Instead of a punch or something, "Hold him up for me!" Came Fellene's voice.
An arm tugged against Brunos's from his left side, another from his right. What would Fellene do with him? Instead of thinking about a way out, his mind was full of vivid images of the breasts rubbing against his skin.
'So it's the succubi guards seizing me up? At least I'm dying in these arms and not the chubby guy as I previously died.'
His eyes flickered open when someone said, "Brother Fellene, let me give him something before you kill him."
"Yeah! He had to pay for the slaps!" Zeal added to Pagern's words.
Fellene gestured for his brothers to do as they pleased. He was going to kill him anyway. "Here you go!"
Brunos starred at Zeal who had jumped in front of him. If his slap was going to be as perfect as the smirk on his face, Brunos was for sure dead. At least his girls were safe. He reminded himself.
Whoosh!
"Ha! Ha! Ha!" Zeal's laughter intensified the pain. "How was that one?"
"Too light!" Replied Brunos, ignoring the burning sensation under the skin on his left cheek. "I wonder how many beauties left your bed unsatisfied because you wouldn't give them the smack they deserved."
'Why do I relate everything to bed matters?' Brunos asked himself.
Did he have another way? These guys were planning to make him suffer before killing him. He was going to do the same. He didn't have the power to strike back physically, but he trusted his tongue and was confident. Why would he be called a man if he didn't know what makes men angry? Challenge his bed skills and you will get the reaction you want.
A second slap landed on his cheek; too heavy and faster than before. "How dare you!"
Another came his way, this time not from Zeal. "About to die and still blabbering?"
Pagern's slap made Brunos feel giddy that it took him half a minute to respond to his words. "Pagern, are you scared these guards here would gossip about your brother?" He chuckled. "I see! You want to shut me down so that I won't tell some painful truth about you?"
"Do you think I'm scared of blabberings from a dying coward like you?" Whoosh! "This one is for your cowardice. Zeal would have had time to strengthen his bed skills if you'd not abandoned us to fight with beasts all day long."
Wait! What was that brat trying to mean? Hundreds of years ago, they caught Brunos by surprise and attacked him. They wanted him dead. What did he mean by he abandoned them?
Maybe he was trying to let the succubi guards know he was doing the right thing. That Brunos was really a traitor. To cover the truth behind his disappearance.
Brunos glanced at his right side. Morrin lowered her gaze, but Brunos had seen what he wanted. Anger and sadness.
Morrin had lowered her gaze to hide her hatred for Brunos. Him refusing to marry that witch's daughter as they assumed, had brought misery to everyone. Anyone who had a brother, a father or a husband. But marrying her at last, abandoning them to live as miserable as they lived made her feel no remorse for holding him up. She would be more thankful if they let her be the one slapping him. He had been arrogant to her after all.
"Seems like you want to manipulate these guards here," Brunos said. The expression on their faces made his lips curl. "Didn't you say blabblings from a dying coward cannot do anything to you? Why do you look troubled then? Don't worry! I won't tell anyone that you're the ones who brought all this misery. Haven't you betrayed me 200 years ago, I would have not..."
Fellene couldn't risk the truth years ago going out. He couldn't kill Morrin. What if she heard and decided to tell Valeria? "Shut up!"
When Fellene's punch landed on Brunos, he regretted saying those words. But at least he was still alive. Enduring pain is better than dying. When you're alive, everything is possible.
"Should we behead him?" Asked Zeal borrowing a sword from one of the succubi guards. He held it out for Fellene to draw it from its sheath. However, before he could do so, a green figure passed past Brunos, aiming for Fellene's neck.
Fellene saw the craws coming his way and bent sideways to dodge, before elbowing the owner in the back. His foot followed her on the ground.
When Brunos saw Fellene stamping on the Petite's back, he struggled to break the succubi guards' grip. He could feel his own bones cracking as if he was the one on the ground.
"Zeal, behead this lowly thing for me!"
As Zeal prepared to do as Fellene ordered, Lilyon landed on him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him downwards.
Aargh!
Pagern ran to rescue his brother, but Eleanor had something for him. She stopped flying and prepared to kick him with all the speed of the fall.
"LILYON!" Screamed Brunos as he saw Fellene charging towards her. Why was life like that? He wanted Fellene to leave the Petite alone. Now that he did, he wanted him not to go near Lilyon.
He glared at Morrin, but instead of letting him go, she tightened her grip. "You've got no escape you disrespectful piece of trash!"
Brunos chuckled. He didn't expect her to repeat his words. He might have scratched her dignity when he said it to her. "Morrin," he called. "You will regret this."
"He he! When a demon is dead, it is dead. Do you plan to buy a ghost to haunt me? That has never happened before."
"You'll know it the day I will tell you to bring your mom to my room to satisfy my desires while you watch. I will..."
She elbowed him so hard that he whimped. "Shut up and... and you better watch your mouth."
"Let me tell you," Brunos insisted as he ignored the pain of his broken rib. "I will make sure it's painful. I'll make her cry and..." Another broken rib made him unable to finish his sentence.
"I told you to watch your mouth. Now that my master is looking away, you don't know what I might do to you! Maybe I can cut that worm of yours before you even think of inserting it into my mom."
Brunos chuckled at her diction. Couldn't she use her own words? "One day, you will beg me to insert it in your mouth. I will not grant you such a wish."
As if prepared for whatever would happen, Morrin let go of his arm and punched him as hard as she possibly could. An image of his face after being punched all those times appeared in Brunos's mind, but instead of glancing at it, he heard Fellene screaming.
"Pagern, catch her!" He then pointed at Eleanor, "Zeal, that one. I'm having to deal with Brunos first."
Lilyon and Eleanor flew towards the castle where the butterfly still hung. So, that's why he had been seeing everything as if it was daytime? Why wasn't Valeria coming to his rescue? Didn't she see it?
'Oh my!' Brunos exclaimed remembering all the efforts it took to produce it. It still looked fascinating though. From the way Fellene stared at it, Brunos could tell he was confused.
"What's that?" asked Fellene as he ran towards him. "Brunos, what have you done?"
Seeing Fellene frightened encouraged Brunos to open his mouth again. "Brother, don't be scared! It's nothing big. Only a message for Valeria. She should know all you did years before. All you intend today."
Fellene pointed at him. "You!"
Brunos turned to look at Morrin ignoring the angry Fellene charging at him. "Morrin, don't you think it's a wise idea to add your name to the list Valeria is about to receive?"
Hearing those words accompanied by a smirk, Morrin felt scared for odd reasons. First, knowing the queen, she wouldn't be happy to know Brunos was killed before reaching her. Second, though she was strong, she wasn't as influential as her masters. She would be the first to die. What would come of her mother? She had endured all the pain it took to acquire the title she now had. To be strong so that her mother would live a life free of worrying about Lust Leaves. Devils!
Should she switch sides? Could she kill Fellene? Every direction meant death. What was she going to do?
Before she could reach a better conclusion, she felt Bruno slip out of her grip as if pushed away. Following, Fellene gave Brunos another kick that sent him flying in the air. This made her mind spin even more. Would the queen forgive her when she saw all of these happening and did nothing about it?
"Hold him for me again. I want to be the last thing he sees before he dies. I want him to fear and respect me even when he's dead."
Hesitantly, Morrin reached for Brunos's arm. Did she have another choice? She only stared at the sky. What was that? A butterfly larger than the castle's Crimson Star? Kagern was dead. Who else?
Fellene pointed at one of the Four Auburns whose hair was the longest of them all. "Bring me your sword!"
"Brother," Called Zeal as Fellene waited for the sword. Pagern stood beside him both holding Brunos's girls by the neck. "What are you going to do?"
Fellene grabbed the sword out of the guard's hand. "We have to kill him as soon as possible. Valeria must be wondering about our whereabouts. Let's do it before she looks for us!"
"You're late!" Said an unfamiliar voice, so siren and low pitched as if from kilometres.
Everyone turned to look at who had dared to challenge Fellene. "Oh devils!" Exclaimed Pagern when he saw her. "Valeria?"
With the help of the light from the butterfly, one could see question marks allover their faces. What is the queen doing here? Why is she speaking now? Is it because of Brunos?