourints while you are acting high and mighty."

    "Mind your words!" Avice retorted. "You are nothing but a lowly woman of the vige!"

    Audrey opened her mouth, but Marie stopped her. She addressed Avice, "Okay, Avice, we are the lowly women of the vige. But Lord Lazarus has called us to talk about the vige''s problems. Since you are the wife of the rebel leader, I am sure you must be knowing more about the problems. Why don''t you exin it to him?"

    Avice jerked her head back with wide eyes. She knew that there were problems in the vige, but if she talked about them and Lazarus solved them, then she and her husband would lose all the monopoly in the business. She shot back, "I am not here to discuss my problems with Lord Lazarus. As such he is always upied with the problems. Why burden him more? I am here to meet my lovely daughter."

    "Your daughter?" Marie replied as she tossed her nce to Emma. "What do you mean you havee here to meet her?"

    And at that time, Avice realized that no one knew that Emma was living in the pce. She had spread the rumor that Emma had gone to visit the rtives. The women assumed that Emma hade with her mother to talk to the prince. Avice''s heart thudded in her ribcage. She trapped herself in this stupid situation because of her big mouth. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    As the women looked at her with pure surprise, Emma lowered her head. She knew that sooner thanter the truth would be caught. Lazarus looked at her predicament as silence fell on the table. In a very calm voice he said, "Emma came here a few days earlier, and Avice hase to meet her and take her back." Though Avice seemed to rx, he added, "And you should know that my duties are to look after the people of my kingdom. So if they are pointing out the problems, then I will listen to them and do everything in my power to rectify the situation."

    Avice shut her mouth, feeling very embarrassed. His answer seemed to cate the doubts of other women and they continued with their conversation with Lazarus. Now they were even more impressed by him. Hardly any royal talked to them.

    Once the dinner was over, Emma said to Angus, "Would you like toe to my room? I have ordered special pastries for you?"

    "Yes!" he eximed. "I would love to, Emma!"

    Emma chuckled. She told Lord Lazarus that she was taking her leave and went to her room. Angus talked to her about everything he could, excitedly and she listened to him without stopping him even once. She didn''t know when he woulde back to meet her. With the way things were going with Avice, she didn''t know if Lord Lazarus would let her stay in the pce for long. Emma was sure that Avice would use Angus to her advantage.

    Back in the room, Lazarus took a short leave from the women when Yul called him for important work. When Avice was left alone, the women avoided her, but she strode to Marie. She grabbed her hand and spun her to face her. "What do you think you are to talk to me like that? Were you trying to insult me?"

    "What?" Marie shot back. She pulled her hand out of her grasp. "Why will I insult you? On the contrary, you were the one who insulted us! And I am surprised to see you here? Howe the rebel leader''s wife is in the pce? What are you doing here?"

    She raised her hand to p Marie when it was caught by Audrey and shoved back. "Avice!" Audrey snapped. "Don''t you dare to misbehave with us!"

    Avice was now shaking with anger. "You know what? Get out of the pce at this instant. You are thrown out. I will ask Lord Lazarus to never allow you toe in ever!"

    Behave yourself, Avice!" Marie growled. "I never thought that Lord Lazarus would call you. If he has called you, why not tell him about the problems that the vige faces rather than doling out your personal vendetta. When are we going to get this chance to meet the royal prince again?"

    "Oh, I will get plenty of chances!" she blurted. After all, her daughter lived in this pce.

    Shocked, the two women looked at her with suspicion. "What do you mean?"

    Avice pursed her lips. How could she reveal about Emma. So she said, "That''s because I am the wife of the rebel leader. And Lord Lazarus is bound to call me in order to keep Drogo happy."

    "Why would the prince want to keep Drogo happy? Is Drogo more powerful than him? Anway, we are all fed up with the rebellion and want to move forward," Marie replied.

    All of a sudden, a guard entered saying, "Please remain in this room. Your rooms will be checked. Some artefacts of the pce are missing."

    Avice froze.

 Chapter 172 Classier

    ?

    Every woman in the room was surprised. They started murmuring about the fiasco.

    "Who could dare to steal from the pce?" Audrey said in a hushed tone.

    Marie shrugged. "Only a fool!" she remarked. "Stealing from the pce means that they have stolen the king''s treasure and that is something very serious. No one has ever lived to see the day after stealing from the king."

    "That''s right, Marie," Hazel added. "I know of people who the king has hanged for lesser crimes. But this is a huge crime. I hope they catch the thief and hang him or her in the market square and leave the body hanging there for two days so that everyone sees it and never thinks of stealing from the pce."

    Avice was so petrified that she couldn''t speak a word. She was literally shaking when the guard gave all of them a hard re and left. The conversation amongst thedies was also not helping. The treasure belonged to the king? She thought that it belonged to Prince Lazarus and that was why she took it. Even if Lazarus came to know about it, she was sure that he would cover it because of Emma. But, this had be the royal matter. King was involved.

    Thinking of that, her head became dizzy. She cursed the king internally that he was such a miser that he couldn''t bear the loss of a few minor things from the pce. However, if she went and confessed to Emma, she was sure that Emma would help her out. After all, why would she not help her? Emma wouldn''t want to soil her name on this petty theft. At the same time, if she could go to her room and somehow remove the stolen goods from there and keep it elsewhere, she would be spared.

    She strode out of the room but the moment she was on the door, the guards stopped her. "You can''t leave this room," the guard said to her in a strict manner.

    "What do you mean?" she shot back. "I am Lady Emma''s mother. I can go anywhere I like. Do you think that I have stolen the items?"

    The guard narrowed his eyes. "I am sorry but I can''t allow you to go out. And the reason is that these are the king''s direct orders."

    "King''s direct orders?" Avice was stunned. Her head reeled so fast that she had to catch the frame of the door to stop herself from falling down. "Wh¡ªwhy would the king give direct orders?" she asked, her voice barely over a whisper.

    The guard gave her a suspicious look. "Lady Avice, I don''t know why it should matter to you, but one can''t go around stealing in the pce. If someone steals so tantly and the king doesn''t do anything about it, then this ce would soon convert into a hub of robbers."

    Avice''s stomach knotted tightly. She had taken very insignificant artifacts. How did they evene to know about them? "I see," she replied in a hoarse voice. "Then please call my daughter. I have to talk to her."

    "Sorry, we can''t leave this ce," the guard replied. "We have our orders to stay here until we get fresh orders."

    A headache started developing. She had to turn and sit back and wait for the incident to unfold. A shudder ran down her body when she thought of the dungeons. Suddenly, an idea came to her mind. If she was caught, she was going to say that it was her son''s mischief. However, another idea thunder-stormed in her mind. She was going to say that it was Emma who gave her those artifacts. That way no one will be able to me her and no one would dare to say a thing to Emma because she was going to be Lord Lazarus''s wife soon. The idea was enough to put a smile on her face.

    She sat grandly on the chair and drank the wine that was served to them while watching other women who talked about the theft. She smirked. They didn''t know how smart she was.

    After an hour, the guard opened the door of the room and said that the search wasplete. Avice was surprised that the guard didn''t say anything to her. That meant that either the items weren''t found or they wouldn''t do anything to her because she was Emma''s mother. A smile came to her lips.

    "So can we leave?" Marie asked in a tired voice. Avice watched them, keeping silent. She was eager to know about the oue of the search.

    "You all can leave," the guard replied. "Prince Lazarus is sorry that he couldn''t attend you personally. But he is going to be there for early morning breakfast with all of you." <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "That is so nice of him," said Hazel.

    "He is truly a kind royal. Very rare and very sweet and concerned about us," Audrey added.

    Thedies took their leave and went out of the room talking amongst themselves. Avice gathered her shawl and was about to leave when the guard stopped her. "You can''t leave."

    "What? Why?" Avice growled. "Are you mad?" She really wanted to leave and go because she was tired and she also wanted to know what happened to search.

    "Lord Yul has ordered us that you are not allowed to leave this chamber until hees here," the guard informed.

    "Who is Lord Yul?" Avice asked, her heart beating faster.

    "Lord Yul is going to be our future General if Lord Lazarus takes over as the king. He is one of the key persons in the king''s army."

    Avice gritted her teeth. "This is getting weirder! I want to meet my daughter now! And I want to meet Lord Lazarus."

    "Please sit inside, Lady Avice," the guard replied. "We can''t do anything other than carry the royal orders."

    Avice spun on her heel and stomped back in, shouting, "Why am I being detained? I don''t like it at all." She sat back on her chair with her arms crossed across her chest and waited for Yul. She was going to give him a piece of her mind. If things went out of control, she was going to take Emma back to the vige and ckmail Lazarus.

    Yul came after half an hour and by that time Avice had lost her patience. "Do you think I am cattle?" she retorted at him without even bowing.

    "You are worse," Yul replied as he narrowed his eyes on Emma''s mother.

    "You¡ª" Avice shouted, but became quiet immediately when Yul bared his fangs and growled at her, his eyes zing with fury.

    Yul growled. "You stole the artifacts from the pce and you have the audacity to behave like you are entitled?" He looked at the guard who came with the bag in which the items were stashed.

    Blood drained from her face. "Th¡ªthese were given to me by Emma," she stammered.

    Yul motioned the guard to go out and shut the door. When the room was closed, Yul said, "Emma is not the type that she would give you these cheap artifacts. She is much ssier than you are, Lady Avice!"

 Chapter 173 It Was Emma

    ?

    Jealousy reared its ugly head in her, but Avice had to control it. Now wasn''t the time. she had to defend herself and for that she was going to throw Emma under the carriage. Avice had to do something to save herself. If this was proven, then she would be hanged. Why were things going down when all she wanted was some happiness?

    "I swear that she gave it to me!" she said in a shaky voice. "She insisted that I take it because she wants to give something to us and she is afraid that Lord Lazarus wouldn''t give anything to us."

    Yul took a step closer to her in an intimidating way. "How dumb can you be, Lady Avice?" Yul grated. "Lord Lazarus would give anything to Emma if she wishes. You very well know that he intends to marry her and he wouldn''t give her such small things? Emma has the whole treasure lying at her feet. Haven''t you seen how she dresses up? If she wishes to part with anything, and I mean any of that treasure, Lord Lazarus wouldn''t lift a finger. I am sure you have already seen the ne she gave to Angus. Did Lord Lazarus take it back from him?"

    Avice''s mouth opened as she tried to say something in her defense, but no words came out. Though Yul insulted her, Avice came to know one thing very nicely and that was that Emma had a lot of treasure. "I think¡ª I think, you should ask Emma as to why she gave all those items to me," she said atst. She just couldn''t agree to the theft. If she took the me, she was scared that Lazarus would ban her froming to the pce, or worse¡ª the king would hang her.

    "I knew you won''t confess!" Yul said. "But Lady Avice, you forget that vampires have this uncanny sense of smell. This bag is yours and it doesn''t smell of Emma at all. Even the artifacts have your distinct smell. How is it that Emma picked them up and they smell of you? Besides, Emma would give you jewelry, not these cheap items. How dare you lower Emma''s status like this?" he growled. "It is proven that you are the one who stole the items and so it is up to the king to deal with it."

    Ground slipped beneath her feet. "This is unfair!" she shouted. "I am telling you that I haven''t stolen them. It was Emma who gave them to me!"

    Yul narrowed his eyes. "What all is in the bag?"

    Avice quickly blurted out whatever there was in the bag. "Emma gave me all those!"

    Yul shook his head. "I am yet to see a woman like you."

    "What do you mean?" Avice said, not sure of his attitude.

    Yul traced away from there much to Avice''s shock and within a minute came back with Emma. Emma clutched Yul hard not to fall down. When she regained her bnce, he asked her, "Do you know what all items are missing from the pce?"

    "How would I know, Yul?" she said and took a deep breath in. She left him and went to sit on the bed. Lately, she wasn''t feeling well. She didn''t know why.

    "Come on, Emma. Why wouldn''t you know?" Yul pushed her.

    "Stop with this nonsense, Yul!'' Emma chided her. "I don''t know anything about the missing items and please send me back to my room. All this tracing makes me dizzy. I feel like vomiting. If you want to know so much about them, why don''t you ask the guards? They will be in a better position to identify them." <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Yul shifted his gaze to Avice who was clearly shaking out of fear. She rushed to Emma. "Emma!" she shook her. "What is wrong with you? Why can''t you remember the items in the bag? It was you who gave them to me." This was Avice''sst ditch effort to save herself. She hoped that Emma understood her predicament.

    "What?" Emma said with a frown on her face. "Why will I give¡ª" Beforepleting the sentence, she vomited all over Avice. Avice screamed with disgust as she rushed towards the bathroom to clean herself. This was getting messier.

    "Emma!" Yul rushed to her. He picked her up and traced her back to her room where her maid took charge of her. Yul rushed to find Lazarus and called him. Healers were immediately summoned. Once Lazarus came to look after Emma, Yul left them and returned to Avice.

    Avice, in the meanwhile, was plotting a way of escape. She climbed over the bathtub to reach the window. If she managed to get out of it, she would run away. The window was enough to wriggle out of it easily. Avice climbed the window and started wriggling out of it like a worm. With extreme difficulty she jutted her head out of it only to find that she was at least three stories high. If she jumped from here, she would kill herself. Whining, she slipped back in the bathroom, cursing her luck. She came out of it and saw Yul standing in the center of the room with his eyebrow raised.

    "You can''t escape," he growled. "You were trying to me Emma. You see that Emma doesn''t know that you have stolen the artifacts. All she knows is that some pieces from the pce are missing. She doesn''t know which pieces. That was the reason I called her. Your lie is detected and you are at the king''s mercy now."

    "No!" Avice ran to him and sank on her knees. Her lie was caught. She hated Emma for not understanding her position. She was going to deal with herter. "I am so sorry!" she begged with her hands sped. "I don''t know what came over me. I shouldn''t have stolen the artifacts. But you see, Lord Yul, we are very poor. We hardly have money to live in luxury like you. I only did all this for my family, for my son. Please, please save me." She started crying and howling and then leaned over to hold his legs.

    Yul moved back. "Finally, you have epted your sin. I am sorry, but this is not in my hands anymore. The guard will escort you to your room and you will wait there until the king''s judgment." Saying that Yul walked out even as Avice cried and sobbed.

    The guards came to her with their spears and bared their fangs to intimidate her. She trembled seeing their fangs and got up, muttering curses. She wondered if she could bribe the guards and leave the pce quietly.

    When she reached her room, she saw that Angus wasn''t there. She asked the guards, "Where is my son?"

    "He is with Lady Emma," he replied and started to close the door. "Don''t think of escaping Lady Avice," he warned her. "There are guards all around this room." He closed the door on her pale face.

    Avice walked inside with a heavy heart. Her feet felt like boulders were tied to them. Her gaze drifted under the bed where she had stashed the bag. It wasn''t there. She sat down on her bed and started crying again. The king would surely behead her.

    But what happened next was beyond her dreams.

 Chapter 174 Advisor

    ?

    Avice sat in her room and for the whole night she was unable to wink an eye. Nervousness rippled through her and she would shudder every now and then. She cried and cried until her eyes were swollen and red. She wanted to go to her son, but the guards didn''t allow her.

    Avice was surprised that even Angus wasn''ting to her. But she suspected that they weren''t allowing Angus toe and meet her. Was it because they were going to take her out of the pce all chained up in a cage like an animal and parade her into the vige till the ce where they would hang her? Surely, they wouldn''t want her son to apany a criminal. Avice howled at the thought. She hade to the pce because she wanted to live a life of luxury, but if God gave her one more chance, she would go back to her house in the vige and hole up in there with Drogo and Angus. She wouldn''t even see the face of the pce.

    At the same time she cursed Emma a lot. That girl had always been an eyesore. She was always a trouble when she stayed with her and was a trouble when she didn''t. She should have sent Emma to her other rtives.

    It was morning when she could fall asleep but that too for a very little time because the door of her room banged open. She jumped up in surprise when she saw a guard walking in. He was going to take her to the king who would order her execution. She sank on her knees in front of him and started wailing. "Please don''t take me there. Those items were too small and insignificant for a pce thisrge. Help me run away!"

    The guard was amused. He stared at her for a moment and then said, "Lord Lazarus has called you. Pleasee out in fifteen minutes. I will escort you to him. They have to talk to you."

    "Lord Lazarus?" Avice wiped her tears. She thought she was going to be taken to the king. Why was Lazarus calling her? Did that mean that he had saved her? Excitement ran through her. She gulped her saliva down. "I will be there with you in a few minutes!"

    As soon as the guard left, Avice ran to the bathroom and washed her face. She came out andbed her hair. Rushed to the closet and wore a new cotton gown. When she was ready, she came out, eagerness apparent on her face. The guard grunted and said, "They are waiting for you in the main hall of the east wing."

    Avice nodded and followed him to the main hall. When she reached there, she was surprised to see that there were other women as well. Angus was sitting next to Emma while all others were sitting on the chairs opposite to her. Lord Lazarus wasn''t there. It seemed like everyone was waiting for the prince.

    Emma shot her a re and then focused on Angus who was talking to her about thetest game that he had invented for his group of boys. Avice gritted her teeth and called Angus. "Angus, where were youst night?"

    "I was with Emma!" he replied with a grin. "We yed so many games, but then Emma became sick and so she had to sleep. I slept in the same bed as hers."

    Avice knew that Emma was sick because the bitch had vomited all over her, but she didn''t ask her about her health. She wanted to get out of here as soon as possible.

    "Oh my God!'' Marie said. "What happened to you, Lady Emma?

    "Are you well?" Audrey asked.

    "You look pale. Maybe the food wasn''t that good," Hazel added.

    Other twodies also showed their concern but Avice just stood there, cursing her more. Atst, Lazarus walked in and she became alert. Behind him was Yul. She avoided his gaze. And behind Yul were two servants who carriedrge trays covered in red velvet.

    Lazarus nced at her and she quickly bowed.

    "Have you recovered the pce treasure?" Audrey asked after bowing to him.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "We have." Lazarus sat on the chair next to Emma. Then he looked at Yul and nodded.

    Yul removed the red velvety cloth from the trays and thedies were stunned to see that it had several valuable items and jewelry.

    "What is all this Prince Lazarus?" Marie asked, bewildered.

    "These are small parting gifts for all of you," he replied.

    Yul took some jewelry and distributed it to all of them except Avice. Avice watched him distributing the treasure with horror and jealousy. She opened her mouth to say that why wasn''t he giving to her but she snapped it shut.

    "Prince Lazarus, you are too kind," Marie said with tears in her eyes.

    Lazarus''s lips lifted. "It was Emma''s idea to give you all parting gifts. She was happy to see that you all hade here on my invitation. So this is the least that I can do. Besides, if you like you can share this wealth with all other vigers. It''s up to you."

    All thedies were moved. Their hearts warmed. "You don''t know how much you have done for us. We have been reeling under the effect of rebellion from so long that this would breathe life in our otherwise mundane and poor existence."

    "I am d that you think like that, Marie," he said. "But really, it is Emma who is responsible for all this."

    Thedies bowed to Emma again. "You are so nice. We heard that you will be staying in the pce under Lord Lazarus''s protection and patronage, and that you will be advising him in the affairs of the vige. We are very proud of you Emma and we hope that your presence in the pce helps us. We all need it."

    And then Avice realized what Lazarus just did. He not only made it official for Emma to stay in the pce, he also became extremely popr in the vige. He had called thesedies on purpose after she had entered the pce and took advantage of the situation. Being the rebel leader''s wife, no one would have noticed if she had visited the pce, but now Lazarus made sure that everyone would talk about her in the vige. He gave them gifts on purpose. It was like a small bribe which thedies didn''t understand. They took it, thinking that it was his benevolence when in reality, Lazarus yed a game. He yed a very clever game.

    Now Avice''s image would be maligned by thedies because they will tell everyone in the vige that she was the rebel leader''s wife, yet their daughter was appointed as the Advisor for the vige in the pce. They would be the vige''sughing stock.

    A shiver ran down her body when she lifted her eyes to look at Lazarus who was staring at her with a wicked glint. He smirked and then turned his head towards the otherdies.

    Yul came to her and said, "We are sorry to inform you but Lord Lazarus has decided that Angus is going to stay with Lady Emma."

    "What?" Avice cried.

 Chapter 175 I Dont Want Them

    ?

    Blood drained from her face. "What?" she cried as she looked at her son. "This is ludicrous!" she spat. "You can''t keep my son away from me!" She ran to Angus and grabbed his wrist. She dragged him away from Emma. "I will not give my son to you, Lord Lazarus!" She tried to make a show of it so as to gain sympathy from otherdies.

    Thedies turned their gaze to Avice with confusion on their faces. They had questions on the faces, but they were thest ones to ask the prince about it. It was a matter that didn''t concern them even if they sympathized with Avice.

    Lazarus raised his brow. "That is not your decision to make, Lady Avice. Angus is the property of the kingdom and he will be brought up with the royals because eventually he will be included in the army of the royal kingdom."

    Avice grasped her son tightly in her embrace. "You are using coercion! This is not done. You have no right to take my son from me. He will never be a part of the army of the royals! He is going to stay with me and I can''t part with him." She was shaking with fear and anger.

    Lazarus crossed his legs over his knee and removed a piece of invisible lint from his impable cape as if meant to state that she was nothing but a lint in his eyes. He nced at Yul. Yul nodded at the servant who stepped forward and removed the cloth from the second tray. On it were the items that she had stolen from the pce.

    Avice stared at them as dread sted in her chest. What was Lazarus up to? What was his game? Was he going to expose her after he had announced that Emma would be his advisor? This would be so contradictory. She couldn''t remove her eyes from the tray. She clenched her jaws, tightening her hold over Angus.

    "Mother," Angus said, feeling very ufortable. "Leave me."

    But Avice didn''t leave him. Her gaze went to Lazarus who had cocked his head and was waiting patiently for her to make a decision. She felt like crying, but there were no tears. She felt like yelling at him, but she had cotton in her throat. She felt like running away with her son, but her legs felt like they were boulders.

    Lazarus''s red eyes were focused on her as the main hall shrouded in uncanny silence. The otherdies gazed at the items that were on the tray and they realized that there wasn''t a single piece of jewelry in them. They were bric-a-brac that they saw decorating the pce. It made them think as to why Lord Lazarus would present these artifacts to Avice. They looked from Avice to Lazarus and back to Avice. And from her expression they knew what happened even though no words came out from either of the two. One of them couldn''t suppress her giggle. But the moment she giggled she pped her hand on her mouth.

    Avice gulped her saliva down her throat along with the silent humiliation she received. Lazarus didn''t say a word about her stealing it. When her eyes went to Emma, she found her head lowered. She was looking in herp with a pale blush which meant that she was embarrassed of her mother''s deeds. Even Angus was embarrassed and he was struggling to step away from her.

    Avice was in a dilemma as silence hung in the air along with tension so thick that it could be cut by a knife. The way Lazarus red at her with his red eyes, she knew that she had to make a decision. Soon. She wondered if this incident even went to the king or not because the way it was unfolding, it looked like Prince Lazarus''s conspiracy against her. For the first time she realized what a shrewd and cunning vampire he was. He had taken care of the rebel in one subtle action and all because of her foolishness. He took the best advantage of her presence in the pce. He hit many birds with one stone.

    Lazarus was giving her the artifacts that she had stolen but he was using them to ckmail her. If she didn''t give up her son, he would me her for stealing them and put her in the dungeons. Yul, who was standing next to him, had already interrogated her about it and she had admitted to her crime. If she gave up her son, Lazarus would present her with the artifacts and send her away. Who knew when he would allow her toe back and visit Angus? At the same time, if she took those items to the vige, thedies who were watching her and who had surely understood what was going on, would spread the rumor in the vige about how she stole from the pce when all Lord Lazarus did was to make Emma his vige advisor. Basically, whatever she did, she was doomed. All she had to choose was which action would lead to lesser doom.

    Tears slipped from her eyes as her hold on Angus loosened. Angus looked up at her and wiped her tears. "Why are you crying, mother?" he said in a low voice. He knew that the items on the tray were the ones she had stolen, but the boy didn''t say anything, feeling too shy about it. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Avice shook her head as she smiled at him, defeat on her face. "Lord Lazarus is right, Angus. You must stay in the pce. You will have better education and will have a better life. I hope that your sister Emma takes good care of you."

    Angus''s lips downturned. "Are you sad, mother? Because I wille with you in that case."

    Avice let out a sob. If she took Angus with him, Lazarus would expose her. She had way too many things to take care of back in the vige because a scandal was awaiting her. "No Angus. Stay here and make your parents proud, okay?"

    Angus hugged his mother. "I wille to meet you and father soon."

    She stroked his back. "That would be wonderful."

    Angus went to Emma and stood with her with a smile on his face. "Emma, will you show me the aviary?"

    "Of course!" Emma beamed. "I will also introduce your new tutors."

    Angus''s eyes became wide with excitement as if he couldn''t wait to start his new life.

    Lazarus smirked. "Lady Avice, these artifacts are for you from the pce. Please consider them as gifts from the royals."

    Avice looked at the artifacts that brought her downfall. She hated them because they were not worth the deal that Lazarus struck with her. Artifacts against her son. She wondered if Angus would ever return to her. "I don''t want them," she said. At the same time, she was forced to say, "I am happy that both my son and daughter are under your protection and patronage, Lord Lazarus." If she had taken the items, she was sure that thedies of the vige would brand her as a thief.

    "My pleasure," Lazarus replied. "You have wonderful children."

    Avice bowed to him along with other women and they were escorted out of the main hall. A carriage was waiting for them to take them to the vige. All the way, Avice was gearing herself up to face Drogo and how to avenge Lord Lazarus.

 Chapter 176 Revenge Served Cold

    ?

    As the carriage rolled towards the vige, Avice was thinking of ways on how tobat her husband. The women traveling with her were chatting amongst themselves as to how good the prince was. They were talking continuously about Lazarus, Emma, the pce and what a beautiful ce it was. Avice wanted to shut them off but she knew that if she did that, they would think that she hated Lazarus.

    If they came to know that she actually hated Lazarus and Emma, they would spread the rumor in the whole vige that despite what Prince Lazarus did for her children, she was finding faults.

    Vice looked out of the window of the carriage and ignored the women. She thought about ns to save herself from her husband''s wrath and also from the rumor that was about to be spread in the vige that the rebel leader''s wife went to meet the prince.

    They reached the vigete in the evening. As the carriage rolled on the streets of the vige, everyone looked curiously at the royal carriage. The streetmp posts were on and soft lights of candles andmps filtered through the curtains of the houses.

    "You can drop us at one ce," Marie said to the carriage man. "We will go to our houses."

    "No, mdy," the carriage man replied. "The prince has asked me to drop all of you at your individual homes."

    Avice gulped. She didn''t want to be seen with these women in a royal carriage, at least to her husband. "In that case, please drop me in the end," she requested. "My husband mustn''t havee home."

    "It is prettyte, Avice," Audrey remarked. "I am sure that he is home."

    Avice gritted her teeth as she red at Audrey. "It seems you know better about my husband!"

    Audrey gasped and then became quiet. Others too went quiet at her words. However, the carriage man said, "You will be dropped first, Lady Avice. Those are the instructions of the prince Lazarus." And so the carriage turned towards Avice''s home first.

    She was horrified. Lazarus made sure that she was doomed.

    Drogo was sitting out and smoking tobo. When he saw the royal carriage, he got up, shock etched on his face. When the carriage stopped, and the coachman opened the door, Drogo''s mouth fell to the floor when he saw Avice stepping out of it. Otherdies looked at him and greeted him with a smile.

    There was a stunned silence between the couple. The coachman bowed to him and hurried away.

    "Wh¡ªwhat is going on?" Drogo asked as he followed a disgruntled Avice inside home, snuffing his tobo leaf.

    Avice didn''t reply and just walked all the way to her room where she slumped on her bed and started wailing.

    "Avice?" Drogo said. "Where is Angus?"

    She didn''t reply and continued to sob loudly. Drogo got too nervous about his son''s safety. He was the rebel leader and there was a chance that his son would get kidnapped by his enemies. He grabbed her shoulders and shook her. "Where is Angus and why are youing in a royal carriage? What the hell happened? Tell me, will you? Did you leave Angus at your sister''s ce?"

    Avice cried loudly. "Nooo!" <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Then where is he?" Drogo asked, blood draining from his face.

    Avice looked at him with trembling lips. "He is in the pce with Emma and Lord Lazarus."

    For a long moment Drogo didn''t understand what she meant. "With Lord Lazarus?" He stood there frozen. "How?" He couldn''t believe what she said. "You went to your sister''s ce?" Suddenly, everything made sense. She stepped out of the royal carriage. "You lied to me!" he said, his voice too calm, his anger simmering. It was like a calm before a storm. Avice scrambled away from him. He took a step towards her. "You fucking bitch! You lied to me about going to your sister''s ce when you actually went to visit the pce?"

    She shook her head as she scrambled further back. "It was¡ª it was a mistake, Drogo!"

    "A mistake?" He was so angry that he pped her tight across her face. Her lip split open and she shrieked in pain. "You went to the pce to mock me?" His face had be red with anger. "I am the rebel leader and you went there against my wishes?" He pped her again and she fell on the mattress with a scream. "You have created the worst possible scenario for me. I will be aughing stock in the vige! My prestige will go down in dust!" He kicked her, his rage going out of control.

    Drogo had been extremely vociferous about his revolt against the king and that was why he was chosen as a leader of the rebels. He had built this reputation over years and years of strategy and hard work. He had sold his daughter to the prince to save his son and kept that a secret. And what did his wife do? She went there and destroyed all that he had fought for or stood for, in less than a day.

    "Drogo I¡ª" Avice covered her face as she tried to exin herself.

    He grabbed her wrists and pinned them up with one hand as he pped her again. "Why is Angus with him? What made you leave our son in the pce?"

    Avice''s nose started bleeding. She cried incessantly. "I will tell you everything. Please, please, just listen to me."

    Drogo was so disgusted that he left her, shoved her on the bed and stood at the edge of the bed. He stabbed his fingers in his head and closed his eyes as tears of humiliation stung his eyes. He had never felt this humiliated in all his life. "Tell me everything. If you will leave even a single detail, you know that I will hear it from others." Drogo was intelligent. It didn''t take science to understand that Avice hade with so manydies from the pce and that meant that they all apanied her over there."

    She sobbed uncontrobly as she narrated the sequence of events. "I was sure that they would allow me in the pce, but they kept me and Angus in the dungeons," she used Lazarus. "He is so cruel and cunning that you won''t believe it."

    Drogo turned sharply towards her. "You gave him a reason to do that! Do you know what you have done? With Emma and Angus under his protection, he has gained super control over the rebellion. In no time, we will beughing stocks of the vige. Even if I concede to stopping the rebellion, they will all say that I stopped because I have given Angus to the pce for a better life. That is kind of a bribe! Do you understand you wretched woman?"

    "But it was Lord Lazarus who took him!" she cried in defense.

    "It doesn''t matter!" he yelled. "That is how the rumor mill works!"

    Avice didn''t know what to say. She curled up her knees and ced her head on them. She couldn''t stop crying. Revenge served cold.

    Drogo was so disgusted that he left the house and went straight to an alehouse. Two drinkster, he heard the murmurs.

 Chapter 177 What Was His Game?

    ?

    Drogo sat alone in the alehouse with arge mug of ale. He was fuming with anger and was sure that this was the beginning of his downfall if he didn''t do something to stop it. Both his kids were taken by Lord Lazarus. He sold the first one while the second one was taken forcibly. He held his head in his hands, feeling like a fool. How could he trust his wife so easily? Why didn''t he read the signs of her behavior?

    He drank his ale and started thinking of how to rescue his image. With rebellion gone, his importance and reputation in the vige would go down sharply. The girl who was serving ale to all, refilled his ss. He was about to finish the second one when he heard how people were murmuring as they stole nces at him.

    "I heard from my wife that his wife had also gone there on invitation," said the cksmith.

    "Yes, Avice kept this a secret from us. What for? To maintain their image? Did she think that she would be alone there?" said hispanion.

    "She is such a hypocrite. I heard that when Lord Lazarus offered her to take care of Angus, she protested. So the prince had to offer her lot of pce treasure."

    "Really? Does that mean that she was offered a bribe for him to take care of her son? Isn''t that ridiculous? If Lord Lazarus would have asked for my son, I would have given him for a better life!"

    "Not only that," the cksmith gossiped. "Their daughter, Emma, never went to their rtive''s ce. She was in the pce and is now appointed at the Advisor for the vige. Can you imagine that? Lord Lazarus has taken the rebel leader''s children and gave them the best jobs one could even think of. This means that he is waving an olive branch at us."

    "That''s right!" Hispanion snickered and gulped half his mug down. "He and his wife are such hypocrites. Had our wives not been invited to the pce, we would have nevere to know the reality!"

    "Lord Lazarus has given so much jewelry to our wives. He is so kind. He has promised to look at all the vige issues. But Drogo was painting such a horrible picture of him," the cksmith added.

    Drogo red at them. He gulped his ale down and got up rather shakily. He walked to them and punched the cksmith on the face. "You arebeling me as a bigot!" Drogo shouted.

    The cksmith got up, shook his head and punched him right back. "Yes. Both you and your wife are bigots!"

    "You!" Drogounched himself on the cksmith and soon both were rolling on the ground with blowsnding on each other.

    The owner had to intervene along with a few others to separate them.

    Drogo wiped the blood from his forehead, wiped his mouth and walked out, cursing everyone. He wanted to go and release his anger more by going home and punching his wife, but he turned to go to a lonely ce. He walked to the point at the foothills of the mountain from where the climb to the pce began. As he looked up at the distant pce that was lit with torches and looking majestic against the backdrop of the night, he couldn''t help thinking that both his children were there. He was never close to Emma but he loved his son. He stabbed his fingers in his hair and was about to sit on a boulder when all of a sudden, arge shadow flew in the sky, its dark silhouette stark against the white moon. It was a dragon. His eyes went wide with shock.

    "Drogo!" A voice disturbed him. He whipped his head to look behind. One of his men was running towards him. He gritted his teeth and turned to see the dragon, but it wasn''t there anymore. Did it mean that his first wife hade back? <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "What do you want?" Drogo snapped at him.

    The man came panting towards him. He was panting heavily. He bent over and ced his hands on his thighs as he took a deep breath in. "News from the north hase. Two viges that were severely affected by cold and perpetual snow are marked by the king to pay taxes!"

    Drogo''s brows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

    The man sat on a boulder. "These two viges are low in producing crops and there are very few families left. They are usually exempted from taxes because of terrible living conditions."

    "Exempted? How?" Drogo was surprised. That was never the case with the king and his men.

    "They are exempted unofficially," the man replied. "It''s the king''s men who overlook these viges often because of the fact that they are reeling under the effect of heavy snow all the time. The king also doesn''t take notice of them because eventually how much taxes would these people pay?" He shook his head. "I don''t know why but this time the king hasn''t relented. He has sent his sons, Jade and Jasper to collect taxes. And the problem is that both of them have resorted to whipping and torturing the vigers to extract taxes. They have threatened the vigers that they would have to evacuate the vige if they won''t pay taxes."

    "That is absurd!" Drogo snapped. "How can the royals treat the vigers like that? What has gone wrong with the king?"

    The man shrugged. "No idea. We all don''t know what it is that the king is thinking. It''s weird. Those two viges are just too poor."

    Drogo stared at the informant for a long time while trying to understand the king''s mentality. If this continued, the vigers would rebel. Did the king want the vigers to rebel against him? But just a few days back, Drogo had received the information that the rebellion had mellowed down. So why would the king take such a drastic step against himself? Was it because he wanted the vigers to continue with their rebellion? But what would he gain out of it?

    "We need to go to those viges with our people as soon as possible," the man said. "We have to take a few of our men if we have tobat the atrocities of the princes."

    Drogo nodded. "Let me think about it," he said. "Ask the main men to gather in the meeting chamber of the potter. We have to make a solid strategy before we go to those viges."

    The man nodded and was about to leave when Drogo stopped him. "How far are the viges?"

    "About two days from here."

    As Drogo walked to his home, he started thinking again about the king''s reaction. Sending two princes to collect taxes and that too from such poor viges seemed like a very crafted act. Drogo rounded a corner. He peeped in the kitchen of a home and saw a woman blowing air to the logs in the stove to build a healthy fire. And suddenly, he realized what the king was doing. He wanted the rebellion to continue but at what cost? Why would the king want to continue the rebellion? What would he gain? What was his game?

 Chapter 178 Plans In Place

    ?

    Drogo rushed back to his house which he found was shrouded in darkness. The usual smell of burning logs and that of cooked food was missing. He gritted his teeth as he walked inside. He picked up themp from the side and burned the wick. His wife was on the bed, her face pressed into the pillow. She was still crying. He scoffed and then went to take a bath in cold water.

    He didn''t disturb her even though he knew that she was hoping that he woulde and say sorry to her. But she didn''t deserve any apology. She deserved more beating though. She had made him the clown of the vige with one foolish step of hers and not only that ¡ª their son was also away from them. Nothing could be worse.

    He changed into a tunic and dark trousers and pulled a thick fur over him. The meeting chamber of the potter was after a bend and round a corner. When he reached there, he was astonished to see that only three more people were gathered. "Where are the rest?" he growled.

    "We don''t know," the potter shrugged. "But they don''t want toe. Two have clearly stated that they are not interested in the rebellion anymore and others are not avable."

    Drogo blinked at the potter as if what he heard wasn''t right, but he collected himself quickly. Letting out a rough exhale, he went to sit at the head of the table, shocked that the rebellion was dying a quick death. However, he realized that he shouldn''t be shocked. Lazarus had done so much harm that he had to do a lot to revive the rebellion. And suddenly, he understood that the king wanted the rebellion to carry on because he wasn''t in favor of his eldest son to take over as the king of Wilyra.

    Drogo chuckled when that reasoning sank in his mind. This was getting more and more interesting. Now with the king''s backing, he was going to add fuel to the fire. He pped the table with enthusiasm and said, "So, where are we? What is going on?"

    The three at the table filled him with the information they had received. It was all the same as he had heard before but while they were speaking, he was making ns in his mind. Once they finished talking, he said, "We have to reach there in less than two days. Gather your best horses and we will start at midnight."

    "What are you going to do there?" Lester, the vige merchant asked.

    "I am going to gather the vigers and lead them to stand up against the atrocities of the king," Drogo replied. Basically, he was going to gather the vigers and give the rebellion a fresh start. They would be like new recruits. "We can''t ept the king''s ridiculous norms of tax collection. Let us go and voice our concerns, and if need be¡ª" he looked at the three of them. "We will go in arms against Jade and Jasper."

    "They have gone there with a few vampire soldiers. You just can''t go against them. They can kill us easily!" Lester protested.

    "I won''t just go against them," Drogo said, crossing his arms. "I am going to first talk to them and in the meanwhile you people are going to check out their weaknesses. Once we are able to pinpoint their weaknesses, we will take them down!"

    Lester canted his head as if thinking about what Drogo just said. Momentster, he said, "That sounds like a n. We have to save those vigers. I will be carrying two sacks of grains with me to help those vigers."

    "I will carry vegetables, dry meat!" Gastuj, the potter added.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Great!" Drogo was happy. "Get the best horses. We shall meet at midnight."

    When he reached home, Avice tried to talk to him, but he avoided her. He packed his bags for the trip and strapped it across his shoulders. He reached the Gastuj''s house where the horses were waiting for them. He saw that Lester and Gastuj had already straddled rations for the vigers while Corg was just like him with only a few clothes in their bags. At midnight, the four of them galloped their horses towards the north.

    They took a few breaks in their journey only to rest the horses and eat food. None of them was much into talking to each other. They reached the first vige in the morning and saw that the ce was like a ghost town. There were a few vampire soldiers dragging a man across the street who was shouting and crying.

    "Let us go and meet the princes!" Lester growled.

    Drogo lifted his hand and stopped him. "Let us go and meet the Head of the vige first."

    They asked for directions and reached the Head of the vige. He was an old man and very tired. He shook his head. "I don''t know what is wrong with the king? Why has he sent his sons to collect taxes from us? We are so poor¡­"

    "Don''t worry," Drogo assured him. "We have brought rations for your people. However, in exchange for the rations all I ask is that your people stand up against the princes. They can''t just collect taxes and torture people."

    The Head was surprised, but when he looked at the sacks of grain, he gave a smile. "I think I can do that. It is high time that we go up against them." Then his eyes went to Drogo. "But who are you all?"

    Drogo introduced himself.

    "Oh, I have heard about you," said the Head, impressed by him. "I will send a message to all the vigers about you.

    Little did the old man realize that Drogo was only bribing him with all the rations and getting into his good books only to rebel against Lazarus. He was using all of them. He had his ns in ce. All he needed was this break.

 Chapter 179 The Rebellion

    ?

    The vigers flocked to get the extra help from Drogo. They couldn''t believe that someone hade to rescue them. While he distributed grains and vegetables to them, he started poisoning their minds by speaking ill about the king and his sons and his tax policies.

    "The king wants us to die in poverty!" he said loudly to arge group that had gathered around him. "Why can''t he understand that all of you are reeling under poverty? Did he have to send the princes to collect taxes all the way to the north? How much of you people can give him and how much of his treasury would fill? This is not about taxes!" Drogo pointed as his chest rose and fell while studying the men and women in front of him. "This is about something else. The king doesn''t like humans who have settled on hisnd because we are of no use to him now. He says that thisnd belongs to him and his children, but we have spent so many years tilling thisnd and have made it our home."

    "You are right!" Gastuj shouted from his ce. He was sitting behind all the men and women.

    "Our generations have spent their blood and sweat on thisnd, not only by being his blood bags, but also by harvesting crops for him. We have contributed in filling his treasury. And now¡ª" Drogo narrowed his eyes. "Now we are asking for our share. The king has to give us what we rightfully demand. And we demand thisnd!"

    "Yes!" Several men shouted from their ces. "Yes, we want thisnd. It is ours!"

    "But there was a treaty in ce," one of them pointed out. "If we fight and rebel against him, wouldn''t it be a vition of the treaty?"

    Drogo gritted his teeth. "What treaty? Are you talking about that treaty that was hundreds of years old? Times have changed. We will no longer remain as their blood ves! We want our freedom."

    "Yes!" Many men whooped in the air. "We want our freedom. Enough of his atrocities!"

    "Exactly. We can''t let them torture us every time they want to," Drogo added fuel to the fire. "We are going to fight against them and snatch what belongs to us."

    "But how are we going to do it?" One of the Elders of the vige asked.

    "For that I want all of you to unite with me," he said. This was the right time to strike. The iron was hot and he could shape it ording to his will. "If you unite with me, we can take down those princes and chase them away."

    "But vampires are very strong," the Elder pointed out. "They can''t be taken down easily."

    "I am not a child," Drogo replied to him. "I was the leader of the rebellion and I know how to tackle the vampires. All I need is your support. If you will support me and help me, I will be able to fight this war of justice, but if you are unwilling, then even God can''t help you!" <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    A wave of murmur rose in the crowd. From the corner of his vision, Drogo saw more and more men and women were joining. He smirked and thought, ''Look Lazarus, I bring you a fresh wave of rebellion. Wait and see how I bring you down.''

    "We are with you!" said the man. "We will support you. You havee all the way from the capital to help us and it would be foolish of us not to realize your sacrifice!"

    Drogo took a satisfied breath.

    "So what do you want us to do?"

    Drogo scanned the entire crowd. He was going to use all of them even if they thought that he was mentally choosing one of them. He pointed out to the tall and burly men in the crowd and said, "I want you all toe into the meeting chamber of the Head of the vige. I will tell you my strategy out there."

    There was a general wave of excitement. Some of them asked if they could join to which Drogo replied that they would jointer. He had to create that aura of importance that he was so used to.

    Once inside the meeting chambers, Drogo started exining to them how to take down the vampire guards. Once they would be down, the princes would be forced to leave. Outside the house of the Head, people had gathered and they were all waiting excitedly for the instructions.

    The meetingsted for two hours and by the end of it, all those who were in the meeting were fully charged. They came out and separated people into groups. They were supposed to attack the vampires during the day when they slept.

    Once all the ns were made and the people went to their houses, Gastuj came to Drogo. "You have convinced them. Pretty remarkable!"

    Drogo smirked. He was a veteran at that. That was his quality. His confidence soared and he forgot all about Avice. He was sure that he was going to take down the vampires and once he did that, the news would travel to the pce. The king would be very happy. Though Drogo wasn''t expecting any gifts from the king, at least his message would be sent. And the message was that he was against Lazarus. The king was surely going to need a lot of his help because he didn''t want Lazarus to be on the throne. Who knew that he would ask Drogo toe and spend time at the pce and discuss how to take down Lazarus.

    He couldn''t sleep well that night as he waited for the day to rise. All the men were already ready in their ces. He asked them to wait until the sun rose a little higher in the sky in order to ensure that the vampires had slept and then strike them. This was the surest way of taking them down. He looked at all the vigers. They were armed to the tee.

 Chapter 180 The Attack

    ?

    Drogo and men led the vigers to attack the vampires. "We will wait a little longer because we have to attack the vampires when they are sleeping. Only then will they be most vulnerable," he said.

    The vigers looked at him in awe as they all gathered around him.

    "This is a big mistake," one of the Elders in the vige pointed out again. "The vampires are very powerful. The king is going to send his army here when hees to know that we have attacked his princes."

    Drogo growled. "The king is not going to send his army so far north! All he was interested in was to collect taxes. Once we attack, I am sure that his sons will flee." After shutting the Elder up, he instructed, "Do not go inside the building where the vampires are. They will drag you in their darkness and kill you. Attack only from the outside."

    As soon as the sun had risen higher, Drogo ordered them to march to the buildings where the vampires were. The vampires were taken by surprise. Only a few remained at guard and by the time they rmed others, the vigers had attacked them. They all remained inside as the vigers attacked them from all the sides.

    The room which had most of their weapons was situated in the front. The guards rushed to those rooms and tried to bring as much as they could, but they had to cross an open courtyard to reach it. The moment they would go there, the vigers would shoot arrows or fire balls at them.

    "What the hell is going on?" Jade growled as he got up, rubbing his eyes. The girl who he had brought from the vige to sleep with at night was still sleeping. He shook her. "Go out and see what is happening." The girl jumped out of the bed, scared of him. She wore her clothes quickly and rushed out. To her horror, the vigers had attacked.

    When she returned, she was looking pale like a ghost. "The vigers have attacked us, m''lord!" she said in a voice filled with fear.

    Jade removed hisforter. "What?" he wore his clothes and traced to his brother''s room. Jasper was already outside his room. "Jasper!" he shouted and rushed out. He saw that there wasplete mayhem. The guards were yelling and groaning and were running helter-skelter because they didn''t know what to do. Some of them returned the attack of the vigers with whatever weapons they had, while some of them ducked in to protect themselves.

    Jasper was in the hall that was right where the courtyard was. When Jade came to him, he said, "You have to trace to that weapon''s room and get as many bows and arrows as possible! We are going to take turns."

    As Jade nodded, a guard was hit by an arrow right on his neck. He fell down groaning, holding the arrow. Others came to pull the arrow out, but he refused to let them touch him because once the arrow was pulled out, the blood from his jugr would sprout like a fountain. So they left him like that, hoping that he would survive, but it took very less time for him to die. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Jade growled in frustration as his fangs slipped out. With a roar he traced to the weapons room and started picking up as many bows, arrows, balls dipped in oil and spears. He traced back to the main hall and threw them there. The guards picked them like vultures on food. By that time Jasper traced to the weapons room and picked up the weapons. When he traced back, he saw that the guards had already started fighting the vigers.

    Jade and Jasper traced twice and came back with loads of weapons. The guards had enough and so they all faced the vigers as much as they could. While many vampires fell down, there were casualties amongst the vigers as well.

    "You said that they would be taken by surprise!" The Head of the vige snarled as he threw his spear at the vampire who popped his face from the window. In retaliation fireballs were thrown at them. "They are able to attack us. How is that possible? Did you trick us?" he snapped.

    Drogo clenched his teeth. He shot an arrow at a ss window behind which he was sure were the guards. The ss shattered and he heard blood curdling shrieks from the other side. "No, why will I trick you?" He whipped his head to the front room. "That''s where they have their weaponry. I assume that the princes are tracing and getting the weapons to face us." The Head narrowed his eyes. He left Drogo to fight as he retreated.

    Jade was happy that so many weapons hade. "Should we get more?" he asked Jasper who had pulled an injured vampire away from the door.

    "There are many vigers. More than us. I think we need more weapons, so go get them," Jasper replied, annoyed as hell. Once this settled, he was going to report this to his father and take all of these vigers down.

    Jade pursed his lips as he looked at what Jasper was doing. Then he traced to the weaponry room and started picking up as many swords as possible. All at once, he sniffed. Smell of something burning wafted. His brows furrowed and he went closer to the door to sniff it. He was not even ten feet away from it, when the door sted open with a severe explosion. Jade was thrown to the wall as small orbs of fire came flying inside and lodged on him. He shrieked in pain and found that some men had entered the room with swords. Before he could even get up, a group of men had attacked him and stabbed their sword in him.

    "Behead him!" One of them shouted.

    And someone swiped the sword through his neck. Jade''s head tumbled on the floor with ssy eyes. Blood spurted like a fountain from his body.

    asionally missing content, please report errors in time.

 Chapter 181 Go And Find Out

    ?

    "He''s dead!" one of the vigers shouted.

    "Get out of here as soon as possible!" the Head of the vige growled at his men. He didn''t want to be seen as the killer of Prince Jade. He had avenged the king and this was the best way he could. While going back, he told them to remain quiet about who killed the prince. Along with his men, he exited the room and they all galloped back to the area where all others were fighting.

    Drogo fought with the vampires with all he had and eventually by the end of the day, very few were left.

    Jasper was too exhausted and tired. He didn''t know that his mission of collecting taxes would convert into something so ghastly. Jade hadn''t returned from the weapon room and he had heard the st that urred there. It had shaken the whole building. Jasper was dreading that Jade wasn''t killed and that he was lying injured.

    As soon as it was evening, Jasper could trace out of the building along with his remaining men and together they all bravely fought with the vigers and drove them away. Jasper had only one thing to do now which was to get his brother from the room and then get the hell out of here. He took his men along with him to the room but what he saw there was a sight he would never forget in his life. "Jade!" he rasped as he rushed to his twin whose head was lying on her floor, biting dust. His headless body rested against the wall. "Jade!" Dread sted in his chest. Who could have killed him? With trembling hands he picked up his brother''s head. A shiver ran down his spine. Tears blurred his vision. He sank on his knees and clutched his brother''s head to his chest. "Who did this?" he roared. "Who did this?"

    His men stood behind him, bereft. No one knew who killed Jade. One of them said, "I heard the rebel leader''s name while they were attacking us, m''lord."

    Jasper whipped his head towards him. "You mean Drogo?"

    "Yes."

    Jasper clenched his teeth so hard that his fangs hurt. He was going to make him pay for what he did to his twin brother. "Wind up everything. We will go back to the pce with my brother''s body! I will show it to my father." His sorrow was immeasurable. He wanted to kill Drogo now, but he had very few vampires left. So he was going to kill him or torture him, but he would do it slowly. He would lengthen his torture.

    In the next one hour, the vampires gathered all their things and went away. Jade''s body was ced in a caged carriage, wrapped in a lot of ice.

    As the vampires evacuated the vige, there was a kind of celebration amongst the vigers. Everyone praised Drogo and his men for driving the vampires away.

    "You''ve done amendable job," the Head of the vige said. "We have thrown the vampires out of here, and the king would think twice beforeing back here."

    Drogoughed. "What are you going to do with all the bodies of the vampires?"

    "We will st the building and their bodies will burn in the fire or the sun," he replied. The Head was a cunning man. He didn''t reveal that he had killed Jade. He was going to let Drogo believe that he spearheaded a sessful rebellion.

    "That''s a great idea," Drogo said. "Let us all celebrate tonight because tomorrow we will go back."

    "Are you sure that you want to go back to your vige?" the Head asked. "You can stay here for as long as you want." <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Drogo shook his head. "No, I have to go there. I did what I could for all of you. I am needed there as well." He wasn''t, but he had to show his importance.

    The vige Head shrugged. "As you like it, Drogo."

    That night Drogo and his men celebrated their victory over the vampires. Drogo was sure that now that this rebellion was won over, the king would be very happy. He would call him for more rebellion in different parts of the kingdom. Perhaps he would ask the king to pay him for the next rebellions. A smile formed on his lips as he thought about it. A woman who was dancing with others around a bonfire approached him.

    "Would you like to see where I live?" she asked with a lusty smile.

    Drogo raised his eyebrow. The woman was beautiful and he was sick of his wife''s antics. "Yes, show me."

    The woman bit her lip and extended her hand. He grabbed it and walked after her as she dragged him to her home that was round the corner. In a few minutes, he stripped her and so did she. He was on top of her, pounding inside her, drunk on victory and alcohol.

    Next day he left with his men to go back to the vige. This time they didn''t hurry up. They took all their time. The vigers had packed a lot of food for them. The Head had instructed them to take a different route back to the vige because it was possible that the same route could be patrolled by the king''s soldiers. So they took a longer route that would be covered in three days. But since they stopped by a lot of inns and rested in between, it took them four days to reach the vige.

    However, they were shocked when they reached the vige. It was almost midnight. The vige was shrouded in silence and dark. "What is going on?" he asked Gastuj. They were standing inside the woods that surrounded the vige.

    "I don''t know," Gastuj said as he dismounted the horse.

    Drogo narrowed his eyes. This was bizarre. "Go and find out," he said.

    Gastuj nodded. He left the horse with them and walked to the vige.

    They waited for an hour, then two, but Gastuj didn''t return.

    Drogo dismounted his horse. He pulled the hoodie of his cloak over his head and signaled others to do the same. After leaving the horses, they all walked to the vige cautiously.

    Horror struck his chest when he saw the poster stuck on the wall of the first house.

 Chapter 182 Go Underground

    ?

    Drogo watched with horror at the poster that was stuck to the wall of the house. It had a face painted on it that resembled him. His name was written right beneath it. The message below it was:

    "Wanted for killing Prince Jade."

    His stomach twisted into a thousand knots. He never killed Prince Jade. The princes had run away from there after the attack.

    He stabbed his fingers in his hair, wondering what went wrong or what was it that he missed. His knees became wobbly when he re-read the message. If he was found guilty of something he never did, he was going to be beheaded or worse, the king was going to torture him to the point that he would beg him to kill him.

    Drogo stumbled back, his throat going dry as paper. How did Prince Jade die? With his eyes he saw them running away. Was he killed on his way back to the pce? Did rogues kill him? But that wasn''t possible. The royals could trace and if the rogues had attacked them, then they would have traced away to save themselves. Then how the hell did the prince get killed? His eyes went wide when the idea that Prince Jasper had killed him bounced in his mind.

    "Fuck!" He stepped away from the wall. He walked further in the vige in the dead of the night and found several posters pasted on the walls and every one of them had his name as a criminal. Suddenly, all his thoughts ran to Avice. Did the soldiers take her away or was she safe? It was possible that they would use her to trap him. He rushed back to his friends, Corg and Lester, who were still standing in the woods, waiting for him.

    "Did you see Gastuj?" Corg asked with furrow in the middle of his brows.

    "No¡­" Drogo replied as he sat down on a fallen log. "But I saw something else. Something even more drastic!"

    Lester dismounted his horse and walked to him. "What did you see?" he asked as Corg narrowed his eyes on Drogo.

    Drogo looked at him with bewilderment. "Tell me one thing. Did any of you see Prince Jade getting killed?"

    "What the hell!" Corg growled. "I didn''t see. I would have told you about it had I seen."

    Lester stayed quiet for a tense moment. "What are you trying to say, Drogo?"

    Drogo growled back. "Did you see Prince Jade getting killed and you didn''t mention it to me?"

    "Fuck you!" Lester snarled. "I went all the way with you to the north to fight with you and now you are using me of something so absurd? Our mission was to chase them away and not kill them. Do you think I am such a fool that I wouldy my hands on a royal?"

    Drogo got up and snarled, "There are posters about me in the vige, pasted everywhere. The king has announced that I have killed Prince Jade! Now what do you say about it?"

    Corg got down from his horse. "What the real fuck!" he rasped. "But you never killed him."

    "That''s what. I never killed him. How did Jade get killed? We all saw them running in their carriages. No one recovered Jade''s body. Only the vampire soldiers were out there!" Drogo said, feeling anxious.

    "That''s right. They just left the vige," Corg replied. He sat down on the log and rubbed his chest realizing that they had gotten into a bigger controversy. Or maybe the biggest.

    "This is not good¡­" Lester said as he too sat down beside Corg. "We are going to be hunted by the king''s men." <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Drogo exhaled roughly as dread settled inside him. If he went inside the vige to meet Avice, he was sure that he would be surrounded and taken prisoner. If he didn''t, he didn''t know what she was going to do to survive. He wondered if the king would even listen to him after his son died. In fact, things became even better for the king because not only did a fresh rebellion take ce, his son died. And this meant that he must have gained sympathy. His work was done.

    They sat there for an hour until it was twilight and the day began chasing the night. They all didn''t dare to get inside the vige, afraid that the soldiers might attack them. Suddenly, Lester got up and said, "Wait a minute. What did the poster say exactly?"

    "It had my face and the message that I am wanted for the murder of Prince Jade," Drogo said, looking towards the vige.

    "Did it say anything about us?" Lester asked.

    "No." Drogo shook his head.

    "That night we had all gone secretly," Lester said to Corg. "That means that no one knew that we had gone with Drogo in our vige. Only the vigers of the north knew our faces and names. But over here, they didn''t know. The king is going to carry out his investigations and I wonder when the investigations are going toe here. By that time, our names will be forgotten."

    Corg''s eyes had a glint. "So no one knows about us, right?"

    "No!" Lester chuckled. "Why are we two fretting? We can go back to the vige and get on with our lives!"

    "You bastard!" Drogo punched Lester and then straddled his thighs. He punched him again in the face. "You are going to leave me in this all alone."

    "Drogo!" Corg caught him from behind. He punched him on his back and Drogo fell to the ground.

    Lester got up and hit him hard on his chest and face. "You are a bastard!" he growled. "It was you who wanted to give the rebellion a fresh start after your wife went to the pce and showed her face in support of Prince Lazarus! All you wanted was to save your face and you were the one who came up with the idea of leading the vigers up north to strike against the vampires."

    "It was you who willingly came with me!" Drogo shouted as he scrambled back, wiping the blood from his brow. "Don''t tell me that you didn''t want it either! Why did youe with me?"

    "We came to help the vigers!" Lester lied through his teeth.

    Drogo watched him with astonishment.

    Corg took a deep breath in. "Stop it, both of you!" He sat down in front of Drogo and said, "If the two of us go back, then we will be able to give you all the information about the soldiers in the vige. In my opinion, you should run for now. Go find shelter somewhere else. Go underground. Do note out unless this situation mellows down. Do you understand?"

    Drogo released anxious breath. Tears stung his eyes. His life had taken such a drastic turn. What Corg said made sense and it was the best thing he could do in this situation. He nodded. "I think this would be best for me."

    "Good," Corg said, getting up. "We both will go back to the vige as soon as the sun rises so that we avoid the vampire soldiers. Once we are in there, we will assess the situation. Youe back to this spot in two days and we are going to let you know what the situation is."

    He pursed his lips and shook his head at his condition. "Okay, I wille here two dayster at sunrise."

 Chapter 183 Keep Her Safe

    ?

    "Okay!" Corg mounted his horse and instructed Lester to do the same. As soon as Lester got on his horse, the two left Drogo and trotted to the vige, entering as the first ray of sun emerged in the sky.

    Drogo saw them disappearing inside the vige. With his heart twisting with tension and dread, he mounted his horse and rode in the opposite direction. He was sure that after he created a fresh rebellion, the king would reward him secretly, but the king only got his posters hung, branding him as the criminal of the crime he never did.

    Back in the pce, Lazarus was pacing his room. His father had called him and he knew exactly why. The rebellion up north had stirred up and the person responsible for it was none other than Emma''s father.

    "Lord Lorza?" Emma called him, hoping he would stop fretting over it, but it had been pretty agitated ever since he heard the news. "Do you want me to talk to my father?"

    He halted in his tracks with wide eyes. "You won''t go near that serpent!"

    Emma flinched.

    Seeing her reaction, he immediately softened. Closing the gap between them, he said, "Don''t worry, I can deal with the situation. Just don''te out of your quarters, okay? It is too risky. I don''t want to give Viktor a chance to find a reason to attack you." He leaned down to kiss her head. "Stay here. I will be right back."

    When Lazarus was going towards his father''s chamber, he met Jasper on the way. He stopped him. Giving his hateful looks, Jasper said, "I know that you instructed Drogo to kill Jade!"

    Lazarus rolled his eyes and walked past him when Jasper grabbed Lazarus''s cor and pulled him back. Furious at his behavior, Lazarus caught Jasper''s hand and before Jasper knew, he was flying in the air, tossed across the corridor. He mmed into a pir, but the next moment he got up and rushed to Lazarus with elongated fangs.

    Lazarus''s ws slipped from his hands and fangs lengthened. "I am asking you to back off, Jasper," he growled.

    But Jasper was in a frenzy. "It was you who ordered Jade to be killed! Why would that fucking bastard, Drogo go to north and attack us?"

    "I have nothing to do with him," Lazarus growled. "And if you don''t want to believe me, then it''s not my problem!"

    "Lazarus!" Jasper lunged at him but Lazarus traced away, leaving him in the lurch. "I won''t leave you!" Jasper roared.

    Lazarus had traced to his father''s wings. He could have tackled Jasper, but he didn''t want to give Viktor another reason to go against him. Ever since Jade had been killed, his father had sent the soldiers to the vige where Drogo lived and was investigating the murder. Situation was getting out of control and he had to get things back on track, lest the whole kingdom plunged into mayhem. Drogo being Emma''s father didn''t really give him any advantage.

    As soon as he entered his father''s room, he saw him ying chess. "Father," he bowed to him and stood, not wanting to go near him.

    Viktor didn''t look up. He knocked a pawn with his bishop and chuckled. When their gazes met, he said, "There is no reason for me to believe that you were the one behind killing Jade. Every clue points towards you. You were the one who called Emma''s mother and brother to the pce. You are the one who wants Emma''s brother to stay in the pce. You are showering that family with gifts. Drogo did all that on your bidding. And you know what?" He got up and approached Lazarus. "What is the penalty of such a crime in the pce?"

    Lazarus narrowed his eyes on his father, but he remained quiet, knowing what wasing.

    "Give me a reason not to send you to the dungeons or to the guillotines," Viktor said.

    Lazarus looked into his eyes. There was no remorse, no sadness. Only something sinister. Something so ominous that it scared him. "Why did you send Jade and Jasper out there?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Viktor chuckled. "To collect taxes. You know that already, don''t you?"

    "I know," Lazarus replied. "But what was the actual reason to send them there?"

    Viktor took a step back. He turned and returned to his chair where he studied his chess game. He said in a very distant voice, "The actual reason to send them was to collect taxes. Nothing else."

    Lazarus smirked. "I rmend that you study that chess game of yours nicely. You haven''t thought about what you should have and yed the wrong move. You are thinking that you will save the king?" He came to stand in front of the table where the game wasid. He picked up the bishop and ced it next to the white king. "That''s check and mate." His smirk widened. "Don''t be so happy on removing a pawn with the bishop." Saying that he turned and walked out of his chamber leaving him with a flushed face full of anger. Before he left, he looked over his shoulder. "You don''t have any reason to send me to the dungeons. Just as I know why you sent Jade and Jasper up north to collect taxes you know that I have nothing to do with Drogo. However, if you try to do anything to Emma or Angus, then the pce will turn into a battlefield."

    The way he spoke those words came out like ck slick warning. As if he challenged the king to do anything to him. With a frustrating roar, Viktor swiped the chess board, tossing everything to the ground. He narrowed his eyes and hissed, "I am going to take you down this time Lazarus. Wait and watch."

    "You must leave with Nephie to be with your mother," Lazarus insisted for the hundredth time after returning from his father''s chamber. "That is the only safe ce for you and Angus."

    Yul and Magnus were standing there with helpless expressions.

    "I don''t want to leave you alone," she whimpered.

    "There is no argument in that, Emma!" Lazarus said to her in a harsh tone. "You have to and that''s it!" He packed her things and gave them to her. Nephie was waiting for her in the royal orchards.

    "What about you?" she said, her lips quivering.

    "I will be fine," he reassured her. After talking with his father, he was sure that Viktor or Jasper would attack her. Anton hadn''t returned. However, if he returned, he was going to join hands with Jasper and Viktor. "With you safe, I will be able to focus on the problem at hand."

    She was crying like a baby, scared as hell. He wiped her tears. "It is nothing," he said, cupping her cheeks.

    "When do Ie back?" she asked, her gaze darting to his eyes and lips.

    He took a deep breath in and rested his forehead on hers. "Ask Nephie toe back in a week''s time and check. If things are okay, you cane back."

    "Why don''t you alsoe with me?"

    "I can''t, love. This is a crucial time for me. Just do as I am saying, okay?" he breathed. Sending her away was like daggers piercing his heart but he had to keep her safe.

    Two dayster, it was announced that the king was holding a court in which he would hold a trial against his son, Lazarus.

 Chapter 184 Journey To Yizinia

    ?

    "How is Yizinia?" Emma asked Nephie on their way to the realm. Emma was extremely sad about leaving Lazarus alone. She wanted to stay with him, but he insisted that she left. Yul and Magnus too were pushy. They asked her to leave as soon as possible along with Angus. At the same time, she was excited to meet her mother.

    Angus was excited when he saw Nephie for the first time and couldn''t hold his excitement as he started touching her and speaking to her as if she was his pet. Nephie snorted which was akin to an eye roll, but she allowed him to touch him, check her scales or wings or snout without fussing. Finally when his curiosity died down, he climbed her. Emma sat in front of him. "Gods, Emma! You have a dragon as a pet! How cool is that! Please, can you give your pet to me?"

    Nephie shook her head and let out a sigh. She wondered how her pups were going to be. She had mated with Rirsyr and she was sure that she might beying eggs anytime soon.

    "Yizinia is a lovely ce," she said through their bond.

    "Are their fire-breathing dragons everywhere?" Emma asked wondering if the realm was perpetually shrouded in heat and drynd.

    Nephie huffed as if she was chuckling. "It is a beautiful realm, dear. I won''t tell you much about it. Just wait for it."

    Angus had clutched Emma tightly around her waist. He was about to sleep. It was already too dark and the winds were blowing strongly in the sky. Emma felt his hands and said, "Angus, cover yourself with my cloak."

    "I am fine¡­" he repliedzily. This was the most journey the ten-year-old had ever taken.

    "It is going to be even colder, Emma," Nephie said. "You should wrap another cloak or a shawl around you. We will be ascending in a short while. If you feel that it will be an issue, I can stop and you can take a rest."

    "No," Emma replied. "If I rest, it would be toote. I¡ª" she bit her lip. "I want to meet my mother and go back to Lazarus."

    Nephie nodded. "I understand, Emma. Then I am going to breathe a little fire and use my magic to envelope you with the warmth it creates. Stay still and don''t get jumpy."

    Emmaughed. "I won''t!"

    A guttural sound came from Nephie''s throat. Emma could feel the heat radiating from the dragon''s belly and when Nephie opened her mouth next, she breathed fire. With a gush the fire swooped towards Emma and Angus. Angus shrieked out of fear, but before the fire could touch them, the heat from it had reduced to warmth that surrounded them. It enveloped thempletely and safely.

    Angus was surprised. Eyes wide, he remarked, "Gods, your dragon is wonderful. I love her already!"

    Emma startedughing. She was happy that he wasn''t afraid of Nephie which would have been the reaction from most young boys.

    Soon they ascended more and passed through the clouds. She saw lightning and thunder in the distance. "Nephie!" she shouted. "Don''t go to that side!" <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "I have already seen it. Don''t worry. I won''t go there, but even if I go, I wille out unscathed. It''s you who I am worried about."

    Emma was astonished. "Just how powerful you are, Nephie?"

    They flew for a very long time and Emma and Angus slept on her. It was her warmth that kept them cozy. Her dreams were full of Lazarus and red eyes and the pce. She had a restless sleep.

    When she woke up again, she saw a beautiful rainbow in front of her covering a little part of the rising sun. They were flying over the clouds. Emma sighed at the beauty of it and inwardly wished that Lazarus was with her on this journey. Her heart sank, thinking about Lazarus. She wondered what must be happening in Wilyra. "When are we going to reach?" she asked Nephie who had been flying nonstop.

    "Before the sun rises up to the middle sky," she replied. "When it is time to enter the realm, I will let you know. You both must eat something."

    Emma didn''t wake up Angus because she knew that he was simply too tired. When he woke up an hourter, she gave him a loaf of bread wrapped in leaf with dry meat. "You haven''t eaten anything," she said to Nephie.

    "I can stay without food for more than ten days if needed, so don''t worry. Right now I want to reach Yizinia as soon as possible." She pped her wings in powerful strokes and speared through the sky. In two hours, she warned through the bond, "Emma, the portal to Yizinia is up ahead. As I fly through it, you will experience a lot of turbulence because you are not a part of this world. The portal will try to resist you, but keep holding me. You should let Anguse in front of you, so that you can press him against me when we enter."

    "What? Won''t your magic work?" she said aloud to which Angus listened. He became tense.

    "No, I can''t use my magic through the portal. It is prohibited!" Saying that she veered left and descended. "The portal is between those two peaks!"

    Emma saw two mountain peaks up ahead. The snow on them was glinting orange and red in the sun''s light. It looked so calm that Emma couldn''t believe there would be turbulence.

    "Be ready!" Nephie warned her.

    Emma pressed Angus in front of her and Nephie dived into a very high turbulence area. And as soon as she entered the portal, rough and strong winds pped their faces. The portal howled and growled. Their faces mottled and for a moment Emma thought she would be ripped apart, but she kept herself tightly coiled around her brother. After almost ten minutes of typhoon-like winds, they suddenly entered into a calm.

    "We are in Yizinia!" Nephie let out a purr, loving the air of her world.

    When Emma lifted herself and saw ahead, her mouth dropped at the sheer beauty of Yizinia.

 Chapter 185 Bernice

    ?

    Yizinia looked¡­ alive. The streets bustled with people on errand. Nephie walked through the cobbled streets that were wide enough for two dragons to walk side by side. There were hawkers selling all kinds of wares. Extravagant carriages rolled beside her with girls wearing expensive gowns and men in shy suits in them. Most of the storefronts were ss and gilt. Emma was naturally attracted to them.

    "Your mother would be proud to buy you a lot of those, Emma," Nephie said through her bond. "She''s been really wanting to see you from a long time."

    As Nephie passed through the streets, the market squares gave way torge theaters and slowly thendscape changed into huge townhouses, each of which stood on a small hill. A dragon with green wings and peacock blue scales passed them. He bowed to Nephie and walked past. His rider, a man with light gray eyes, looked at Emma and smiled at her. Emma smiled back, smoothing her dress.

    "That''s Duke Jordan. He is Xina''s rider," Nephie informed.

    "Where is mother?" she asked, looking with wide eyes at the beautiful green city that was nestled in a valley of snow mountains. She was also intrigued as to where the dragons lived. Several dragons flew in the clear blue skies above. Some breathed fire, while some breathed ice to douse that fire. Emma was mesmerized.

    "Patience Emma," Nephie chuffed. "Bernice''s house is around that corner."

    Nephie took graceful steps on the cobbled feet. Rounding a corner, she came to stand in front of a huge house that stood on a small hill that was covered with various hued flowers. "That''s it," Nephie said.

    Emma''s heart filled with excitement, nervousness, panic. Goosebumps lined her skin as she looked at the entrance of the house. She caught the reins tightly to stop her hands from shaking.

    "This is the most beautiful ce I have ever seen," said Angus. "This is better than Wilyra!"

    "You should dismount now," Nephie said. "Bernice isn''t in the house. She is in the royal pce with the queen."

    Emma let out a rough exhale. "So her name is Bernice."

    Nephie grunted that was more like her chuckle. "Yes, your mother''s name is Bernice."

    "And she knows the queen?"

    "She does. She knows both the king and queen. She is a very special woman, Emma. She is a dragon rider and we dragons choose our riders before we hatch. The connection between us and the dragon rider is deep. Bernice is one of those very few who I chose."

    "But I thought you were¡­" Emma pursed her lips.

    Nephie snorted. "I am not so old!"

    Emma stifled herugh and got down. She helped Angus to get down from Nephie. With her fists clenched to her sides, she walked down the brick path that was lined with petunias that looked like butterflies gone haywire. As soon as she was near the huge oak door, it opened and a girl with light green eyes and dark hair came out. Wearing a yellow cotton gown, she bowed to her excitedly. "You must be Emma!" She looked over her shoulder nervously as if looking for others. "Pleasee in. We''ve been expecting you!" <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Emma caught Angus''s hand and walked inside. She was expecting to see dragons everywhere only with a few humans, but this ce was different.

    "Your room is right there," she said, pointing to the left stairs. "Oh!" she pped her head. "I forgot to introduce myself. I am Ivy, your maid!"

    Emma gave her a nervous smile. "How did you know I wasing?"

    Ivy nced at Angus. "Your arrival was announced as soon as Nephie entered the portal." She canted her head and broadened her smile. "You may like to take a bath. I will send hot water for you in a few minutes."

    "What about Nephie?" Emma asked, not knowing where a dragon would be parked in this house.

    Ivy chuckled. "She will be taken to the stables behind the house. Pleasee. I will show you the room."

    Emma was surprised to see that a room was ready for her. It was cozy with the fire in the firece that was freshly lit. Her bed was in the right corner. It was small and single. "What about Angus? Where will he sleep?"

    "He will be in the room right beside this one!" Ivy said as she opened an interconnecting door. The room on the other side was identical. Angus let out a squeal and rushed inside his room. "Get ready fast Angus!" Ivy called him. "Lunch is ready!" She closed the door and turned to Emma. "I will be leaving you now. If you need anything, let me know."

    Emma''s lips curled up at her hospitality. "When will mother be here?"

    "She will be here for lunch."

    As soon as Ivy went, Emma sat on the bed and exhaled. It had been a two-day long ride. She remembered Nephie saying that it would be a two-day long ride. But she also recalled that Nephie had mentioned that a portal needed to be created. When they reached here, a portal was already in ce. Did they know that she wasing?

    The door opened and a flurry of servants entered with buckets of hot water. Soon Emma was in the scented bathtub with her head resting at the edge. She couldn''t help feeling anxious about meeting her mother. She wanted to know why she left her and not take her. There were a thousand more questions that she was going to ask.

    Emma wore a simple blue gown, braided her hair and knocked on Angus''s door. When he didn''t answer, she opened it quietly only to find that he was snoring on his bed with a towel wrapped around his waist. She chuckled. He was too tired and after taking a bath, he must have slept off. She covered him with a nket and closed the door softly behind her before exiting.

    When she reached downstairs, she stopped in her tracks when a woman with hair as golden as hers, but taller than her, was standing at the door. Wearing white tunic and ck trousers with knee high boots, Bernice looked every bit regal and a dragon rider.

    "Mother¡­" Emma rasped as she tried to blink away tears from her eyes.

 Chapter 186 Meeting Her Mother

    ?

    Bernice''s heart thundered with a thousand emotions. She clenched her fists to stop herself but she couldn''t stop when she heard "mother" from Emma''s lips. She rushed to meet Emma. She stopped right in front of her for a moment and then the two hugged each other tightly. No words exchanged between them as mother-daughter embraced, wrapping their arms tightly around each other.

    "Mother¡­" Emma murmured as tears dropped from her eyes and fell on Bernice''s tunic. Bernice stroked her daughter''s hair softly, gently, as she pressed kisses to her face. When Nephie had entered the portal, it was instantly reported to her that she hade with a girl who looked like her and a little boy. At that time, she was with the queen who wasining to her about a clutch of three dragon eggs that hadn''t hatched for nearly a hundred years.

    "My baby¡­" Bernice said. All her emotions had rolled her as she touched her daughter, her own blood. She had a thousand dreams on what she was going to say to her daughter once she met her, but all of them washed in the reality of emotions. She couldn''te up with a single word.

    When both of them had cried hard, Bernice pulled away and held Emma''s hand. "I know that you must be having a thousand questions to ask me, but know this¡ª" she wiped her tears. "I thought of you every day. I was bound to stay in Yizinia because the king and the queen didn''t allow me to go out."

    Emma''s lips quivered as she tried to smile to assure her mother that it was all okay. Bernice tugged her to the nearest couch and they sat down. Ivy appeared on the door and watched the two of them with affection in her eyes. "Can I get you something?" she asked softly.

    "Yes Ivy," Bernice replied with a grin through her tears. "Please get some of your best cakes and pastries and mint tea."

    "Yes, prospectress." Ivy bowed and went to the kitchen.

    Bernice turned her attention to her daughter. "How was your journey?"

    "It was fine. Too windy," Emma giggled as she wiped her tears with the napkin that her mother handed her.

    Bernice''s lips curled up. "That little boy is Drogo''s son?"

    "Yes," Emma said quietly, not knowing how her mother would take it up. "His name is Angus."

    Bernice chuckled. She read her emotions. "Don''t worry. I didn''t expect Drogo to stay single after I left him. I knew he would marry again. So how is your other mother? I hope she loves you just as much as I love you."

    Emma''s throat dried thinking of Avice. She shook her head. "Let''s talk about other things."

    Bernice narrowed her eyes and then thought that this wasn''t the right topic to start with at the moment. "Okay. So tell me about what finally brought my daughter here? I was craving to meet you and when Nephie had to fly out to be with her mate, I got the opportunity. I asked her to meet you and hoped that you woulde back to me. And I think God answered all my prayers today." Her voice had gone hoarse with pent up emotions.

    Emma swallowed her saliva down. "Mother¡­" She bit her lip, not knowing how to start. "I want to tell you everything, but can I have a private audience?" She wasn''t sure about others but she had be too anxious at Wilyra with people snooping around her. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Bernice jerked her head back. She contemted Emma''s request and found it odd, but she said, "Of course!"

    Ivy entered with a tray of various pastries and juices. She ced it on the table in front of them and after bowing, she went away.

    Bernice offered Emma the pastries. "First, I want you to eat. Is Angus sleeping? Can I send Ivy up to wake him up?"

    "He is too tired. I think we should let him sleep," Emma responded.

    "Sure. But howe you brought him with you? I mean Drogo isn''t the kind who would allow his children toe to me." Bernice gave her a ss of fresh orange juice.

    Emma sighed. She didn''t reply immediately and sipped her juice. Bernice fell silent knowing that perhaps this was a very sensitive subject. Once they finished eating, she took Emma to her bedroom. Closing the door, she said, "No one can hear us over here. This is sound proof." With so many dragons around Yizinia, it was essential to have soundproof rooms to cut noises they made all the time if one had to sleep at all.

    Emma was amazed that her mother lived in a room that was devoid of luxuries. A double bed adorned a corner with rugs running on all sides. There was a long table with various amber liquids on it and a fire hearth that was glowing as fire crackled in it. There was a small couch and two chairs in front of it. Bernice took Emma to the chairs and made her sit. "I want to hear everything Emma. I have missed you so much that I want to hear about your little adventures that I missed, even if that is as little as catching a fish with bare hands."

    Emmaughed softly. She looked at her mother with adoration and started. "Father married Avice after you." She went on to talk about how she was sold to Lord Lazarus to save Angus''s life and then all that happened up till now.

    Bernice listened to all of it without interrupting her even once. It was almost dark. She had only got up twice to fill her ss with wine.

    She had no words on what Emma had suffered for so long. "I am so happy that you''ve found a mate, Emma." She felt assured but still it wasn''t enough after all that Emma said about the political climate of Wilyra. And what Drogo did was simply horrible. In the end, she asked, "Where is Lord Lazarus now?"

    "He is in Wilyra and stands trial against something he didn''t even do or had a hand in," she cried. "I don''t know why King Victor hates his so much!"

    "It''s simple, Emma. He doesn''t want Lazarus to seed him. In fact, he doesn''t want any of his sons to seed."

    "What do I do to help him? He sent me with Nephie to Yizinia, but I am just too worried about him."

 Chapter 187 Every Bit Like You

    ?

    Bernice got up and went behind Emma. She curled her arms around her shoulders and rested her head on hers. "I know you are worried, but he has sent you here for a reason. He is worried about you, which is understandable."

    Emma closed her eyes as she reveled in her mother''s touch. This was something she always missed. She had seen Avice doing it to Angus, but never to her. "And I am worried about him¡­"

    After the rare mother-daughter moment, Bernice said, "How about we go to the pce tomorrow morning? We can take Angus with us and I will introduce you to the queen." She went to sit back on her chair.

    Ivy opened the door and peeped inside. "Should I serve dinner, prospectress?"

    "Yes," Bernice replied. "Has Angus woken up?"

    "He has and he is most curious about the stables we have at the back of the house. He is currently talking to Nephie."

    Emmaughed as Bernice smiled. "Call him back and tell him that we would like to have dinner with him."

    "Yes, prospectress." Ivy closed the door behind her as she left.

    Emma was so surprised by the way her mother behaved towards Angus. "I am so d that you like him even though you are not his mother¡­" she said in a low voice as she sped her hands in herp.

    "Not everyone is like Avice," Bernice said and got up. "I am surprised that Drogo chose to marry Avice even though he was quite a good-looking and nice person. Howe he never realized her avarices?" She shook her head.

    Emma pursed her lips. "Father loves her."

    Bernice chuckled. "I am sure. They do say that love is blind." She extended her hand to her. "Come dinner is waiting."

    Emma got up and held her hand. "Why do they call you prospectress?"

    "I am a dragon rider and also a dragon trainer. We have hierarchies here in which I am at the top. I have six disciples under me who train dragons." She let out a ragged breath. "And this is one of the reasons why the queen doesn''t allow me to go anywhere."

    They were walking down the stairs when Angus came rushing in with an excited look in his eyes. Ivy prodded him to wash his hands before having dinner.

    "But aren''t dragons shape shifters?" Emma asked, bewildered that they have to be trained. "I mean Nephie even talked to me."

    Bernice smiled. "They are the wisest beings I''ve ever seen, but this is not a simple training. This is training for war. Things like how to keep your rider safe or be tactful when there''s an attack on the dragon or the rider." They arrived in the dining room where the table was alreadyid and Emma was surprised as to how soon it wasid down. Bernice continued, "Teaching dragons the art of war is like tackling with a hundred brains together. They are fast learners and will not think twice to point out your mistakes. And if they are pretty emotionally charged, once in a while they would shift in their human form, but that is rare. Mostly because they love their bodies and skin."

    Emma pulled a chair out to sit on the right of where her mother was. Angus came running in. He pulled a chair out on the left of Bernice. "It''s nice to meet you!" he said with a glint in his eyes and a grin on his face. He was trying to show his best that he also knew courtesies.

    Bernice chuckled. "It''s nice to meet you too. Did you like my stables?"

    "Oh I love them!" He said with wide eyes. "There is space for two dragons. Nephie is awesome. I climbed on her and counted her scales. I asked her to open her mouth only to see how many teeth she has. Gods! She has so many pointy teeth!" Angus remembered how heughed inside her mouth and it echoed. "How does she breathe fire? Can you take me to show more dragons?" <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Bernice''s eyes went wide. "You have so many questions, Angus!" she remarked.

    And then Angus poured out more questions. Ivy served them with grilledmb meat and buttered and freshly baked bread. Bacon with fresh vegetables came next followed by goat cheese.

    Emma watched Angus as he talked with Bernice and was hell bent on knowing every bit of information about dragons. His excitement was next level when Bernice said that she would take him to show more dragons the next day in the morning.

    "Emma!" Angus said. "Are you also going?"

    "I am," Emma said, picking up a cherry and popping it in her mouth.

    "Then you better wake me up in time. I promise I am going to eat you up if you don''t wake me in time!"

    "You are threatening me?" Emma growled.

    "No, I am going to be very angry if you don''t take me with you."

    She narrowed her eyes. She picked up a cherry and threw it at him. Angus narrowed his eyes too. He too picked up a cherry and tossed it at her. She gasped. "Angus!" And soon a cheery war started. Bernice watched them with so much love that she giggled all the way until brother and sister stopped fighting. It ended with Emma grabbing Angus from behind and wrestling with him on the rug. The corner of her eyes stung with tears. This was what she had missed in all these years. Children ying in her home. She could do anything for this to be a permanent fixture.

    Next day, Emma went to wake up Angus but he was already up and with Ivy. She was putting his dress on the bed while he was taking a bath and asking her questions that were all about dragons. Her lips curled up. Satisfied, she went back to her room and got dressed. She was impressed that her mother had arranged for their clothes so fast. When she came out, she found Angus dressed in white trousers and blue tunic with leather boots.

    "You look lovely!" Bernice eximed as she got up and hugged her daughter. Emma grinned, ncing at her long peach gown that had bell sleeves. She had braided her hair.

    As soon as they had breakfast, they walked to the carriage that was waiting outside. "I could take Nephie instead of the carriage, but she needs a lot of care. She is with eggs."

    "She''s pregnant?" Emma was stunned.

    Bernice nodded. "She willy her eggs anytime."

    "Oh!"

    They climbed the carriage. All the way, Angus and Emma couldn''t keep their excitement low. Yizinia was beautiful in every way. When they reached the pce, the guards opened the gates, knowing well who was inside the carriage.

    "The queen will shortly visit you, prospectress," said a guard who bowed to her and smiled at her children. "Please be seated." He waved at the sofas and couches in the room where the queen received her guests.

    Bernice sat down with Angus and Emma. A servant came and offered them fresh pineapple juices. The queen came shortly after. "Oh my!" She eximed. "Your daughter looks every bit like you!"

 Chapter 188 Who?

    ?

    Wearing a red velvet long cape over a cream-colored silk gown that had intricate embroidery of golden petals blooming out from the bodice, the queen shone above everyone else. The shine from a ruby ne with matching drop earrings reflected on her long nape. Her tiara had arge ruby in the center with small ones lined on either side.

    Emma and Angus bowed to the queen along with Bernice.

    "Won''t you introduce your daughter, Bernice?" the queen said with a smile as she gazed at Emma who was looking too simple to be Bernice''s daughter.

    "This is Emmalyn, Your Majesty," she said. "And this is Angus, her younger brother."

    "Oh, stop calling me Your Majesty. You are my cousin! Call me Violet," the queen chirped as she nodded at Emma and made her way to the sofa.

    Bernice chuckled as she found Emma with a gaping mouth. Angus too was gaping at them, his eyes darting from the queen to Bernice to Emma. Bernice waved her hand towards the couches that were opposite to the queen. Emma and Angus hurried their way towards it.

    When Violet looked at Emma who was still gaping, she said, "I believe that Bernice hasn''t told you anything about your heritage." She tsked and shot a re at Bernice. Then she gave a cursory nce at Angus as if he was just amoner.

    Emma blushed and took a ragged breath. "No, she hasn''t¡­" She shook her head. "I didn''t¡ª I didn''t know¡ª"

    Violet rolled her eyes. "Of course how would you know? Your mother was a rebel in her young age. She sneaked past the portal when she was young one fine day when my aunt and uncle were busy partying in the pce and found her way to Wilyra." She sighed. "And she fell in love with your father." Violet ced her hand on her chest as if this was a sphemy. "Well, and here you are!" She nced at Angus again. "Unfortunately, this little fellow isn''t part of our royal lineage." She turned her face to Angus and wrinkled her nose. Then she addressed Bernice, "I am so sorry Bernice, but he has to go away from Yizinia."

    Bernice''s face flushed. She understood thews of the kingdom of Yizinia. "I understand," she replied in a quiet voice as Angus''s face fell. Angered at her attitude, Emma felt like stomping out of the pce, but she knew better. If she did that, she might put Angus''s life in peril.

    A servant came with a tray of pastries and juices and tea. "Please Emma," Violet said. "You must eat something. It is always so nice to see those of the royal family in the pce and I am so happy to see you even though¡ª" She shot another re at Bernice. "Leave it!" she gritted her teeth. She turned to her cousin. "I wish that you had married Duke Xino!"

    Bernice flushed and looked away. "Stop it Violet!" she admonished her sister.

    Emma''s shock just doubled. He was the man on the dragon who she had encountered when they were going to her house.

    Violet waved her hand at her as if in disgust. She picked up a ck grape and popped it between her teeth. "How long are you here?" Her interest in Emma was growing more than ever.

    "I am here for a few days," Emma replied as she took tea from the servant.

    "How are things in Wilyra?" was her next question. Violet leaned back and rested on the cushion. She sipped juice from her silver tumbler as she looked at her over the rim of her ss.

    Emma pursed her lips. "Not too good¡­ The political climate is terrible."

    "How so?" Violet''s brows furrowed. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Emma shook her head. Her gaze drifted to Angus nervously and the queen understood that it was a subject that couldn''t be discussed in front of him. "Send mydy-in-waiting here," she ordered her servant.

    The servant bowed to her and immediately rushed to get Lady Ursa. Ursa arrived in a short while and in that time they all remained silent. Angus had begun to feel very awkward. As soon as Ursa came, Violet said, "Take this young boy to the dragon''sir. I am sure he would love to see the young dragons there."

    Ursa bowed to her and smiled at Angus. He got up and rushed out of the room with Ursa, only too happy to leave.

    Violet resumed her conversation. "You have to tell me everything about Wilyra."

    Emma shifted in her ce. "Before I start, I want to know why you are interested in it, Your Majesty?"

    Violet narrowed her eyes. She wasn''t used to such questions. Bernice coughed and warned Emma. Emma bit her lip as she paled.

    Violetughed. "Don''t worry Emma, I won''t eat you up. I haven''t been to Wilyra in a long time, but I have heard nice things about it. However, now that you''ve said that its political climate is bad, I am intrigued."

    Emma let out a sigh of relief. She started with how King Victor was not ready to descend from his throne even though he was too old. He was afraid of his oldest, Lord Lazarus, who was currently standing a trial in his court.

    "That old bastard!" Violet cursed. "Won''t he ever step down. His greed exceeds his ambitions."

    Emma worried her lips between her teeth as fresh panic bubbled in her chest. She rubbed her neck and her gown slipped down a little. A stunned silence followed. When she looked, she saw Violet and Bernice both looking at her nape with wide eyes.

    "You are marked!" Bernice rasped out of shock as Violet got up to examine the marks.

    "Who?" Violet asked as she lifted Emma''s chin up to see the two crescent shaped mating marks on her neck.

    Emma''s little secret tumbled out just like that. She looked with horror at the two of them.

    "Who has marked you?" Violet''s voice was harsh. Her voice carried an usation as if Emma was tainted.

    "Lord Lazarus," Emma replied, her throat going dry.

    The door of the room opened and a very excited Ursa entered. "Your Majesty, you have to see this!"

 Chapter 189 [Bonus ] Bonded To The Dragon

    ?

    Violet whipped her head towards Ursa. She narrowed her eyes on her, not liking the interruption. "Exin this, else I will throw you in the dungeons!" Violet growled. She wasn''t used to people entering a private conversation unless it was king himself.

    Ursa licked her dry lips as she paled. "A¡ª Angus¡ª"

    Before Ursa could speak another word, Emma got up and rushed past her, her heart thundering in her ribcage. Bernice clenched her teeth and followed her with Violet going after them. She shot Ursa a dirty re before leaving the room.

    "Angus!" Emma shouted. "Where is he?" she asked Ursa who was already striding ahead of them.

    "This way," she pointed to the corridor on the left.

    Emma sprinted and Ursa had to keep pace with her. Ursa directed Emma to the dragon''sir. What Emma saw there, shocked her to the core.

    "Oh my God!" Violet rasped when she reached right after her.

    Bernice took a step towards Angus but stopped.

    Emma was shaking with fear. "Why has he doubled?" she rushed to him, but Bernice grabbed her by upper arm and pulled her back.

    Angus had doubled over. He was in front of the three dragon eggs out of which one had hatched. A small baby dragon, purple in color, had wriggled out of it. The size of his index finger, the baby dragon had crawled around his finger and bit him on the tip. Angus whimpered in pain as sweat broke from his body. He crawled, trying to gasp for air as the baby dragon remained attached to his finger. There was a sudden glow in the middle of his palm which receded immediately.

    Angus managed to crawl to the stone wall of their and sat there, his chest heaving and the hair on his forehead stuck due to sweat. His skin was flushed and he was staring in the nk.

    "Angus," Emma cried. She struggled to go to him,pletely shook by the incident.

    Bernice stopped her again. She said in a very low voice, "Don''t go Emma. Angus has been chosen by that baby dragon to be his rider. They are bonding and this is the most important part of their life. Don''t interfere."

    Emma and the rest stood frozen to their spots as Angus dealt with the pain that surged in his body, watching him helplessly.

    After around fifteen minutes Angus dropped on the floor, unconscious as the baby dragon crawled and wrapped around his ankle.

    "Angus!" Emma rushed to him to pick him up, but the little dragon hissed at her as if warding her away, as if warning her not to touch his possession. Emma picked up her little brother in herp and stroked her cheeks as tears ran down her eyes.

    "Guards!" Violet shouted. Four guards came in. "Take him to the royal healer. Now!"

    One of the guards picked up Angus and rushed him to the healer''s room as Emma and Ursa followed them. When Bernice was about to go after them, Violet stopped her. "We have to talk."

    Bernice wanted to see Angus but she knew that Violet wouldn''t allow her until this was sorted. Violet strode back to the chamber they were in and Bernice closed the door behind her. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "So, Angus is a dragon rider," Violetmented, taking in a deep breath. Her face was flushed.

    "Yes," Bernice replied. She was surprised as hell. Those eggs were lying in the dragon''sir for over a thousand years. One of them hatched and found his rider in Angus.

    "I can''t let Angus go out of Yizinia," Violet said in a sharp tone. "And you know that. So do whatever you want to, but Angus is going to stay here. He belongs to my kingdom."

    Bernice let out a rough exhale. At first, Violet was being so scatheful about him and now her possessiveness about him was another level. And Bernice knew exactly what that was. Violet and King Titus rarely ever allowed their dragon riders to go out of Yizinia. "But I have to inform his mother," Bernice argued. "You have to tell her about this."

    "Like I said, do whatever you want to, but Angus isn''t going anywhere. He will be brought up right here in Yizinia under your guardianship."

    "Violet, are you sure about it?"

    The queen raised her chin. She picked up the ss of juice and sipped from it quietly. "Bernice, you know that there is a paucity of dragon riders. Every rider is important and very precious. I was thinking of keeping Emma in Yizinia because she has royal genes and she would be a great asset, but she is marked. Find out who has marked her. I will get that Lorean here if possible. Otherwise, Angus remains. This is the trade that you have to take care of."

    Bernice lowered her head and shook it. "You are very stubborn Violet."

    "Trust me, I am the least of your worries. When Titus will know about it, he is going to use every magic the witches have to stop Angus from going back."

    Bernice closed her eyes, recalling how Titus threatened to kill her parents to get her back to Yizinia. Only when she returned after giving birth to Emma that her parents were released from the dungeons. They both died their natural deathster but Bernice med herself for the torture they had to undergo. She didn''t want the same for Emma. "I will see what I can do."

    "Good. Go to Angus and prepare him for the ceremony that would induct him as a dragon rider and give instructions to the ministers to instantly upgrade his status as the citizen of Yizinia."

    Bernice left Violet and hurried to the healer''s room. Emma was sitting on the edge of the bed, holding Angus''s hand. He was still unconscious. The healer had wrapped a towel soaked in cool water on his head and arms and legs. The little baby dragon was alive and hissing at everyone who came near Angus. He seemed to tolerate Emma though which was most likely because she refused to leave her brother despite his warnings.

    Hearing the news that an egg was hatched, there was a wave of excitement. Everyone wanted to peek at the new dragon rider. The healer was having a tough time controlling the men and women. Finally, a dozen guards were stationed in the corridor to stop people froming.

    "This is huge!" Bernice said, staring at Angus. "We haven''t had a dragon rider in decades. And we were about to abandon those eggs when one of them hatched!" She walked to the little dragon with a piece of meat. He cocked his head to look at her. Like an asp, he attacked her palm and gobbled the meat down hungrily. Bernice smiled as she picked up another small piece and gave it to him.

    "What does this mean, mother?" Emma asked, scared to hear the answer.

    Bernice gave a long stare at the dragon who had coiled around Angus''s ankle with a bloated belly and had droopy eyes. She looked at the healer who nodded and went out. Once he closed the doors, she said, "This means that Angus can''t leave Yizinia."

    "What?" Emma was shocked. "That''s ridiculous."

 Chapter 190 Tight Spot

    ?

    Bernice shook her head. "That''s how the royals work, Emma. They are selfish. It''s not that they are born selfish. It''s just the way they are bred and brought up in a way that all they can think of is about the kingdom they are ruling or themselves."

    "What do you mean?" Emma snapped. "What about Angus''s feelings?"

    Bernice walked to the head of the bed where she sat at the edge. "I will have to talk to him." Her nce went at his hand. She frowned and picked it up. A small star sign glowed in it. She gasped.

    "What is it?" Emma asked, confused and shocked at the soft glow in his hand.

    "I don''t think Angus can leave Yizinia any soon."

    "Why?"

    Bernice looked at the baby dragon who was sleeping soundly coiled around Angus''s ankle. "If Angus tries to get out of the portal even if the queen allows, he will risk his dragon''s life. He is just a hatchling. Too fragile. And if the dragon''s life is at risk, it will have a direct effect on Angus''s life." She stretched his fingers out and showed the glow to Emma. "This will always remain in his hand. If the King of Aztec sees it, he will be after Angus. He is always looking out for more dragon riders."

    A sense of trepidation ran down Emma. "How did Brantley happen to have his dragon out of Yizinia?"

    "That''s because Rirsyr hatched outside Yizinia and he chose Brantley as his rider. If I am not forgetting, I think Rirsyr''s motherid eggs in Falshire Forests. If you are lucky to have been chosen outside Yizinia, you can stay out, but if you are not, then you can''t leave this ce."

    Emma got up and began pacing the room. "Why is everything so twisted in my life?"

    Bernice too rose on her feet and came to her. She stopped Emma in her tracks by holding her hands. "Emma, life is tough, but that''s how we sally forth."

    Emma''s shoulders dropped and she pressed her head against her mother''s heart. "What am I supposed to do? I miss Lord Lazarus a lot."

    Suddenly, Bernice pulled away. "That reminds me. Who has marked you, Emma?" She knew the answer before Emma could say, still she wanted to hear it from her.

    "Lord Lazarus," Emma murmured as a blush rose on her cheeks and she lowered her eyes.

    Bernice''s lips curled up with excitement. "I knew." She lifted her chin up with her fingers. "I have to mention this to Violet."

    The door of the room opened and they found King Titus entering inside with Violet. Instantly they bowed to the royalty. Titus had a grin on his face when his eyes went to Angus and trailed to his little dragon. "They are adorable!" he said with a gleam in his eyes. When he turned to Emma, he said, "I can''t be thankful enough to you for bringing your brother to Yizinia. If there is anything I can do for you, let me know."

    Emma was surprised to see that the king was kinder than the queen. "I¡ª" she forgot what to say as she took him in. With dark hair and darker eyes, he was over six feet tall. Wearing violet tunic and ck trousers that hugged his thighs, he looked strong.

    Bernice chipped in for Emma, a n suddenly forming in her mind. She looked at Violet and said, "Lord Lazarus is Emma''s mate and he has marked her." <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Violet''s eyes became wide like saucers. "Lord Lazarus?" she said in a hoarse voice. "That''s incredulous!" She gave Titus a knowing look.

    "I want both of you in the meeting chamber. Now!" Titus ordered.

    Emma whipped her head to look at Bernice, but Bernice shrugged. She didn''t know what was going on in Titus''s head. As the king and queen made their way to the meeting chamber, Emma and Bernice followed them. The guards immediately closed the door when the healer walked in the room, protecting Angus from curious onlookers.

    The meeting chamber was dark with only a few candles lit in the chandelier that hung over a round oak table. Titus sat at the head of the table on the tallest chair while the other sat down on his right. Curious, he asked Emma, "Is that Lord Lazarus who marked you?"

    She nodded, nervousness rolling off her in ripples.

    "Lord Lazarus is the next king of Wilyra," Violet said.

    "He should be," Emma replied in a voice filled with doubt.

    "Exin what you mean." Titus leaned forward and ced his elbows on the table.

    Emma narrated everything to him emphasizing how Lazarus was standing trial for a murder he nevermitted and how King Viktor hated his eldest because he wanted to keep the crown on his head. She also talked about thest riots that took ce in the north viges where Prince Jade was killed.

    "Hmm¡­" Titus steepled his fingers and rested his chin over it as he listened to Emma''s problem. "And he sent you here because he felt you were not safe back there?"

    "Yes."

    ---

    Back in the Wilyra Pce, the court was fully packed. Every minister, junior or senior was attending it.

    Lazarus was standing a trial. He was standing in the middle of the courtroom, nked by Magnus and Yul. Sitting on his throne, Viktor brushed his stubble as he watched his oldest son with a sneer.

    "It was Emma''s father who killed Jade, and we have no reason not to believe that he was encouraged by Emma to kill Prince Jade," he said in a loud and bold voice. "This clearly means that Emma was in cahoots with you to kill Jade because you saw Jade as your direct adversary to take over the kingdom of Wilyra. Earlier you had said that because of Emma, you killed your other two brothers, but the truth is that you killed them because you wanted to eliminate them."

    Lazarus raised his eyebrow. His father had yed a very dirty game. He had put him in a very tight spot this time and Drogo was nowhere to be found.

 Chapter 191 Fight Against Your Brother

    ?

    Lazarus clenched his jaw and his fists on the side as he stood in front of his father.

    Viktor growled, "Jade was murdered up north. It was a perfect opportunity for you to kill him. But Lazarus¡ª" Viktor nced at Jasper. "That was the nastiest action you could ever take. You sent your people to attack the vampire guards during the day when they were most vulnerable. You broke the code of moral conduct. This was a cold blooded murder with full intentions of eliminating your brothers. And you took help from Emma''s father who is the rebel leader!"

    Lazarus heard Jasper growling from behind. It was as if he was left, he would attack Lazarus any time. Lazarus picked up his chin and said, "Your Majesty, I killed two of my brothers to save Emma because they had attacked her when I was bringing her to the pce. Emma is my mate and I am sure you know how when your mate is in danger, you get riled up." Lazarus said that as a jab at his father who visibly shifted in his chair.

    Viktor clenched his teeth, angered by Lazarus''s double meaning, because Lazarus''s mother was his mate and he killed her deliberately. But at this time, he couldn''t go against Lazarus''s statement.

    Lazarus smirked. "In thest trial the reason was stated and the matter was cleared. There is no reason to bring up a matter whose decision you had already given." That was another jab at Viktor because this time Lazarus questions his judgment.

    "If Emma is your mate¡ª" Viktor growled, frustrated at Lazarus''s shrewdness. "¡ªthen why isn''t she here? Why haven''t you marked her yet? Are you ying games with us?" He leaned forward and rested one hand on the armrest of the throne while the other on his thigh. "Emma isn''t your mate. You have brought her here so that you could control Drogo and his rebel and use him whenever you wanted for your benefit. You are the person behind the rebellion."

    Lazarus chuckled but it didn''t reach his eyes. He didn''t want to reveal that he had marked Emma because he knew that the moment he revealed it, Viktor would try to kill her in order to get to him. He was waiting for the right time to reveal it, but his patience was waning every day. "If I remember, you were the one who wanted me to marry Olya. You organized a ball for us to announce that she would be my betrothed. How can I mark Emma when my father doesn''t want it? And if I have obeyed you to that level, why would I fuel a rebellion against my empire? It only shows that I have always obeyed you. You know that mate is revered in the Lore. And still I conceded to your demand. So your usation that I am behind the rebellion in the vige is absolutely baseless!"

    There was gasp amongst the courtiers at the way Lazarus spat the word ''baseless''. Only Lazarus could speak in this manner with King Viktor. Had it been anyone else, the king wouldn''t have thought twice before beheading him.

    Little did they know that because he was speaking a lie, Lazarus''s throat was burning like hell. But he had to take the chance for the sake of protecting Emma.

    Viktor was growing out of arguments. Furious, he shouted. "Why did you kill Jade?"

    "I didn''t kill Jade!" Lazarus growled. "I wasn''t even present there. You can ask the vigers." He looked at Jasper who was ring at him. His muscles were bulging with tension. "Why will I kill Jade? Jade was no threat to me. Not only because he was much younger but because his strength was nothing in front of mine. If I wanted to kill him¡ª" he snapped his eyes to Viktor. "I could have killed him in the pce!" <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Lazarus!" Jasper yelled and traced to stand right in front of him. He spat on his face, "It was you who ordered his killing up in the north. Jade died because you had instructed!"

    Lazarus scoffed. "I didn''t do it, but now that you are insistent, do you have evidence which says that I killed him? You''ve questioned all those vigers one by one and none of them has taken my name. So on what basis are you saying that I killed Jade. From what I heard Jade died because of his foolishness. He traced to the weapons room and stayed there to get more weapons, when all you should have done is get out of there in your dark carriages! You had gone out there to collect taxes from vigers who don''t have food to eat. What do you think they would have done?"

    Jasper''s anger sted. "You think that you are very strong?"

    Lazarus crossed his arms across his chest. "Yes, I think I am very strong physically and mentally."

    "Oh!" Viktor sneered. "So you are on the vigers who killed Jade?"

    Lazarus knew that Viktor was pinning him, trapping him. No matter what arguments he gave, Viktor was going to arrest him and throw him in the dungeons. It was a matter of time. Inside, he thanked the stars that Emma wasn''t here. He took a deep breath in and said, "I am not on anyone''s side. I am stating the facts. While Jade and Jasper shouldn''t have been sent to collect taxes from poor vigers without giving them prior notice, I do say that the vigers shouldn''t have gone to the extent of killing Prince Jade. It was wrong."

    "You are implying that I, the king of Wilyra, gave wrong decision to collect taxes?" Viktor yelled. "Do you mean to say that I was the one responsible for my son''s death?"

    Lazarus nced at Jasper and chuckled. Jasper''s brows furrowed when his father''s words weighed on his shoulders. His face paled when it made sense. His Adam''s apple bobbed. He remembered the conversation he had with his father. Even though Viktor had discussed with them that it was Lazarus who wanted the throne and they had assured him that they wouldn''t let Lazarus snatch it, he realized that his father yed with him.

    Vampires couldn''t speak lies. He looked hard at his older brother and saw only truth in his eyes. His gaze went to his father whose face was drawn back in anger. The ne on his skin got slightly dimmer than usual, which was a clear sign that it was giving its magic to him to heal. Did that mean that his father was speaking lies?

    A shiver ran down his body and goosebumps pebbled when he realized that his father was not interested in the safety of any of his sons. He hated Lazarus because he was the only son who challenged him and he was using his other sons as pawns in his games. All at once, he recognized the game. Jade and Jasper were just means to get at Lazarus. Before he could voice his protest, his father announced, "If you think that you are stronger than Jasper, I order you to fight with him and give him a chance to show his strength instead. Your defeat will prove that you used shady means to kill Jade!"

 Chapter 192 The Ring

    ?

    Stunned at his father''s orders, Jade snapped his head to him and then to Lazarus. "Why is he doing this?" he said and turned to Lazarus.

    Magnus who was standing behind him shook his head. "He has gone berserk."

    Jasper rolled his lips between his teeth. When his gaze met with Lazarus''s, he let out a rough exhale. "I know what father is doing. I don''t want to get embroiled in this game because I know what is the end. Or¡ª" he took a step closer to his older brother. "You can kill me now and end it. I didn''t realize that it would turn so ugly. But¡ª" He searched Lazarus''s eyes. "But you have to vow to the Lore that you were not involved in Jade''s death."

    Lazarus''s throat bobbed seeing Jasper''s miserable face. "I vow to the Lore that I wasn''t involved in Jade''s death." The air around them crackled with magic. Vows to the Lore were rare and the Loreans hardly made them, but for Lazarus this was an important moment. If not for his father, he wanted to do it for his younger brother.

    Jasper closed his eyes and tipped his head up. Small beads of tears collected at the corner of his eyes. When he looked back at Lazarus, he said, "What do we do now? We can''t even go against the king''s orders. Going against them will invite terrible penalties which may be akin to death."

    Lazarus sped Jasper''s forearms, his heart beating fast. "So you trust me now?"

    Jasper nodded. His forehead creased with lines of worry. "I trusted you the moment father''s game was revealed. I can''t believe that he used us for his schemes."

    "What are you two discussing?" Viktor roared from his throne. "I want both of you in the arena of the fighters in an hour." Saying that he got up and stormed out of the courtroom.

    Along with Lazarus, Jasper went to his room. He was shaking as he paced the room. Magnus and Yul were sitting on the couch as they watched the two of them. "How about I trace you somece safe?" Lazarus offered.

    Jasper shook his head. "That is going to make me look like a coward!" He paced more. "Haven''t you found Drogo?"

    "Unfortunately, no," Yul replied. "We''ve sent our forces in all directions, but he is holed up in some bloody ce where they can''t find him."

    "Why don''t we get the vige head here?" Jasper said. "He is going to stand as a witness? Or for that matter anyone else."

    Magnus gave him a look of shock. "Don''t you know?"

    Jasper stopped. "What should I know?" he asked with a frown.

    "Yul brought a few vigers from there, but the guards aren''t letting theme in the pce, stating the king won''t allow any vigers from there. Reasons are not specified," Magnus replied.

    "Fucking hell!" Jasper breathed. "What is going on?" <novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    "He is pinning Lazarus in some way or the other," Magnus said and went to the bar to pour drinks for all of them. He handed the drinks to his brothers and Yul. "If you kill Lazarus, then he wins because then there would be no one to challenge his crown. And if Lazarus kills you, he would still impeach him and send him to dungeons."

    "This is the most ridiculous situation!" Jasper put his hands up.

    "Can you tell me everything that happened over there?" Lazarus asked as he sat down on his bed. Jasper never came to his room but seeing him here was a nice feeling.

    Jasper narrated every detail as soon as possible because they didn''t have time. "Jade went to the weapons room and someone beheaded him. We are not even sure that it was Drogo, but yes Drogo was the one who led the rebellion and so every needle of doubt points at him."

    "I have an idea," Lazarus said after listening to all of it. They were running out of time.

    "I am listening!" Jasper replied.

    In the next hour, the two brothers were in the fighter''s arena circling each other as the king and his courtiers watched them from outside the ring. The ring was created outside in the garden in front of the main entrance. There were tall iron spikes that marked the boundary. So if any of them fell on them, they would die instantly.

    Jasper lunged at Lazarus and he traced away. Jasper spun and jumped at him. Lazarus was down in a moment with Jasper straddling him. The courtiers started cheering and whooping. "Jasper! Jasper! Jasper!"

    But Lazarus kicked his brother and in the next moment was on top of him. He raised his hand to punch him, but Jasper stopped the punch and threw Lazarus off him.

    Viktor shouted. "I know what you both are doing! You won''te out of this ring unless one of you dies!" He knew that the two were staging it.

    Jasper clenched his teeth hard to stop them from chattering. "I think we better fight for our life." Saying that he lunged at Lazarus and punched him hard on his face.

    Lazarus''s head reeled as ck stars sted in his vision. "Jasper!" he growled. "Don''t!"

    But Jasper didn''t listen to him and punched him again. This time Lazarus''s patience was lost. With a deafening snarl, he charged at Jasper and kicked him hard in his chest and then butted him on the chin. Blood sprayed from Jasper''s mouth as he doubled over. He stumbled behind and when he looked up, he had a faint smile. And that was when Lazarus understood. Jasper was provoking him to kill him. Lazarus clenched his fists on the side, feeling like going and challenging his father rather than letting him watch his sons die. Truly, Viktor had be insane.

    Jasper saw that Lazarus had halted. So he rushed towards him, grabbed him by the waist and shoved him to the ground. Hended right over him. Straddling Lazarus, he punched his face, but Lazarus stopped himself using his arms to shield himself. "Stop it!" he growled. But when Jasper didn''t stop, Lazarus kicked his back. His bone in the rib snapped. With a roar traced away. Jasper was groveling on the ground, air whooshed out of him. He managed to get up and was about to charge Lazarus when from the periphery of his vision, he saw dragons flying overhead.

 Chapter 193 The Dragons

    ?

    Jasper froze in his spot as he watched behind Lazarus. The moon was shining bright and he saw the shape of a dragon with a rider swishing across it. "Can''t be," he rasped.

    Lazarus narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?" he growled. He noticed that Jasper was not focusing on the fight, instead his focus was elsewhere.

    Jasper pointed at the sky. "Dragons."

    Eyes wide, Lazarus whipped his head back as shock churned in his chest. Has Emmae back? He had asked her to stay in Yizinia. Shock turned into pure dread when he saw a dragon flying in the sky. "Did you say dragons?" he rasped. Because now Lazarus didn''t just see one. There were two of them. And none of them looked like Nephie.

    Jasper rose to his feet as he watched at the two dragons who were flying towards them with powerful strokes of wings. "Gods!" Jasper was stunned. On various asions he had seen Emma''s dragon. Once she hade to sit right on the top of the pce and the whole pce had shaken when it roared. And now there were two such dragons. "They are gorgeous!" he breathed as he stepped closer to them, feeling maically pulled towards them.

    "Why have you stopped?" The king roared, getting up from his cushioned chair. He was enjoying seeing his sons fight. He knew that Jasper was going to do his best to kill Lazarus even though he would be killed in the end. That meant that Lazarus was going to get a lot injured. He would take the opportunity to kill Lazarus as well. Viktor had formed his strategy a long time back. His oldest thought that he was smart, but he forgot who he was dealing with. Viktor was the vampire who had ruled Wilyra for centuries with his shrewdness.

    Viktor''s roar sent the courtiers whimpering as they too watched the princes with their faces turned towards the sky. "Are you wasting my time and that of the courtiers?" He was about to send a flurry of curses when his words were cut off by the sound of powerful pping of wings. He snapped his head angrily and his anger turned into pure surprise. He saw two dragonsing towards them. On the inside, a wave of worry cruised through him. Had Emmae back with her dragon to save Lazarus? "Guards!" he barked. "Take your positions!" A dozen guards took their positions in front of the king to save him as more ran out of their hiding ces.

    Two dragonsnded just outside the ring with their riders. There was a hugemotion amongst the courtiers as all of them ran here and there to save themselves. The dragons breathed fire, melting the iron spikes of the ring.

    Lazarus was bewildered. He hadn''t seen those dragons or the riders before. He stood rooted to his ce, not knowing what to do. As if this wasn''t enough, he saw four more dragons flying this way and one of them was Emma. She was sitting with a woman who resembled her on Nephie. He was even more startled when he saw that there was a man in Nephie''s clutches and he was shrieking with horror. Nephie swooped in and deposited the man on the ground. Yet another dragonnded with one more man in his clutches. When the man got up, Lazarus was even more surprised. It was Drogo. He looked extremely weary and tired. He had a beard of several days and there were dark circles beneath his eyes. <novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    With glee Emma jumped down from Nephie and rushed to Lazarus. "Lord Lorza!" she shrieked with joy and jumped at him. He caught her instantly and hugged her tightly in his arms.

    "Why did youe?" he said, inhaling her scent. He was so riled up the past few days without her that as soon as she was in his arms, he was flooded with relief. "And who are you with?" The six dragons formed a circle around the princes as they pped their wings and finally tucked them behind. Lazarus took a deep breath in, taking the faces of the riders who mounted them.

    From the corner of his vision he saw Jasper going towards the other man who a dragon had thrown on the ground and who was now shivering with terror. "This is the Head of the vige up north!" Jasper announced.

    "What is going on?" Viktor shouted, hating that his perfect n was getting washed down the drain by the gigantic dragons. It was as if Emma had brought her own form of mutiny. At the same time, he was scared of the dragons and so he still remained behind his guards, not daring toe out or move an inch from his ce.

    Emma bowed to the king, stepping beside Lazarus. "Your Majesty," she said with a bold look in her eyes and a confident aura. "I have brought the real culprit who killed Prince Jade."

    When Queen Violet and King Titus had told her how they could help her, she exined to them about her predicament. Titus was only too happy to extend his help to her because she had brought him a dragon rider, and that too of a dragon that hatched after thousands of years. When he heard that she was marked by none other than Prince Lazarus, he sent six of his best dragons under Bernice''s leadership. The first thing that Emma did was to take them to the vige in the north. With the dragons out there, the vigers shivered and when she threatened that she would raze down the vige in dragon fire if she didn''te to know the truth, the Head of the vige revealed it all.

    Emma and Bernice were just too sad and disgusted when they came to know that Drogo was hiding in a cave near those viges. Nephie dug him out of the cave. As soon as they got all the evidence they needed, they headed for the pce. However, as they were flying to the pce, Bernice remained silent. Emma knew that her mother was silently mourning her father.

    Viktor growled. "You are interrupting a royal decree."

    asionally missing content, please report errors in time.

 Chapter 194 Whore

    ?

    Emma took a deep breath in as she stepped forward. "I have merely brought the culprits with me. Please give us your time to listen to them and us."

    Viktor didn''t want her to say anything at all. His eyes went to Drogo who was standing behind them and was shaking. The Head of the vige also looked like he had seen a ghost. "I don''t have time for your antics!" he shouted. He hadn''t allowed anyone to enter from the north viges because he didn''t want them to give evidence or tell people as to what happened. "So get going and let the fight continue. My sons are fighting for their honor."

    All at once, Nephie spread her wings out and lowered her head as if preparing to attack him.

    "What is this dragon doing?" Viktor said, his voice full of fear.

    "Nephie wants you to hear out the two witnesses. If you won''t, I am not responsible for the consequences," Emma replied, crossing her arms across her chest.

    And Viktor knew that she meant war. If he didn''t listen to her, the dragon would rage war against him. All his guards won''t be able to handle the six dragons out here. He had no choice. He had to deal with her, but once he had dealt with this situation, he was going to punish her. Maybe kill her. Enough was enough. "What do they want to say?" he said, glowering at her.

    Emma gestured with her chin to her father. He didn''t respond. Yul came inside the ring with a huge grin. He grabbed him by his upper arm and dragged him in front of the king. "Speak," he hissed.

    Drogo began shaking. He had never thought that he would confront the king. He never thought that his previous wife would do this to him. He hated Emma all the more and cursed the day she was born. He bowed and started, "When you had sent the princes to the north viges, we received the information. We wanted justice and so we helped them go against the princes. I raised the rebellion along with my three men. The vigers got together and we attacked the vampire guards during the day."

    "I am sure that it was Lazarus who wanted this attack," Viktor growled, forcing Drogo to be his mouthpiece. "He ordered you to kill Prince Jade."

    But Drogo was already too scared of the dragon after being flown for a day in their clutches. "No, Prince Lazarus has nothing to do with it. In fact, he wanted to stop the rebellion and did everything to do that. He called wives of the rebel leaders to the pce and met with all of them, parted with gifts also." Drogo''s throat bobbed when his thoughts went to Avice. He didn''t even know how she was doing. He didn''t know where Angus was.

    Viktor clenched his jaws. This wasn''t what he wanted to hear. "Anything else?"

    "Your Majesty¡ª" Drogo wanted to say more, but Viktor put his hand up.

    "Enough!"

    "Your Majesty," Emma forced herself in. "The Head of the vige wants to speak now."

    This time Magnus brought him forward.

    "Speak!" Viktor snarled.

    "Your Majesty," he squeaked. "It was Drogo who headed the rebellion, but¡ª" he started shaking with fear so much that he started wailing. He sank on the ground on his knees. "Have mercy!" he wailed. <novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    Viktor stiffened. He knew what wasing.

    "It was me who killed Prince Jade!" The Head of the vige started crying loudly. "But it was purely because we couldn''t stand against their cruel methods of asking for taxes. We are very poor and we can''t afford to pay them. It was an act of self-defense." His shoulders dropped as he wailed even louder.

    Everyone in the audience became silent as they watched him. Now that the truth was out, the courtiers didn''t know how to react. The Vige Head meant that the king was cruel and that he made a wrong decision to make his sons fight each other.

    Jasper, on the other hand, was shocked. He stumbled to his brother Lazarus and grabbed his arm to keep himself up. He didn''t know that it was the Vige Head who killed his twin brother. Yul had informed him that his father wasn''t letting anyone from the vige and now he understood why. His father wanted to create disharmony between all of them.

    "Is there anything else?" Viktor said in a serious voice. his reputation was at stake.

    "No, Your Majesty," the Vige Head replied, still sobbing.

    "Guards!" Viktor shouted, pointing at the Vige Head. "Throw him in the dungeons!"

    The guards rushed to him and pulled him up from his position. They dragged him to the dungeons amidst deafening silence while he screamed of injustice.

    Once he was gone, Emma said, "Now that it is proven that Lord Lorza had no hand in murder of Prince Jade, you have to acquit him of all charges."

    Viktor wanted to m something. Anything. His n was foiledpletely. He was going to teach Emma a lesson. "Why are you so interested in Prince Lazarus?" he asked, leaning back in his cushioned chair. "I hope you know that he is getting married to Olya."

    Emma gasped. She flitted her gaze to Lazarus. He came to her and whispered. "You don''t have to answer him." Magnus shifted on his feet.

    But Viktor was pissed off. "Are you his concubine?" he nced at Bernice and the rest of the dragon riders to see their reactions. They were all stunned. He liked it. "You are behaving as if you are his wife, but Emmalyn¡ª" he leaned forward. "If you don''t want to be called his cunt, and if you have even a modicum of dignity left, get out of this kingdom. Otherwise, I can put you in the quarters of the whores of the pce."

    "Father!" Lazarus growled.

    Viktor ignored him. "You are nothing but his whore. I will never let you marry him. He will marry and mark Olya. So get out of here with those dragons because if I see you again, I will behead you!"

    "Father! This is preposterous!"

    Emma stopped him. And what she did next, shocked Viktor out of his wits.

 Chapter 195 Exposed

    ?

    Lazarus stopped when Emma lifted her hand to stop him. She turned her face to look at Viktor with anger bubbling in her chest. She had had enough of his nonsense and didn''t want to hear him.

    She took a step closer to him. "It seems that all you have is whores around you. That is why every woman that you see looks like a whore to you!"

    "Emma!" Viktor growled, seething with fury. "Stay in your limits."

    "No!" she snapped. "You keep within your limits. You''ve gone without a wife and a mate for so long that you have stopped respecting women. But you know what? I pity you! You could never be a good mate and a good father because you were always focused on your throne."

    "Guards!" Viktor barked, shaking with rage.

    A guard threw his spear at her, but before it could even touch her, the spear burned midair when Nephie breathed fire at it.

    Emma scoffed. "Don''t you dare to do that again because I can''t guarantee that it won''t be you next time."

    Viktor''s eyes became wide like saucers. The girl who he thought was just a vigemoner now stood up to him.

    Emma continued, "You killed your mate. You buried her alive in the blood forest and then seized her ne to stay alive. You have been fooling life itself because you are greedy. Greedy for the power, for the throne and greedy for money." She took an intimidating step closer. "Every woman in your eyes is a piece ofmodity who should be traded. If her value is nothing, she should go to the whore house. But then I don''t me you. You have forgotten the softness of a real woman because all those who ever visit you are whores!"

    She turned to stand between his three sons. "You should have treasured your sons, but look at yourself. You have pitted them against each other by ying games. Lazarus had been doing his best to quell the rebellion which would be in the benefit of the kingdom, but after we talked to the vigers and my erstwhile father¡ª" she gave Drogo a hateful look. "We realized that you don''t want the rebellion to stop. Drogo had started thinking of making a career in rebellion because your intentions weren''t to collect taxes. They were to start a fresh rebellion!"

    "That is outrageous!" Viktor yelled. "A vige girl is going to teach me what it is to run a kingdom? Me? You forget that I have run this kingdom for thousands of years! How dare you?"

    "And it is time for you to retire," Emma yelled back. "Because you are not running a kingdom. You are running a fiefdom!" She grabbed Lazarus''s arm. "My mate, Lord Lazarus has been trying to undo all your bad deeds. All the while he is in the pce, he keeps wondering what would be your next move that would lead to disaster and he tries to contain that disaster. Do you realize what you are doing? You are nowpletely focused on eliminating your sons only to keep ruling this kingdom!"

    "Shut up!" Viktor roared.

    "I won''t!" Emma was on the roll. She snagged her gown down. "Look at these two marks and look at them nicely!" There was a collective gasp from the courtiers.

    "Emma!" Lazarus was shocked not because she was yelling at his father, but because she exposed herself as his true mate.

    "Leave me Lord Lorza!" Emma growled. She whipped her head to the king whose eyes had popped out of his sockets. "Look at these king Viktor. These are the marks given by your oldest. I am King Lazarus''s true mate. He had been hiding me and tried his best to hide this fact only to protect me. He yed your games only to protect me. He agreed to marry Olya only to protect me. And yet you say that I should be his whore?" She stomped towards the throne. "What kind of a father are you when you can''t recognize anything about your child?"<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    "Kill her!" Viktor shouted, shaking with fury.

    Before the guards could even pick up their spears, two dragons pped their wings and swooped down on them. Viktor had to run behind his chair to save himself. He watched the dragons picking up the shrieking guards with their ws and mouth. He heard the noise of skulls cracking and flesh snapping.

    "Come out!" Emma growled at him. "Now we will talk properly!"

    Viktor was shaking with fear. He was furious with Emma but he was more afraid than furious. He stopped his teeth from chattering and slowly came out of his hiding ce. "What do you want?" he asked. Once this situation got over, he was going to get her killed. That would take care of his son as well.

    Lazarus came over to be with Emma. Magnus, Jasper and Yul also rushed to her side. Viktor could clearly see that three of his sons were now with Emma. He wished that Anton was here.

    Lazarus came to stand in front of Emma. "Now it is my turn to speak." He was so proud of the way Emma spoke that his chest filled with pride. "I will marry Emmalyn at the next full moon," he dered.

    "Are you an idiot?" Viktor snapped. "She is a bloodymoner!"

    "She is nomoner!" A man jumped from his dragon andnded on the ground smoothly. He walked with his chin high and came to stand next to Lazarus.

    "Who are you?" Viktor asked, fearing that his doubts mighte true.

    "I am Titus, King of Yizinia, and Emmalyn is my wife''s niece."

    Viktor''s mouth dropped to the floor. "What?" He couldn''t believe it.

    "Yes," Titus chuckled, looking at his reaction. "Emma is my niece and Lord Lazarus has all my backing because he is a family."

    Viktor was speechless. Lazarus was also stunned as was every other person present out there.

    "Ally?" Viktor said. He started thinking of ways to mend his rtionship with Emma because having King Titus as his ally meant that he could conquer the entire Lore with all his dragon army.

    Emma scoffed. "If you are thinking that he would be your ally now, then King Viktor that ship has sailed long back!"

 Chapter 196 Accept The Challenge

    ?

    Viktor was surprised at Emma''s audacity. The way she said that the ship had sailed made him furious instantly. "You realize that the Wilyra Kingdom is a powerful kingdom and you are standing on the grounds of this kingdom, rejecting an offer from the king himself?"

    Emma chuckled, "But Your Majesty, you didn''t make an offer. I rejected it before you could make it."

    Viktor jerked his head back. He really wanted to snap her neck, which he was going to do soon. "Then get out of this kingdom. I banish you from Wilyra. If you try to step in it, I am going to order my guards to shred you into pieces!"

    "She is not going anywhere!" Lazarus''s voice boomed in the darkness of the night. "Emma is my mate and she is going to stay here!"

    "Lazarus!" Viktor retorted. "If you are so hell bent upon staying with her, then you can also go to Wilyra. And if you want to stay in Wilyra, you have to reject her!"

    Lazarus narrowed his eyes on his father. "My mate isn''t going anywhere nor am I. This is mynd and I will live here."

    "This is mutiny! I can behead you now!" Viktor growled.

    Lazarus stepped closer to his father. "Look around you. Your guards abandoned you are they became food to the dragons. Yet you think that you can behead me?"

    Magnus and Jasper came forward, nking his side. Jasper lifted his chin up and said, "We are with Lazarus. If you punish him, we will not tolerate it. We will rebel!"

    "You all have gone insane!" Viktor yelled.

    "No father," Magnus countered. "It is you who has gone insane. Lazarus had always and always only thought of benefitting the kingdom in one way or the other, but you have used every power in your capacity to make him look like a viin in front of his brothers and sisters. Since you could never spoil Lazarus or me, you spoilt all your other children. You never developed them as leaders because if you would have done that, you feared that they would take up your ce. Look what you did to three of my brothers? They are dead only because they fought against Lazarus when they should have fought against you!"

    "Magnus!" Viktor roared. "You are getting out of your character. You are nothing but just a fly in the kingdom. You think that by being with Lazarus you will be given heavy portfolios? Well, let me tell you a fact. Lazarus is so cunning that he is using you to satiate his desires."

    Magnus chuckled. "I think you are speaking it all with your experience because I don''t see Lazarus in that light."

    "How will you?" Viktor mocked a chuckle. "He wants the throne for himself. He got Maeve to help him with it, but Maeve was smarter. She allied with me and told me all his intentions! I will never let Lazarus rule Wilyra. He is not capable of it and I will kill him now!" <novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    There was a stunned silence on the ground when Viktor exposed the truth. Maeve had allied with him? But she was Lazarus''s betrothed?

    "In that case father," Lazarus growled. "I challenge you to fight with me in this arena. The winner will get the throne and the loser will die!"

    "No!" Emma rasped. She rushed by his side. "You can''t do that, Lord Lorza!" Dread skittered down her spine. The king had the ne and he would never die. The ne would heal him.

    He cupped her cheeks. "This is it, Emma. I am fed up with ying games with him."

    King Titus walked to him. He put his hand on his shoulder. "You don''t have to do this, Lazarus. You cane with us to the kingdom of Yizinia. You are Emma''s mate and we value true mates."

    Lazarus''s lips curled up. He ced his hand over Titus''s hand. "That is very generous of you, King Titus, but that would paint me as a coward. I have taken the decision of challenging my father consciously. The kingdom of Wilyra needs a change. Even if I die along with him, I will be happy that someone else will rule Wilyra."

    "No one will rule Wilyra other than me!" Viktor roared. "Only I will stay on this throne forever!"

    Titus snapped his head to Viktor. "King Viktor," he said in a menacing voice. "Do you know that my dragons can char you to death in a minute? The ne that you are wearing will also turn into dust with you. So stop banking on it that much. And¡ª" he gritted his teeth. "Don''t provoke me to fight against you. I can take over your reign with my six dragons. Imagine what would happen if I got my army of dragons with dragon riders. This whole kingdom would be razed to the ground in less than a day! So start counting your days. Even if you win over Lazarus, you have me to confront!"

    Viktor paled. His gaze flitted from Titus to Lazarus. Viktor realized that Titus had given him a soft warning. It was like you better lose or I will kill you if you won''t lose.

    Lazarus''s chest swelled with pride. He ignored his father. He never knew that his mate was rted to such a strong king. "Thank you for your support," he said to Titus.

    "Anytime." Titus was surprised when he assessed how alone Lazarus was and yet he stood against his father who was extremely powerful in multiple ways.

    "I should have killed you the day you were born," Viktor growled. Then he looked at Titus. "I am not scared of you, King Titus," he sneered. "Wilyra isn''t that weak. If you will attack us, we will revert with more force! I ept your challenge, Lazarus!"

    Lazarus chuckled. His father had forgotten about the vow to the Lore he had made to his mother, else he would have never epted the challenge.

 Chapter 197 No Time Left

    ?

    Viktor red at his oldest. He was going to shred him into pieces and then some more. "We will meet tomorrow at this time!"

    Lazarus bowed to him. "I will wait for you, King Viktor." He didn''t say "father" because it was the king who had epted his challenge and not his father.

    The king glowered at the remaining people who were on his side in a menacing way. He got down from the dais and stormed back to the pce. In less than an hour, he had lost all his allies in his sons and the only son who believed in him, Anton, wasn''t present. Well, it was high time he showed his real power to his son.

    Lazarus let out a ragged breath when his father had gone. He noticed that all the courtiers too silently left the field. He was sure that none of them wanted to take sides, but given a chance they would take his father''s side. And the reason was that they believed that the ne he was wearing would save him.

    Emma rushed to him and hugged him tightly. "What have you done?" she said, almost crying. Magnus, Jasper, Yul and Titus came to his side and watched the two of them with worry. Bernice dismounted Nephie and hurried to them.

    "Emma," Lazarus said. He tipped her head up by lifting her chin with his fingers. "It is all going to be fine. Trust me."

    "How?" She shuddered as tears stung her eyes. She couldn''t even think of Lazarus dying. "You shoulde to Yizinia with me."

    He chuckled. "Come, all of us should get in. I want to thank King Titus for his generous offer." Then he looked at Bernice and bowed to her. "It''s a pleasure to meet you. Your resemnce to Emma is uncanny."

    Bernice''s lips curled up. She gazed into his deep red eyes. "I am honored to have you as my daughter''s mate. When I had left Emma in Wilyra, I was sure that her future would be the same as othermon girls, but I didn''t know that she would be your mate and that her future would be with you."

    "Isn''t that what God decided?" King Titus remarked. "You left Emma here so that she could be found by Lazarus. That''s how the Lore works. Because I can''t think of a reason for you to rebel against your parents and run away from Yizinia only to marry Drogo. It was only because you had to give birth to Lazarus''s mate."

    She let out a softugh. "Yes, Lore has its way of weaving it all in the mostplicated manner."

    "You all must be tired!" Yul chipped in. "Should I take them to my house?" he asked Lazarus.

    "Yes, you should take them to your house," Lazarus said. "The guards at the pce must be already instructed by my father on what to do when they see any of the dragon riders."

    "What about Emma?" Jasper asked, his face full of concern.

    For the first time Jasper showed his concern and it was for Emma, not his brother. Lazarus really liked it. "She will stay with Olya in Magnus''s apartments. Don''t worry."

    "If you like, she can stay in my quarters as well," Jasper offered.

    "No Jasper. Magnus''s quarters are more protected. His quarters face the woods where the dragons will hover all the time."

    Jasper nodded. "Okay! If it is fine with you, we need to meet in your quarters in order to form a strategy." He shifted on his feet anxiously.

    "We will," Lazarus assured him. "Let us all meet at Yul''s house in an hour. I don''t want to call them to the pce." <novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    "What about the rest of the dragon riders?" Titus asked as he looked at his precious riders. "They are very special to me."

    "They will be safer in my house, King Titus," Yul replied. "Please leave the arrangements to me. I assure you that they won''t be harmed."

    Titus smiled and liked the way Yul assured him. "That''s good!" he said, sping his hands. "Let''s go!"

    Lazarus took Emma with him to the pce along with Magnus. They went straight to Magnus''s quarters.

    "Emma!" Olya chirped and rushed to her to hug her. "Gods! You were away for so long. I missed you!"

    "Olya¡­" Emma hugged her tightly. "I missed you too." Olya was the only friend she had in this pce.

    Lazarus traced Emma to his quarters. "Lord Lorza!"

    He picked her up and captured her lips as he took her to the bed. "I missed you so much," he said, crawling over her. "I need you badly, Emma!" In the next few moments, their clothes were in a heap on the floor as Lazarus mounted her. He pounded in her like there was no tomorrow. "Mine. Mine. Mine!" She curled her legs around his waist, urging him to get deep in her. He couldn''t hold longer and came inside her with a roar. He slumped on her, pressing her body on the mattress with his weight.

    She stroked his silky hair and back. "Lord Lorza, why did you challenge the king? It is too risky."

    He chuckled and got up on his elbows. He pulled out of her and wiped them clean with a cloth. "Are you forgetting the vow that he made to the Lore to my mother?"

    Emma went nk for a moment. "Ohhhh!" Her mouth formed a big O. "You mean the king has forgotten?" Suddenly, half of her worries vanished.

    "Either that or I am thinking that he is going to circumvent," Lazarus replied, getting out of the bed.

    She sighed. "Why can''t he just step down?"

    "Don''t worry, love. Let''s take a bath. Everyone must be waiting for the meeting."

    When they reached Yul''s house, except Magnus, everyone was there, even Jasper.

    "I want to call Anton," Jasper immediately said. "We have to tell him about father. Anton is being yed by him!"

    Lazarus smiled at his younger brother. He ced his hands on both his shoulders. "Sit down Jasper. And no, we won''t call Anton. There is no time left."

    "Then what are we going to do?" he breathed.

 Chapter 198 This Is Cheating

    ?

    Viktor invited the whole royalty of Wilyra for the challenge. They were supposed to fight in a stadium that was built right outside the pce. The stadium was like a rose bowl with the main field at the ground. All those who were near the capital came rushing to watch the fight between the king and his oldest son.

    "Your Highness!" a guard came in where Lazarus was getting dressed for the fight. "The King has asked you to join him in the basement from where the contestant would go up to the field."

    A crease formed on his forehead. "Why?"

    The guard shook his head slightly. "I don''t know. These were his orders for me to convey." He bowed and left.

    "Why would he do that?" Emma asked, feeling dubious about it.

    "I don''t know¡­" Lazarus shrugged as he wore armor over his torso with Yul''s help as Magnus watched them.

    "Wait," Bernice entered the room along with King Titus. "Don''t wear that." She had an armor slung over her hand that shone brilliantly.

    "What is that?" Lazarus asked.

    ---

    When Lazarus reached the basement along with Yul and Magnus, he saw that his father was sitting on a chair and drinking wine. Surprised, he raised his eyebrow.

    Viktor chuckled. "You thought that I would fight against you? You think I am so na?ve that I forgot the vow I made to the Lore to your mother?" He swirled the red liquid in his ss as he red at him. "Anton!" he shouted. Lazarus whipped his head to the right and saw Antoning into the basement.

    "What is he doing here?" Lazarus growled, his mind filled with suspicion.

    Viktorughed. "He will be fighting for me."

    Lazarus''s gaze locked with Anton as a shiver ran down his body. So this was how Viktor was going to get rid of his sons? He shook his head as disgust rippled in him. "Aren''t you tired of this game, father? What will you get out of this?"

    "Shut up!" Viktor growled. "Unlike you, Anton wants to fight for me. He wants to do it for his kingdom and not for himself. You are the most selfish man I have ever seen!"

    "Then you must see the mirror once in a day, father," Magnus spat.

    "Magnus!" Viktor snarled. "Don''t cross the limits on how to talk to me. You are nothing but an ant in front of me."

    Lazarus wanted to shut up his younger brother, but Magnus didn''t stop. "That''s right father," Magnus replied. "You''ve never treated me as anything better than an ant. It was just a privilege by my birth that I happen to be in this pce, else, you''ve treated me just like you''ve treated any other person. I never felt¡­ belonged." <novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    "Enough!" Viktor shouted. "We are not here to discuss rtionships. Besides, you have always shown to be loyal to Lazarus and not me. Why are youing up with this baby issue now?"

    Magnus looked at his father with pity. "I am loyal to Lazarus because he was the only father figure I had in my life."

    The bell on the stadium rang loudly, snapping them all out of the emotions. Viktor turned his attention to Anton. "Make me proud, Anton. Kill this bastard!"

    Anton''s face morphed into anger. He was waiting for this moment all his life. "I will," he replied in a menacing voice.

    Lazarus clenched his jaw. Anton was a powerful vampire and if he was with Lazarus, he would have done better, but Anton chose to be with his father. There was nothing much Lazarus could do about it.

    Yul whispered, "This is cheating."

    Lazarus didn''t reply knowing fully well that it was cheating, but he had anticipated the move. He thought that his father would ask someone else to fight for him, but he never thought that he would ask Anton. How did Antone so fast?

    "Stand in the lift," Viktor ordered his sons, pointing at a thick wooden lift in the corner of the room. Magnus and Yul embraced him tightly before Lazarus walked in it.

    Jasper had just walked in and he hugged his brother tightly. "I want you to win!"

    Viktor came to stand with his sons in the lift. "Release the rope!" he barked an order.

    As the lift rose, Viktor took a small knife out and gave it to Anton. Anton nodded, giving him a knowing nce and plunged the dagger in Lazarus''s shoulder. However, the iron of the dagger cracked and fell on the floor. Anton and Viktor were shocked to see it falling down as they stared at the armor he was wearing. Lazarus smirked and whirled to Anton but by that time the lift hade to the surface.

    Lazarus recalled that when he was wearing the armor, Titus had stopped him. King Titus took the armor from Bernice and made him wear it. "This is the armor spun from spider spun steel and then zed in dragon fire. Not even fae iron can pass through it."

    Lazarus walked out of the lift and wasn''t surprised to see all the royalty waiting for them. There were about a hundred or so vampires who had gathered. This was an important fight for all of them. It was going to shape the future of the Wilyra Kingdom.

    Anton and Viktor stepped out after him. Viktor walked in front of his sons. He picked up a conch that looked like a megaphone and addressed the gathering. "We all have gathered here to witness the fight for the throne. My oldest son, Lazarus, has challenged me. But it was my younger son, Anton who wanted to fight for me! I hereby announce this fight to begin. May the fittest win it!" Saying that he shot a re to Lazarus and then walked out of the arena.

    There was a loud cheering amongst the crowd. "Anton! Anton! Anton!" And Lazarus knew who they all wanted or rather sucked up to.

    Anton rolled his shoulders as he gave a lopsided smile to Lazarus. "You still think you will win?"

    Lazarus was waiting for this time. He said something to Anton which he wanted to do for a long time.

 Chapter 199 The Spear

    Lazarus watched his father leave the arena. Once the king was seated on this high chair, Lazarus and Anton walked to each other to sp their forearms as was the custom.

    When they sped each other''s arms, Lazarus leaned over to his younger brother and whispered, "Anton, I want you to get out of this dirty game yed by father. You know that he would be least affected with either of us dead."

    Anton chuckled. "Are you scared, big brother that I will win?"

    Lazarus closed his eyes for a moment to tamp down his anger. "Anton, I don''t have time for argument, but I can give this offer. If you leave now, I will let you rule the north of Wilyra. This is the best offer you can ever get in your lifetime as Prince Anton. However, don''t me me for the oue of this fight. I really don''t want to fight with you."

    Anton narrowed his eyes on Lazarus. He shook his head slightly. "Then you don''t know me, big brother. I have hated you for so long that this emotion has festered my chest. I was waiting for a chance like this to prove that I am far better than you. And if I win, I won''t give yound equivalent to the tip of a needle. Instead, I will kill you." His face twisted in fury. "That''s the difference between you and me. You are a wuss while I am a lion-heart. You thought that I had gone away on a long vacation." He chuckled. "No, I remained on the verge of the kingdom, trying to find someone to lift the curse of the dragon on Maeve."

    Shocked, Lazarus stared at Anton. He left his forearms. "Then let me tell you a secret. The dragon curse can''t be lifted. And I will enjoy killing you!" Saying that Lazarus traced away from him.

    "Let the fight begin!" Viktor shouted from the pavilion, not happy that his sons were talking.

    Lazarus came to stand in front of the room with iron bars that was locked and where Emma was standing with Magnus, Yul, Bernice and Titus. Emma''s throat bobbed. She blinked her tears away and said, "Be careful."

    He smiled and nodded once. "I will." However, even before he coulde, Anton traced behind him and punched him on his back. Lazarus was hurled to the iron bars. Emma shrieked as he fell on the ground. But Lazarus didn''t wait to get up. He traced in that position away from there, surprising Anton who was hoping that Lazarus would get up because he was ready for the next punch.

    Anton spun only to find a shadow speeding towards him. He dodged the shadow but he wasn''t fast enough. Lazarus''s fist connected with his face and blood sprayed out. With a roar, Anton attacked Lazarus and the fight between two powerful vampires started.

    There was a cheer amongst the crowd when Anton kicked Lazarus in his stomach. Lazarus winced in pain. If he was going to get injured, his tracing ability would get affected. So he changed his strategy. He let Anton use all his attacking positions while dodging them. He traced away from Anton, but Anton came straight to him with a fist flying in the air, aiming at his head. Lazarus waited for him toe near him and the moment Anton''s fist was barely a few inches away, Lazarus traced and went behind him. Anton lost bnce. He stumbled ahead. Lazarus kicked him from behind and Anton was thrown to the stone wall. He crashed on it and slumped to the floor with a fracture in his shoulder.

    "Fuck you!" Anton let out a guttural growl and charged at Lazarus. When he was just about halfway to him, he traced. Lazarus was taken aback, but he knew that Anton would obviouslye to him, so he also traced away from there to the location where Anton had crashed. So when Anton came to the position where Lazarus was standing, he found that ce empty.

    "Over here," Lazarus chuckled.

    "You!" Anton roared and traced to him. Lazarus traced away from there and Anton once again crashed in the wall.

    The crowd gasped as the wall shook with the impact of the crash. <novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    Anton was getting irritated. He wanted to read Lazarus''s movement but he couldn''t. For the next one hour, he did his best to catch Lazarus, but he ended up crashing against the wall or the ground and once he was even tossed to the crowd. Embarrassed that Lazarus had the power to lift him and throw him like a ragdoll, he became all the more aggressive. He was losing his patience.

    He looked at his father. Viktor pointed to a double-edged spear which was kept hidden in a crevice. Anton nodded and traced to that crevice which was in the far corner of the arena just below where his father was sitting. He was going to kill Lazarus using this spear. He nced at Lazarus who appeared confused by his movement. He pulled the spear out of the crevice and before Lazarus could understand what he was doing, Anton traced to him and pierced the spear in him. However, the spear pierced through the air because Lazarus immediately traced away from there, knowing his next moment.

    Lazarus came to stand in front of the crevice. "This is unfair!" he growled at his father. "Weapons aren''t allowed!"

    Viktor snickered. "What are you going to do about it, Lazarus?"

    Viktor was about to fire his answer, when he heard another roar from Anton. Anton appeared about twenty meters away from him and then raced to Lazarus.

    Lazarus waited for him toe near, near, near. Then he suddenly spun from the way of the spear, caught it from its handle and tugged it a little. Anton couldn''t control his bnce. He stumbled in the front. The spear hit the wall and Anton couldn''t stop himself froming in front of it. In less than a second, it got over. Anton''s body was pierced by the sharp spear. He fell on the ground with blood spraying out of his heart and mouth. He looked at Lazarus with pride. Lazarus rushed to his brother. "Sorry," he said. "It was either you or me."

    Anton looked at his older brother once before his eyes became ssy.

    "Noooo!" Viktor shouted and traced from his chair to Anton. "You killed him!" he shouted. "You killed him!"

    "It was supposed to be like that father, wasn''t it?" Lazarus reminded him.

    "You didn''t y fair with Anton!" Viktor used.

    "Really?" Lazarus scoffed. "It was you who didn''t y fair. How is it to taste your own medicine?" He pointed at the double-edged spear. "You thought that you will get rid of both of us with that. Don''t I know you?"

    "You bastard!" Viktor got up. "I am going to kill you!"

    Lazarus traced away. "I have won!" he dered.

    Viktor grew mad with rage. He pulled the spear out of Anton and charged at Lazarus with it to kill him. But he had made a vow to the Lore. Lightning shed in the sky overhead and magic sizzled around the spear. The spear in his hand turned at him and before Viktor knew, the spear plunged inside his chest.

 Chapter 200 New King of Wilyra

    Chapter 200 New King of Wilyra

    A collective gasp followed from the audience when they saw their king fallen on the ground with the spear plunged in his chest. Blood spurted from his heart and pooled around his body.

    Lazarus rushed to his father and sat by his side. "Father!" he breathed as a shiver ran down his spine.

    Viktor moved his lips to say something but he couldn''t utter a word. The pain was immense and rippled across his body in sharp waves. He closed his eyes because he knew that he would be healed because of the ne''s magic. When he opened them, he saw Lazarus peering at him with wide eyes. "You¡­" he rasped in a very low voice. "You can never take this ne. It is mine." He chuckled. "You don''t know the magic spell."

    Lazarus noticed that the ne''s luster had dimmed to the level that it had be a pale yellow. It was an indication that it was using all its magic to heal his father. This was also the time when its hold on his father would be the least. If he chanted the right spell that he had learned from his mother, it woulde to him. "You are forgetting one thing father," he said in a hoarse voice. "My mother taught me the right spell before she died. But she also said that I had to wait for the right moment to get it. It''s hold on you would be weakest when you would be in grave danger and hanging between life and death."

    Viktor''s eyes went wide in shock. Angered as hell, he said, "You will take advantage of this situation, when I can''t do anything? Where is your manliness?"

    Lazarus chuckled but his chuckle didn''t reach his eyes. "I have had enough of this game, father. Now watch me!" He got up, towering over him. He closed his eyes and chanted, " je m¨¦nia." Magical lights burst around him. They coiled around his arm and traveled to his hand. He shot them towards the ne. It moved from its ce.

    "Nooo!" Viktor tried his best to get up by keeping one hand on his ne and the other on the ground. "You can''t!"

    Lazarus''s eyes became a deep red as he looked at the ne and extended his hand for it toe to its rightful owner.

    The ne stopped moving for a moment. " je m¨¦nia!" This time Lazarus chanted the spell louder and with all his energy. The ne peeled off the skin of his father, leaving an imprint of stripped skin, flesh and blood. Viktor shouted as he tried to catch the ne, but he couldn''t get up. The ne connected with Lazarus''s fist and he grabbed it immediately. There was some magic that was still holding it with Viktor. Lazarus yanked the ne from the magical field and lifted his hand high in the air.

    Viktor''s eyes went wide with shock and surprise when he saw his oldest son with the ne in his hand. Gusty winds swirled around him as magic sizzled in the air. Suddenly, his whole body convulsed. And before he could fathom what was happening, his body turned into ashes which were blown by the wind and carried away from the pce''s grounds.

    The wind settled and the magic evanesced. Lazarus stood there with the ne in his hand, his chest rising and falling with the fresh magic that traveled from the ne and pulsed in his body. He turned a circle, showing the ne to all the royals present there. They watched him with pure fear inplete silence. When he came to face Emma who was still behind the iron gate, he showed it to her.

    A smile spread on his lips as tears flowed out. She knew that he dedicated his victory to her. "Open the gates," she ordered the guards. As soon as the gates opened, she walked out of there with her chin held high. Excitement swelled along with pride and love. She nodded at him to encourage him to wear the ne.

    Lazarus''s throat bobbed as he waited for her toe to him. When she reached him, she stood in front of him. "Lord Lorza," she said. "What are you waiting for? Wear it."

    "I was waiting for you, Emma," he replied in a hoarse voice. He lifted the ne to his neck. It settled snugly over there as if it had returned home and he sped it from behind. The next instant, the ne embedded itself in his skin. Lazarus winced in pain when the metal pierced his skin, but the pain was flitting. The ne shone brilliantly once after which its shine settled.

    "Long live the king!" A voice shouted from the crowd.

    "Long live King Lazarus!" Another voice came.

    And the whole crowd burst into cheers. Emmaughed through her tears and embraced him tightly. He curled his hands around her shoulders and kissed the crown of her head. He didn''t realize that he was crying until his cheeks became wet. Lazarus never cried in his life, but this was a special asion. His brothers ran to him and hugged him from all sides as Bernice and Titus looked at all of them proudly. Viktor was¡­ forgotten. Just like that.

    "The ceremony to ascend you to the throne should be conducted as soon as possible!" Titus suggested.

    "Yes!" Yul supported him. "I have called the High Priest already. There is a heavy number of royals present here. There wouldn''t be a better time than now."

    Surprised at him, Lazarus raised his eyebrow. "So soon?"

    "He is right," Magnus said. "Come to the throne room." He turned to his brother. "Jasper, you should announce to the public toe to the throne hall in ten minutes."

    "What is the hurry?" Lazarus asked, bewildered at his brothers.

    Magnus pulled Lazarus from the arena towards the throne hall as Jasper took the conch and shouted on it to announce to the public to gather in the throne hall. Yul ordered his guards to surround the new king. Emma giggled at the way they were all hurrying up the process of his crowning. When they reached the hall, they saw that the High Priest was already there. Magnus took him and Emma to the dais.

    "You should stay with me, Emma," said Bernice. "The dais belongs to the king at this time."

    "Why? She''s my mate!" Lazarus protested.

    "She is. But she isn''t your wife and queen of Wiyra," Bernice pointed out. "Once you marry her, she will share that pedestal. Otherwise, the royals are going to hate her. Let her be with me for now."

    "But Emma¡ª" Lazarus didn''t like it at all.

    "She is right, Lord Lorza," Emma said with a sweet smile. "I will see your ascension from here."

    Lazarus sighed. "Okay¡­"

    The High Priest came and since Yul had asked him to hurry up with the ceremony, Lazarus was dered the King of Wilyra is fifteen minutes. The crown now sat on his head. Everyone cheered him all over again. Once the cheers died down, Lazarus announced, "I want all of you to wait until tomorrow because I will wed my mate, Emmalyn."

 Chapter 201 [Bonus chapter] Wedding & Honeymoon

    Chapter 201 [Bonus chapter] Wedding & Honeymoon

    Emma''s throat choked with emotions and she felt wobbly on her knees. Bernice clutched her by her waist and kissed her on her cheek. Emma looked at Lazarus softly as she tried to blink her tears away. This was a big announcement and was aplete surprise. Lazarus had quickly made this decision without asking her, but she knew that he wanted to seal the deal before anyone protested.

    "You are a lucky girl," Bernice whispered.

    Emma chuckled. "Yes, I know." She remembered how they both met and how he had a hard time epting her. But they crossed all the hurdles together and came to this point.

    Lazarus''s gaze met hers as the whole court erupted in cheering both of them. He smiled and called her on the dais. When she walked there, Bernice refused to let her go. "Not now, Emma," she said. "Once you are the queen."

    Emma signed and cried, but she agreed to her mother''s demand.

    With the crown on his head, Lazarus looked regal. He stood there like a tall leader. The rebellion was crushedpletely with Drogo''s arrest. He was such a fool into thinking that it was Maeve who would lead to his ascension, but it was Emma who was a catapult in his ascension.

    They all went to his room and this was the first time Bernice and King Titus along with the rest of the dragon riders went into the pce. Every guard, every servant and every minister were out there waiting for them. They all bowed to their king and to their would-be queen.

    ---

    Since there was very little time left for the preparation of the wedding, the whole pce became extremely busy with it. The wedding was announced to all the viges but because it was a huge affair, Lazarus decided not to call anyone other than those blushed a crimson, he didn''t know, but she sure smelled like honey and roses.

    "But what about the vigers?" she reminded him.

    who were in pce for the wedding for Emma''s safety.

    "But they wouldn''t like it," Emma pointed as she walked down the corridor in a crimson gown with a crimson veil on her head. She had red roses over the veil. Bernice and King Titus walked behind her along with Yul, Magnus, Olya and Jasper. They were all going to the throne hall where the High Priest would perform the ceremony and hand-to-hand dere Emma the queen of Wilyra.

    "And you look lovely," he breathed, unable to take his eyes off her.

    She giggled. "And you too." He was wearing a ck tunic with ck trousers. His gold ne was showing from the two buttons that he had left open.

    He leaned over to her and whispered, "I can''t wait to take that veil off of you." If she blushed a crimson, he didn''t know, but she sure smelled like honey and roses.

    "But what about the vigers?" she reminded him.

    "I want this to be done peacefully, Emma. But I promise that I will take you to them tomorrow. I have already arranged for that."

    They reached the throne hall and as soon as they entered, the courtiers showered rose petals on them. They walked down the red carpet to reach the High Priest. The others remained a few feet away from them. The doors of the throne hall closed and the priest started the ceremony. Once again, the ceremony wasn''t long. Yul and Magnus had instructed the priest to keep it short. In the end, the priest said, "ording to thews of Wilyra, you are now husband and wife." He addressed Lazarus, "You may kiss the bride."

    Lazarus lifted his bride''s veil, cupped her cheeks and crashed his lips on hers. His bride opened herself for him and he delved his tongue inside. The world around them faded. The kiss went on and on, until Yul coughed a little to bring them back to earth. However, he was ignored. Yul coughed again. This time louder. When Lazarus didn''t leave his bride, he coughed harder and Magnus joined him. The royals in the hall burst outughing.

    "You will get her again soon, Lord Lazarus," King Titus said a little loudly. "I swear I will take her back to Yizinia if you don''t stop!"

    Reluctantly, Lazarus left his bride whose lips were now swollen up. "I love you, my queen," he said in a low voice.

    "And I love you too, my king," she replied with a smile.

    The High Priest seemed relieved after the hot kiss. He took their hands in his and lifted them up. "I present you the King and Queen of Wilyra."

    There were loud cheers amongst the whole crowd. Everyone was murmuring about the much-needed change. They were happy to note that the dais, where only the king''s throne was kept for a long time, now had two thrones.

    As soon as Emma was dered the queen, the High Priest conducted the ceremony to crown her. As soon as she was crowned, the crowd erupted excitedly into cheering them both.

    The wedding was followed by dinner and dancing and this time Lazarus didn''t stop himself. He danced for the whole night with Emma as he drank and had fun with his brothers and friends. King Titus and Bernice went back to their rooms for rest, leaving the young ones to celebrate.

    By the time it was morning, Lazarus picked up his wife and traced to his room. He was drunk and his voice was slurry. "Emmalyn," he said as he sat her on the bed and sat down in front of her. "I don''t have patience to remove those clothes and I want to get inside you so badly. What should I do?"

    She chuckled. She started opening herces and buttons as he watched her with eyes at half-mast. When she sat naked in front of him, he licked his lips. "Can I take you?" He asked for her permission.

    She nodded softly. Lazarus took out his clothes as she watched him. His erection sprung free and he crawled over her. "I''ve been dying to make you my queen because I wanted toe home every day after work."

    "Thene home, my lord," she said.

    And Lazarus drove home.

    ---

    The vige looked like a star-studded sky on earth the next evening. Lazarus and Emma went to attend the borate function that the vigers had arranged for them. The rebellion was crushed and no rebel leader was seen. They all knew that Drogo was in jail. Emma enquired about Avice, but she was told that when the soldiers were looking for Drogo, she misguided them. They came to know about her tricks and they were about to catch her when she ran away. No one knew where she was.

    Emma felt bad because she didn''t know what she would tell Angus, but she resolved that she would find Avice and send her to Yizinia to meet him.

    Lazarus got down from the dais and joined the vigers in their dance. Heughed and had fun with them for the whole night. Emma was overwhelmed. It was a new beginning and seeing how much Lazarus had changed brought a smile on her face.

    Next day, in the morning, Bernice said, "We have to leave Emma. King Titus has ordered us all to go back."

    "Ohhh!" Emma whined. "Can''t you stay for two more days?"

    Bernice chuckled and hugged her. "I wish I could, but now that you and Lazarus are the king''s rtives, you cane down any time to Yizinia. Besides, I have to take care of Angus. He will be so happy to learn that you are married."

    "What about Nephie? Isn''t she with eggs?"

    "Yes, she is. I have this feeling that she will beying them on our way back. She can''t hold them back."

    "You mean in this realm?" Emma asked with surprise.

    "Yes," Bernice smiled. "Yesterday she was talking about some Fulshire forest."

    "Oh!" Emma was stunned. Then she hugged her mother. "I am going to visit you soon!"

    "I look forward, dear," Bernice said and hugged her daughter tightly. "It was so nice to meet you, Emma."

    Lazarus watched them with a smile. With Emma, he had gotten a family so powerful that no one would be able to defeat him. He bade his goodbyes to King Titus and his dragon riders after thanking him for all his help. When the dragons were just a little speck in the sky, Lazarus said, "I was thinking of Magnus and Olya''s wedding in a week''s time." He knew that Emma would be sad now. When Emma squealed and jumped at him, locking her arms around his neck, he knew he had done the right thing. He grabbed her by her waist and kissed her as he walked back with her to their room. He had instructed his people that he was going on an extended vacation for his honeymoon to an unknown location.

    Lazarus traced Emma to the cabin in the north mountains of Wilyra for his week-long honeymoon before taking up his duties as the King of Wilyra.

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